The Custom Implant Journey: Your Path to Personalized Facial Contouring

This journey is a meticulous process built around four core phases: Consultation & Data, Planning & Safety, Design, and Surgery. Here is what you can expect as you move through each step.

Phase 1: Consultation and Data Acquisition

The first and most critical phase is all about understanding your goals and gathering the necessary information to ensure a safe, satisfying result.

Your Comprehensive Consultation

Dr. Zelken must look at more than just your bone structure. The initial consultation addresses:

• Facial Harmony: We assess how changes to your bone structure will affect your overall appearance, distinguishing between issues caused by bone versus soft tissue.

• Function and Bite: If you have functional issues, like problems with your bite or jaw alignment (malocclusion), your surgeon will determine if orthognathic surgery (jaw surgery) should be considered first.

• Mental Well-being: We take time to discuss your expectations and motivation for surgery. Dr. Zelken is screening for conditions like Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) and assessing whether your expectations align with what is surgically possible and healthy. Be prepared to discuss your goals realistically to ensure a happy outcome.

Getting Your Blueprint: The CBCT Scan

To design a perfect implant, we need a precise blueprint of your face. This is achieved using a Cone Beam CT (CBCT) scan with high resolution (cuts smaller than 1mm.

• This scan provides a 3D digital model of your skull, which is the starting point for all design work.

• A specific Field of View (FOV) greater than 10 x 15 cm is required to capture the full anatomy needed for planning.

Phase 2: Planning and Safety Checks

Before a design even begins, Dr. Zelken performs crucial planning to ensure the implant fits safely and securely.

• Protecting Nerves and Roots: The surgeon uses the scan to identify and plot the course of critical structures, such as dental roots and nerves. The implant design must carefully avoid these areas.

• Fixation Planning: We plan exactly where the implant will be anchored to the bone. This includes designing special indentations (countersinks) for the screws to sit flush and determining the best screw angle (trajectory).

• Symmetry and Realism: The design process focuses on achieving the best possible symmetry. We have an experienced understanding of how much change to expect: for instance, 1 cm of implant thickness on the bone might translate to about 7mm of visible change on your skin.

Phase 3: The Custom Design

This is the phase where the implant's unique shape is created.

• Surgeon as Architect: Even if the manufacturer has engineers assist with the software, your surgeon is the primary designer and consultant. Dr. Zelken ensures the implant achieves their aesthetic vision and matches the goals discussed in your consultation.

• Blending Edges: A critical design principle is ensuring a feathered transition around the edges of the implant. This avoids any sudden steps or borders that could be seen or felt under the skin, giving you the most natural result.

• Precision Fit: The design incorporates bony landmarks on your existing skull to create a "key" that the implant locks into. This helps Dr. Zelken place it perfectly during surgery and prevents movement.

Phase 4: Building Your Implant and Surgery

Once the digital design is finalized, the implant is manufactured and prepared for placement.

• Manufacturing: Your custom PEEK implant is built using advanced technology like CNC machining or 3D printing. This rigorous, complex process ensures the implant is made of the strongest, most stable material.

• Surgical Placement: During your surgery, the PEEK implant provides a number of advantages: it is a rigid and durable material. It can be designed to "snap" into place like a puzzle piece and is securely fixed with screws to prevent movement. This level of control allows Dr. Zelken to offer a truly unique product.

This precise, controlled process is why custom PEEK implants are the preferred choice for patients seeking highly personalized, high-quality, and long-lasting facial skeletal augmentation.