Zygomatic implants for TN man who lost teeth to black fungus

CHENNAI: In what could be termed a second life, a man who recovered from Covid-19 and lost his teeth and jaw due to black fungus (mucormycosis), resulting in him not being able to eat or speak, got them back after a successful zygomatic implant surgery (jaw replacement). The implant was done by Implantree International Dental Hospital in Chennai.

According to a statement issued by the hospital, Senthil Murugan (37), a visually-challenged teacher from Salem, got Covid last year, and after recovering, became a victim of black fungus, which affected his teeth and jaw bones, rendering him unable to eat or speak.

The hospital successfully performed a zygomatic implant surgery to assist him. “Senthil developed severe headaches and pain in the sinus region, and after several test runs at multiple healthcare centres, it was concluded that he was affected by the dreaded black fungus. His reluctance to get early treatment, and high blood sugar level, had already caused irreversible damage,” said Dr Johnson Raja James, senior implantologist, Implantree.

“With most of the jaw bone removed or disintegrated in black fungus patients, the only remaining bone is the zygomatic bone or the cheekbone. Zygomatic implants are long implants that are drilled and placed in the cheekbone. It is probably the only treatment option available now for mucormycosis/cancer patients who have lost their teeth due to loss of the jaw bone,” he added. 

The others on the team that performed the rare and complex surgery were Dr JohnNesan, Dr Sree Lekshmi
Midhun, Dr Afreen, and Dr Aishwarya.