Guided flapless surgery with immediate loading for the high narrow ridge without grafting

Area of Science:

• Dentistry
• Oral Surgery
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Computer-guided implant surgery offers precision but faces challenges with narrow residual ridges.
• Interference with surgical template seating occurs when virtual guided sleeves are placed too deep into the ridge crest.

Observation:

• A case report details a new computer-guided procedure for a patient with severe ridge resorption and narrow bone height.
• The technique utilizes a single surgical template for immediate restoration without a mucoperiosteal flap.

Findings:

• Innovative software and instrumentation modifications enable deeper site preparation and implant seating.
• Key modifications include virtual planning of implant length, altered drilling sequences, and use of osteotomes and an alternative seating mount.
• This allows for precise implant placement in narrow ridges without crestal bone reduction, maintaining prosthetic precision.

Implications:

• This modified computer-guided surgery technique expands treatment options for patients with severe alveolar bone resorption.
• It facilitates immediate restoration with high prosthetic precision, even with implants at differing levels in narrow ridges.
• The approach minimizes invasive procedures and potentially reduces surgical time and complications.