An easy way to do implants?

[Dr.BadVibes]

Looks like the FDA has approved a robotic dental drill to be tested on humans. This drill would allow GPs to easily do implants, as they claim. If their claims are true, this seems kinda neat. Here is the link to the article:

http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn7288

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[Dr.BadVibes]

Has anyone heard anything else in the field of robotic dentistry? <my glasses>

 

[Profchaos]

Has anyone heard anything else in the field of robotic dentistry?

I worked in an implant institute several months ago.
The most advanced technology currently in Implantology is computerised implant imaging.
The computer draws a 3d image of the tooth and tells the dentist the exact position and the depth that it needs to drill.
It's pretty neat but very expensive.
C'mon, GPs, implants are really not that difficult.

 

[DcS]

Implants are easy for GPs IF they do all the proper tx planning. There is a reason why implant lawsuits have the highest payout rate in favor of the patient...something like 45% of implant lawsuits are decided in favor of the patient. There is a reason for that. Implant errors, with proper tx planning, are very avoidable. In cases where there is nerve injury or some other type of error, it is usually by a GP who did not do the initial legwork on the tx planning end. This means proper radiographs, correct estimation of canal location, correct implant choice regarding diameter/length etc etc. It's not as straight forward as it seems...some implant systems use uniform measurements of the tips of there drills, others vary. Like I said, with proper experience and attention to detail, implants are easy in most cases. When mistakes are made they are in most cases avoidable.

 

[DcS]

For those interested, I got the statistic of % indemnity paid on implant lawsuits from an Oral Surgery nerve injury lecture here at UNC. THe following is a table from the lecture I will try to type:

Procedure____# of claims___% Paid Indem.__Avg Indem

Dent-Alv__________382_________17%________57g
Orthog____________50__________14%_______106g
Implants__________ 47__________45%________75g
TMJ______________15___________27%_______106g
Trauma____________4___________0___________0
Cosmetic __________4___________0___________0

Source: AAOMS National Insurance Claims Experience 1988-1999

 

[ItsGavinC]

I agree with DcS, in that I think implants are very easy to do. The technology that is coming out involving implants is still very cool though.