Dental implants have become the most commonly used form of dental technology when it comes to replacing missing teeth for our patients. Dental implants are versatile in that they can replace a single missing tooth, multiple missing teeth, or a full set of missing teeth. There are several different types of dental implants available on the market today, including single tooth dental implants, multiple tooth dental implants, implant supported dentures, the All-on-4® Treatment Concept, and zygomatic dental implants. Here at Coastal Maine Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery we provide dental implant restorations for our patients with missing teeth. The type of dental implant we choose depends on your tooth loss, amount of bone structure, as well as your specific tooth replacement needs.
What Are Dental Implants?
A dental implant acts as a replacement tooth root. Typically a titanium post is embedded into the jawbone to serve as the new tooth root. The post will then fuse with your jawbone. After the gums have healed, usually after a period of three to six months, through a process called osseointegration, a connector, or abutment, will be placed on top of the dental implant. The third and final piece of the dental implant, a dental crown, is then placed on top of the abutment, serving as your new replacement tooth. You can have as many dental implants placed as you need, depending on how many missing teeth you have.
What Are Zygomatic Dental Implants and How Are They Different?
While traditional dental implants are anchored into your jawbone, zygomatic dental implants are placed into your cheekbone, also known as your zygoma. Zygomatic dental implants are able to be surgically placed into the cheekbone and anchored immediately, thus removing the wait time of traditional dental implants which are embedded into your jawbone and require time to fuse together. Zygomatic dental implants have an extra long post that serves as the artificial tooth root. Zygomatic implants are generally used to replace a full set of teeth.
Benefits of Zygomatic Implants
These types of dental implants are typically used for patients that are not good candidates for traditional dental implants. This would include individuals who do not have adequate jawbone to place the dental implant into. Typically if a patient needs dental implants but they do not have sufficient jawbone, they will first need to undergo additional oral surgeries prior to receiving their dental implants. These procedures could include sinus lift surgery, ridge augmentation, as well as bone grafting. For those individuals who do not want to add these surgeries to their dental implant surgery, zygomatic dental implants may be a better choice, as the cheekbone can provide the amount of support needed for the implant.
Zygomatic dental implants can also be used if traditional dental implants have failed for some reason or if bone grafting procedures performed on the patient were unsuccessful.
Zygoma Implants at Coastal Maine OMS
The technology available today allows us at Coastal Maine Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery to better serve you. This includes providing you with the type of dental implant that best suits your needs. Contact us today at 207-401-5006 to schedule a consultation for dental implants and we will work with you to find out which type of dental implant will be best for you.