Dental Implants And The Role Of Guide Pins
At Sheen Dental we’ve been effectively fitting dental implants in Richmond patients for many years and a major part of this success is down to the correct placement of the implant in the first place. Get it wrong and the implant could be prone to excessive force from the opposing teeth when biting, thus weakening it unnecessarily. To help with correct placement we use guide pins.
A quick guide to the dental implant procedure
After the patient has been anaesthetised the dental surgeon will make a small incision in the gum exposing the bone underneath. Using 3D imaging a fully customised template is provided in order to indicate the exact angle, position, and depth that the implant needs to be placed into. Firstly a small pilot hole is drilled using a pilot drill. Once the initial hole has been created the surgeon will insert a guide pin. The idea is that the pin is used to check the correct alignment of the hole being drilled. If the hole is ‘off kilter’ (eg to far to the left or right) then it can still be corrected since the small pilot hole drilled is usually only half as deep as it needs to be. Finally after making any adjustments the dentist will complete the drilling in order to accommodate the full and final length of the implant. Carefully measured markings on the drill itself will help to determine this depth. Finally before the implant itself is inserted the surgeon will insert the guide pin once again to make sure that the hole is exactly as it needs to be.
So why is a guide pin important?
Aside from the fact that a badly positioned implant can promote excessive wear and tear, many are also positioned very near anatomical structures such as blood vessels, neighbouring teeth and nerves. Clearly any damage to any of the above can result in a whole host of patient problems. Because of this, a guide pin along with an x-ray can be used to determine just how close the newly drilled position is to these structures.
On the whole a guide pin, along with state-of-the-art 3D imaging can be used to determine the exact positioning of an implant before it’s been inserted into the patient’s mouth. This eradicates much of the risk involved in implant surgery making it altogether safer. For this reason it’s an essential piece of equipment and an even more essential part of the implant process.
If you want to find out more about guide pins and their effective use or indeed any information on dental implants in Richmond then check out our website at www.sheendentalimplants.co.uk Alternatively if you suffer with missing teeth or simply want to find out about alternatives to dentures then why not speak to Dr Harmit Kalsi and the team directly at Sheen Dental on 020 8876 5277 and book yourself a free no-obligation consultation today.