Hi, my name is Dr Fong, I’m the principal dentist here at Dental House Group. I just completed a guided implant surgery for our patient Sandra from Bacchus Marsh, and afterward, she said, Wow Fong, that was much faster and smoother than I expected! Thank you!

All of that is made possible because of digital-guided implant surgery, one of the most advanced technologies in dentistry. As a Master Clinician in Implantology, I’ve been placing dental implants for the last 10 years, and the evolution of digital dentistry has changed our way of practising implant surgery.

So let’s get into it, what is guided implant surgery, and why is it better?

• Firstly, digital guided implants enable better surgical planning, and this means reducing planning error. You see, in the past, if a patient wanted to have a dental implant, they would take a 3D scan of their mouth, and the images would be printed out in 2D slices, and using rulers and tape measures, the dentist would then estimate the size of the implant best suited to the area. With the advancement of 3D technology and software, we can now pre-plan the surgery so the procedure is as accurate and as predictable as possible. The chance of any miscalculation is greatly reduced.
• Secondly, with a 3D implant guide, this reduces surgery time and error. In the past, implant surgery was done freehand. So based on the X Ray, the dentist will guess where the implant should be, and then start drilling. Often, this will result in unideal implant angulation, which can compromise on the long term success of the treatment. In addition, there are blood vessels and nerves in the jaw bone, you don’t want the dentist to accidentally drill into these structures. With the advancement of technology, we could now print out 3D implant guides. These guides can accurately control the angle and the depth of the implant placement, potentially avoiding any complications.
• Thirdly, a digital-guided implant can give you a faster and more comfortable surgery. With the arrival of guided implant surgery, often the dentist has already done the surgery in their head 2-3 times prior to the actual surgery, the procedure can be done often at half of the time if the dentist has a surgical guide. Which means you are in the chair for less time, so there will be less swelling and discomfort when you get home. Sometimes we don’t even need to raise a flap to do the surgery, which means you don’t need to worry about any stitches.

As you can see, a digital-guided implant can help you replace your missing tooth or teeth a lot faster and more comfortably. Here at Dental House Group, all our dental implant procedures are digitally guided. So If you have a missing tooth and want to explore a permanent and comfortable option, we would love to help. Simply complete the form on the website, give us a call on 1800GENTLE, or send us a direct message on social media, and we will help you organise your appointment. See you in the next video.