When patients have experienced significant jawbone loss, they typically have two options. A bone graft will build up the jawbone over several months to support traditional implants, while a zygomatic implant will bypass the jaw and anchor directly into the cheekbone.
The latter can mean that a separate surgical procedure (the bone graft) is avoided and treatment time is significantly reduced, and so, for many surgeons, that is becoming the preferred method of treatment.
However, there are still opportunities to optimise the zygomatic implant approach. By implementing a 3D printing workflow, KLS Martin has been able to produce patient-specific devices.
The company has entered production with this approach, utilising multiple Lithoz CeraFab printers to manufacture a ‘considerable number’ of zygomatic inlay implants, with numerous patients being treated, and those successes documented in several clinical studies.
Here, we explore the suitability of 3D printing for this application, detail the workflow and key design features, and assess the impact these devices are having.
