Traditionally, if you did not have sufficient bone mass in your jaws, the only option was bone graft surgery to regenerate enough bone mass to create a sufficient foundation for traditional dental implants. Now there are revolutionary dental implant techniques that eliminate the need for bone grafting altogether. Zygomatic Implants are a graftless dental implant technique where the implant is directly embedded in your cheekbones (referred to as Zygoma), where there is enough bone support for the implants.

This revolutionary approach is available like other advanced techniques like All-On-4®. With Zygomatic implants, your healing time is much faster and your total treatment time is minimal, as the implant placement is computer guided, so all of the planning is done before you get into the chair.

Typically, dental implant placement is the most difficult in the upper back region of the palate (top molars). Bone loss occurs more rapidly here when teeth are missing, and the presence of the sinus cavities creates yet another obstacle. In the past, in addition to bone grafting, a patient might have to have a sinus lift procedure as well, prior to getting his implants. The development of the Zygoma implant presents a unique alternative for patients who wish to avoid bone grafting, sinus lifts and still get dental implants, as the implants can be placed in areas with only one surgical procedure and eliminates the need for grafting.

Indications for zygomatic implant insertion include:

• Alternative for sinus augmentation
• Failed sinus augmentation
• Rehabilitation after tumor resection or trauma
• Failure of conventional implants
• Failure of previous bone grafts

The process uses a specially extended dental implant (up to 55 mm instead of the usual 10mm or 15 mm for normal dental implants) that can be screwed into the cheekbone instead of the jaw bone, which benefits those who don’t have enough jaw bone to sustain regular implants. What’s more, the Zygomatic implants can be placed without surgery. First, the patient undergoes a 3D CT scan of the jaw that makes it possible to guide the implant into the jaw non-invasively. After the long Zygomatic implants are anchored on the upper jaw and inside the Zygomatic bone, a provisional prosthesis can be fixed immediately after placing dental implants, until complete restoration is achieved.

The biggest advantages of Zygomatic implants over sinus lift procedures are:

• The success rate, which, according to studies is of 100% after 5 years.
• They are usually placed using an immediate loading protocol.
• They can be used in partially edentulous situations.

To see if you are a candidate for Zygomatic implants, contact the Kern County dental office of Sedation and Implant Dentistry of Tehachapi for a consultation with Dr. Jose David Sanchez, D.D.S. Call (661) 822-3727.