Before the patient is in the dentist’s chair, Dr. Ryaz Ansari and his surgical assistant discuss the angle, depth and positioning of the dental implant they’re about to place. Using a robotic device called the “Yomi,” the surgical assistant moves the virtual dental implant with a mouse, as Ansari looks at the computer screen, which displays a 3D image of the patient’s jaw. Observing the digital dental implant’s position in the jaw on the screen, Ansari, an oral and maxillofacial surgeon who practices at JawFixers in West Hartford and Manchester, says, “I want it a little more inwards. That’s good. If you can just rotate this up. … Let’s bring that line to the middle. Excellent. Beautiful.”
When placing a titanium dental implant, the oral surgeon has to think about placing it deep enough and at the right angle without it touching the nerves or the sinuses, which are millimeters away. Before calling the waiting patient in, Ansari and the assistant double-check each measurement again.