Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition

P5 Newtron Range P5 Newtron XS with LED Apical Surgery Tips IrriSafe Tip Endo Success Tips Extremely versatile ultrasonic and irrigation products for endodontic treatments. TIPPED FOR SUCCESS W e t o c r e a t e For further information: 01480 477307 info@acteongroup.co.uk | sales@acteongroup.co.uk | www.acteongroup.com Our complete series of ultrasonic generators are available with or without self-contained irrigation and LED light. Other options include the Sterikit and a wide selection of tips. (Free CD-ROM Tip Book is available on request) 2012 Tipped For Success A4 Ad_2012 Tipped For Success A4 Ad 06/01/2012 12:29 Page 1 A few months ago, I was on a course listening to a lecture from a very well known specialist, a true leader and innovator in his chosen speciality. He was discussing the complexity of his special- ity and how many years were needed before one can become truly proficient, he went onto say “...it’s not like placing den- tal implants, where you can go on a weekend course and learn all you need. To treat these kinds of cases requires years of training and experi- ence.” I was a little taken back by his attitude towards implant dentistry; in fact I would go as far to say that I find comments such as these quite belittling. They usually come from den- tists who have never placed nor attempted to restore im- plants before. Don’t let the implant com- panies fool you; it is a chal- lenging and demanding area of dentistry. It encompasses both the surgical and the restora- tive envelope and to be a good implant dentist one must be a good surgeon, a good com- municator, a good restorative dentist, a good prosthodontist, the list goes on and on. Yes, an- yone can place dental implants without too much trouble, but that’s akin to me saying that anyone can stick an orthodon- tic bracket on a tooth, yes that’s true, but just because you can do that, doesn’t mean the final result will be a good one. Below is a typical multi-dis- ciplinary implant case which I have treated. The aim is to show that implant dentistry is not just about making a hole and putting a screw in, there is a great deal of planning and preparatory work carried out before this can happen. This lady has suffered with TMJ pain ever since a nasty fall in a local shop a few years ago. She has limited opening and is very nervous about her teeth. She recently lost her UR23 and came to see me for an implant solution. As you can see from the initial photos she was over closed with an almost traumatic bite in the UR23 re- gion. Her lower incisors were heavily worn and sensitive, with a number of occlusal is- sues. Her medical history was clear and she was a non smok- er. After a long discussion we arrived at the following treat- ment plan: 1Full case diagnosis with articulated study casts and wax ups 2Assessment of the UR23 edentulous area with a CBCT scan 3Augmentation the UR23 implant sites with a piezo sur- gery device 4Carry out implant place- ment under iv sedation in the UR23 area 5Restoration of the occlusal vertical dimension with com- posite build-ups 6Develop favourable soft tissue outline using a partial denture and fixed temporary bridges 7Fabricate and fit a perma- nent 2 unit e.max bridge The patient needed some pre-implant surgery to reduce the height of the bone crest in the UR23 region coupled with opening/restoring of her OVD to create sufficient space to accommodate the implant- abutment/ceramic restora- tions. The necessary height was judged using a Galileos Dental implants: it’s not as easy as it looks May 7-13, 201226 Clinical United Kingdom Edition