We always start with the end in mind. We carefully design your treatment process to ensure that each step actually contributes to that end. We never perform isolated treatment steps “in the moment.”
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Whether you require general dentistry or dental implant treatment, the friendly team at South Street Dental Centre will keep you smiling. Contact us today!
Treatment Phase 1
Selecting the Right Implant Systems
Dr Chan has extensive experience working with implant systems from industry leaders Nobel Biocare, Ankylos, BioHorizons, and Straumann. He has access to their technical resources and decades of research data.
Each manufacturer’s system has different characteristics to suit different patient situations. Some practitioners may only be familiar with a single manufacturer’s system and thus may not be able to offer the most optimal product for you.
We use only 100% titanium implants.
We do not use unbranded implants nor do we take the “mix and match” approach of using components from different manufacturers for a given patient.
Complete Medical History Review
You are a whole person, not just your mouth.
We believe that successful dental implant treatments must occur with a good understanding of your total body health.
A complete risk assessment can include the following:
Evaluation of risk factors and possible behaviour modification treatment such as smoking, teeth grinding, and diet changes.
Selection and use of prophylactic antibiotics in patients with underlying conditions if necessary.
Management of any underlying pathology.
Aesthetic analysis of your face and teeth to determine optimal implant placement positions and prosthesis shapes; for a good looking and functional outcome.
Measurements & Study Models
The mouth is a complex environment. Precise and clear communication is essential when having implants made at a dental laboratory.
We create a complete mechanical duplicate of your jaw, as a study model, through careful measurements. Your detailed study model captures the placements and shapes of your existing dentition.
We then mount the study model on an engineering instrument called an articulator. This instrument enables us to precisely capture and convey your jaw movement and bite.
A study model and articulator combination gives the dental laboratory the maximum amount of information possible to work from.
Not all practitioners go to such lengths to communicate.
CT Scans and Imaging
The use of advanced 3D Imaging is another area that sets our practice apart. We use specialised CT and Cone Beam CT scans for all our implant cases.
These scanning techniques produce detailed three-dimensional representations of your upper and lower jaws. These scans are reviewed by both Dr Chan and a diagnostic radiologist.
We also take this opportunity to screen you for any underlying pathology in your face or jaws.
3D Imaging & Implant Planning Software
We use industry-leading 3D imaging and implant planning software to plan your implant treatment and bone graft procedure. The software enables us to:
Show you a digital visualisation of the designed outcome before any surgery.
Reduce errors, increase the predictability, and improve the precision of the treatment.
Optimise communications between us, the dental laboratory and other technicians.
“Measure Twice Cut Once”
We fabricate a prototype denture so that you will not be without teeth during the entire implant process. But this is not the only reason.
We also use this prototype denture to check the position of the final prosthesis so as to obtain the optimum fit, function and aesthetics. We then design the implants to support the intended prosthesis placement that we have confirmed using the prototype denture.
We perform surgery only when we are satisfied with the prosthesis placement and implant design.
This is our way to “measure twice and cut once.” Finetuning a prototype denture is less invasive and less costly than fixing a badly-planned surgery or wrongly fabricated final prosthesis.
Some practitioners will surgically place the implants first, and then design the prosthesis around the implants. If the prosthesis cannot be designed to fit optimally, correcting it can mean another surgery, with all the attendant risks.
Planning and Surgical Guides
We use custom-made guides to improve implant placement accuracy. Using these guides can decrease the time spent in surgery.
Industry research and our experience have consistently shown that the use of surgical guides significantly reduces the likelihood of sinus perforations, nerve impairments, or other perforation accidents.
There are different guides for different applications.
A spacing guide helps us work out how the intended prosthesis will fit, so we can best determine the most suitable implant system for you.
A surgical guide is used during placement surgery to help us direct implants at the correct positions and angles.
Dr Chan works closely with Trueline Dental Implant Surgical Guides + Implant Planning (NSW) to discuss your case and have them fabricate surgical guides as part and parcel of our service.
