Our smiles are very valuable to us, that when decay and tooth loss occurs it can be such a blow to our confidence and makes us self-conscious of our smile. If you have been told that you require extensive bone grafting or you are not suitable for dental implants due to lack of bone in your jaw, then Zygoma Implants is the best option for you. With Zygoma implants, you will be able to have a fixed set of teeth and become free from dentures that are loose, bulky and cumbersome.

So let’s take a look into what exactly a zygomatic implant is.

What are Zygomatic Implants?

Zygomatic implants are tooth implants that are anchored into the cheekbone, known as the zygoma, rather than the jaw bone itself. It is an option when you do not have enough bone to the point where standard dental implants are impractical. The zygoma bone in nature is a very strong bone and it is one of the best bone to anchor the implants.

Who should get this done?

Zygomatic Implants are an effective option for denture wearers who do not have enough bone in the jaw. It is also an option for patients with terminal dentition (requiring all teeth to be extracted) who also do not have enough bone to hold the base of a standard dental implant, as is often the case with tumour resection, trauma, atrophy, and ageing. They can be used in patients with heavily deteriorated teeth, no teeth at all, or very mobile teeth, caused by diseases such as generalised aggressive periodontitis (gum disease), and are effective in cases where standard dental implants have failed to hold, and where other bone grafting operations have been futile.

Benefits of Zygomatic Implants?

1. No block bone grafting or sinus lifting

Bone grafting and sinus lifting procedures can be lengthy and invasive, with multiple treatments needed and significant discomfort. In contrast, zygomatic implants are a single-stage procedure, with implants able to be conducted in the same timeframe as natural teeth extraction – meaning that your implants will be done in only one sitting! As much as we enjoy your company, this will mean fewer return visits for you.

2. Zygomatic Implants have immediate results (‘immediate loading’)

This means you’ll be receiving a fixed set of teeth on the same day (‘immediate loading’), fast-tracking you back to normality so you can enjoy eating, drinking, and with the renewed confidence that comes with regular speech and improved aesthetic!

The concept of immediate loading is impossible with bone grafting as the bone is weaker and it takes time to heal. In fact, it might take up to 6 – 12 months before you see the result. With zygoma implants, ‘immediate loading’ is possible as the implant anchors firmly onto your natural bone.

3. Safety first

Zygomatic Implants are less intrusive than an implant involving bone grafting or sinus-lifting, meaning your treatment will be safer, with less interference to the post-operative soft tissue, resulting in a faster, more comfortable, stress-free recovery time. Zygomatic implants are a safe and predictable procedure when performed by a specialist surgeon.

4. Cosmetic benefits

Zygomatic implants can be done on patients with heavily deteriorated teeth or even no teeth at all! Multiple angulations within the procedure create natural-looking results and a fuller, revitalised smile!

5. Zygomatic Implants are hassle-free

Your implant will act as a regular tooth and will require the same care as your other teeth. No extra time spent removing the tooth or separate cleaning, as you would have to with dentures!

6. Longevity

The overall stability of the zygoma bone in comparison to the maxilla means that your implants have a very high chance of long-term success without any repeat procedures! Studies on zygomatic implants show an overall success rate of 96% after 12 years, meaning no repeat procedures

How can I get the best results out of my implants?

• Keep your mouth clean, especially during the healing process. Minimise any risk of bacterial infection by doing salt rinses or using a recommended mouth wash from your surgeon.
• Overall good oral hygiene is a must! Floss, brush your teeth and use mouth-wash to get the most out of your new implants. Ultimately, treat your new implants as you would your normal teeth, you want them to last – so look after them accordingly!

We are here to help you gain back your dental health and confidence! To hear more about what we can do, talk quotes, or to book your consultation for Zygomatic Implants, call us now to speak with our experts at North Shore Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons.

Get in Touch

The post Zygoma Implants “Leave no patients behind” – Alternative to Bone Grafting first appeared on NSOMS (Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons).

Whether you’ve experienced tooth loss due to long term issues, or you’ve had a high-impact accident that has resulted in injury and unrestorable teeth, choosing the best dental implant option for your surgical procedure can be an important and difficult decision.

In our experience from the patients we’ve treated at NSOMS, the most important factors when deciding where to go for implant surgery are:

• The expertise of the best Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons in New Zealand
• Innovative use of the most advanced technology available in Oral Surgery
• Simply feeling comfortable, welcome and in safe hands

One of the main reasons we’re able to achieve all of these points, and change the typical ‘scary and daunting’ implant surgery experience to be a positive and easy to understand procedure, is the brilliance of our digital workflow.

Here’s how a digital workflow will change your implant surgery experience and leave you satisfied with a comfortable, less invasive surgery – plus, a perfect smile.

What is Digital Implantology?

Using modern, state of the art equipment, we’re the first specialist clinic in New Zealand to use the combination of an I-CAT 3D scanner to capture the details of your jaw, and an advanced intraoral scanner to capture the minor details of your implants, teeth and gums.

From here, we’re able to use digital workflow implantology to get a thorough and detailed overview of the work required to surgically restore any missing or damaged teeth.

Digital implantology allows us to sit with you, talk through the required steps of your procedure, and precisely plan surgery without any guesswork or invasive consultations.

It’s leaps and bounds ahead of conventional x-ray technology and is a modern solution that patients prefer.

How does a Digital Implant Workflow work?

A digital implant workflow is the process of virtual planning and precise mapping of your implant surgery, and can be broken down into four, easy to understand steps:

1. Planning

Once you’ve had your initial consultation and we’ve completed our 3D scans, our surgeons are able to begin virtually planning out your surgery using computer software technology: 3Shape Implant Studio.

Here, we’ll design an implant tooth in it’s most desirable position, with the perfect sizing and fit to comfortably replace your missing tooth (or teeth). The best part about this step is you’ll be able to visualise exactly what’s going to happen during surgery and get a feel for the final product.

2. Fabrication of Surgical Guide

At this point, we’ll begin to fabricate a surgical guide using a 3D printer. This will give us a replica of the virtual planning which we’ll use during the actual surgery.

3. Surgery

Surgery will be performed using the 3D printed surgical guide. The surgical guide will allow our surgeons to execute the surgery as per virtual planning. The guided surgery not only reduces the surgical invasiveness and duration but will also maximise the safety and predictability of the procedure.

4. Post Surgery Scanning

Digital implant workflow doesn’t just stop once your implant has been placed. In selected cases, we perform a post-operative scan immediately after the procedure to give you the tooth on the same day (‘immediate loading’). This replaces a conventional impression taking method which requires the application of ‘rubbery’ material that has to stay in your mouth for about 5-10 minutes.

An Improved Implant Surgery Experience

The technical terminology and understanding the process is important for patients, but the underlying most important factor when it comes to deciding who to trust with your implant oral surgery, is the overall experience and care you’ll receive.

Digital workflows help us to deliver an outstanding service and a positive experience for you, from the moment you walk in the door, to the moment you leave with a new smile.

Picture this. Thanks to a digital workflow, you’ll be able to:

• Visualise the exact outcome of your implant surgery and see exactly how the procedure will play out, not on a model, but in your actual mouth in 3D.
• Have the experience of a precise, pre-planned surgery where every aspect of your implant and crown has been digitally designed before you walk in the surgery door.
• Experience minimal work intraorally, due to the precise nature of digital workflows.
• Speed up the duration of the entire implant process. This includes both the planning and the procedure itself.
• Walk out of the clinic with a new implant and fixed crown, the very same day.

Your surgery is faster, your implants are more accurate, and you’re afforded the comfort of visualising every step of the process, including the final outcome. We think that’s a pretty good experience all in all!

Interested in an Implant Procedure?

If this sounds like the kind of procedure you’d be interested in, our digital implant workflow specialist, and NSOMS director Dr. Choi would be more than happy to chat to you about the process.

Get in Touch

The post How Digital Implant Workflow will Change your Surgery Experience first appeared on NSOMS (Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons).

If you take a look at the relatively primitive tools that dentists used a few decades ago, you’ll realise that it probably wasn’t the best time to have dental problems.

Thankfully, innovators are constantly engaged in improving dental tools and procedures to make sure that, when it comes to a visit to your dentist, every appointment is better than the last.

Here are 5 innovations in dentistry that you should be aware of:

1. Precise Implants Capture (PIC)

Back in the day, the biggest challenge in implant rehabilitation was to have an accurate impression of implants, especially if there were quite a few implants at different angles.

Neither CAD cams nor other conventional methods guarantee that the master model will match the patient’s implants. If they didn’t match, the prosthesis might not fit the patient’s implants resulting in the failure of treatment and redoing things from scratch.

Not anymore though, thanks to Precise Implants Capture technology, which guarantees a 99.9% effectiveness rate.

2. Intraoral camera

A device that looks like an electric toothbrush, an intraoral camera can be inserted into your oral cavity, enabling the dentist to show you what’s exactly going on with your teeth. This includes serious dental problems as well as the minor ones, which, if left untreated, might turn serious.

Now you don’t just have to blindly believe what the dentist says. You can actually see the condition of your teeth on a large screen in high definition. Then, the dentist can explain exactly what’s wrong and what treatment is required to fix it.

Intraoral cameras can also assist you in getting your insurance claim approved. An x-ray might not capture the details of your dental condition, but an intraoral camera can.

3. Dental Implants

Dental implants help you with permanent tooth restoration and offer long-term relief – often for the rest of your life.

The procedure starts with fixing a dental post into the gum and jaw tissue. This is the place where the missing tooth’s root used to be.

Over the next few months, the dental post will bond with the surrounding tissue on a permanent basis.

Then, it’s finally time to attach the replacement – a dental crown, that looks similar to the tooth that you lost.

Some dentists, like North Shore Oral, offer a fixed new set of provisional teeth right on the day of your surgery, so you don’t have to wait for months.

That’s dental implants in a nutshell.

4. Implant Retained Dentures

Unlike conventional dentures, Implant Retained Dentures are a more reliable teeth replacement solution without the need for cream or messy dental adhesives to stay in place.

This is how it works: Two or four implants are inserted in the lower arch and four implants in the upper arch. This helps your dentures to be clipped on and off.

Which means you can comfortably sneeze without worrying about your dentures flying into another room (or worse – someone’s face!). Not only this – Implant Retained Dentures also give you the flexibility to eat the foods that you always loved.

Convenience, comfort, and confidence – you can have it all with this upgraded and innovative version of traditional dentures.

5. Zygoma Implants – Full Teeth Replacement

Zygoma implants are a graftless solution for full teeth replacement, perfect for people who may not have enough bone mass. With this treatment, you’ll avoid the need for a bone graft.

Graftless treatment: Zygoma implants are anchored in the zygomatic bone, avoiding complex bone-grafting procedures.

Long-lasting: The average success rate of Zygoma implants is well above 95%.

Specialist care: There are only a few surgeons in the country who perform zygoma implant procedure, NSOMS being one of them.

North Shore Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons (NSOMS) are one of the leading practices in Australasia, offering a full range of dental implants.

Want to learn more about dental implants? Request an appointment now to see how we can help.

The post 5 Dentistry Innovations You Should be Aware Of first appeared on NSOMS (Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons).