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A Merging of Technologies: Utilizing Optical Scans with Implant Treatment Planning Software
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OVERVIEW In this photo slideshow that accompanies his article on the subject, Dr. Bradley Bockhorst delves into the merging of optical scanning technologies with implant treatment planning software. Dr. Bockhorst shows how these planning programs, which utilize DICOM files from CT scans, provide a valuable treatment-planning tool.
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Bradley C. Bockhorst, DMD
Director of Clinical Technologies,
Glidewell Laboratories
Newport Beach, Calif.
800-521-0576
inclusivemagazine@glidewelldental.com |
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| After receiving his dental degree from Washington University School of Dental Medicine, Dr. Bradley Bockhorst served as a Navy Dental Officer. Dr. Bockhorst is Director of Clinical Technologies at Glidewell Laboratories, where he oversees Inclusive® Digital Implant Treatment Planning Services and is editor-in-chief and clinical editor of Inclusive magazine. A member of the CDA, ADA, Academy of Osseointegration, International Congress of Oral Implantologists and American Academy of Implant Dentistry, Dr. Bockhorst lectures internationally on an array of dental implant topics. He maintains a private practice focused on implant prosthetics in Mission Viejo, Calif. |
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From intraoral scans used to create virtual impressions to scanning models for custom implant abutments,
the use of scanning technologies in dentistry is rapidly expanding and gaining acceptance. There is now a movement to merge these scans with other technologies. One example is implant planning software. These planning programs provide a tremendous treatment-planning tool, utilizing the DICOM files from Cone Beam or Spiral Beam CT scans. While hard tissues such as bone and teeth are well differentiated, soft tissue is not. The intaglio surface of a well-fitting Scan Appliance provides an indication of the soft tissue thickness and contours.
Another way to incorporate the soft tissue is to optically scan the stone model and merge it into the digital plan. The case can then be worked up virtually from hard and soft tissue perspectives through a restorative-driven plan. The following two cases illustrate the use of an optical scan of the model within the implant planning software.
Treatment Planning to Replace Tooth #6 and #11 (Case courtesy of Dr. Jeffrey LaFuria)
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Treatment Planning to Place Six Implants for a Screw-Retained Denture (Case courtesy of Dr. Todd Engel)
The clinician's plan was to extract the remaining teeth and place six implants in preparation for a screw-retained denture. A Scan Appliance was fabricated based on an approved Diagnostic Wax-Up. A dual scan was done (a scan of the patient with the Scan Appliance, then the appliance alone). The data for the two scans was then imported into the SimPlant software. Optical scans of the stone model as well as the Diagnostic Wax-up were merged into the program.
Conclusion
There are a number of diagnostic and treatment-planning tools at our disposal. As new technologies gain acceptance from the dental community, we will continue to see them merged. Importing CT scans of the patient and optical scans of the model into planning software provides an excellent example, allowing us to work up implant cases from hard tissue, soft tissue and prosthetic perspectives.
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