Success Rates of Pterygoid Implants
If it is determined that you have insufficient jawbone mass to proceed with a traditional dental implant, then your dentist will suggest an alternative solution like pterygoid implants. They are also called tuberosity implants or pterygomaxillary implants, but they will allow you to, if you are suffering from severe upper jawbone loss, enjoy the benefits of a dental implant restoration.
What Are Pterygoid Implants?
Pterygoid implants have been designed if you have significant upper jaw atrophy, also known as the atrophic maxilla. You cannot have regular dental implants in your upper jaw under these conditions. Even if an implant root were surgically placed into your upper jaw, the bone mass and density is not enough to fuse and integrate around the artificial root, leading to the overall failure of the implant.
Although you can choose traditional dentures, pterygoid implants now give you the option to exercise this treatment that provides a permanent solution for dental issues such as missing teeth. A pterygoid implant technique can be used in conjunction with a traditional dental implant. A traditional dental implant gets anchored vertically into your jawbone, a pterygoid implant is anchored at an angle of 45 degrees into the medial pterygoid plate, which is above your jawbone.
Pterygoid implants are a new innovative solution being placed in your upper jaw if you have lost a significant amount of jawbone mass and cannot successfully support dental implants. They are much longer than standard implants, extending from your tooth root area to the pterygoid processes of the sphenoid bone.
What are the Benefits of Pterygoid Implants?
Pterygoid dental implants offer a variety of significant benefits in the situation of poor bone structure in the upper jaw. These include:
Eliminating the need for sinus augmentation- Prior to the introduction of pterygoid implants, the only option was to use traditional dental implant techniques, and if you had insufficient upper jawbone density you might have needed sinus augmentation as a preparatory step for your dental implant treatment. Because the pterygoid implant is now inserted into a different bone, this step is no longer necessary.
Avoiding bone grafting- Bone grafting is another frequent and common procedure that is done to augment bone structure when bone loss has occurred. This process will take months before the dental implant can be placed as the grafting material must integrate with the bone. This step can also be avoided because the pterygoid implant is not inserted into the jawbone.
Can be combined with traditional dental implants- Being a viable candidate for one or more pterygoid implants does not mean that is all you qualify for. If you need several teeth replaced, your dentist may recommend combining pterygoid implants with traditional implants in the areas where sufficient jawbone is present for a successful result.
The Success Rate of Pterygoid Implants
Pterygoid implants have a documented success rate higher than 95 percent. The average age of the patients was 53 years old. The average life expectancy of dental implant is 30 years. This means that most likely your pterygoid implant or traditional implant will last for the rest of your life. No other tooth restoration has the ability to last that long today.