Guided implant surgery for safe, predictable, and
efficient dental implants
Guided
implant surgery provides a solution where doctors can plan an implant
virtually, and then accurately place an implant in the most safe, predictable,
and efficient manner. With guided surgery, not only can we place the implant
for the most aesthetic result, but we can also superimpose abutments and predict
how much space will be needed for the crown and for any veneered supra-structure that may go over the abutment.
The
number one reason we place implants via guided surgery is safety. The surgical guide may rest on
the teeth, gingiva or bone. The surgical guide has stops that limit the depth
of the drill and limit the depth of the implant. All guesswork is eliminated. A standard periapical x-ray is a 2-D
representation of a 3-D object. Valuable images of nerves, sinuses, and other
anatomic landmarks get superimposed upon one another in a 2-D image. The
mesiodistal width of bone can be somewhat accurately assessed in a 2-D film,
but that is just one piece of a larger puzzle. In the cross-sectional image of
the CBCT (3-D xray), we can see where nerves lie, the accurate width of the
implant required, the optimal placement of the implant platform relative to the
bony crest, the approximation of where the implant screw access will be
relative to the proposed restoration, and finally, the density of the bone.
The
second reason that we do the majority of my implants via guided surgery is predictability.
Without adequately assessing how much supporting bone and soft tissue have been lost,
it's anyone's guess as to where to place the implant. The CBCT scans give me
the information needed to predictably place the implant in the most ideal
position for a functional tooth.
Finally, we place implants via guided surgery because of efficiency. With guided surgery, all the planning and "back and
forth" with drilling, angulation, and depth is determined before the
patient presents for surgery. Most guided implant surgeries are completed in
less than 60 minutes in our office for single teeth. Several simultaneous implants may
take additional time, however the time spent in the chair is greatly reduced by using a surgical guide. Our office has incorporated the latest technology to
make your dental implant experience safer, more predictable and easier.
An example of a surgical guide for a guided implant surgery