Ann Arbor, MI — February 14, 2005 — Technology, improved dental materials, and the skill and experience of clinical dentists at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry are converging to help patients who receive dental implants in the School’s clinics.

Under the new procedure, patients receive their new implants and fixed full-arch bridge in one sitting, typically in an hour or less, and with a minimum of discomfort and swelling. Previously, several appointments were needed over a period of time that ranged from eight to twelve months. The multiple appointments and procedures required significant amounts of time for both patient and clinician.

“But that’s becoming a thing of the past under the procedure known as ‘Teeth in an Hour™’,” said Dr. Michael Razzoog, a professor of prosthodontics. A Swedish firm, Nobel Biocare, pioneered the concept. “This new procedure provides patients with greatly reduced healing time, no temporary prosthesis, and no major pain or swelling. Even better is that a patient can leave here after we’re done and eat a normal meal,” he added.

Razzoog said the University of Michigan School of Dentistry was the first dental school in the nation using the new technique. Razzoog and Dr. Richard Scott, a School of Dentistry alumnus (MS, oral and maxillofacial surgery, 1982), performed the first such operation in North American in 2003. Since then, six patients have been treated during the early development stage.

How it Works

Following a preoperative consultation, a patient is given a three-dimensional CT scan at the dental school. Unlike conventional CT scanners that require patients to lie on their back before being pulled into a very narrow tunnel, the School of Dentistry’s CT scanner provides the patient with considerably more comfort since the patient sits upright on a chair in an open environment.

The CT scanner generates a three-dimensional image that enables the implant team to see a patient’s maxilla and mandible, associated structures, and estimate the patient’s bone density in the area the implants will be placed. Using this information and computer software developed by Nobel Biocare, a “hard copy” model of the patient’s oral structure is manufactured. Both the 3-D image and the manufactured model help the implant team determine where to precisely place the implant before actually doing so.

The new process benefits both patients and dentists.

Patient Benefits Cited

“There’s no guesswork,” Scott said. “Since you have the image from the CT scan and the model, you have that precise anatomical knowledge you need to do the job.”

Razzoog agreed, adding, “With this process, the patient does not need an incision or sutures, consequently, there is little swelling or discomfort once the procedure is finished. So a patient heals quicker than they do now.”

In addition, patients don’t need to make multiple appointments. Traditionally, once implants were placed in a patient’s mouth, they often had to wait five or six months for healing to take place before the follow-up work was completed.

How Clinicians Benefit

“One of the major benefits of this procedure is that it’s quicker,” Scott said. “Although you have the typical pre-operative consultation which usually lasts an hour, the surgery itself takes an hour or less.”

The procedure, Scott added, is “flapless,” meaning a clinician or surgeon doesn’t have to make an incision in the patient’s mouth and pull back any tissue to see the patient’s bone structure and guess the best location for the implants. Instead, precise information about where to actually place the implants is provided with the CT scan and computer working together.

“The other major benefit is that you get the total picture of the person’s oral structure and bone quality,” Scott said. “The prosthesis can be delivered that same day as the surgery, so there’s a time saving and immediate functioning is possible. Follow-up appointments are minimized.”

For more information about the procedure, contact Dr. Michael Razzoog at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry at (734) 763-3326.

The University of Michigan School of Dentistry is one of the nation’s leading dental schools engaged in oral health care education, research, patient care, and community service. General dental care clinics and specialty clinics providing advanced treatment enable the School to offer dental services and programs to patients throughout Michigan. Classroom and clinic instruction prepare future dentists, dental specialists, and dental hygienists for practice in private offices, hospitals, academia, and public agencies. Research seeks to discover and apply new knowledge that can help patients worldwide. For more information about the School of Dentistry, visit the Web at: www.dent.umich.edu.