Surgical Guide

When it comes to surgical guides, and guided surgery in general, we have always had the mindset, “Why guess, when you can measure?”

We fabricate surgical guides that range from single implant placement to full arch reconstruction. In no other area of modern dentistry is it easier to have a fully predictable outcome than it is with implant cases. Even 5 years ago, when implants and guided surgery was still in the early adoption stages of clinical acceptance, technology has allowed us to move light years forward. Today, guided surgery is no longer theoretical. It is the standard of care.

With the amalgam of cone beam scanning, digital dentistry, and 3D printing, we are now producing hundreds of surgical guides yearly that virtually eliminate the problems we used to see with implant dentistry. We combine the CBCT scans from the pre-operative patient, and combine them with scans of master casts, and implant planning software or digital denture setups, and we are able to provide an implant strategy that will work for nearly every patient if there is usable, available bone.

The really exciting work continues as we use surgical guides to restore full arches. Now, we have methods that allow us to construct stackable guide systems retained by fixation pins, that incorporate bone reduction, implant placement, and immediate loading of implants with a same day screw retained solution for the patient. Planned in advance with our lab owner, Eddi Von Schlichting, the clinician, and the implant specialist, we know how complex cases are going to go before we ever get to surgery.