How computer-navigated implantology changes a procedure

“Computer-navigated” sounds like a marketing term. In fact, it stands for a fundamentally different procedural sequence than classic free-hand implantology.

Step 1: CBCT instead of two-dimensional X-ray

Planning begins with a Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) — a three-dimensional X-ray scan of the jaw. The radiation exposure is significantly lower than for a classic CT, but it provides anatomical data accurate to the millimetre: bone availability, nerve pathways, sinuses.

Step 2: Precision impression

In addition to the 3D diagnostics, a conventional precision impression of the dental arches is taken. Digital intraoral scans do not yet deliver the precision required for a passive-fit prosthetic restoration in implant cases — so for implantology, the classical impression currently remains the more reliable route. Together with the CBCT data, it forms the overall model for further planning.

Step 3: Prosthetically driven planning

This is where the decisive difference lies. Instead of placing the implant first and then adapting the crown to it, the order is reversed: what should the future crown look like? The ideal implant position is derived from this. The position is fixed on screen to the millimetre — not during the procedure itself.

Step 4: Surgical guide from the 3D printer

An individual surgical guide is fabricated from the digital plan. During the procedure it is fitted onto the teeth and guides the drills exactly into the planned position. The implant lands where it was planned — without deviation from manual work.

What this means for the patient

• Shorter procedure times. The actual work is done in minutes, not hours.
• Minimally invasive. Access is via a punch in the gum or a small incision — without the wide flap and bone exposure of classical implantology. A suture is usually not required.
• Predictable result. The final crown fits because it was already considered during planning.
• Lower risk. Nerves and sinuses are visible in the 3D representation and are avoided.

Planned in advance, not improvised

Every method has its limits — but the computer-navigated approach extends them considerably. Available bone volume can be used to 100 %. Where the bone is insufficient, the necessary augmentation is planned exactly in advance, not decided during the procedure. Even in those cases the implantation remains template-guided; the position defined in planning is transferred millimetre-precise into the mouth.

In this practice not a single implant is placed without a surgical guide. That clearly sets the approach apart from practitioners who use template-guided implantation only occasionally.