Can I Get Facial Implants If I Have Lost All Of My Teeth?

Q: Dr. Eppley, Hello, I have a unique situation. Four years ago I had most of my teeth removed and got dentures. I was not informed and stuck in a failing dental office resulting in me spending the following years in poor fit dentures which unknowingly accelerated my jaw bone loss. I recently got full arch dental implants but due to the lack of space in my mouth now I’m still pretty collapsed. I wasn’t able to have my vertical dimension restored due to lack of space and pain tolerating it. My face is affected significantly. With all the changes I figure it is unlikely but wondered if someone like me could still be viable for upper jaw implants/other facial implants to restore some structure. I am not too hopeful given bone resorption and full arch dental implants likely complicating things further

A:Thank you for your inquiry and detailing your unique facial situation. The loss of teeth, particularly in the mandible, results in loss of the upper half of the alveolar bone and does pose challenges for augmentation of the lower half of the face. Similarly in the maxilla the same issue is evident although the preservation of the cheekbones, which are not affected buy alveolar bone loss, is less of an issue then it is in the mandible for augmentation.

The one critical piece of information that I need to see is x-ray analysis of your facial bones of which the an Initial x-ray, a Panorex, may already exist given your prior dental implant surgery. That type of x-ray lays out your jawbones like a globe on the map and provides great insight into how much bone remains.

Dr. Barry Eppley

World-Renowned Plastic Surgeon