Treating Doctor: Dr. Alan Jurim
Patient’s name: Ron
Patient’s town: Westbury, NY
Patient’s Dental Problem
While in college living the fraternity life, Ron suffered an accident resulting in trauma to his front tooth. At the time the tooth was saved with composite bonding, but 20 years later, Ron developed internal root resorption resulting in the need for the tooth to be removed.
Ron knew that he was going to have to remove his front tooth due to the ongoing root resorption, but he wanted to make sure that he wasn’t going to have a toothless grin while waiting for the dental implant replacing it to heal to the bone. Other facilities had told Ron he would have to walk around for upwards of 6-8 months without a front tooth while his implant healed. He knew this would not be possible given his line of work.
Dental Treatment Plan: Immediate Temporary Crown
Ron wanted a treatment solution where he would never be without a front tooth. He was looking for an immediate temporary crown on the implant that was to be placed at the same time as the surgery to remove his failing front tooth.
Dental Technology Used to Implement the Treatment
There is a significant amount of digital planning in a case like Ron’s that needs to be completed prior to surgery to best ensure an immediate temporary implant crown can be provided to a patient.
1) 3D digital x-ray
The first step involves a 3D digital x-ray to assess the jaw and make sure there is sufficient healthy, good quality bone for an implant to be considered.
2) Digital Photography and Digital CAD Software
Secondly, digital photography and digital CAD software are used to propose the desired final result designed with optimal aesthetic and function.
3) Digital Virtual Implant Surgery
The next step involves completing digital virtual implant surgery to 3D print a surgical guide that helps the surgeon place the implant in the best position/angulation for the desired final result. This virtual surgery also makes sure important anatomical structures are avoided and improves the safety and efficiency of the surgery visit.
4) Dental Surgery
Once all the planning is complete, the next step is the actual surgical visit. In Ron’s case, this involved removal of the failing front tooth, grafting the region, and placing the implant in the planned position.
5) TRIOS Digital Intraoral Scanner
We then use our TRIOS digital intraoral scanner to make an impression immediately after the implant is placed to precisely record its position in the jaw. Our on-site lab then uses this to design the immediate temporary crown and quickly manufactures it while the patient waits using our 3D printers and milling machines. In this way, Ron was able to leave his surgical visit confidently smiling with a temporary implant crown that was designed with the same degree of precision fit as a final restoration.
Challenges That Needed To Be Overcome
In Ron’s case we were able to predictably and beautifully provide a temporary crown on his implant at the time of surgery. However, for other patients slated to lose a front tooth, things can be challenging when it is determined at the time of surgery that the underlying bone is too “soft” for the newly placed implant to receive a temporary implant crown without risking its failure to heal properly.
By taking the time to do digital surgical implant planning pre-operatively, we can get a decent understanding of the likelihood for an immediate temporary crown to be placed on the newly placed implant. But in those cases that are questionable, we are always able to manufacture “plan B” prosthetic if the bone is too soft to ensure a patient never leaves without a beautiful smile.
In such cases, we offer an appliance like an Invisalign tray to hold a temporary tooth in place so the patient can smile and function with confidence.
Same Day Dental Implant and Crown: The Result of Digital Dental Technology
Ron presented and left our office with an intact smile. In just one day, our team of surgeons and prosthodontist worked with our on-site lab to provide Ron a temporary implant crown for him, making sure he felt whole and lived his life with a beautiful smile while his front implant healed.
Quote from Dr. Jurim…
“Knowing that you are going to lose a front tooth is devastating. Knowing that this tooth is the cornerstone of your smile makes it all the more traumatic. Being able to use our digital systems to provide patients the comfort in knowing that we are able to maintain their smile throughout the entire treatment process is not only fulfilling but allows us to offer humane solutions to our patients.”
This case study illustrates how integratedDENTAL’s commitment to advanced digital dentistry techniques provides seamless, immediate solutions to complex dental issues, ensuring patients like Ron do not have to compromise their lifestyle or appearance during treatment.