Digitally Designed Surgical Guides for Placing Implants in the Nasal Floor of Dentate Patients: A Series of Three Cases

Purpose: Insight into the bone volume and position of natural teeth is essential when placing implants to retain nasal prostheses. This paper describes a series of three cases in which a new method was applied for implant placement in the nasal floor of dentate patients using digital planning techniques. Materials and Methods: With the aid of computer software, digital planning of implants in the nasal floor based on cone beam computed tomography was performed. Next, surgical guides for implant placement were digitally designed and fabricated using rapid prototyping. Results: In all three patients, implants could be placed and nasal prostheses could be manufactured as planned. All anterior teeth remained vital. Analysis of planning and post-implant placement cone beam computed tomography scans revealed high accuracy of implant placement. Conclusion: The applied method allows for reliable implant placement in close proximity to the preoperatively planned implant position.