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My experience of Zygomatic implants.

Hi,
I had the surgery done 3 weeks ago,not a very nice op,but by the end of a week I was fine,all healed.

Whether the surgery has been a success or not,I don't know at this stage,as the surgeon said it would be a couple of months to really tell,as infection can take time to mount up again.
So all I can say I have no problems whatsoever with sinusitis at this moment in time, so I am keeping fingers crossed,and feeling hopeful that this surgery has cured the sinusitis problems,and that I don't have to loose the implants.

Hope this helps.
Regards.
Coral.
 
Hi,
I had the surgery done 3 weeks ago,not a very nice op,but by the end of a week I was fine,all healed.

Whether the surgery has been a success or not,I don't know at this stage,as the surgeon said it would be a couple of months to really tell,as infection can take time to mount up again.
So all I can say I have no problems whatsoever with sinusitis at this moment in time, so I am keeping fingers crossed,and feeling hopeful that this surgery has cured the sinusitis problems,and that I don't have to loose the implants.

Hope this helps.
Regards.
Coral.

I’m glad the surgery went well and so far so good with the sinus issues. My fingers and toes are crossed for you that all will be well going forward and you won’t have any further issues. You’re a brave cookie!
 
Well,it is now nearly 2 months ago since i had the sinus op,I think it has worked as I have not had chronic sinusitis since.
Sometimes i get a little bit stuffed up,but soon clears,but nothing I can't cope with.
I could not have coped with having to loose the implants,which would have been devastating, what with more surgery,and back to dentures and fixative cream,and not to mention the loss of mega money that the treatment cost.
So keeping fingers crossed that it doesn't return.
Hope all of you that has had this treatment are all OK, and no problems.

Coral
 
Hi coral not sure if you get this. Hope you are healing and you continue to do so. Never suffered from sinus so hope your getting better everyday. Take care and will stay in touch. Jo
 
Hi coral,at any point during getting your implants were there any injections? I just wondered why my new consultant asked if needles bother me.
 
Hi,
Yes,I was given sedation 1st,and I believe they fully numbed my mouth by injections also,but I didn't feel them as I was sedated.
Although,by the time the denture was ready to put in,at the end of surgery,most of the numbness had worn off,so surgeon did re-inject as my mouth was sore and tender at this stage so I did feel the injection on that one.
Hope that helps.
Regards.
Coral.
 
Hi,
Yes,I was given sedation 1st,and I believe they fully numbed my mouth by injections also,but I didn't feel them as I was sedated.
Although,by the time the denture was ready to put in,at the end of surgery,most of the numbness had worn off,so surgeon did re-inject as my mouth was sore and tender at this stage so I did feel the injection on that one.
Hope that helps.
Regards.
Coral.

Well the ops I've had so far have been G/A assuming future ones will be aswell. So apart from when they put an i.v in I really don't want someone coming at me/my mouth with a needle,I know I can't be knocked out for every single stage but this bothers me if its something that might happen further down the line.
 
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Hi all.
I was born with a cleft palate and hair lip. Back in the late sixties/early seventies they were just starting to explore corrective surgery and the associated dentistry for people like me so it was a long tough journey which thankfully has gotten much shorter and easier for today's generation.
My quick chronology starts with an artificial palate at birth and the first surgery at 5 weeks of age.
I should mention that dental problems are synonymous with cleft palate patients due to the under development of the jawbone structure. At 50 years old, I've spent a lifetime in the chairs of many a dentist, orthodontist, and oral surgeon, advancing through a litany of caps, crowns, root canals, bridges, dentures and partials as my top teeth just continued to slowly soften, rot or actually snap off at the gum line throughout my developmental years. All the while going in and out of the hospital for one corrective surgery after another through those same years.
I am now up to 18 surgeries. 15 of which took place by the time i was 12. The last three this past year beginning with maxillary advancement surgery which is where they essentially remove your top jaw and replace it in a more forward position using brackets & screws. This surgery was actually suggested to me when i was around 17 but back then it was a much more invasive and risky procedure which honestly scared the dickens out of me so i refused. I was warned that i would eventually have to do something as my cleft would begin to open up again with age and that i would eventually run out of viable teeth.
I should mention that as i grew and the shape of my mouth changed i had to have a tooth extracted from the center of my palate. this happened twice and i constantly had to have new & experimental braces put on , taken off and replaced every so often as well.
So, prior the maxillary advancement surgery, i wound up with a top bite being comprised of two large bridges affixed to the remaining 6 teeth. 2 of which were failing beneath the bridges so a decision had to made on what to do about teeth going forward.
After several opinions and a bunch of really cool imaging, it was determined that due to the lack of sufficient bone (because of the cleft) standard implants would undoubtedly fail and a denture would likely never stay in place because of the shape of my palate, misalignment of the upper and lower jaw and the improbability of creating an air tight palate. So, it was recommended that i get the Zygomatic implants, the though of which really worried me.
I did a ton of research and spoke to as many medical professionals as i could both in and out of the related fields of expertise to establish every potential risk and complication from sinus problems to infection to healing issues. After all, i am a bit longer in the tooth that most people who undergo maxillary advancement (by about 30 years) so healing bone was a major concern for me.
Feeling confident in my surgical team and considering the alternatives or lack there of, i decided to go for it.
Step one was to heal from the maxillary advancement surgery which went exceptionally well until discovering that my left sinus just wasn't cooperating. when all seemed to be fine, it developed and infection and a completely blocked sinus. Now because of the proximity between the zygomatic site and the sinus, it was imperative that all sinuses be perfectly healthy prior to surgery.
So after an investigation, it was discovered that one of the bone grafts from the advancement surgery had apparently been rejected or simply didn't stay in place and wound up in that sinus causing the angry sinus issue.
The only solution was to make an access hole in the cheek bone, fish out the fragment and then flush the sinus. The only way to truly know if the sinus is unblocked is to pump water through it and have the patient (me) let them know if/when it runs down the throat. So needless to say this was all done under local anesthesia and i had to endure this brutal procedure wide awake. The crescendo of which i would compare to being waterboarded. This was among the 3 worst experiences of my life but thankfully i recovered quickly and within a few weeks had my date for zygomatic implant surgery on January 28th 2020 when they removed all the remaining teeth and put in all 4 implants on the same day.
Of course at this point i feared the worst and lamented the recovery. Especially after being told i could not chew anything afterward and would be on a mush diet for up to 5 months. UUgh.
But here i am almost 4 months later. (and 36 pounds lighter)
My surgical team is among the best in the world and I couldn't be happier with them. Dr Jay Newgarten and Dr Frank Tuminelli here in New York. Not by any means affordable but considering the impact of the procedure for me, they're well worth the debt.
As odd as this may sound, the Coronavirus disaster has been both problematic and helpful. I haven't been able to follow up with anyone since mid March save for over the phone but luckily I've had no major complications until a few days ago when i developed some unexplained swelling and tenderness one my left cheek which worries me a bit but after sending Dr Jay a picture and explanation he put me on an antibiotic and it's already gone down.
The swelling was on the side where he had the most trouble due to the impact of the prior maxillary advancement surgery. He warned me in the beginning that that side may take longer to heal because the first surgery didn't leave a lot of soft tissue resources for him to work with and that this is nothing to worry about. Fortunately I have a followup scheduled for June 1st at which i'm hopeful he'll give me permission to start chewing solid food and with any luck Dr Tuminelli will be able to start the process of getting me into my permanent prosthesis.
What i can tell you is that i've waited my whole life to actually have a normal bite and above all, an actual smile and now I've got one. I can't get over the change to my facial profile. My face doesn't look caved in anymore and my top teeth are actually visible when i smile now. This is huge for someone who's spent his whole life feeling like (and sometimes being treated like) a monster.
All in all i have to say that while it's been a long road, it hasn't been as bad as i expected. With the exception of the unexpected sinus mining and waterboarding procedure of course. That kinda sucked.
My advice to anyone who is considering these implants is to prioritize finding quality surgeons with plenty of experience. This is not a procedure to be taken lightly or to be bargain shopped. There's just too much at stake. And follow the post op instructions without falter. This is a lifelong solution if all goes well so don't take chances with recovery.
As far as the suffering goes, it really wasn't nearly as bad as i had imagined and after the first few days it's very tolerable. I never needed anything more that over the counter pain meds.
 
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Hi everyone just a quick update

Just had my 3 months check up,my dentist says everything is fine,and has made me an appointment for 8 weeks time to go for some impressions to proceed to making my permanent fixed bridge,I am so excited,just can't wait to get the final teeth,which are metal reinforced, and much much slimmer than the temporary ones.
Actually the 3 months seems to have flown by,so I am hoping the next 3 go by just as quick,then I will have my nice new teeth,all the pain and discomfort is now all forgotten,and I am really glad I had the treatment done.

The only thing that is still present at the moment is very slight numbness across the top of my gum,but my dentist said that this will disappear in time,it is because the nerve was really stretched,but like I say its only very slight,nothing like it was in the beginning.

So that's it for now,the next update to my blog will be with my new permanent teeth,and I will try and post some pics.
Thanks to everyone who has been reading my journal, and I hope it has helped if you are considering this treatment., and if you are,just go for it,it may be expensive, but worth every penny.
Good luck to all.
Coral.
Hello did you get any little bone spurs through your gum I had one. It’s been a month and still numbness in my top lip and nose is still a little numb and I get itchy in nose area
 
Hello did you get any little bone spurs through your gum I had one. It’s been a month and still numbness in my top lip and nose is still a little numb and I get itchy in nose area
Hi,the numbness I experienced did last for about 3 months,not bad,but enough to know it was still slightly numb,but never had any bone spurs.
The one problem I did have was ,I developed sinusitis, never had it it before in my life,sometimes it gets really bad,but I am told that nothing can be done,and I just have to live with it,or loose the implants, so choosing to live with it ,and will just keep using medication to ease it.
Hope you recover well.
Regards.
Coral
 
Hi,the numbness I experienced did last for about 3 months,not bad,but enough to know it was still slightly numb,but never had any bone spurs.
The one problem I did have was ,I developed sinusitis, never had it it before in my life,sometimes it gets really bad,but I am told that nothing can be done,and I just have to live with it,or loose the implants, so choosing to live with it ,and will just keep using medication to ease it.
Hope you recover well.
Regards.
Coral
It has almost been 3 months and I still have a little numbness in cheeks and top lip I had my implants done in Mexico but I would like to go to a dentist in the us to see how they are doing. To get an X-ray
 
Hello,

I know this thread is many years old and I hope those that contributed are still around to see this.

First I really want to thank coral and everyone else for the wonderful in depth experience reports of your zygomatic implants. I was terrified of getting this procedure done and I stayed up all night reading this thread and other sites and it helped.

I just got it done yesterday morning. 5 extractions, zygomatic implants on top (full arch) and all-in-4 full arch implants on bottom, all in one go. So far I paid around $45k USD on everything (Illinois, USA) and it'll be over $90k before it's all over with. America really sucks for medical costs.

Your report is super accurate so far, yesterday and today have been really really bad, in exactly the ways you describe. Knowing this is normal and what kind of time-line for recovery I might expect from your journal is so helpful!

I haven't eaten much, but I found this stuff Soylent (NOT Soylent Green hahah) that's like a meal replacement drink and it's not bad tasting and getting me through for the moment. I don't want to try mashed potatoes or anything until my mouth is not as crazy painful as right now, even drinking is super hard.

The person that used a turkey baster of water to take the pills was right, even swallowing is super difficult. I don't have a turkey baster so I just put the pill in back of throat and tilt my head back and dump water in and choke on it lol. It's messy and gross but this whole thing is so whatever works haha

I'm so glad I quit smoking six months ago, having that hardship on top of this would be terrible! As it is I think my bad headache is partially a result of no caffeine, as I'm a major coffee enthusiast. Once my mouth feels a bit better I'm going to try a cup of coffee with a scoop of ice cream and maybe a bit of the chocolate flavor soylent blended together. Maybe add a banana or something haha

At the moment though even just water is mega difficult. They got the bite/lineup of the teeth a bit off so it's super tiring on my jaw. The Dr that made the teeth said she noticed it was off when they put it in and I should come in Monday for a bite adjustment. I hope I'm much better by then as I can't imagine going out in public right now.

Especially since they had to shave my beard off. I had a full-on Dumbledore beard, untrimmed and wild, but it was in the way. I look like a completely different person with no beard and with teeth! Also super swollen, of course. I'm really curious what I will look like when this heals more.

Anyway I'm rambling on now so I'm going to sign off. Thank you all again for this thread, I can't emphasize enough how helpful this has been for me to read all of your experiences!

Sincerely,
Adam
 
Wishing you speedy healing Adam! HOpe you can eat something soon.. !
 
Hi Adam.
Crikey, yes it is an old thread,I started this just after my treatment in March 2014.
I hope you get to recovery soon,but yes,it does take a while,I have had a few problems since initial treatment, don't want to worry you,but my implants developed a bit of flexibility, due to gums receding, and more bone loss.
I was under the impression though that these implants would last forever,but with the flex it kept loosening up the screws,it got so I was going to the dentist every couple of weeks to have tightened, some times the screws would shear off,so had to have those replaced,all costing more and more money.

Anyway to cut a long story short,I ended up,(only finished treatment last week funnily enough) having the screwed in teeth made into a bar retained removable denture, not ideal,and not what i paid all that money for,but better than what I had prior to any treatment.
The implants were already in place so it was only a matter of having a bar and denture made,only a few appointments for impressions etc,then it was just a matter of screwing a bar to the implants and the denture snaps on to it.
Like I said not ideal,but far better than it flapping about in my mouth due to loose screws,and can't remove it until I get dentist appointment, it was traumatic,but hopefully this will be better but early days yet,,so keeping fingers crossed.

Like I said I don't want to worry you,as yours may last a lifetime, you did right to stop smoking though,as that does cause more bone loss,I did stop smoking too,so it wasn't that tat caused the further bone loss to cause the flex on the implants, think it's just age now.
So I wish you well and a speedy recovery, don't worry it does get better.
All the best.
Coral
 
Hello!

Thank you for the well wishes krlovesherkids and coral!

I'm now at 48 hours and just woke up from my first time being able to sleep. I really wish I hadn't LOL as the meds wore off while asleep. Pain was at like 4/10 when I nodded off, was feeling so much better, but now it's back to 10/10 and the swelling ballooned up. My left eye is swollen so much it's hard to keep open, and in the mirror it looks like I got into a wicked fight and lost! Two black eyes.

I took all the meds, and am just waiting for them to take effect.

The misalignment with the bite is really tiring my jaw and I hope Monday's appointment can fix it!

Hanging in there. Glad I took a week off work so I don't have to worry about going in like this, that would be the worst!

Coral, I'm so sorry your implants ended up problematic! After all the pain and expense that had to be incredibly disappointing. I'm glad that at least you don't have to go entirely back to denture glue, I know how awful that is!

I'm 40 and have no wife or children so y'all are my only support in this. I can't thank you enough for your support! This has been a truly humbling experience and taught me what a big old baby I am haha!

I will attach a couple before pictures so you can see what my beautiful beard used to look like before it had to go 😀 Unfortunately I don't have any with my teeth showing because they were broken and I was always too self-conscious to show them.

I'll include an after picture when the swelling has become more reasonable. And a final one when the permanent stuff is put in and the whole process is finished.

Thank you all again, this website is awesome!

Sincerely,
Adam
 

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Also please ignore my goofy expression in the one with the hat, I was trying to make someone laugh 😃
 
Good morning all
I wondered if anyone has had issues eith zygoma implants exposed through gum tissue. My dentist said it's a possible occurrence with zygoma implants as the tissue is very soft there and as long as it's kept clean it shouldn't be a concern. I'm just not confident it's fine.
Thank you
 

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