Paranasal Medpor implants
What are paranasal Medpor implants?
Paranasal Medpor implants are made of porous polyethylene. This a non-absorbable material which means the result will be permanent. The omni-directional pore structure of the polyethylene implants increases implant acceptance by allowing the patient‘s native tissue to integrate with the implant.
We use these paranasal implants in patients who lack volume in the paranasal area, so just next to the wings of the nose. This lack of volume may be caused by underdevelopment of the upper jaw (maxilla) or by loss of soft tissue caused by aging, or a combination of the two.
As women tend to have fuller cheeks and less wrinkles and grooves in their faces than men, adding volume in the cheek area and paranasal area has proven to have a feminizing effect in many cases.
Implant or fat grafting?
As the effect of lipofilling in the paranasal area has shown to be subtle, to those who really need a good amount of extra paranasal volume we would recommend using these implants.
One of the big advantages of these implants is that they can easily be reduced or even completely removed if the patient is not pleased with the result (however rare), which might not be the case with transplanted fat that has been integrated in the body.
Procedure
- The incisions are made intra-orally and the paranasal bone is exposed.
- Sometimes the prefabricated implants fill up the defect perfectly, but often some grinding of the implants is necessary to create a pleasing effect.
- Once this is done the implants are being fixed using 2 Titanium screws on either side and the gums are sutured back with dissolvable sutures.
Recovery
- We recommend that you rinse your mouth with mouthwash two to three times a day. You will be given this mouthwash after your surgery. It helps keep your mouth free of bacteria and heals the wound.
- The stitches will have completely dissolved after about two weeks.
- You will also experience the usual side effects of an operation:
- Swelling (the first two weeks)—Immediately after the surgery, the injected area can be swollen and bruised. To reduce swelling, we recommend sleeping on three pillows so your face is positioned higher than the rest of your body. In about three weeks’ time approximately 80% of the bruising and swelling will have disappeared.
- Temporary numbness.
- Your cheeks may feel painful and stiff.
- After two weeks you will get a good impression of what the final result after six months will be.
Possible complications
Perforation of the implant through the mucosa and consequent infection is possible. In those cases the implants need to be removed. After a healing time of about 3 months, new implants could be inserted. But with the right technique for incision, creation of the pocket for the implants and suturing, this, in our hands, has become a rarity.
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