Short answer
Usually yes. Bone loss changes which technique is used rather than ruling implants out. Options include grafting to rebuild the site, or anchoring into denser bone further back with zygomatic or pterygoid implants. A 3D scan is what determines which route applies.
Why does bone disappear after teeth are lost?
Jaw bone is maintained by the forces that pass through tooth roots during chewing. Once a tooth is gone, that stimulus goes with it and the bone in that area gradually resorbs. This is why a jaw that has been without teeth for years often has noticeably less bone than one that lost teeth recently.
Long term denture wear accelerates the same process, because a denture rests on the gum rather than transmitting force into the bone.
What are my options if I have been told I do not have enough bone?
There are three broad routes. Grafting rebuilds the site so a standard implant can be placed later. Angled placement uses the bone that remains more efficiently. Zygomatic or pterygoid implants bypass the deficient area entirely by anchoring into denser bone further back in the skull.
Which one applies is a scan question, not an opinion question.
Read more about bone grafting.
Read more about zygomatic implants.
What does bone grafting actually involve?
Grafting places material into the deficient site so your own bone can grow through it over several months. It can sometimes happen at the same appointment as implant placement, and sometimes has to come first as a separate stage. The scan and the amount of bone needed decide which.
At ANEWU additional sites are grafted during full arch surgery where it makes sense, rather than leaving thin areas to become a problem later.
Are zygomatic implants a last resort?
They are a specific solution for severe upper jaw bone loss, not a fallback for a failed plan. Because they anchor into the cheekbone, they can support a fixed arch in jaws where conventional implants have nothing to hold onto, often without the months of grafting first.
They require particular surgical training and planning, which is why not every practice offers them.
How do I find out which applies to me?
A 3D cone beam scan shows bone volume and density in three dimensions, which a standard dental x-ray cannot. From that scan the surgeon can say which techniques your jaw supports. It is the single most useful thing to do before accepting that implants are not possible.
Read more about 3D imaging and guided surgery.
Read more about book a consultation.