The First in House 3D Printing Guided Implant Surgery at VCU School of Dentistry
I attended the American College of Prosthodontists Meeting earlier this month (October 5-8, 2016) in San Diego. The theme of the meet was "Prosthodontics: the Intersection of Art and Technology". I was impressed with how many topics are related to digital dentistry. Intra-oral scanning/digital impression, CAD/CAM and 3D printing were among the most common themes, over 60% of the talks and posters. The most outstanding session to me was the Thursday morning scientific session. One of the highlight from this session was the talk by Dr. Michael D. Scherer. Dr. Scherer split his talk into intra-oral scanners and 3D printers. It was fascinating how technology can help us be a better prosthodontist.
I came back to VCU and planned our very first guided surgery case using in office 3D printing. The patient presented to me about 2 weeks ago for loosing tooth #8. Combining her CBCT scans and the digital scan of her dentition, we used 360 imaging software to create a surgical guide. We then printed to guide out using our Form 2 (Formlabs) printer. We extracted the tooth, prepare the osteotomy site using our Zimmer Guided Surgery kit with our in house printed guide, and placed a Zimmer TSV implant. Then, we provisionalized the area with interim acrylic partial denture. The treatment was very predictable and the surgery was uneventful.
I think 3D printing technology has reduced the complexity of dental implant surgery as well as stress for patients and surgeons. We will soon see more and more of 3D printing applications in dentistry. I am glad that I am lucky enough to be a part of this innovative technology at VCU.
