Dental Implants: The Benefits of Guided Implant Surgery

For dentists who provide implant dentistry without the aid of 3D technology, implant placement can be educated guesswork. Determining the right angle and location of placement for implants often means that only patients in superior oral health can receive implant care, without being referred out to a specialist’s office. At Leon Springs Family Dental, we use 3D imaging for what is called guided dental implant surgery.

The Elimination of Guesswork

With advanced imaging, our implant dentists do not have to guess at the right spots for placing your implants. The 3D technology used for planning your treatment helps our dentists pinpoint the areas where bone in your jaw is the most dense, allowing for successful placement of your implant post. With the combination of both CEREC in-house milling and 3D imaging, we can also fabricate a small template that is placed at the site of implantation and guides the direction of placement.

Implant Placement for Patients with Bone Quality Issues

The placement of implant posts requires patients to have healthy bone volume. This allows the implants to properly integrate with tissue, so patients can receive sturdy new teeth. Patients with low bone quality, due to prolonged lack of natural teeth, can sometimes be disqualified from either in-house placement of implants by a general dentist, or may require pre-treatment with a bone graft before implants are installed. However, guided implants surgery allows us to visualize areas where bone is dense and could support an implant. This opens the door for a greater number of patients with varying bone qualities to receive implants in our office.  Without this guided surgery, many dentists are unable to provide implant placement and may refer patients to an oral surgeon for additional care.

Stronger, Longer-Lasting Restorations

Guided implant surgery with the aid of 3D imaging and CEREC technology helps us give patients the best long-term dental implant results. We design the angle and select the appropriate placement site to support maximum strength during the osseointegration process, thereby reducing the likelihood that your implant may not properly integrate and become loose.  Our dentists are able to target healthy areas of bone to determine the best course of action for your implant dentistry treatment plan.

If you have questions about dental implants, contact our San Antonio dentists for more information about guided implant surgery.