Sirona Systems Provide the “Vision” to Optimize Dental Implant Treatment

Yong-Han Koo, DDS, is a board-certified oral and maxillofacial surgeon whose Wayland, Massa-chusetts, private practice emphasizes 3-dimensional (3-D)-guided implantology. He is also a key opinion leader for Sirona Dental, Inc., an opportunity, he says, that “allows us to be on the cutting edge of new technology and to be constantly involved in its development.”

Koo believes keeping up with the dizzying pace of technology through continuing education is especially important in implantology, which he predicts will eventually move to true digital integration from start to finish. “We now have options that we could not have imagined years ago. It is an exciting, ever-evolving field,” he says.

Many of these options, he explains, focus on the value of precision in implantology and boil down to a treatment philosophy he shares with Sirona: “You can’t treat what you can’t see.”

Koo says tools that support clinicians’ ability to fully visualize the treatment area maximize their ability to diagnose, treatment plan, and execute that plan with precision. “For example, using 3-D navigation afforded by the Sirona GALILEOS® Comfort Plus system allows clinicians to identify potential risk factors, which can then be shared with the team members and patients,” he explains, adding that Sirona’s surgical guides, in concert with the company’s technical support team, “has made it possible for us to incorporate unparalleled precision into not only implant placement, but also to the pre-prosthetic surgical stage as well.”

Then, also, Koo notes, by utilizing the reverse engineering concept with a CEREC® proposal and a GALILEOS cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) confirmation, “clinicians can execute their treatment plans in a least invasive fashion as well as with the highest precision.” In short, he says, “A more efficient and accurate implant placement respecting the restorative plan as well as the soft- and hard-tissue conditions is possible utilizing the GALILEOS system.”

Koo points out the dramatic impact that implants have on dental reconstruction. “The individual’s improved quality of life with implants is astounding,” he asserts, but observes that patients not fully aware of this significant benefit may be reluctant to proceed with treatment. “As an oral and maxillofacial surgeon, my primary goal is to restore form and function for my patients. I have always felt that it is extremely important for my team to fully engage our patients, educate them on the technology available, and allow them to become active participants in their treatment planning process.”

In this regard, he explains that the Sirona systems not only help clinicians optimize implant outcomes, but they also help patients better understand the benefits of implant treatment and, therefore, promote treatment plan acceptance. “This enables them to grasp realistic expectations of their treatment, whether good or bad, prior to committing to any procedures,” he adds.

Koo repeatedly stresses the importance of having the best diagnostic tools and ability to execute the chosen plan accordingly with precision. “By solely focusing on the highest quality of care and precision, the positive side effects would include protection, predictability, proficiency, and profitability. It is my opinion and experience that successful treatment outcomes lead to increased patient trust and referrals,” he says.

Koo is proud of the fact that his practice was recently chosen as one of the five beta centers for the new Sirona GALILEOS FaceScan, a 3-D visualization tool for patient consultation and treatment planning. With this software, patients identify themselves more easily with a face scan rather than an x-ray image, enabling them to better understand treatment recommendations and accept them more readily. Koo is enamored with this technological development such that he has included it on a list of 10 favorite things—including golf, family, and kimchi.

Sirona Dental, Inc.
4835 Sirona Dr, Suite 100
Charlotte, NC 28273
800-659-5977