PROFILE SURGICAL TEMPLATE - A SYSTEMATIC-APPROACH TO PRECISE IMPLANT PLACEMENT - A TECHNICAL NOTE

The precise placement of dental implants is essential to designing a p rosthesis that fulfills the esthetic and functional requirements of th e patient, and simultaneously allows clear phonetics and facilitates o ral hygiene. To achieve this, an effective surgical template is essent ial: it must provide good orientation, be comfortable, have adequate i ntraoral fixation, allow freedom of choice to the surgeon, and be capa ble of use during image-diagnostic procedures. In accordance with this criteria, the profile surgical template, based on utilization of the buccal contour of missing teeth, has been designed.