Dr. Hooman Zarrinkelk, ZAGA Center Los Angeles
Episode summary
Dr. Hooman Zarrinkelk, a board-certified oral and maxillofacial surgeon and head surgeon at Greater Ventura Oral & Facial Surgery, the ZAGA Center Los Angeles, describes his approach to zygomatic implant rehabilitation of the severely atrophic maxilla. He argues that zygomatic implants are skeletal anchorage devices rather than dental implants, requiring a facial and orthognathic surgical mindset instead of a narrow alveolar-ridge, small-incision approach. He credits the ZAGA Concept, developed by Dr. Carlos Aparicio, with reinforcing and standardizing the systematic, patient-specific method he had already reached through experience. Zarrinkelk has simplified the surgery so most cases are performed in-office under local anesthesia with mild sedation, reserving general anesthesia or hospital care for challenging cases, and he stresses that technique and speed minimize postoperative pain and swelling. His patients are typically end-of-line cases previously turned down after failed bone grafts and implants.
Key takeaways
- Dr. Hooman Zarrinkelk is a board-certified oral and maxillofacial surgeon and head surgeon at Greater Ventura Oral & Facial Surgery, the ZAGA Center serving Los Angeles.
- He regards zygomatic implants as skeletal anchorage devices for the prosthesis rather than dental implants, requiring a facial/orthognathic surgical mindset.
- Most of his zygomatic implant cases are performed in-office under local anesthesia with mild sedation, with general anesthesia or hospital treatment reserved for more challenging cases.
- The ZAGA Concept reinforced and standardized the systematic, patient-specific approach he had already developed, replacing improvisation during surgery.
- At his practice patients see the prosthodontist first, who treatment-plans the restoration before referral to the surgeon, and many receive an immediate-load prosthesis within about a week.
- He teaches that simplifying zygomatic surgery through technique and speed reduces postoperative pain and swelling and enables treating more patients.
- His patients are typically end-of-line cases who were turned down elsewhere or had failed prior bone grafts and implants.
What you'll learn
- Why zygomatic implants are skeletal anchorage devices, not dental implants, and require a facial/orthognathic surgical mindset
- How the ZAGA Concept reinforced and standardized his existing approach into systematic, patient-specific guidelines
- Simplifying the procedure so most cases are performed in-office under local anesthesia with mild sedation
- The prosthodontist-first, team-coordinated workflow from diagnosis through immediate-load prosthesis
- Why technique and speed reduce postoperative pain and swelling and let a surgeon treat more patients
- Treating end-of-line patients previously turned down after failed grafts and implants
About the guest
Dr. Hooman Zarrinkelk
Dr. Hooman Zarrinkelk is a board-certified oral and maxillofacial surgeon (American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery) practicing in Ventura, California, where he joined a practice in 2000. He completed undergraduate and dental training at Loma Linda University, a two-year research fellowship at the University of Texas in Dallas, and six years of surgical residency at Loma Linda University Medical Center. A head surgeon at Greater Ventura Oral & Facial Surgery, the certified ZAGA Center Los Angeles, and an associate professor at Loma Linda University, he has transformed his practice into one focused on complex dental implant reconstruction and is a ZAGA Mentor for zygomatic implant rehabilitation.
Credentials: Board-certified oral and maxillofacial surgeon (ABOMS); head surgeon, Greater Ventura Oral & Facial Surgery (ZAGA Center Los Angeles); Associate Professor, Loma Linda University; ZAGA Mentor
ZAGA profile · LinkedIn · venturaoralsurgery.com
