Winchester Dental’s newest technology is the Piezomed instrument, and it’s making implant-related extractions easier and more comfortable than ever. By protecting soft tissue during treatment, this technology results in easier procedures and faster healing for implant patients. Dr. Gio Iuculano, DDS explains the advantages.
Dr. Gio, how does the Piezomed instrument work?
The Piezomed uses fine instrumentation and vibrates at a high frequency, minimizing trauma to soft tissue. Depending on the procedure, we can interchange the instrument tips; there is one set for oral surgery, another for treating periodontal disease, and specific tips for implant placements.
You first used a Piezomed instrument during an implant training course you attended in November 2017. Why did you decide to bring this technology to Winchester Dental?
It’s such a useful instrument for implant procedures; one of the best available help us achieve atraumatic removal of teeth. When we can extract a tooth easily and cleanly, it results in a better graft site, meaning more bone available for the implant placement. In many cases, we can place an implant the same day we extract the tooth, and of course, this instrument helps implant appointments go faster. But whether we are performing immediate or delayed implant placement, the Piezomed makes it possible for patients to keep as much of their natural bone as possible. The more bone there is, the better the long-term prognosis for the implant.
Are there other procedures for which you will use the Piezomed technology?
We’ll use it for sinus lifts, which are sometimes necessary as part of implant treatment. In upper implant cases, the sinus floor sometimes drops if there is a delay between the extraction and the implant placement. For these cases, the Piezomed technology allows us to lift the sinus and place additional bone to hold the implant later.
In the case of lower implant placement, this technology allows excellent precision when it is necessary to preserve as much available bone as possible in the case of a narrow jaw.
Have all the dentists at Winchester Dental received training on using this instrument?
Yes, we have all received clinical training on Piezomed operation and techniques, and we are now using it with implant patients. After the first few cases, we could already see a big difference when we used it in conjunction with platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) to make our patients more comfortable and speed up their healing. Easier extractions with minimal trauma is a tremendous advantage for our patients!