Flapless CAD/CAM-guided surgery for staged transition from failing dentition to complete arch implant rehabilitation: a 3-year clinical report.

The transition of patients from failing dentition to complete arch implant rehabilitation often requires that the patient be rendered edentulous and has to wear a complete removable dental prosthesis for varying periods of time. This is objectionable to many patients. A staged treatment approach allows a fixed interim restoration, patient comfort, and prosthodontic control throughout the rehabilitation process. CAD/CAM-guided flapless implant surgery has the advantage of prosthetically driven implant placement and minimal postoperative sequelae. A patient with a failing dentition was treated with this combined protocol and was followed up for 3 years after loading. Implant and prosthesis survival rates were 100%, with no technical complications encountered up to the last recall. The purpose of this clinical report is to describe a combination of CAD/CAM-guided flapless surgery and a staged treatment approach, thereby giving the patient a tooth-supported or implant-supported fixed interim prosthesis during the entire rehabilitation process. The various surgical, laboratory, and prosthetic stages are illustrated for the complete arch prosthetic rehabilitation, and the 3-year follow-up outcome is reported.