Dental implants can replace your missing tooth and restore your smile. If you're not eligible for dental implants, Piezosurgery can help you get your replacement teeth quickly and safely. Sinus augmentation and bone grafting with a piezoelectric device are precise and minimally invasive, with quicker recovery times than traditional alternatives.
What is a Piezo in Dentistry?
Piezo is an innovative approach to dentistry that utilizes ultrasonic waves to improve accuracy and reduce risks during dental procedures. Dentists use the piezoelectric device to cut bone tissues without damaging vital anatomical structures. It is safer, quicker, and more precise than traditional surgical methods like motorized and manual incisions. Innovative clinics like Toronto Smile Design - Yorkville Dental implement minimally invasive sinus lifts and bone grafts using W&H Piezomed. With this Piezosurgery device, your Toronto dentist can create a fundamental scaffold for dental implants more efficiently. You'll get replacement teeth soon after the surgery or during the surgery and recover quickly. Dentists also use piezoelectric to perform minimally invasive tooth extractions, crown lengthening, and more.
How does piezo surgery work?
During surgery, your dentist can use a piezoelectric device to cut through bone with impressive precision. This device directs ultrasonic micro-vibrations to cut bone and teeth while avoiding blood vessels, nerves, gums, and other soft oral tissues around the surgical site. Piezoelectricity is electrical energy generated by subjecting crystals to mechanical stress. Crystals like quartz have positive and negative charges on different faces. They oscillate back and forth when electricity flows between two connected faces, creating micro-vibrations. A piezoelectric transducer converts the energy into rapid mechanical vibrations, used by a piezosurgery device to cut hard tissues. Your dentist can use a low-frequency range of 25–29 kHz to cut through only mineralized structures. Vibrations below 50kHz won't cut nerves and other soft tissues.
Dentists use piezosurgery to perform minimally invasive bone grafting and sinus augmentation. Traditionally, dentists use surgical drills and saws to harvest autogenous bone graft materials and transplant them in another part of the body. But these devices generate heat, increasing the risk of thermal damage (necrosis). Piezosurgery eliminates this risk. Your Toronto dentist can use a piezoelectric device to collect bone graft particles with optimal size. This device has low heat generation, minimizing the possibility of thermal damage. A recent study recorded a higher survival rate of osteoblasts and osteocytes in bone blocks removed by ultrasonic surgery. For sinus lifts, your dentist can use a Piezosurgery device to open the lateral window of the sinus. Then, they'll perform a bone erosion using a Piezosurgery tip and choose appropriate elevators for membrane elevation. It provides safer bone graft and sinus lift procedures for dental implants.
What is the piezo technique?
The piezo technique is a surgical approach that uses selective cutting to reduce damaging connective tissues and vital anatomical structures. The ultrasonic piezoelectric device ensures the surgical procedure is minimally invasive by enabling micrometric cutting with precision. It eliminates the risk of bone loss and reduces postoperative discomfort, collateral damage, and bleeding. Ultrasonic vibrations also stimulate cellular metabolism. As a result, patients can expect accelerated bone regeneration and quicker recovery times.
Where do dentists use piezo surgery?
The piezo technique offers a safer alternative to manual and motorized cutting methods. The main issue with manual cutting devices is the lack of control, which undermines precision. In addition, dentists put too much force on the bone, increasing the risk of microfractures. Manual cutting is also prone to tissue damage and inflicts trauma on nerves, leading to postoperative inflammation, pain, or discomfort. Although motorized cutting offers more control than manual methods, it requires water irrigation to offset the heat. This cooling process can damage the soft tissue around the site. In addition, motorized devices have low tactile sensitivity. So, it is more challenging to maintain optimal pressure and achieve precision cuts across different types of soft tissues with varying densities. A piezoelectric device addresses these limitations of motorized and manual cutting methods. Piezosurgery is applicable in so many areas of dentistry.
Implantology: Piezosurgery is the best option to deliver minimally invasive sinus lifts. Dentists also use this approach to remove fractured implants, harvest bone grafts, and augment bone ridges.
Oral and maxillofacial surgery: Your dentist can use piezo for teeth extractions, pre-prosthetic surgery, nerve decompression, cyst debridement, and more.
Periodontology: Your dentist can use piezoelectric for root planning to remove plaque and tartar on natural teeth. Then, they'll use piezosurgery for bone recontouring and crown lengthening.
Orthodontists and endodontists use piezosurgery for orthognathic and endodontic surgeries. This technique can also help dentists in prosthodontic processes like crown and bridge preparations.
Why would you need a sinus lift?
Sinus position and bone structure on the upper jaw determine whether you're eligible for dental implants. For example, if your sinuses are too close to the jaw, you may need a sinus lift before implantation. Your dentist may also recommend a sinus lift if you don't have enough bone height in the upper jaw. In addition, sinus lifts can help address extensive bone loss due to periodontal disease.
How successful are sinus lifts?
Sinus lifts have a high success rate of over 95%. However, several risks are associated with traditional sinus lifts, including postoperative pain, swelling, and bleeding. In addition, some procedures can catalyze or worsen maxillary sinusitis or lead to wound dehiscence. Using piezosurgery for your sinus lift reduces the possibility of these risks and increases the success rate. Qualified dentists like Dr. Johnson use piezoelectric to perform a minimally invasive sinus lift to ensure quicker recovery times. According to a recent study, piezosurgery is the best alternative for successful sinus augmentation. The study involved 35 patients and 40 sinus grafts and found that piezoelectric devices reduced the percentage of sinus membrane perforation or damage. When performed by a specialist, your sinus lift will last for a lifetime.
How long does it take for a sinus lift to heal?
Traditional sinus lifts require invasive surgical procedures to transplant a graft into the gum line on the upper jaw. In addition, you may need at least six months for the sinuses to heal before implant placement. Piezosurgery allows for minimally invasive sinus lifts. In a recent study involving piezoelectric devices, researchers observed only 17.5% membrane perforations with an average osteotomy area of 96.8 ± 32.2 mm. This finding indicates that piezosurgery is less invasive and reduces the risk of tissue damage. The study also recorded an average operative time of 10.3 ± 2.1 minutes, so sinus lifts with piezoelectric are shorter than traditional procedures. Thus, using piezo for sinus augmentation can reduce the risk of complications, protect adjacent natural teeth, and shorten recovery time.
How long after a bone graft can I get an implant?
Traditional bone augmentation requires patients to wait for several months for the graft to grow enough new bone to support a dental implant. The Piezosurgical technique eliminates the waiting period. Bone grafting with Piezosurgery is a minimally invasive procedure with safer and precise preparation and implementation. In addition, this treatment plan ensures quicker recovery times and implant placements. So, you'll get artificial tooth replacement within a shorter period with Piezosurgery compared to conventional bone grafting and sinus lift procedures.
What is the success rate of dental bone grafts?
Dental bone grafts have a high success rate. But all surgical procedures have some risks. Factors like age, smoking, oral hygiene, and underlying medical conditions can prolong the healing process. Bone augmentation with Piezosurgery reduces the risk of complications and tissue damage. In addition, it delivers a higher success rate than traditional bone grafting procedures.
Do gums grow back after a bone graft?
Yes, gums can grow back around the transplanted graft. But gum regeneration timeline varies depending on the procedure. Bone grafting with Piezosurgery is precise and minimally invasive with lower thermal effect and collateral damage. All these factors hasten gum growth. To recover quicker, avoid hot drinks, smoking, strenuous jaw activity, and hard foods for the first few days. Your dentist will schedule periodic follow-ups to monitor the bone and gum regeneration after bone augmentation surgery.
Can your body reject a dental bone graft?
No, it can't. The body only rejects genetically coded or living materials. But dental bone grafts don't contain genetic codes. So, your body cannot reject the graft.
Why Toronto Smile Design for Bone Grafting with Piezo Surgery?
Dr. Johnson Ozgur is a Toronto Dentist with a Master's Degree in Oral Surgery and employs Piezosurgery in bone grafting and sinus lifts for dental implants. You can also rely on Toronto Smile Design - Yorkville Dental for porcelain veneers, root canals, dental crowns, gum contouring, and more. To exploit the benefits of piezosurgery in implantology, contact our dental office today!
