Piezocision Through Computer-Guided Navigation.

Abstract

Numerous surgical techniques have been developed as effective means to facilitate orthodontic treatment, although they may cause significant postoperative discomfort. Piezocision was established as a flapless and minimally invasive technique to accelerate orthodontic tooth movement by combining small vertical incisions and piezoelectric corticotomies. Computed tomography has been combined with the piezocision technique to fabricate computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) surgical guides to prevent iatrogenic damage. A method to combine computer-assisted dynamic navigation with piezocision is introduced here. Cone-beam computed tomography was combined with motion-tracking technology to allow real-time tracing of the piezoelectric instruments during the surgical procedure. This technique delivers the location of piezoelectric knife in regard to roots and important anatomical structures to increase the safety and accuracy during corticotimies.