Straumann Zygomatic Implants
When the upper jaw has lost so much bone that ordinary implants cannot be placed, one option is to bypass the jaw entirely and anchor into the cheekbone. This is major surgery, performed by a small number of specialists, and it exists for people who have run out of alternatives.
At a glance
- Anchors in
- The zygoma, the cheekbone, not the jaw
- Indication
- Severe upper-jaw (maxillary) bone loss
- Main alternative
- Extensive bone grafting, often over many months
- Planning framework
- ZAGA, classifying anatomy from type 1 to 4
- Thread pitch
- 0.8 mm, optimised for zygomatic anchorage
- Loading
- Immediate protocols are commonly used
Who this is for
The upper jaw loses bone faster than the lower one, and the back of the upper jaw is the worst affected because the sinus sits directly above it. After many years without teeth, or following tumour surgery or serious trauma, there can be too little bone left to hold an implant anywhere in the upper arch.
The conventional route is bone grafting, rebuilding the jaw with graft material, waiting months for it to consolidate, then placing implants. That works, but it means multiple operations spread over a year or more, and grafts do not always take.
Zygomatic implants take a different route. They are long enough to pass up through or alongside the sinus and anchor in the zygomatic bone, which is dense and almost always intact. Straumann describes the approach as an immediate, graftless, predictable option and states its zygomatic system is designed to maximise anchorage in the zygomatic bone.
What ZAGA means
ZAGA stands for Zygoma Anatomy-Guided Approach. It is a system for classifying the shape of a patient's upper jaw and cheekbone, types 1 through 4, so the surgeon can choose the implant path that suits that particular anatomy rather than forcing every case down the same route. If your surgeon refers to your case as ZAGA 2 or ZAGA 3, they are describing the shape of your anatomy, not the brand of implant.
Being realistic about this procedure
Zygomatic implant placement is significantly more invasive than standard implant surgery. It is performed under sedation or general anaesthesia, usually by an oral and maxillofacial surgeon with specific training in the technique, and the anatomy involved, sinus, orbit, nerves, leaves less margin for error. Recognised complications include sinus problems, and revision is considerably harder than for a conventional implant.
None of that means it is a bad option. For someone facing the alternative of a lifetime with an unstable upper denture, or a year of grafting with an uncertain outcome, it can be genuinely transformative. But you should be choosing it with a clear understanding of what it involves, and you should be asking about the surgeon's specific experience with the technique, not just with implants generally.
Questions of experience
For this procedure more than any other on this site, operator experience dominates the outcome. The relevant question is not which brand of zygomatic implant is used, but how many the surgeon has placed, over how long, and what their complication rate has been. A surgeon who does these regularly is in a different category from one who does a few a year.
Questions worth asking your dentist
- How many zygomatic cases have you personally performed, and over what period?
- What is my ZAGA classification, and what does that mean for my surgery?
- What are the realistic alternatives in my case, including grafting?
- What anaesthesia will be used, and what is recovery actually like?
- What are the specific risks in my anatomy, and what happens if one fails?
- Will I have fixed teeth immediately, or is there a healing period first?
Related systems
Straumann Tissue Level
The conventional alternative where bone volume permits.
Straumann Mini Implant
A far less invasive option for denture stabilisation.
References
- Straumann. Zygomatic Implants Brochure. Manufacturer document NAMLIT.1396.
- Bedrossian E. Zygomatic Immediacy. Case study, Straumann documentation.
- Bar-Retained Zygomatic Implant Overdenture as a First Line of Treatment. Clinical paper, Straumann documentation.
Specifications compiled from Straumann's publicly available product literature and Canadian product pages. Manufacturer performance claims are identified as such. DentalImplantInfo.ca is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Straumann. Straumann, Roxolid, SLActive, SLA, TLX, BLX, TorcFit, VeloDrill, Optiloc and ZAGA are trademarks of their respective owners, used here for identification and educational purposes.