I have severe shoulder pain. The next step in finding out what is wrong is for me to get an MRI. I was so relieved we were getting a test that might get to the bottom of it, that I didn’t even think about what it means with me having a dental implant. I know it is made of metal and that is a bad idea for MRIs. Do I need to cancel the test? If so, is there another test I can use to get to the bottom of this pain issue?

Martha

Dear Martha,

You have asked a great question. The good news is you will be safe to have an MRI, even with a dental implant. It helps to understand how an MRI works. After creating a strong magnetic field, it then uses radio waves and digital software to obtain cross-sectional images of the soft tissue of your body. The danger comes when you have ferromagnetic material in your body.

Dental implants are either made of titanium or zirconia. Most patients are not worried about zirconia because they are metal free. You mentioned yours were made of metal which would mean that they are titanium. Thankfully, titanium is not ferromagnetic. That means you are perfectly safe to have an MRI to find out what is going on with your shoulder.

I hope you get answers soon and can get out of pain. This is one less thing you have to worry about as you look for a prognosis.

This blog is brought to you by Marietta Dentist Dr. Cristi Cheek.