CAMLOG Special Issue – Implant Navigation

Situation 12 months after implant insertion Fig. 36: View of the functionally and esthetically redesigned prosthetic restoration. Pre-operative condition Fig. 34: Pre-operative condition with extremely loose teeth and insufficient prosthesis retention. Fig. 35: Postoperative OPG after tooth extraction and insertion of temporary implants. Fig. 37: X-ray check 18 months after implant insertion. CONCLUSIONS These days, implant dentistry is no longer just about bone availability, but constitutes an overall concept, which aims at complete functional and esthetic restoration of a patient's lost chewing function, without losing sight of the total restoration's long-term stability. Thorough and clear- sighted planning, in other words “backward planning”, is needed for this. There must be perfect cooperation between the surgeon, prosthodontist, and dental technician, and optimal on-screen prosthetic planning must be implemented intraoperatively with the aid of an implant drilling template. Nowadays, high-resolution three-dimensional diagnostic procedures using sectional images such as digital dental volume tomography (DVT) and optimized 3D planning software are available for this. Esthetically and functionally complex problems can thus be solved with maximum possible precision. With temporary implants, it is possible to predictably create precise reference points in an edentulous maxilla and mandible so that the guide template cannot be misaligned, ensuring that there will be no relevant deviations during surgical implant insertion. Thanks to this reliable planning, largely predictable results and long-term stability of implants can successfully be achieved. Virtually planned and template-guided implantation allows precise implant insertion and thus creates optimal conditions for a successful prosthetic rehabilitation with the help of a functioning network between the surgeon, prosthodontist, and dental technician.