Kathryn Taylor discusses a recent sinus lift and direct implant placement case – plus the surgical equipment used to achieve a successful treatment outcome.
A female patient in her early 60s attended our clinic at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) where she had been on the waiting list for implant surgery for some time. She is a non-smoker with known allergies to certain medications, so we were conscious from the start of minimizing any surgical trauma and the need to make the surgeries as short as possible.
After evaluating the patient and in consultation with my colleague and specialist in oral surgery and periodontics, Dr Flavio Pisani, we proposed a treatment plan that includes a sinus lift and two implants to be placed immediately in the upper premolar area.
Necessary for implant surgery
This was my first implant case for several years, so I was interested to see how much the surgical equipment had improved in that time, and two key pieces of equipment really stood out to me.
The first was the Surgical Pro2, a surgical micromotor from NSK. Electric micromotors have become an integral part of oral surgery and implant placement in recent years, and the Surgic Pro2 has proven to be a game changer for precise speed and torque control.
Oral surgeons traditionally use non-optical handpieces, working instead with loupes and light, but the Surgic Pro2 has a fiber optic light through the handpiece, and this feature has opened up a whole new world for me.
NSK’s VarioSurg 4 piezoelectric bone surgery system was the other piece of equipment used and is quickly becoming another key tool in our implant and surgical procedures. We use it for sinus lift, bone surgery and implant site preparation. It is designed to selectively cut bone, but does so without causing damage to the adjacent soft tissues. mucosa, blood vessels, nerves and the like.
Piezo handpieces are generally quite slow and can make procedures very time consuming, but the tactile feel of the VarioSurg 4 handpiece works great. We have had very good results so far and will be using it a lot more in the future, especially for sinus lift.
Benefits of VarioSurg 4 for implant surgery
The VarioSurg 4 and Surgic Pro2 are linked together via a wireless foot control that makes it easy to switch between the two during surgeries. The two units sit neatly together on a cart or stand, which is important especially if you’re working in a tight space. They are compact and lightweight, which makes them easy to transport between different operating rooms. It’s literally the “plug in and go” factor that I really like.
There are a wide variety of ultrasonic bone surgery tips available for the VarioSurg 4 to help maintain cutting speed, preserve tissue and cut into bone easily. In this case we used the SG6D diamond coated tip to create the sinus lift window and the SG11 to lift the sinus membrane. The SG11 is the ideal choice to detach the connection between the Schneider membrane and the bone, this then allowed me to use a hand instrument to complete the lift.
After successful surgery, we have seen the patient for immediate follow-up and suture removal. She is now in the healing phase which is expected to take three to four months, after which we will carry out her final restorations. The patient has had no problems post-operatively and is extremely pleased with the results so far.
Valuable customer support
The customer support we received from NSK and our local product specialist, Clare Morris, was excellent. Clare arranged the loan of all the essential equipment used on this occasion, demonstrated its use and made sure everything was set up and working properly.
NSK is a great supporter of our work and our students and it’s great for them to be exposed to the latest equipment available. I believe this is an integral part of their education and helps them become more aware of the innovations happening in the real world of dentistry.
Learn more about Surgical Pro 2.
See NSK’s full range of surgical advice.
This article is sponsored by NSK.
