Compared to freehand surgery, using a computer-generated surgical template significantly reduces the chance for a positional error at the time of implant placement. For referring doctors to communicate advantages like this to the patient, they must know how a digital workflow benefits both patient and clinician.

Spear released a new study club module, “Manu: Interdisciplinary Treatment for Terminal Dentition Using a Digital Workflow,” to explain the benefits of a digital workflow and help doctors demonstrate to referrers that their specialists are devoted to keeping them up to date on the newest innovations in patient care.

Digital dental technology is used by approximately 34% of clinicians, according to a 2017 article in The Journal of Multidisciplinary Care. Advances in digital technologies provide clinicians with the tools for diagnosis, treatment planning, placement and restoration of implants in a truly transformative way.

“At the end of the day, the more options we have the easier it is to navigate through practice,” said Dr. Ricardo Mitrani, the Mexico City-based prosthodontist and member of Spear Resident Faculty who leads the new module.

“Instead of transferring optimal tooth position from our clinical photography to the articulator to determine ideal tooth position, utilizing software with a bank of pre-existing tooth forms makes it quite simple to over impose different forms to figure out tooth position relative to pre-existing tooth positions,” Dr. Mitrani added.

Study club members will discuss how to identify relevant and objective markers when assessing remaining teeth as they follow treatment planning for a bi-maxillary, fix-hybrid, implant-supported design on a patient with terminal dentition.

This new module will leave study club members more confident in their ability to:

  • Define terminal dentition
  • Comprehend the patient communication process
  • Describe how a digital workflow can be useful for terminal dentition cases
  • Identify available implant-supported prostheses