When is Bone Augmentation Necessary for Zygomatic Dental Implants?

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If a person is missing one or more of their natural teeth, they are likely going to search for options to have them replaced. While dental implants are an extremely popular option, due to their durability and longevity, not everyone is a candidate for this procedure. For example, anyone who has lost bone density due to not having teeth present will not be able to receive implants.

Reasons for Loss of Bone

There are a number of reasons that bone insufficiency in the jaw may occur. Some of these reasons include:

  • Wearing dentures for long periods of time
  • Gum disease
  • Defects in the tooth development
  • Injuries to the face or other trauma
  • Dental procedures where there were no efforts to restore natural bone
  • Spaces that were left empty in the mouth after teeth were taken out

The good news is, there are several no bone dental implants techniques that can be used to help solve this issue.

Bone Grafts

A bone graft is a safe and effective procedure that involves the “building up” or adding to the existing jaw bone. This is done by taking bone from another location (or using a donor, processed or synthetic materials) to restore the jawbone. Once the grafted bone has fused and become a strong and integrated part of the current bone, the implant will be placed. In some cases, this can take up to three months.

Sinus Lift

If a person is missing their upper back teeth, there is no question that this can be difficult to restore. Since these teeth are near the sinus cavity and when they are missing, this part of the mouth will become larger and the natural bone will deteriorate as time passes. A sinus lift is a bone augmentation procedure for patients that don’t have enough natural bone for the placement of the implants. Bone is added below the sinuses so that several implants can be placed.

Zygomatic Implants

Another option is a Zygomatic dental implants. These have longer roots that can easily fuse to bone that has begun to deteriorate. When they are placed, they will also stimulate the bone to regrow and fix the bone that is missing.

As you can see, there are options for you if you have been told you are not a candidate for dental implants due to bone deterioration. It is best to speak with your dentist if you are interested in any of these procedures.