My experience of Zygomatic implants.

Hi Linda,
I will be totally honest,yes ,certain food does get trapped,even though the teeth are tightly screwed in,there is still a joining edge,like a ridge,so to speak,and food does sometimes get stuck there,but not a great problem,I find that a bit of a swish around the mouth with a drink usually gets rid,only sometimes,do I feel I have to remove by brushing,but it's not all the time,like I said it's just with certain grainy type foods,

As for the gums receding more,and teeth not fitting properly,yes I did ask that.
Dentist said if they ever get to a stage where they no longer fit they can take impressions,and remodel the denture,no more surgery required,but it still doesn't come cheap,think he said about just under half the price of the initial cost,but they have to make you a denture to screw in temporary if you don't want to be without teeth,and then add new teeth and gum line to the reinforced metal frame that your permanents are on,so still a bit of a procedure, and still costly,so I am hoping it doesn't come to that,a simple reline may be possible by then ha ha.

You could ask your dentist about it though next time you go,and see what he says on the matter,as I think they all seem to have their different methods,even the initial procedure is done differently, think I have read somewhere that there are 4 different surgery approaches to the placing of zygomatic implants.

Hope this has helped you,and if you think of anything just ask,if I am able to answer ,I will.
Best wishes.

Sheila

My dear friend Sheila.

Once again thank you so much for your quick response. You have been such a gift throughout this whole experience. Thank you.
Linda

Hi sheila, can u tell me how much your treatment cost I have been putting off having it done so far but I am getting to the stage that I will have to but I work and I am worried about taking time off ect. Many thanks Jo

Hi Jo,
Well,you certainly have been thinking about it for quite a while now,but it is very expensive,though,more clinics are doing this kind of procedure now,and so bit of competition around,so hence the prices have come down
The top zygomatic ones i had were £19000,and the bottom ,'All on four' were £15000,so that was all our 'nest egg' gone.
I believe you can now get it quite a bit cheaper though,the cheapest one I have heard about is the Brighton implant clinic,but I thought you mentioned before that you were going to go to the Brighton one.
Hope you manage to get it sorted soon Jo,you will have to let us know if you do.
Best wishes.

Sheila.

Jo,
Just thought,if you booked for it doing in the summer,you could have it done in your 2 weeks annual holidays,that way,you will be over the worst,and be able to go to work as normal,without having to take any unnecessary time off.
Good luck.

Sheila

Hi not heard from u for a while. Hope it all went well. Jo

JoJones

Thanks so much for asking. It's day 18 and I can honestly tell you I have no pain and have not had any for quite a few days now. The only thing I'm dealing with is my lips and chin are still numb which makes for some comical drinking. But truly this is only a nuisance not pain.

I cant believe that the worst is finally behind me. It took so long to finally get to this point and I am nothing short of ecstatic that I am finally on my way to the finish line. If all goes as planned, and I'm praying it will, in 6 months I should be preparing for my permanent teeth. I plan on following what I'm told to do to the letter and not do anything to hinder my healing.

I hope someday soon that you will be on your way and I can be here to be your support. My thought and prayers are with you. I know somehow you'll figure out how you can get it done. If you would have told me 10 years ago that I would have been able to do this I would have never believed it. I'll be rooting for you.

Linda

Thanks for getting back to me, will say a pray for your treatment to go smooth.. Jo

Coral251

Hi Sheila. Sorry to be such a pest but I have one quick question. Is your Waterpik 450 a battery operated or plug in model? The one I saw on Amazon.com with that model number is a battery handheld unit with the water tank in the handle. I just want to make sure I get the one you like.
Thanks.
Linda

Hi Linda,
It is a rechargeable, the base plugs in to the mains electricity,the toothbrush sits on the base,and gets its power from that, but does charge up the handheld unit via this,so I suppose it is a battery,but not a battery you can just pop in.

Regards.
Sheila.

It's About Time:

Well bet you guys thought I disappeared. There really wasn't much to report for the last couple of months. But today is a different story. I had my 3rd month post-op check up this afternoon. My surgeon took a new cat scan and gave me the best news ever.... everything looks great and he is totally pleased with my healing. In 1 month I am to have my preliminay impressions taken for my permanent upper and lower dentures. Wow, I am floating on clouds. I was sure it would be 6 months before I could even think about impressions. Best news ever!

As for healing, at 3 months half of my upper lips is still numb but getting better all the time. I as still on liquids or food I have put through my food processor. The only true problem I have had is with the temporary lower denture. It has never fit right, is way too big for me and makes me look like a bull dog. Because it sticks out farther than my upper teeth I am constantly biting my upper lip. Majorly a pain but there is nothing that can be done about it and I just have to bear with it until I get my permanent teeth. Also it throws off my speech but again, I have been assured that it will go back to normal with my custom made dentures.

I can't tell everyone how happy I am that the worst is behind me. When I think of all the years I suffered with dentures that had to be glued in heaven only knows how many times a day and then still not knowing if they would hold, I know that this was the right and only decision to make. The journey has had it's ups and downs and I know I still have a ways to go I can tell you, at least so far, it's worth the time, discomfort and the money.

I'll post again after my impressions. I've missed talking with you all. If you are considering going with the Zygomatic implants and have any questions please don't hesitate to write.

Linda

Hi Linda,
Great news that everything is ok,and going to plan,I did wonder how you were progressing.

I think it was about 4 months post op that I started having the impressions done,but there are quite a few appointments before they are completely finished,as they have to get them spot on,so it is about a couple of months in total, waiting for work to come back etc,as they have to take impressions to make the reinforced metal plate first that the teeth attach to,then the teeth have to be mounted to that, then a few trials after each stage, they are actually made in wax before the final stage,so make sure you are totally happy with the fit etc,as any alterations have to be done at this stage.

Due to the healing period,and the shrinkage of the gums the temporary dentures do go out of alignment, and don't fit properly,mine went like that,and I too kept biting my lip or cheek,but even the ill fitting temps were better than the hassle of the ill fitting glued in dentures.

It's been just over 2 years now since I had the zygomatic treatment,and a year since the lower was done,with the 'all on four',and everything is fine up to now,I go for a check up to make sure they are still ok about November time,and they will be removed and cleaned around the implants,I believe this has to be done once a year.

So once you get the permanents you will feel even more over the moon,and like you,I feel the outcome of all this ,outweighs all the pain,expense,and problems associated with this treatment.
To be free of glued in dentures,that could fall out at any time ,and cause embarrassment,and lead to a life of misery.
Such bliss.

So all the best for your permanents, you won't be diappointed.

Sheila.

Thank you so much for your encouraging message. It is a long process and I do find myself getting discouraged. The worse is biting my lips and the pressure of the temps. I feel like I am constantly aware of my mouth. I am praying once this is all said and done that will not be the case. I am waiting for the time when I have gone a whole day and not even one was aware of my teeth and mouth. Boy, the things we take for granted when our bodies are working correctly. Please tell me that once all of this is done I'll be able to go days and not even think about them.

Thank you for all your kindness. You have been my rock through out this journey. It helps so much hearing positive feedback. I wish there could have been someone there for you.

I will post again when I reach the next step. Till then, best to all

Linda.

Hi Linda,
You will be fine once you get your permanents, I went through pretty much the same thing,thinking I had foreign bodies in my mouth,the only good thing about the temps,is that you dont have to 'glue' them in,and are not fearful that they will fall out if you smile.

The permanent ones are much slimmer,neater,and aligned better.
I won't lie to you though,they will never feel like your natural teeth,and sometimes you are still aware of them,but most of the time they are fine,don't feel as bad as a denture that's for sure.

I had a choice when I got my perms of having porcelain teeth at a slightly higher price,or the acrylic ones,I chose to go for the acrylic ones,not because of the price,just the fact that although the porcelain ones do look nicer,they chip and break more easily,and I certainly don't want that,think I would be too scared to eat anything haha,

I went for the whitest of the natural white shades,I didn't fancy the bleached white ones,looking like an ad for toothpaste,but they are still nice and white,and I have had lots of compliments,they look really natural.
As you know I had the same experiences like you did with the awful dentures,so believe me, you will not be disappointed once you get your perms,and everything will seem like it was all worthwhile, the money,the discomfort, and the hassle.

I can eat almost anything now without worry,I can even bite into,and eat an apple without cutting it up,but if it is a really crisp one,I do tend to just cut it in half,don't want to temp providence,so sometimes I do eat with a bit of caution.

Hope this has put your mind at rest,as you know it can only get better, and no more pain to come now,straight forward now,so chin up and look forward to your perms.

All the best.
Coral (Sheila)

Hi just checking that you are healing well. I am starting my treatment on 8th august really nervous. I hope you don't mind if I keep in touch with you regarding any questions I might have. Thanks Jo

Hi Jo,
So you are finally going to get the treatment,that's great news,really pleased for you,and I am sure you won't regret your decision.
If I can help in any way to any concerns that you may have,I will try to help to the best of my knowledge.

Although I am not a medical expert, I feel I know a lot about this type of op,having gone through the procedure twice over.
It is now over 2 years since my 1st treatment and just over 1 year since the 2nd treatment,it is all fine and I am over the moon with the outcome.

OMG Linda,
What a bummer to have been given that news,I am so sorry that 2 of your implants have failed.I can understand your dismay,and how you must have felt.
I know from experience what that feels like,as when I first went down the implant route many years ago,I had eight standard implants placed,four at the top and four in the lower,after about 18 months,I was just left with only 2 implants remaining on the lower jaw,as one by one they all failed,also due to the lack of bone.

The 2 that remained in the lower jaw lasted for about 14 years,so I am living poof that your denture can be secured with only 2 implants.
I don't think it would be able to be screwed in with only 2,so maybe that's why the need for discussions with the lab on parts to see if there is a part that can attach to the new denture to fit the implants that you have to make it detachable.
I don't know for sure,I am only going by my own experience ,that's how mine were,the part pertruding from the gum,fitted into a part in the denture,and just clicked into place, and just pulled apart to remove.
Like I said the 2 remaining ones lasted for years and were still in place up to my having the "all on four" treatment,and they were in so tight that at the time of my treatment , the dentist had to literally 'dig' them out,had I known this I probably would have kept them in, and not gone for the "all on four",but because I could see about half an inch of implant coming through my gum,I thought they were now failing.

Another option which I had,which may be an option for you also,was to have some more bone placed into the jaw and then left for a few months to integrate with the remaining bone in the jaw,but this was a lengthy process and involved an operation to harvest bone from my hip ,and it wasn't guaranteed to work,so I decided against it,as I had had artificial bone placed already before the implants and that hadn't worked.

I really hope they can get something sorted for you Linda,but in the worst sinario if you have to have a removeable denture using only 2 implants,this is still far better than having the denture like before thst won't hold in whatsoever,unless piled high with the horrible gooey fixative paste,I know only too well what that is like,and scared to bite anything as it may dislodge it.
So the retained denture on 2 implants ,although not ideal,as it is not what you paid for,and hoped for ,but still will be far better than what you had before any treatment.

Good luck with it all,and keep us informed.
All the best.
Coral (Sheila )

Shelia and JoJo

I'm going to try this again. Last night I tried 3 times to post and each time my message would just disappear. I was so frustrated after the 3rd time I had to walk away before I did something to my computer that I would end up regretting.

First of all, thank you Sheila for always knowing just the right things to say. All through my experience you have been the calm and voice of reason in my frantic storm. Thank you for pulling me back from the ledge with your unbelievable talent of putting things in perspective.

Alsi I want to thank you for your thoughts about the bone augmentation. Unfortunately I've already went that route and it didn't take. Please JoJo, if I can offer you or anyone else following this blog--- one big piece of advise....Do not wait to do it. Every day you put it off you are losing more bone. The more bone you lose, the greater chance of the implants failing.

I have had a little more time to think about my situation and have decided it's time to rethink my thinking. Instead of dwelling on the failure of two implants I am going to concentrate on being grateful for the success of the six that appear to be taking. I want my glass to be half full, not half empty.

On the positive side my dentist texted me that my preliminary impressions came in today and he was able to speak with implant rep. He tried calling the lab man too but he was in a meeting. He promised to call him again tomorrow and then get back in touch with me as to what was discussed.

So, bottom line, no more pouting, no more oh woe is me Linda. I chose a good team and had great faith in them, now it's time to trust my instinct and let them work some magic. I'll keep you posted when come up with a plan. Please, keep your fingers crossed for me.

Hi Linda,
Yes fingers are crossed for you,and I am pleased you are not dwelling on the failure of the 2 implants but concentrating on the success of the others,that's the way to go,and like I said,if you have to have the upper jaw done with a detachable denture with only 2 implants to secure it,it will be far better than what you have had previously with no means whatsoever of securing your denture.
So onwards and upwards,and I hope they sort you something out that will prove that the treatment did give you some kind of success.

So keep on being positive,and having faith in your dental team,I am keeping that faith with you.
Let us know the outcome as soon as it's decided what will be happening, and I also totally agree with you ,that if anyone is considering this type of treatment,or any implant type surgery,don't leave it too long,or it could be too late.
Once that bone starts to disappear the chances of success are not as good.

You take care Linda and I wish you all the best.
Coral (Sheila )