What is a zygoma dental implant?
Dental
implants are used to replace missing teeth. A zygoma implant offers patients a
permanent dental prosthetic solution that ultimately leads to less time in
surgery and follow-up treatments. This procedure also reduces and often
eliminates the need for bone grafting.
Why zygoma?
Many
patients suffer from the loss of teeth and the reality of having to wear
removable denture prosthesis. Difficulty with speech, mastication and esthetics
are just a few of the problems that come with wearing dentures. Bite force also
can be reduced from 450 pounds per square inch to less than 50 in denture
wearers.
Patients now have the option of having all of their teeth
replaced with zygoma implants that support either removable or non-removable
dental prosthetics. These implant-supported prostheses look, act and function
more like a patient’s prior dentition.
How is zygoma different
from other dental implants?
Traditionally, dental implants required
enough height and width of bone in the upper and/or lower jaws for placement. In
upper jaws with minimal bone, surgical options such as sinus-lift and bone
grafting were the only alternatives. The zygoma procedure places implants in the
zygoma bone at an approximate 45-degree angle emerging at the dental ridge and
often prevents the need for more intensive surgery.
Conventional dental
implants cannot be performed if patients lack sufficient bone structure to
anchor the implants. In this case, bone must be harvested from the hip or skull
or may be acquired from a donor bank. A staged procedure could delay surgery up
to a year or more. The zygoma surgery often reduces the need for bone grafting,
which still might be required in the anterior portion of the upper
jaw.
About the procedure
Usually two zygoma implants are placed
in the upper jaw posterior region, one on each side. If a non-removable dental
prosthetic treatment is indicated, usually a minimum of two additional
conventional implants in the anterior upper jaw is needed. In some cases two to
three zygoma implants can be placed on each side of the upper jaw for better
support of the dental prosthesis.
The operative timeframe of zygoma
placement varies from individual to individual and may take a few hours under
sedation or anesthesia. Bone loss or atrophy in the lower jaw can be managed
with bone grafting and/or nerve repositioning procedures, also performed at the
Facial Surgery Center.
Recovery
Most implants placed in the
upper jaw require a four to six month healing timeframe before they are
connected to a dental prosthesis. This is because the surface of the implant
actually becomes biomechanically attached to the patient’s bone through
osteointegration. Once integrated, the implants function as a solid anchor to
stabilize a patient’s dental prosthesis.