Why Is Your Dentist Recommending Zygomatic Dental Implants?
While dental implants are a proven way of replacing missing teeth or holding dentures in place, standard solutions don't work for every patient. In some cases, your mouth may not have the right structure to hold a regular implant.
This doesn't mean that you can't take the implant route; you may simply need a specialist solution. For example, your dentist may have started talking to you about having a zygomatic implant. How do these implants work, and what are their benefits?
What Is a Zygomatic Implant?
A zygomatic implant works just like a regular implant in most ways. Your dentist inserts a holding implant into an oral bone and leaves it for a few months to fuse into place. They then screw a false tooth into the part of the post that protrudes into your mouth. This gives you a stable tooth that stays in place permanently.
However, the design of zygomatic implants and their insertion techniques are slightly different. These implant posts are longer than the norm because they go into a different area of bone. Regular implants sit in your jawbone. A zygomatic alternative goes deeper — these posts typically bypass your jaw and go into the bottom part of your cheekbone.
Why Get a Zygomatic Implant?
Regular dental implants rely on you having enough bone in your jaw to hold the base post. Not every patient has enough bone in the right places. For example, problems like gum disease and infections can degrade bone density. If you've had missing teeth for years or have worn dentures for a long time, then your jawbone is likely to have shrunk back. You may not have thick enough areas to hold a post. While you can have bone grafts to rebuild the bone in your jaw, this is a time-consuming process that might not work for every patient.
A zygomatic solution gives you a different route for getting implants. These implants don't need you to have a certain level of bone density in your jaw. They go further up in your oral cavity. Even if you've lost some density lower down, your cheekbones are unlikely to be affected. They can provide a solid anchor for your implant. This means you get all the benefits of an implant without the need for grafting. This gives you a solid and quicker solution.
To find out more about kinds of dental implants, talk to your dentist.
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