Zygomatic Implants for Upper Jaw Tooth Loss

You're under general anaesthetic or sedation for the whole thing, so there's no awareness of the procedure itself. A CT scan comes first, mapping out the cheekbone and whatever's left of the jaw. From there, the surgeon places longer implants at an angle, bypassing the weakened upper jaw bone and fixing them straight into the cheekbone. Two to three hours, roughly. Most patients walk out the same day with temporary teeth already fitted.

Not during the procedure, no, you're sedated or fully under. Afterwards is a different story: swelling and bruising for a couple of days, usually worst around the 48-hour mark. Ibuprofen or a short course of prescribed painkillers is normally enough. Severe pain isn't typical.

Technically, yes. In practice, it's rare, they're built to stay put permanently once healed. Removal tends to come up only when something's gone wrong: an infection, a failed integration, that kind of thing. Because the implant sits so deep in the cheekbone, taking it out is a bigger job than removing a standard implant, and it sometimes means rebuilding bone afterwards too.

Decades, potentially a lifetime, provided you keep up with brushing, flossing and check-ups. No real difference from standard implants there. The data backs it up: five and ten-year studies put survival rates consistently above 95%.

Somewhere between 95% and 98%, depending which study you look at and how long patients were followed. Not bad, considering these are used for the bone-loss cases standard implants can't touch.

There's no single number here. It comes down to how many implants are needed, how complex the case is, and the surgeon's experience, since this isn't something every clinic can offer. Expect to pay more than standard implants because of that. A proper quote needs a consultation and imaging first.

Two to three weeks, roughly, before swelling and discomfort settle and normal activities resume. You won't go without teeth in the meantime either, the implants are loaded straight away, so a fixed temporary set goes in from day one. Full integration, the bone properly fusing to the implant, takes longer: three to six months before the permanent teeth are fitted.