Presurgic planning with CT-derived fabrication of surgical guides

As implant dentistry is evolving toward accelerated treatment protocols, with immediate or delayed functional and nonfunctional loading, the importance of presurgical planning becomes paramount. The paradigm for restorative-driven implant placement works best when templates are used to transfer information from the desired plan to the surgical reality. The advent of computed tomography (CT) imaging, and CT-derived surgical templates allow for clinically significant improvements in accuracy, time efficiency, and reduction in surgical error, benefiting the patient, surgeon, restorative dentist, and the laboratory. Continued advances in the state-of-the-art software applications that enable enhanced planning give clinicians the vision necessary to deliver the desired results, while serving as an excellent communication tool between all members of the implant team. This article illustrates the advantages of using CT scan-based templates through various clinical presentations. Procedures were illustrated for single and multiple tooth applications in both mandibular and maxillary arches. (c) 2005 American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons.