Piezosurgery®: A Breakthrough in Oral Surgery
At Periodontal Associates of Jackson, P.A., Drs. Roger Parkes and Clarke Stewart believe in using the latest technology to maximize patient comfort and quality of care. Piezosurgery® is the latest addition to the technology suite at their Jackson, MS, periodontal practice. This technique uses piezoelectric (ultrasonic) vibrations to incise bone tissue with unprecedented precision, leaving soft tissue untouched. For oral surgery applications, it allows us to perform ridge augmentation and other bone modification procedures with the utmost safety.
What is Piezosurgery®?
Piezosurgery® is a patented ultrasonic technology that was specifically engineered for bone surgery. Developed in the late 1990s by Tomaso Vercellotti, MD, DDS, and Mectron Medical Technology, it was intended to overcome the limits of safety and precision associated with traditional instruments. The device essentially directs and controls ultrasonic energy, or vibrations of frequencies greater than the upper limit of the audible range for humans. Ultrasound is no different than “regular” sound (it has the same physical properties), except we cannot hear it.
Ultrasound is used in many different fields to measure distances and detect objects. It is perhaps best known as a medical imaging device, especially in obstetrics. For oral surgery, the technology is harnessed into a handpiece that uses sophisticated software to control and optimize ultrasonic vibrations to incise soft tissue and hard tissue. When the waves are modulated to low frequency, the waves will selectively incise only the hard, mineralized tissue (bone). In fact, on this setting, it cannot incise soft tissue like the skin, gums, blood vessels, and nerves.
Benefits of Piezosurgery®
Traditionally, bone surgery has been performed using instruments that are either driven by hand or driven by motor. Hand-driven instruments (saws) lack the precision required in oral surgery. Motor-driven instruments use rotating blades. However, these generate a significant amount of heat from friction and can be difficult to control. If the rotation is slowed to decrease the friction, efficiency is reduced and the operator must apply more manual pressure, which makes the instrument harder to control.
This is often problematic in surgeries that prepare patients for dental implants, such as a sinus lift, because the force necessary to incise the bone has to be instantly released when encountering the soft tissue, or the underlying structures can become damaged. If the tissues become overheated from the friction, it can also alter or delay healing.
Our doctors have invested in this breakthrough technology because the safety and improved outcomes are beyond compare.
Instead of a sharpened edge, Piezosurgery® uses interchangeable vibrating tips for drilling, incising, and remodeling bone, and the power can also be adjusted for various types of bone density. These controlled micro-vibrations are exponentially safer and more precise than the macro-vibrations produced by traditional instruments. It does not require as much pressure, and the operator can stop at any time to assess surgical progress.
When combined with irrigation, the vibration stops bleeding and helps keep the surgical site sterile. It allows oral surgeons to perform the kind of tissue modification associated with dental implant treatment—including implant site preparation, bone harvesting, bone grafting, ridge augmentation, and sinus lifts—with much greater ease and visibility, and much less soft tissue trauma. The risk of infection is also minimized.
Learn More
Our doctors have invested in this breakthrough technology because the safety and improved outcomes are beyond compare. If you would like to learn more about how Piezosurgery® can benefit you, contact us to schedule an appointment with one of our expert periodontists.
