When one or more teeth are lost, and they are not replaced as soon as possible, a slow but progressive process of reabsorption at the level of the maxillary bone is started immediately which reduces the amount of bone structure available, and necessary, for the placement of dental implants. "What is not used is atrophied", and it is precisely what happens to the EDENTULOUS MAXILLARY ALVEOLAR PROCESS, naturally, as a result of the lack of stimulation due to the absence of functional loads. So if a lot of time elapses between tooth mutilation and the intention of rehabilitation, it is very likely that by then there is no longer enough bone material capable of guaranteeing good primary anchorage and adequate osseointegration of conventional titanium devices, that a once implanted, they should function as artificial substitutes for dental roots and solid supports for the fixation of prosthetic structures.

Fortunately in many cases, when the defect of the alveolar ridge is mild and located, it is possible to resort without problems to the placement of autologous or synthetic GRAFTS as a prior or simultaneous step to the placement of dental implants. However, if the bone loss is very large and widespread, these procedures usually become very uncomfortable, complex, extensive and unpredictable; since they imply the need to generate a large body wound at the level of the pelvis or head to collect iliac crest or calotte bone blocks', high chances of rejection due to the own cruelty of the surgical technique and a period of tissue healing that could involve to 5 or 6 months of waiting, before being able to continue with the treatment.

Faced with such eventualities, it is often preferable to forget about the maxillary and grafts, and fix the implants to other bones of the orofacial region, being by their compact structure and anatomical proximity the MALAR OR ZYGOMATIC (which forms the cheekbone) and Sphenoid bones, those of preference. So Zygomatic Implants are nothing more than special dental devices, much longer than conventional ones (between 30 and 55 mm. in length) and that allow us to make fixed dentures without inconveniences even in cases of severe or advanced maxillary atrophy; and that is why, in conjunction with Pterygoid Implants (very similar to Zygomatics but that anchor at the level of the pterygomaxillary suture), they are also known in popular slang as "Dental Implants for Patients with Little Bone". And it is that in short, the relative simplicity of their implantation (in relation to the placement of multiple grafts), the absence of morbidity of a donor area and a much shorter and favorable period of healing for the patient, suggest to these LONG IMPLANTS as a simpler and safer alternative for extreme cases, compared to other bone regeneration and oral implantology techniques.