Post by Guided_Surgery on Mar 26, 2013 13:24:23 GMT -5
Drilling an osteotomy poses two challenges for the surgeon:
To meet these challenges, doctors can obtain 3D data of a patient’s jawbone, import the data into implant planning software, and virtually place the implant in the correct position. The CT scan-based surgical plan is then used to make a surgical guide for that specific patient/case.
Virtual planning and guided surgery are powerful collaboration tools that benefit – and allow for seamless communication between – the surgeon and restorative dentist. By working from the same digital plan, surgeons can work closer with restorative dentists to optimize restorative and surgical outcomes.
Correct virtual planning delivers a prosthetically-driven placement that also meets surgical parameters. Everything once done on the bench – wax-ups, stents, BaSO4 teeth – is now done virtually in the software, saving significant time. With a precise model of the patient’s jaw and the guide, an accurate prosthesis can often be manufactured by a dental technician prior to implant surgery.
Surgical surprises, if present, can be reduced or eliminated. The amount and location of available bone can be determined in advance of surgery. Three-dimensional CT scans can provide accurate information on treatment area proximity to the aveolar nerve channel and sinus walls that 2-D x-rays may not always reveal.
Benefits of CT-based guided surgery include, but are not limited to:
However, guided surgery still requires experience and good judgment. No matter how confident a doctor is in their treatment plan, they must still assess the placement of the guide and implant in vivo.
- Surgical: the hole must be positioned in sufficient bone to hold the implant
- Prosthetic: the hole must be correctly aligned with the position of the future tooth to restore it correctly
To meet these challenges, doctors can obtain 3D data of a patient’s jawbone, import the data into implant planning software, and virtually place the implant in the correct position. The CT scan-based surgical plan is then used to make a surgical guide for that specific patient/case.
Virtual planning and guided surgery are powerful collaboration tools that benefit – and allow for seamless communication between – the surgeon and restorative dentist. By working from the same digital plan, surgeons can work closer with restorative dentists to optimize restorative and surgical outcomes.
Correct virtual planning delivers a prosthetically-driven placement that also meets surgical parameters. Everything once done on the bench – wax-ups, stents, BaSO4 teeth – is now done virtually in the software, saving significant time. With a precise model of the patient’s jaw and the guide, an accurate prosthesis can often be manufactured by a dental technician prior to implant surgery.
Surgical surprises, if present, can be reduced or eliminated. The amount and location of available bone can be determined in advance of surgery. Three-dimensional CT scans can provide accurate information on treatment area proximity to the aveolar nerve channel and sinus walls that 2-D x-rays may not always reveal.
Benefits of CT-based guided surgery include, but are not limited to:
- Prosthetic-driven surgery: Implant placement is pre-operatively agreed to by the surgeon and restorative dentist
- Accurate placement: Implants are placed where planned, in the ideal location, leading to improved surgical outcomes and esthetic results
- Lower liability: costly surgical mistakes (i.e., perforating the side of the jawbone or sinus, or damaging the mandibular nerve) are minimized because patient anatomy is known
- Sub-gingival knowledge and planned placement provide a better, more predictable, surgical experience
- Enter surgery with less stress and more confidence, knowing fewer anatomical “surprises” await
- More trust in a flapless protocol, which provides a more painless patient experience and recovery
- Spend less time in surgery
- Minimize intraoperative radiography (“check films”)
However, guided surgery still requires experience and good judgment. No matter how confident a doctor is in their treatment plan, they must still assess the placement of the guide and implant in vivo.