A modified surgical template with dual function

Abstract

aAdjunct Professor, Department of Dentistry, Federal University of Santa Catarina. bAdjunct Professor, Department of Dentistry, Federal University of Santa Catarina. cVisiting Professor, Department of Dentistry, Federal University of Santa Catarina. dChairman of Postgraduate Implant Dentistry, North Minas United College/FUNORTE. eProfessor and Head, Dental Materials Unit, Center for Dental and Oral Medicine, University of Zurich. (J Prosthet Dent 2013;110:232-233) This article describes a modified surgical template to guide the positioning of an implant immediately after tooth extraction and secure the immediate placement of an interim crown. The placement of dental implants immediately after tooth extraction is a popular treatment option, which has been reported to have high success rates.1-4 This technique enables clinicians to shorten treatment time and possibly provide an interim crown at the time of implant placement. In addition to shortening the surgical procedures, the immediate placement and provisional restoration of a dental implant is purported to better preserve the gingival and bone architecture, resulting in greater comfort and patient acceptance.2,4,5 However, successful immediate implant placement depends on satisfactory patient selection, treatment planning, and atraumatic tooth extraction. This enables adequate primary stability and correct implant location in a site that has preserved the natural architecture of soft and hard tissues. For this purpose, surgical guides have been used to ensure the correct 3-dimensional (3D) positioning of the implant.6,7 After immediate implant placement, an interim crown can provide patients with rewarding and rapid esthetic results. When an interim crown can be made by copying the emergence profile of a correctly located but hopeless tooth, it facilitates the maintenance of the postextraction gingival architecture, minimizing possible damage to hard and soft tissues after tooth extraction.8 However, it is important to ensure that the interim crown does not contact the opposing dentition in maximal intercuspation or during excursive mandibular movements.9,10 In this article, a surgical guide that can correctly guide implant placement as well as the correct placement of an interim crown is described.