Combining guided alveolar ridge reduction and guided implant placement for all-on-4 surgery

Abstract Immediate restoration with the all-on-4 concept has become an established treatment option. The technique involves alveoloplasty before implant placement to provide space for the prosthetic components and to provide a platform on which dental implants can be placed in clinical situations where a knife-edge alveolar ridge is present. Guided implant surgery involves the fabrication of a guide by using data from cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) and implant surgery performed without flap reflection. In the presented technique, a printed cast based on a CBCT is used to fabricate a guide for both alveolar ridge reduction and guided implant surgery. The alveolar ridge reduction and implant surgery are virtually simulated in the laboratory to provide space for the restorative components and to avoid critical anatomic landmarks (mental nerve or perforation of the lingual mandibular plate). The described surgical guide enables guided alveolar ridge reduction and guided implant placement where the implant placement performed in the laboratory can be duplicated clinically during implant surgery.