Can I Avoid Bone Grafts with Zygomatic Implants?
Bone grafting is one of the most common reasons people delay or avoid dental implants. Here is how zygomatic implants can help.
Yes β zygomatic implants are specifically designed to avoid the need for bone grafting in the upper jaw.
- In cases of severe upper jaw bone loss, the traditional approach requires:
- Bone graft surgery (from your own body, donor, or synthetic material)
- 4β6 months of healing for the graft to integrate
- Implant placement surgery
- Another 3β6 months of healing
- Total time: 8β15 months
- With zygomatic implants, the process is:
- Implant placement surgery (using the cheekbone as anchor)
- 2β4 months of healing
- Total time: 2β4 months
- What about the lower jaw?
- Zygomatic implants are only for the upper jaw
- If you also need implants in the lower jaw, those are placed as regular implants (and may or may not need grafting)
- Very rarely, patients with certain anatomical conditions may still need:
- Sinus clearance β if the sinus anatomy is unusual, minor sinus work may be needed
- Bone grafting alongside zygomatic implants β if there is bone loss in the front part of the upper jaw where regular implants might also be placed
How Much Bone Graft Is Avoided?
Zygomatic implants avoid all bone grafting in the upper jaw for most patients. Instead of building up the jawbone to receive an implant, the zygomatic implant simply anchors into the naturally dense cheekbone.