Dr Jimoh Olubanwo Agbaje¹, Jan Meeus², Luc Vrielinck² and
Dr.Henri Diederich*³
- Department of Imaging and Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Catholic University Leuven, Belgium
- Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, St. John’s Hospital, Belgium
- Dental Clinic Henri Diederich, 51 av Pasteur, Luxembourg, Europe
Abstract
Restoration of a severely atrophic jaw presents a challenge in dentistry. Bone augmentation is usually required in the posterior maxilla to enable placement of a sufficient number and length of implants to support implant prosthesis due to the poor bone quality of the posterior maxilla. The recent invention of new surgical techniques and implant systems help circumvent the current restorative problems and provide a solution to erstwhile un-rehabilitated cases. The use of pterygoid implants in the pterygo-maxillary region provides posterior bone support without sinus augmentation or supplemental grafts. This article describes a clinical procedure for the restoration of severely resorbed maxilla using a new pterygoid implant in combination with conventional or cortically fixed implant system. In the present study, the use of implants in the posterior maxilla to support a fixed prosthesis was demonstrated to be a reliable and a good alternative to distal cantilever prostheses or sinus-lifting procedures.
Keywords: Atrophic Jaw; Pterygoid Implants; Pterygo-maxillary Region; Edentulous Patient; Rehabilitation