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Implant Patient has Persistent Metal Taste in Mouth: Recommendations?

Last Updated: May 21, 2009

Anon. Asks:
On 5/5/09 I placed a Zimmer implant at #10 with no flap in a very atraumatic placement and placed a metal healing cap in a 32 yo male in good health. I have known the patient since he was 8 years old and he called the office and stated that he had a metal taste within 2 hours of the surgery.

On 5/14/09 I placed a Zimmer temporary plastic abutment and placed a 3M plastic temp crown filled with 3M composite on the abutment. The patient was taking Buspar once daily for anxiety and a multivitamin. He was put on Pen VK 500 on 5/5/09. Subsequent to this appointment the patient still has the metal taste as well as pain and throbbing.

I told him to stop all medications and placed him on Vicodin ES. There is absolutely no contact with the temporary in occlusion and the tissue looks perfect with no sign of infection whatsoever. The patient is going out of his mind and wants me to take the temporary off. I am perplexed and not sure what to do. Any suggestions would be appreciated. I know that I can get rid of the pain but the metal taste is a different question. Thank you for any advice.

6 Comments on Implant Patient has Persistent Metal Taste in Mouth: Recommendations?

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A.Romano dr. med.dr .dent

5/22/2009

the best posithion than you can take is to take away the temporary plastic abutement to calm himsef and to do an anhother procdure . you can cover the implant with copalite lining and see in the next days if the simptom goes away. otherways you must consider if the healing metal cup is electrical in contrast with the titanium implant or otherwise if the patient have any restoration or crowns of wich metal?

Dr.V

5/26/2009

you can check this web page http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/sym/metallic_taste.htm#intro. Maybe is not Implant related

Dr.Mehdi Jafari

5/27/2009

Check the patient for Giardia Lamblia infection.The chronic type is aways accompanied by Iron-Deficiency anemia and metallic taste in mouth.

dr. shah

5/29/2009

have u prescribed any antibiotic post op, that can lead to this metallic taste. ? generally, cipro tini combinations are known to cause some metallic taste

Dr.med. Dr. dent Alessand

12/16/2009

there are some drugs that provoke metal taste: for example an antipressure like beta-block nebivololo, or like olmesartane cc. but there are many other drugs involved in this problem. a good clinician must investigate possible collateral effects of some,perhaps many drugs.

jay

5/4/2010

I know this is late, but if you gave the patient peridex/periogard mouth rinse its side effects are: metallic taste, calculus build-up and staining of the teeth. All of which usually go away once the rinse is stopped.

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