Recovering from oral surgery

Traditional surgical techniques and instruments

Surgical procedures which require cutting into the bone are relatively common. These may include: extractions, dental implant placement, bone grafts, bone contouring, ridge expansion, crown lengthening, periodontal therapy, orthodontic microsurgery, and surgical endodontic procedures. When traditional methods and instruments are used in these procedures, there is a risk that damage will be caused to the surrounding bone and soft tissues, which can make recovery painful and lengthy.[ii]

When carrying out these procedures in a traditional way, it is likely that the clinician would use a range of rotary burs, which exert pressure on the bone and produce excess heat. Higher pressures used during traditional procedures could lead to the weakening and fracture of the bone, ultimately resulting in an unsuccessful outcome, or a more difficult recovery with follow up procedures. Heat is also particularly dangerous as, if the treatment site is allowed to heat up too much, it can lead to pulp necrosis. This is why, when rotary burs are used, plenty of irrigation is needed to keep temperatures down.[iii]

Benefits of piezosurgery

Piezosurgery produces a range of benefits to the clinician and the patient. This relatively new technology allows the clinician to carry out surgical procedures without causing damage to surrounding tissue. It uses microvibrations to cut tissue with precision, requiring less hand pressure than traditional methods, resulting in increased sensitivity. This means that clinicians are able to produce safe outcomes without the risk of necrosis.[iv] With piezosurgery, procedures are faster and safer than more intrusive methods, and result in less bleeding and damage to surrounding soft tissues and bone. Because of this, healing times are faster, and less uncomfortable. This means a better experience for patients, and more predictable results for the clinician.ⁱⁱ

In addition to this, piezosurgery creates minimal heat, making it easier to keep the surgical site cool, and dramatically lowering the risk of pulp necrosis. Piezosurgery helps to improve accuracy and visibility too, when compared to traditional methods. This is because it causes a cavitation effect resulting in a bloodless field during surgery, meaning that the field is clean and clear making procedures safer and more predictable. This visibility is further enhanced by the internal irrigation system, which effectively removes debris from the treatment site.ⁱⁱⁱ Because piezosurgery is much less invasive and traumatic than traditional oral surgery methods, clinicians are able to address some of the main patient concerns, with post-operative swelling reduced by 40.06%.^iv

Choosing high-quality equipment

With technology constantly evolving, it is important to understand which equipment is appropriate for you and your practice, and what will be of most benefit to your patients. Consider a system which facilitates minimally invasive surgical techniques, without compromising on power. The ability to produce outcomes which not only compare to, but exceed the results of traditional methods is the key, and your patients will be highly satisfied with the results of this more sympathetic approach.

Piezomed from W&H provides you with the benefits of this innovative technology. With this high-quality system, only the targeted bone is resected with precision, with surrounding soft tissue and bone left undamaged. It is also an invaluable tool for improved outcomes when extracting teeth. This is excellent for your patients as it means less post-operative pain and faster healing. Piezomed Plus features the innovative automatic instrument detection which assigns the instrument to the correct power class. This makes surgery safer and means that the risk of overloading the instruments is reduced. It offers optimal visibility thanks to its shadow-free illumination.

Traditional oral surgical methods and equipment carry a higher risk of injury to surrounding tissues and are generally more invasive. These can result in longer, more painful recovery times, impacting the patients experience. The Piezomed piezosurgery unit is the minimally invasive solution which ensures excellent visibility, unparalleled precision, and outstanding results, all of which minimise the risk of fracture and necrosis. Combat your patients biggest surgical concerns and choose a treatment method which facilitates less pain and swelling and a faster recovery time.

To find out more visit www.wh.com/en_uk, call 01727 874990 or email office.uk@wh.com

[i] Mardinger, Ofer, et al. “The patient’s perception of recovery after maxillary sinus augmentation: a prospective study.” Journal of periodontology 80.4 (2009): 572-576. https://www.academia.edu/download/45809349/The_Patients_Perception_of_Recovery_Aft20160520-2630-tb4o0n.pdf

[ii] https://azperio.com/piezoelectric-bone-surgery/

[iii] Agarwal, Esha, Sujata Surendra Masamatti, and Ashish Kumar. “Escalating role of piezosurgery in dental therapeutics.” Journal of clinical and diagnostic research: JCDR 8.10 (2014): ZE08. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4253291/

[iv] Patel, Adam. “The role of piezosurgery in implant dentistry.” Implant dentistry 5 (2014): 1-15. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Adam-Patel-3/publication/265050572_The_role_of_piezosurgery_in_implant_dentistry/links/53fcfbbd0cf22f21c2f671c3/The-role-of-piezosurgery-in-implant-dentistry.pdf