What is Guided Surgery?
Guided implant surgery is where your implant placement is planned digitally prior to you having surgery. Guided surgery ensures the highest degree of accuracy in your implant placement with faster healing and recovery times.
An impression or intra-oral scan is taken which allows us to produce a STL file, this provides us with a 3D image of your teeth and gums. We then align this image with your CBCT scan on special dental implant planning software. The software allows the dentist to see the anatomical structures of the jaw and teeth, accurately indicating any bone loss along with the positioning of sinus cavities and nerve canals. Therefore, reducing the risk of unexpected complications during surgery.
Your dentist then uses this information to evaluate the best possible treatment for you and the best positioning for your implant or implants. This simplifies the process and gives you the patient a better overall experience, with a shorter and less invasive procedure, with a faster healing and recovery time.
Once your dentist has finished planning your implants, a guide or surgical stent is designed around the placement site or sites. A guide is then designed and produced that is specific to you. The guide is checked on the model cast from your impression or intra-oral scan before it is ready for your implant placement.
Within the guide are small titanium sleeves/cylinders that guide the drills into the exact position your dentist has chosen in the planning stage. This enables the highest level of accuracy for both positioning and depth of the implant.