If you are missing teeth, you may be interested in getting dental implants since they are permanent restorations that last a long time with good care. Dentists typically place implants with the assistance of surgical guides, hand-held instruments, and x-rays. However, the FDA has recently cleared the use of robotic surgery software and robotic guides for implant surgery. Read on to learn more about this technology and how it could improve surgical outcomes.

What is a Robotic-Assisted Surgical System?

The robotic surgery software helps dentists visualize a patient's oral anatomy and plan out the precise location and angulation of the implant. Instead of holding a surgical drill, the robotic guide can hold the instruments and cut or shape the jawbone to prepare for implant placement. While free-hand surgery has good outcomes, the goal of robotic-assisted surgery has some distinct advantages.

How Does Robotic Surgery Improve Surgical Outcomes?

During a free-hand surgery, your dentist would need to create a surgical guide from imaging tests and impressions. Surgical guides look a lot like whitening trays, but they have gaps in the material to outline where the implant posts will be placed. The holes in the surgical guide show the dentist where they should use surgical drills/scalpels and how he or she should angle the implant. However, the downside of the surgical guide is that it can be an imprecise tool. For instance, if the impression material warps slightly, then the manufactured surgical guide may not have a perfect fit on your gums and teeth and shift slightly. Robotic-assisted surgery eliminates these types of errors and is more precise, so you will have a better implant angulation.

Dentistry IQ says that complications, like perforation of the maxillary sinus and nerve injuries, can also be reduced when dentists use robotic guidance systems. The robotic arm secures surgical drills so that the dentist can find the best angulation, depth, and position of the implant without injuring surrounding anatomical features, like sinus cavities. In fact, the robotic arm will actually resist the surgeon's movements if they try to operate outside the set boundaries of the planned procedure in the software, thus reducing the chances of oral injury.

Lastly, robot-assisted implant surgery is usually more comfortable for the patient. Surgical guides can also be bulky, so robotic-assisted surgery can decrease patient discomfort since they won't have to open their mouth wide and strain their jaw muscles. Because robot-assisted surgery is so precise, there is minimal bleeding, and the dentist will not have to use a scalpel to create a gum flap to access the jaw bone.

Reach out to a dentist in your area today to learn more about robotic surgery dental implants. Contact a local clinic, such as Elite Smile Center, to learn more.