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Guided Implant Surgery

Guided implant surgery for safe, predictable, and efficient dental implants


As a dentist who places implants every day, I can say that, with the proper training, 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 esthetic result, but we can also superimpose abutments and predict how much room will be needed for the crown and for any veneered suprastructure that may go over the abutment.

The number one reason that I 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 xray 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 I do the majority of my implants via guided surgery is predictability. Without adequately assessing how much tooth, gingiva, and bone has 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, I place my implants via guided surgery because it is so efficient. With guided surgery, all the planning and "back and forth" with drilling, angulation, and depth is all figured out before the patient appears for surgery. Most guided implant surgeries are completed in less than 30 minutes in my office for single teeth. A full arch of implants may take me less than an hour. Our office has incorporated the latest technology to make your dental implant experience safer, more predictable and easier.



                                                           Here is an example of a surgical guide for a guided implant surgery
