Planning Software vs. Guided Surgery Software
Software and Tool Manufacturers in Guided Implant Dentistry
Nobel Guide
Straumann Gonix
Med 3D
Benefits of Implant Planning Software with Guided Surgery
1. Planning Software vs. Guided Surgery Software
Currently, most 3D imaging systems have built-in software tools, such as implant planning software (Kerstream, Neotom, etc.).
The disadvantage of these software is the impossibility of planning guided surgery. The purpose of this type of software is simply to visualize the current bone condition without the ability to directly transfer the planning to a surgical template.
However, guided surgery software such as the Nobel Guide or CoDiagnostics allows the clinician to transfer their planning in the form of surgical templates to actual patients.
2. Software and Tool Manufacturers in Guided Implant Dentistry
3. The Nobel Guide:
The Nobel Guide is currently the most popular guided implant system in the world. The advantage of this system is that the clinician does not need any special tools, calibration pins, or any other specific materials to order the drill guide, except for the 3D scanning unit.
The clinician needs to scan the patient himself. The first scan must be performed without any prosthetic device in place, and the second scan must be performed using a simulation of the acrylic prosthetic device with three different scannable calibration points. These files will be sent via the file upload service to Nobel Biocare. Nobel Biocare will then virtually match these two scans. Thanks to the overlapping simulation of the future prosthetic solution, Nobel Biocare can create a highly accurate surgical template without any overlapping calibration pins that would interfere with the imaging.
4. Straumann Gonyx:
To benefit from the Straumann Gonyx system, the dental laboratory needs the clinician’s support in manufacturing surgical templates. In the first step, these scans are created using the Gonyx unit and then worn during the 3D scanning. Thanks to the three built-in titanium pins, the position of the scan template installed in the Gonyx unit can be matched with the planning software. This software allows the virtual placement of dental implants and their transfer to the actual scan template, which can then be used as a drilling guide.
5. Med 3d:
The Med 3d system is similar to the Straumann Gonyx system, but its main difference is the reference hardware. Med 3d uses “Lego” pieces that are integrated into the scan template instead of titanium pins. The Med 3d system is generally slightly more advanced than the Gonyx system due to its higher accuracy.
6. Benefits of Guided Implant Planning/Surgery Software
Patients, practitioners, and dental technicians benefit from the guided implant planning/surgery software.
– The patient benefits from better implant positioning, resulting in longer implant life and greater comfort in wearing prosthodontics.
The dentist benefits from an easier implant placement method and fewer post-operative complications.
The dental technician benefits from easier implant fabrication and placement thanks to the improved implant positioning.