Zygomatic Implants Turkey

If you're reading about zygomatic implants, the chances are a dentist has already turned you down. They looked at your X-ray and told you the bone wasn't there. Then you went online, and some sites made it sound as if bone barely matters now. The real answer sits somewhere in between, and that's what this page is about.

Why were you told no?

Go back to that first appointment. What was the refusal based on?

"Not enough bone" can cover a surprising range of situations. In some patients the upper jaw really has very little left. In others there's too little for the straight, standard implants that one particular practice happens to use, while angled implants of the kind used in All-on-4 could still find a hold. Some surgeons also place pterygoid implants, which angle backwards into a small area of dense bone just behind the upper jaw. And quite often the verdict was given from a panoramic X-ray. That's a flat image of a curved jaw, and it can make bone look thinner than it is, or thicker.

We're not saying the first dentist got it wrong. They may well have been right for the options they had. But a fair answer needs a CBCT scan, and someone reading it who can offer every one of these routes rather than just one.

Living with an upper denture, and what changes

Many people who end up with zygomatic implants have worn a full upper denture for years. Some for decades. They already know about fixative paste, the plate that slips when they laugh, and the foods they quietly gave up.

The palate gets mentioned less. With acrylic covering the roof of your mouth, flavours lose their edge and you can't really feel what you're eating. Hot tea feels different through it. A fixed arch on zygomatic implants leaves the palate open, and long-term denture wearers often say that's the first thing they notice, before they've even tried chewing anything tough.

Be clear about what you give up, though. A denture comes out for cleaning and costs relatively little to replace if it breaks. A fixed arch doesn't come out. You'll need a new cleaning routine, and repairs mean a visit to the dentist. We rarely meet anyone who'd switch back. Still, it's a trade, and it's better to go in knowing that.

When grafting is still the better route

Part of the appeal of zygomatic implants is that they skip the grafting. Fair enough. But grafting hasn't gone out of fashion, and in some mouths it's still the better bet.

A graft rebuilds bone inside the jaw itself. Once it has healed, the implants that go in are ordinary ones in ordinary positions, and years from now almost any implant dentist will be able to look after them. Moderate bone loss can sometimes be handled with a sinus lift on each side and nothing more. More extensive loss calls for bigger grafts, occasionally using bone taken from another part of the body such as the hip, which is a much larger operation.

The catch with grafting is the wait. It's often a year or more from the first graft to finished teeth, and most people wear a removable denture through that stretch. So ask yourself: is the bone loss moderate, not severe? Are you happy to wait? Would you prefer implants in the jaw rather than the cheekbone? If so, ask for grafting to be properly compared with the zygomatic option.

It's a different story if a graft has already failed on you, or the bone has gone so far that a new graft probably wouldn't take, or you just can't give treatment a year of your life. That's who zygomatic implants were developed for in the first place.

Health factors to raise early

Zygomatic surgery takes longer than most implant work and is done under general anaesthesia. That's why we ask more about your health than we would before a single implant. Mention any heart or lung condition, any bad reaction to an anaesthetic in the past, heavy snoring or sleep apnoea. The earlier the anaesthetist knows, ideally before flights are booked, the better.

Then there's healing. Smokers will be asked to quit well ahead of surgery and to stay off cigarettes until they've healed; zygomatic surgeons tend to be firm about this. Diabetes needs to be under good control. If you've had bone-strengthening drugs by injection or drip, name them. And radiotherapy to the head or neck should be mentioned in your first message, since it affects whether implants can be placed at all, and how.

Most of these don't rule you out. They just shouldn't come to light on the day of surgery.

The sinus, said plainly

On its way up to the cheekbone, a zygomatic implant passes through or right beside the maxillary sinus. Sinusitis is the complication particular to this treatment. It isn't common. Medication usually clears it. Occasionally an implant has to be adjusted, and very occasionally taken out.

So if you already have sinus trouble, it's checked first. Long-standing sinusitis, earlier sinus operations or polyps don't automatically stop treatment, though an ENT specialist may want to see you.

While it heals, go easy on the sinus. No forceful nose-blowing for a while. Sneeze with your mouth open rather than holding it in. Ask the surgeon before flying. Later on, if one side feels blocked, your cheek feels under pressure, or there's discharge that doesn't clear, get in touch rather than putting up with it.

Same-day teeth, and the condition attached

Compared with many other techniques, zygomatic implants make fixed teeth on the day of surgery quite realistic. Cheekbone is dense bone, so the implants can be very firm as soon as they're placed, and that firmness is what same-day loading relies on.

Usually. Not always. Each implant's stability is measured during the operation. Once in a while one implant comes out of that test less firm than the rest. When that happens, the surgeon may hold back the fixed bridge and let it heal first. It's not common, and it's the right decision when it does happen. Good clinics mention it at the planning stage; they don't promise fixed teeth no matter what.

Know what you're leaving with, too. The bridge fitted on surgery day is a provisional, there to protect the implants during healing. Your permanent arch comes on the second trip, after the implants have integrated and the gums have stopped changing shape.

Zygomatic implants cost in Turkey

No set price exists for this, because every plan is a little different. Three things move the figure: whether you need two zygomatic implants or four, whether ordinary implants go in at the front too, and what happens with your lower jaw. Once a surgeon has looked at your CBCT scan, you'll get the quote in writing. Surgery under general anaesthetic, a night in hospital, the provisional bridge fitted on the day, the final arch, transfers and an interpreter are all included. Hotel costs are separate.

You'll need two visits. The first, in Istanbul, is roughly a week for the operation and checks. Months later you come back, once the implants have bonded, to have the final arch fitted. Few surgeons in the UK or Western Europe do this operation, which is partly why zygomatic implants in Turkey cost so much less. Comparing quotes? Make sure each one covers both trips and both bridges.

Zygomatic implant recovery

You'll usually spend the first night in hospital. By morning your cheeks will be puffy. Some people also bruise down towards the lower eyelids, and around day three or four it can look fairly alarming in the mirror. It looks worse than it feels, and it fades, usually within a week or two. A patch of numbness in the cheek or upper lip is also possible for a while, and it normally goes away by itself.

Your provisional teeth are fixed, but they aren't built for hard work yet. Soup, eggs, pasta and fish are fine. A baguette is not. They may also feel bulky behind the front teeth. Zygomatic implants often come through slightly towards the palate, and the bridge has to be shaped around them, so your tongue will notice. "S" sounds can come out a touch lispy at first. A few days is enough for some; others need several weeks. Anything that bugs you about the temporary teeth, tell us. We use it when designing the final arch.

Why this is an upper-jaw treatment

The cheekbone sits above the upper jaw, which is why zygomatic implants are only used there. Nothing equivalent exists for the lower jaw. Down there, a badly shrunken jaw is treated in other ways, such as shorter or angled implants, bone grafts, or a bridge anchored in whatever bone is left at the front. You'll find those options under full mouth dental implants.

Plenty of zygomatic patients turn out to have a lower jaw that can be treated the ordinary way. Either way, top and bottom get planned together, because the bite has to work as a pair.

Looking after it for the long run

A zygomatic arch needs a little more care than natural teeth, mainly because of where the implants come through. Most people brush the outside of the bridge thoroughly and neglect the palate side, which is precisely where the implant heads sit. A single-tuft brush, with one small pointed tuft a bit like an artist's paintbrush, gets into those corners far better than an ordinary toothbrush. A water flosser helps rinse out the space under the bridge.

Professional check-ups carry more weight here than with most implant work. As well as the gum and the bridge, follow-up after zygomatic treatment includes an eye on the sinuses. One thing people don't think of: your dentist at home may never have seen a zygomatic implant on an X-ray. Let them know what was placed before your first check-up there, so they can tell a normal image from one that calls for a word with the surgeon.

Zygomatic implants before and after photos and patient reviews

Before and after photos of zygomatic implants show the new smile well, but they can't show what matters most: whether the implants are healthy years later. Look for cases photographed with the permanent arch fitted, not the provisional. It's fair to ask for a follow-up X-ray taken a year or more later. And give more weight to reviews from people two or three years on than to ones posted in the first month, when relief about having fixed teeth colours everything. Good results with zygomatic implants in Turkey depend far more on the surgeon's experience than on the country.

One question to settle before consent

Any implant can fail, zygomatic ones included. What sets them apart is what comes next. When a conventional implant fails, it's usually removed and a new one placed close by. A zygomatic implant is there because there was very little bone to begin with, so a second attempt in the same area may not be simple.

Ask about this before you sign. What happens if one implant doesn't integrate, or has to come out five years from now? Could the arch stay on the remaining implants? Could the failed one be replaced, and where would the new one go? It isn't a gloomy question. It's the sort of thing an experienced zygomatic surgeon gets asked all the time, and they'll usually answer without hesitating. A vague reply is a reason to keep asking, or to ask someone else.