MCG School of Dentistry performs its first zygoma implant procedure
Patients who can no longer wear upper dentures due to bone loss now have a new option at the Medical College of Georgia School of Dentistry.
Dr. Mark Stevens, chair of the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, recently performed the institution's first zygoma implant procedure.
(Media-Newswire.com) - Patients who can no longer wear upper dentures due to bone loss now have a new option at the Medical College of Georgia School of Dentistry.
Dr. Mark Stevens, chair of the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, recently performed the institution's first zygoma implant procedure.
Dental implants, which are anchors for permanent dentures, are typically placed in the maxilla, or upper jaw. That requires sufficient bone to support the implants. The new procedure allows oral surgeons to place longer implants in the zygoma, or cheekbone.
"This patient's [upper jaw] is like an eggshell," says Dr. Stevens of MCG's first zygoma implant case. Periodontal disease caused the patient to prematurely lose his teeth, which caused the upper jaw to resorb, or shrink. Prolonged wear of a conventional denture put pressure on the bone and triggered further bone loss.
"It's like building a house with a huge roof. Eventually the roof, or denture in this case, is going to cause damage to the underlying support and the whole thing is going to come down. The [upper jaw] can no longer support the denture and it constantly drops out of the mouth, even with adhesive," Dr. Stevens says.
Previously, when this occurred, bone was taken from another location, such as the hip, then grafted into the upper jaw. Once the bone grafts healed, implants were placed to stabilize and support a permanent denture.
"This relatively new technique is becoming an option for patients who don't want or can't have a lot of bone grafts, which are more invasive and take a lot more time. This patient will have one procedure and go home with his upper teeth the same day," says Dr. Stevens.
The convenience of the zygoma implant begins with extensive planning months before the patient ever steps into the operating room.
A CT scan is taken to find available bone and determine optimal placement for the implants. Then, a computer program is used to place the implants on a virtual 3-D model of the patient. From that model, a surgical template is made which the dentist uses during the procedure to know precisely where to drill for the implants.
"The engineering principal to these implants is the use of cross-stabilization," says Dr. Stevens. That means there should be two zygoma implants – one in each cheek extending into the palate of the weakened upper jaw. Cross-stabilization helps the implants integrate, meaning the bone will grow and attach around them.
The 2 ½-to-3-inch-long zygoma implants, which are three times as long as regular implants, are placed diagonally from the upper jaw and through a window in the sinus to ensure they are properly anchored into the cheekbone.
"The implant material is very well-tolerated when it's in the sinus," says Dr. Stevens. "Patients don't usually develop any type of sinus condition from the implant."
While the implant stabilizes in the zygoma, two implants can be placed in the front of the upper jaw to further support and attach the denture. The permanent denture fits over the implants, then is screwed in place during the three-hour procedure.
The need for this procedure could increase with the country's aging population. About 25 percent of adults 60 and older no longer have any natural teeth, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"Most of these people wear removable dentures, which will unfortunately lead to atrophy and shrinkage of the [upper jaw]," says Dr. Stevens. "There's really no way to stop this from happening. Maintaining your teeth, and thus, the jaw bone, is the only prevention."
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