Reduce the Stress of Implant Planning With Smile in a Box®
Luiz Gonzaga, DDS, MS, Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Florida Center for Implant Dentistry, is appreciative of the many benefits gained from the advancements in the field of periodontics and implantology, but one in particular stands out: stress reduction.
"When I placed my first implant back in 2004, we used a panoramic radiograph where you could barely see the inferior alveolar canal and an acetate template with different implant sizes and diameters. A lot of the decisions were made during the surgical procedure, and the stress level was fairly high," he explains. "Much of the technology today allows for the previous simulation of the surgical procedure and much better visualization of the anatomic structures, decreasing the number of decisions during the surgical procedure and allowing you to focus on other aspects."
As one of the original testers of the Smile in a Box® guided-surgery and treatment-planning solution from Straumann, Gonzaga was able to offer input that would best accommodate a clinician's needs.
"The system allows the clinician to perform guided surgery without investing in expensive software and hardware," he says of Smile in a Box, a digital, modular, integrated treatment-planning and manufacturing service designed to help clinicians grow their practice. "It also saves you time in the treatment-planning phase because you can upload your patient data and meet with the Straumann team with the case information already imported into the software, cleaned, and merged. The clinical team can then directly evaluate the prosthetically driven plan and patient-specific anatomy."
In short, Gonzaga suggests that Smile in a Box makes guided surgery/treatment planning as simple as possible for any dentist to fit into his or her practice.
"With the system comes a very knowledgeable design team that can help you attain the best surgical guide for your needs," he says. "Throughout the process, you'll be frequently updated, and cases can be customized online. The Smile in a Box is then delivered to you, containing instructions, a materials list, along with your guides, provisionals, implants, and abutments."
Gonzaga remarks that today, more than ever, clinicians' time is highly precious. "Delegating portions of planning and design tasks to other professionals allows clinicians to focus on the areas of their expertise. This can also help reduce decision-making fatigue, which can benefit you and your patients."
Digital treatment planning, Gonzaga notes, allows for improved communication and interaction with patients. "When you can show your patients a clear vision of the treatment plan and different options, they are able to better understand the decisions being made and see the treatment's value," he says. "Upon educating patients about surgical guides and the technology used to produce them, they can feel confident that they will receive an accurate, predictable outcome."
Luiz Gonzaga,
DDS, MS
Clinical Associate Professor, University of Florida Center
for Implant Dentistry,
Gainesville, Florida
Straumann
800-448-8168
smileinabox.com
