Tooth-supported surgical guides for guided placement of single-tooth implants

Computer-assisted technologies open up new possibilities for significantly improving the planning and realization of implant-supported dental restorations. Three-dimensional (3D) data acquired with an intraoral sensor can be merged with comparable data acquired by various radiographic imaging techniques. Implant planning with this type of support can generate data for the manufacture of surgical guides for dental implants. The guides can then be fabricated either by a third-party provider or by the implantologist directly, by using time- and cost-saving in-office systems. The use of surgical guides can improve the surgical implantation procedure considerably, and successful and reliable outcomes can be achieved more quickly. Keywords: dental implantology, CAD/CAM, guided surgery, surgical guide, cone beam computed tomography (CBCT), implant planning