London City Smiles ★9.7

Zygomatic implants: the practice you reach after being told there is not enough bone

London City Smiles has stood in Angel, Islington for over forty years, and the work it is built around sits at the hard end of implantology. Beyond single implants and full arches on four, six or eight fixtures, the team places zygomatic implants, anchored in the cheekbone for jaws that have lost too much bone to hold a conventional fixture. Three principal implantologists share a surname — Dr Balwant Vekaria, Dr Meera Vekaria and Dr Rakhee Vekaria — a family practice that has kept one speciality across decades.

Treatments

Implantology leads: placement planned on 3D imaging, full-arch rehabilitation, and a Teeth in a Day protocol in which suitable cases have fixtures placed through the gum without cutting or stitching. Everyday dentistry runs alongside — children’s care, hygiene, extractions and wisdom teeth, root canals, gum treatment, grinding and jaw pain. Cosmetic work covers bonding, veneers, crowns and bridges, Philips Zoom and Enlighten whitening, Invisalign and Incognito lingual braces. Facial aesthetics form a separate arm, with UltraClear laser and JetPeel.

Sedation and urgent care

Conscious IV sedation is provided by all three principals, so an anxious patient stays awake and responsive while deeply relaxed; the practice puts dental phobia at about one person in ten. Emergencies are seen the same day where a slot exists: acute pain, abscesses, knocked-out teeth, trauma, wisdom-tooth flare-ups. It is private, GDC registered, CQC inspected, a BDA member and a member of implantology associations in Britain and the United States.

The team

Specialists sit in-house rather than at the end of a referral: Dr Tilemachos Makropoulos in periodontics and Dr Sanjay Ardeshna in endodontics. Implant and cosmetic dentistry runs through Dr Ajit Ark, Dr Athanasios Tsiakyroudis and Dr Chirag Patel; restorative and cosmetic care through Dr Claire Titton, Dr Jehan Jeyaseelan and Dr Mohini Gorsia. Hygienists Ewelina Dawson, Ionela Stoica and Irina Karpalo complete the roster.

Who it suits

Anyone turned away elsewhere over bone volume. People rebuilding a whole arch who want surgeon, gum specialist and restoring dentist in one building. Adults who have avoided the chair for years. Islington families after an ordinary check-up.

Frequently Asked Questions

I was told my jaw cannot take implants. Zygomatic implants anchor in the cheekbone rather than the jawbone; 3D imaging decides suitability.

Can implants go in without cuts? In suitable cases fixtures are placed through the gum, without incisions or stitches.

I am frightened of dentists. Conscious IV sedation is available, and the team works with phobic patients routinely.

Is it NHS? No — a private practice taking new private patients.

Can I be seen urgently? Same-day emergency appointments are offered subject to availability.

Opening hours