Third-year dental pupil Benjamin Jones bought what he referred to as “a glimpse the long run” for dental implant surgical procedure just lately.
In an air-conditioned trailer parked behind the Faculty of Dentistry on the College of Tennessee Well being Science Middle, he watched an illustration of Yomi, the primary and solely FDA-cleared robotic system for dental implant surgical procedure.
Representatives from Neocis Inc., a dental robotics firm, got here to the UTHSC Faculty of Dentistry to show the expertise on the invitation of Hank McKay, DDS, a 1990 alumnus. Dr. McKay, an oral surgeon in Birmingham, was an early adopter of the Yomi system in his observe and wished to introduce his alma mater to it.
He’s donating funds to the faculty to buy a Yomi robotic so as to add to its coaching expertise.
“We had been among the many first 20 folks to have one, and it’s been a tremendous addition to the expertise we’ve been capable of supply our sufferers,” he mentioned.
“This faculty is as technologically superior as any faculty within the nation,” Dr. McKay mentioned. “This may improve an already technologically superior dental curriculum.”
Yomi supplies computerized haptic robotic steerage to dentists performing implant surgical procedure. It’s designed to present the dental surgeon precision and management all through the method to realize the fitting location, angulation, and depth for the implant.
Staley Colvert, DDS, an affiliate professor within the Division of Common Dentistry at UTHSC with greater than 30 years expertise in non-public observe, tried his hand at utilizing the robotic arm, watching the pc register the precise spot for the implant as he guided it.
Augustus Fletcher, a third-year dental pupil, was amazed as he stood with Jones, watching the demonstration. “It doesn’t appear actual,” he mentioned.
“It’s an thrilling time for dentistry and oral surgical procedure,” mentioned Jeffrey Brooks, DMD, chair of the Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgical procedure and government affiliate dean of Medical Affairs for the faculty. “Robotic expertise is a very transformative expertise. We now have seen robotics on the medical aspect for 20-plus years and having robotics for dental will improve the precision and accuracy of implant surgical procedure. Efficiently inserting dental implants requires cautious preoperative planning and a excessive diploma of accuracy and precision to keep away from crucial anatomical buildings and supply the very best consequence for the affected person.”
