Dental Products Report - April 2009 - (Page 52) CLINICAL 360° TECHNOLOGY surgeries in the study, as compared to 30 perforations out of 100 when the procedures were performed with rotary instruments. Additionally, all seven perforations occurred while a hand instrument was used during the elevation. When using an ultrasonic surgical tool in the posterior of the mouth cutting a bone block from the ramus (Fig. 1) or sectioning bone around a third molar, there is less chance of damage to the soft tissue than when using sharp rotary instruments. Lateral nerve repositioning also is much safer using the piezo surgery. 2 The smaller cut a orded by the piezo ultrasonic tip also lends itself to making the most precise cut prior to splitting a thin ridge for expansion (Fig. 2). A ridge split is performed using the Piezotome. Photo courtesy of Acteon, Inc. a surgical bur, resulting in less swelling, less pain and faster healing. Research shows the bone adjacent to the site cut by piezosurgery does not necrose. 3 Instead, it leaves living osteocytes directly adjacent to the surgical site, which promotes faster healing. It also is possible to harvest autograft bone granules of the optimum size of 500µm with living osteocytes using a specialized chisel tip. Autogenous bone is the gold standard of bone grafting materials and is cost-e ective compared with bottled bone. Recent developments The newest application for the piezo ultrasonic surgery unit is creating an implant osteotomy using special diamond-coated tips that also are suited for lifting the sinus through the implant osteotomy. This procedure has traditionally been done by tapping osteotomes with a mallet to create a green stick fracture of the sinus oor. Then the membrane is elevated by packing bone graft material into the site. However, the traditional method has two negatives. First, it is possible to tear the Benefits for patients Another aspect of piezo ultrasonic surgery that dentists and patients will appreciate is the increase in post- operative comfort and the faster healing rate. This technology allows the surgeon to cut precisely with less heat transmitted to damage the osteocytes. Less bone is removed with the cutting tips than with the clinician to cut hard tissues while sparing ne anatomical structures. This action is so precise that even a novice to the technology can remove the shell from a raw chicken egg while leaving the membrane intact. Clinical success A recent study on human subjects showed ultrasonic surgery can cut the perforation rate by 75% for sinus lifting cases.1 The results found a total of seven sinus perforations out of 100 sinus When the right solutions come together t t Practice paperless Track productivity and efficiencies Communicate better with my patients Enhance my professional image t Receive reimbursement faster and easier Send automated appointment reminders by e-mail, text message or printed postcard Check insurance eligibility and remaining benefit in real-time Integrate patient information with my Web site TM t t t t t The Electronic Services Center DENTALPRODUCTSREPORT.COM | April
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