Dr. Johann Styger, ZAGA Center Surrey, UK
Episode summary
In this ZAGA Centers Podcast episode, Dr. Johann Styger of ZAGA Center Surrey (Portmore Dental, Weybridge, UK) explains why zygomatic implants became his preferred route for patients with insufficient bone who had otherwise been told they needed major grafting. Trained in South Africa, France, and New York, he frames aesthetics and function as inseparable and describes a patient-centered workflow: an initial consultation to understand expectations, a data-gathering visit for CT scans, impressions, and photographs, a treatment-plan discussion, surgery followed by a six-month provisional fixed bridge, and only then the final prosthesis. He reports patients experience surprisingly little postoperative discomfort. Styger stresses that zygomatic work is more complex than routine implant dentistry, requiring formal training, rehearsal on 3D models, humility, honesty, and above all listening to patients.
Key takeaways
- Dr. Johann Styger leads zygomatic implant treatment at Portmore Dental in Weybridge, the first ZAGA Center in Surrey, UK.
- He restored his first implants in 1990, placed his first implant in 1994, and moved to England in 2001.
- Zygomatic implants offer a route to help severely resorbed patients without resorting to major bone-grafting procedures.
- Styger treats aesthetic and functional results as inseparable, positioning implants to satisfy both cosmetic and functional goals.
- His protocol places patients in a temporary fixed bridge for six months before impressions are taken for the final prosthesis.
- He recommends clinicians train formally, citing Dr. Carlos Aparicio's course in Barcelona, and rehearse surgery on 3D models beforehand.
- His guiding advice for zygomatic surgeons is humility, honesty (under-promise rather than over-deliver), and listening to patients.
What you'll learn
- How zygomatic implants let clinicians avoid major bone-grafting procedures in the atrophic maxilla
- Managing patient expectations across consultation, planning, surgery, and the six-month provisional phase
- Why aesthetic and functional outcomes are inseparable when positioning implants prosthetically
- Rehearsing surgery on CT-derived 3D models so there are no surprises in the operating room
- The clinician mindset for zygomatic work: humility, honesty, formal training, and listening to patients
About the guest
Dr. Johann Styger
Dr. Johann Styger trained as a dentist in South Africa, restoring his first implants in 1990 and placing his first implant in 1994. After moving to England in 2001 he studied implantology for three years at Lille University in France and completed cosmetic dentistry training at the Rosenthal Institute in New York, later becoming an instructor. Since 2001 he has practiced at Portmore Dental in Weybridge, Surrey, which became ZAGA Center Surrey. He leads its zygomatic implant treatment and credits Dr. Carlos Aparicio's training in Barcelona as foundational.
Credentials: Senior Implantologist and practice owner, Portmore Dental (ZAGA Center Surrey), Weybridge, Surrey, UK; ZAGA-certified implantologist; Master's-level training, Rosenthal Institute of Aesthetic Dentistry, New York; degree in implantology, Lille University, France; Associate Fellow, American Academy of Implant Dentistry
ZAGA profile · LinkedIn · portmoredental.co.uk
