Implant surgical guide fabrication for partially edentulous patients

Implant surgical guide fabrication for partially edentulous patients
March 2005
By Jeffrey L. Shotwell, DDS, MS; Edward J. Billy, DMD; Hom-Lay Wang, DDS, MSD; and Tae-Ju Oh, DDS, MS
Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry
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Abstract
This article presents an innovative method for the fabrication of implant drill guides for partially edentulous patients. Using a light-polymerized composite material and drill blanks placed in the prosthodontically driven implant position, surgical guides for each implant drill are constructed on the diagnostic cast. In addition to the size-customized implant surgical guides, a ridge crest preparation guide showing the proposed crown contour is used to adjust the tissue contour, if needed, during implant surgery.