Have you ever wondered why people with dentures seem to have a sunken jawbone that looks really uncomfortable?
This is not just your observation but an actual phenomenon called denture-induced jawbone loss.
And it doesn’t just ‘look’ uncomfortable; such denture wearers really struggle with daily eating and speaking.
Unfortunately, a lot of people are convinced to get dentures due to their affordability and non-surgical nature.
They go for traditional removable dentures despite their dentist advising them against it and recommending fixed implants instead, only to experience the evidence of why they were being advised against it in the form of severe (irreversible) bone loss.
When that happens, many people deeply regret their initial decision and resolve to finally get implants.
But is that even possible considering how important jawbone viability is for implant success?
It wouldn’t have been possible in the past but fortunately, an advanced treatment called Zygomatic Implants now makes it possible!
Getting zygomatic implants after dentures is the perfect way forward in upper jaw bone loss implants cases.
It’s an alternative method of implant placement that completely bypasses the upper jaw and places implants in the zygomatic bones instead, giving your implant a fresh and stable foundation.
Curious to know how it works? Read more to find out!
Understanding Denture-induced Bone Loss
Before we talk about how to get permanent implant teeth after experiencing jawbone loss from dentures, it’s important to understand how exactly this loss occurs.
Traditional removable dentures are an affordable and easy way of restoring a toothless jaw, but it does so quite superficially.
These dentures are designed to rest on the gums and use the gums as their primary support.
Being soft tissues, the gums can only provide so much strength to chew food with minimal to moderate force and help you speak, but it doesn’t provide anywhere near the stability and strength of natural teeth.
But that’s not the only downside to traditional dentures.
Apart from providing mediocre functionality and aesthetics, they also don’t provide any protection to the underlying jawbone as it’s not connected to the jaw at all.
Over time, the unstimulated jaw starts losing volume and shape, causing it to recede and resorb.
This jaw shrinkage is not just concerning from a structural point of view but it also hampers the functionality of the denture as it no longer fits snugly. It also puts you at a greater risk of gum disease and infections.
How Zygomatic Implants Fix The Issue
Many people wish to fix their mistake of getting dentures by shifting to implants, but that becomes really difficult if you’ve gotten severe jawbone loss after prolonged denture use.
The reason is simple: dental implants (fake tooth roots) require a healthy and strong jaw as the primary prerequisite.
In bone loss cases, you lack this primary support, so implants aren’t possible unless you get bone grafting, and even then, a successful outcome isn’t guaranteed if bone loss is severe.
Modern implant dentistry has created an intelligent solution to this in the form of Zygomatic Implants!
Zygomatic implants are like regular (but significantly longer) implants that also work quite the same except that they are not placed in the jawbone but in the cheekbones instead!
It’s an alternative way of getting implants in the upper jaw where the upper jaw is deteriorated due to prolonged denture usage or otherwise.
The cheekbones act like a substitute support structure for the implants.
It’s a perfect substitute bone because of three core reasons: it’s close to the upper jaw, it’s structurally similar, and it’s also similar in terms of composition in that its density, strength and fullness is very much like the upper jaw.
This makes implant insertion very feasible and effective into the cheekbones and the chances of implant success are also high.
Basically the implants get a fresh and healthy foundation for their placement in the form of the cheekbones instead of being placed into the deteriorated jaw and risking their failure.
Here’s how zygomatic implants are placed:
- The upper jawbone is fully numbed with the help of anesthesia
- Small surgical incisions are made into the upper jaw (whose location is carefully predecided during the implant planning phase) via which narrow holes are bored into the jaw for implant insertion.
- These holes are extended all the way up to the cheekbones, where implants will actually be placed and integrated.
- The implants are placed into the holes as per the predecided angulation. About 4 to 6 implants are needed to support a full denture.
- Abutments (connectors) are placed on the implants.
- A temporary denture is secured to implants via abutments.
- The temporary denture takes around 3 to 6 months to settle into the upper jaw (the originating site of the implants) and to strongly fuse with the cheekbones, after which the implants become capable of supporting a permanent denture.
Note: The abovementioned process can either be performed in a single sitting (same-day zygomatic implants) or in separate sittings via the traditional implant method.
Conclusion
Zygomatic implants provide an intelligent, straightforward and time-saving solution for people who have significant upper jawbone loss due to prolonged denture usage and who are skeptical about getting bone-grafting.
By placing implants into the cheekbones, it introduces a whole new possibility for permanent teeth replacement for such people without making them go through multiple elaborate surgeries.
Do you have more questions? Schedule a FREE consultation with our highly-skilled dentists at AZ Implant Clinic, a premium dental practice located in Arizona, USA. Talk to our team of implant experts and pave your way to a healthy and beautiful smile!
FAQs
Is zygomatic implants surgery very complicated and risky?
While it’s true that cheekbone implants require a much more involved and expensive surgical approach as compared to regular implants, the surgery itself is usually completely safe if performed by a specialist.
I’ve heard about scary complications like sinus infections and the like after zygomatic implants. How true is that?
Since the area between the upper jaw and the cheekbones contains many sensitive nerves and organs (including the sinuses), such complications are possible but not inevitable, and they too only occur if the surgery isn’t careful enough.
Will the healing be very painful?
The initial post-surgical duration will be harder than that of regular implants but the pain aspect is managed effectively with painkillers.
Will I keep experiencing pain during the 3-6 months of healing?
No, only the initial healing period of about 2 weeks will be painful/uncomfortable, after that the entire healing will be completely painless.
Will I get a temporary denture right after surgery if I get same-day implants?
Yes, you’ll receive your temporary set right after surgery if you opt for same day implants.
