The Use of a Surgical Template for the Insertion of Dental Implants and Sinus Lift with the Summers Technique Based on Digital Planning: A Case Report

Abstract

(1) Background: Computer-guided surgery is now established as the main technique for implant placement, reducing intraoperative complications and helping the clinician avoid damaging sensitive anatomical structures, such as, for example, the maxillary sinus. (2) Methods: A complex case is discussed to suggest how computer-aided surgery can merge with freehand surgery, as a surgical guide can make a freehand surgical procedure less complicated and more predictable. (3) Results: A surgical procedure was executed following digital planning, except for sites 1.5 and 2.5, where a mixed approach was adopted: they were initially prepared with a milling depth of 1 mm from the base of the maxillary sinus and were then finished using osteotomes, according to the technique described by Summers. Radiography confirmed the correct positioning of the implants and the sinus lift. (4) Conclusions: A mixed digital/analogical approach used in complex cases increases the accuracy of the results and reduces complications and treatment time. The presence of a correctly digitally planned surgical guide helps in the freehand approach and not only in the digital approach.

Keywords

• digital dentistry
• implantology
• maxillary sinus floor elevation
• atrophic posterior maxilla
• computer-guided surgery