The ThinLayer® Guide difference

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ThinLayer® Guides require the same vertical clearance as freehand drilling, which is especially helpful in posterior sites (~30% of all implants). Tube guides require you to insert your drill straight down the trajectory of a tube, whose rigid sides prevent you from going off track. To line up with the tube, the drill must be stacked on top of the tube. ThinLayer® Guides create the same trajectory, defining the bottom of the “tube” with a guided bleeding point or pilot hole, and the top with the guide hole. Once the surface point is established and the ThinLayer® Guide placed, the drill can be inserted at an angle before turning it upright to insert the tip in the bleeding point, engage the disposable drill stop, and begin drilling.

Most tube guide manufacturers mill or “print” their surgical guides on 3D printers. Their surgical guides are bulkier because they may warp over time if made any thinner. They admit that the material “is sensitive to moisture and UV light” and should be stored “together with a moisture absorbent in the UV protective plastic bag in which it was delivered… in a dry and dark location” and out of direct sunlight. Furthermore, they “may deform if exposed to liquids (even water) for more than 30 minutes.”

Our patent-pending manufacturing process is designed to alleviate the warping and fit issues. ThinLayer® Guides are thin, which makes them much easier to use. They fit snugly and you can see and access the drill site, approach the posterior with no additional vertical space, and modify the plan in surgery, if needed.

Please visit our FAQ page for further information on related topics.

About Guided Surgery Solutions, LLC
Guided Surgery Solutions, LLC designs, manufactures, and sells 3D image-based surgical guides for dental implant surgery. The ThinLayer® Drill Guide System was developed in the founder’s clinical practice, in response to design limitations found in existing products. The solution makes guided surgery technically and economically feasible for all implant surgeons, allowing them to provide better treatment to more patients. Please visit www.guidedsurgerysolutions.com for more information.