TOOTH TALK: Zygomatic implants

For many people looking at dental implants, options are limited due to insufficient bone in the posterior upper jaw. This may have been caused by aging, tumor resection, trauma or atrophy. Usually, people suffering with this condition and wearing ill-fitting dentures are told they are not candidates for conventional dental implants, or they may require extensive bone grafting and sinus augmentation.

At Dentistry by Dr. Kaplansky, PLLC, in Gasport, a revolutionary procedure is being offered for those facing limited options.

Since being introduced by Dr. Per Ingvar Branemark, widely accepted as the "Father of Dental Implantology,” zygomatic implants have been used for dental rehabilitation. These implants are used in patients who have advanced to extreme bone loss in the upper jaw (severely resorbed maxilla).

Traditionally patients with bone loss need bone grafting, which can add six months to a year to their treatment and has a high failure rate. Zygomatic implants can provide full mouth restoration in one day, with no bone grafting. Due to the sturdy anchorage achievable in the dense bone of the zygomatic region, a prosthesis can often be immediately placed at the time of surgery. Long term benefits include fewer clinical visits. 

Zygomatic implants are different from conventional dental implants in that they anchor in to the zygomatic bone (cheek bone) rather than the maxilla (upper jaw). They may be used when maxillary bone quality or quantity is inadequate for the placement of regular dental implants.

There are only a few trained and skilled dentists in the nation who offer the innovative procedure. I am one of them. I'm a member of “Teeth Tomorrow,” a network of advanced providers of permanent full-arch, immediate load implant solutions in the Western New York region.

For more detailed information on the zygomatic transplant procedure, visit www.drkaplansky.com.

Dr. Igor Kaplansky, DDS, FAGD, FICOI, founded Dentistry by Dr. Kaplansky in 2002. To suggest a topic for Tooth Talk, send an email to gasportdentist@gmail.com .