The zygomaticus implant protocol in the treatment of the severely resorbed maxilla.

The zygomaticus dental implant, designed by NobelBiocare, was developed primarily for the treatment of the severely resorbed maxilla. Brånemark has reported an overall success rate of 97.6% with the placement of over 200 zygomatic implants during the period 1989 to 2001. There are well-defined characteristics within the patient's resorbed skeletal frame which guide the surgical placement of the zygomatic implant, thus determining whether the surgeon should use an implant with a 45 degrees or 55 degrees angulated head. This allows implant-supported restoration of the resorbed maxilla with a fixed cross arch prosthesis in the maxilla without a bone graft to the posterior maxilla. The use of a modified head angulation of 55 degrees, with implant placement as close to the crest of the edentulous ridge as possible, allows restorative clinicians to achieve an ideal restorative position in the posterior maxilla. The use of a zygomatic implant with a 55 degrees head reduces the buccal cantilever by 20%.