I recently attended a course to learn how to use all of the bells and whistles on our new Galileos Cone Beam Scanner. This machine, which is essentially a CAT SCAN, produces 3-Dimensional images of your head. Although we bought the unit mainly to aid in implant placement, it is also very useful in helping us diagnose poorly aligned teeth, sinus problems, tumours or other problems that can be seen in all 3 dimensions.
When the oral surgeon made his presentation, discussing how the Galileos could be used to place implants, I was blown away. Dr. Jay Resnick is an oral surgeon from Tarzana, California who places Dr. Bill Dorfman’s implants. (You may remember Dr. Dorfman from “Extreme Makeover” and “The Doctors” TV shows. Jay showed us how it’s possible to place an implant exactly where we want it while using the computer image of our patient’s jaw. Then we make a guide that will put the implant in that exact same spot. The great thing about this is that it is way less traumatic for the patient and there is no chance of placing the implant in an area you shouldn’t be placing it. (Such as too close to another tooth’s root, the sinus or a major nerve).
For the patient, this means a much more comfortable implant placement and an implant that is placed exactly where it needs to be. And that precision, made possible with the Galileos Scanner is an incredible step forward in the placement of implants.