The Importance of Surgical Guides in Implant Dentistry

So we get asked a lot about the importance of surgical guides in implant dentistry. One of the more common things I hear is they work with a surgeon or a periodontist, and they have never really liked surgical guides, and so they just work without them.

 Using digital workflows, we can place the implant properly.

As restorative dentist, we know that sometimes that works out, but if it does not work out, we end up with an implant that is in a place that makes it impossible for us to either resolve the issue that we see esthetically or functionally. So I think in today’s world, we have the capacity with digital workflows to do what we would normally do as Dawson Dentists, which is to figure where the tooth or the teeth are going to be in space. From there, we can then relate that back to CBCT with our specialist to then be able to virtually place the implant exactly where we want it.

That can be done in a myriad of different software today.

I happen to work with a company called Implant Concierge, and the way we do this is we will provide them with either a model or a digital internal scan of the CBCT, and then we go ahead and have our meeting whether I am placing the implant or whether the surgeon is placing the implant. We get complete clarity about not only the direction of the implant but the depth. The depth is extremely important because we need 3 to 4 mm of space before we can start designing that emergency profile.

Work with a team approach.

So, again, the key to be able to have great results in implant dentistry is to work with this team approach where we begin with that and in mind. And I think if you think that way and sort of demand it from your team, it will just become part of your culture. And so from my perspective, every single case that we do, we do with some sort of guide, and my preference is for it to be a completely guided approach. That gives me the best chance to be 100% predictable every time.