Everyday Oral Surgery Dr. Scott Weiskopf: How to Use 3D Printers to Take Your Implant Accuracy to the Next Level (and at a low cost!)
Today Dr. Stucki interviews Dr. Scott Weiskopf, an oral and maxillofacial surgeon practicing in Tennessee in the Memphis area. Ever since he introduced a fully digital workflow and started printing his own surgical guides, his dental surgery practice has been transformed because it allows him to produce and place top-quality implants. In this conversation, Dr. Weiskopf shares how his appointments with patients who need implants typically proceed, when in the process the guides are made, and the handful of cases where placing the implant freehand is still better. Tuning in, listeners will get a sense of the cost implications of printing the guides yourself, how it benefits your patients and practice, and where you can purchase the cheapest – yet effective – 3D printing equipment. Our guest shares details on his grafting techniques and materials, how he approaches third molar extractions, and what he favors in terms of instruments. The two also discuss drugs and dosages and share a bit about their work philosophies.
Key Points From This Episode:
- What switching over to a fully digital workflow meant for his dental surgery practice.
- The benefits of having surgical guides when doing implants.
- Get a sense of how the appointments proceed for implant consultations and surgery.
- The cost implications of printing the guides yourself rather than having it printed by a big lab.
- Where you can purchase a 3D printer and why you don’t need a dental-specific one.
- Dr. Weiskopf talks about the handful of times he has had to adjust the guides.
- Learn why he works almost exclusively with the Straumann Dental Implant System.
- What his grafting technique looks like and why he switched to a different membrane.
- Dr. Weiskopf’s graft materials of choice, including allograft, xenograft, and DBM putty.
- How using the guides differs from placing the implants freehand and when the latter is more appropriate.
- The benefits of having patients see and ask about the latest in dental technology.
- How your software determines the ease with which multiple implants can be created.
- Learn what has changed in his third molar extraction technique since his residency.
- Dr. Weiskopf talks about his preferred tools and why he picks up the instruments himself.
- The value of having a second assistant and what his typical drugs and dosages involve.
- The idea that when you permit something, you are inadvertently promoting it.
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: