A 53-year-old patient was once again on the operating table last month to get another dental implant for his upper right tooth. He found himself trembling with fear when thinking of the past surgeries that caused excruciating pain. But this time, it was different.

After only two hours of surgery at S-Plant Dental Hospital in Seoul, the patient felt less pain, bleeding and swelling. He was even able to have dinner on the day of the surgery.

All this was possible because Kim received a dental implant that followed the Anatomage Guide Dental Implant procedure, one of the latest medical techniques developed by the hospital and Anatomage, a U.S. company specializing in 3-D medical technology.

Before surgery, patients at S-Plant Hospital have 3-D CT scans to map the entire structure of the mouth, including the gums, bones and the location of the nerves. This way, doctors can find the minimum amount of bone required for an implant and the ideal spot to locate the teeth, the hospital said.

“When patients do not have enough bone in their gums to support an implant, they need to receive a bone graft. However, through our new procedure we can look for a spot with the minimum amount of bone to support an implant and thereby evade additional surgery,” Sohn Byoung-sup, a doctor at S-Plant Hospital.

The computer simulation increases the precision of the surgery and uses lasers to minimize the size of the incision.

“With the Anatomage Guide Dental Implant procedure we can find out exactly where and how deep we have to position the implants. This provides far higher accuracy than any other existing method,” said Dr. Lee Jeong-taek of S-Plant Hospital.

So far, the hospital has performed this procedure on about 200 patients, and not one of them has suffered from side effects.

Over 90 percent of patients, who were recommended by other hospitals to receive a bone graft, did not have to go through the painful surgery at S-Plant Hospital.

The Anatomage procedure also reduces surgery time. It only takes two hours to put in eight to 10 implants. If the bone is in a good condition, a temporary crown can be placed on the day of the surgery.

“Our procedure only takes one-third of the time needed for existing implant procedures,” said Dr. Roh Hyun-ki. “The laser incision we make is no larger than what the surgery requires, so we have seen a great reduction in pain, bleeding and swelling,” he added.

The hospital is led by eight Seoul National University graduate doctors who cooperate to reach the best and the most accurate diagnosis for patients.

“S-Plant Hospital adopts the latest technology and equipment,” says Dr. Sohn Byoung-sup. “We have a special floor just for implant procedures, high-tech equipment such as the air-shower for doctors, and the cooperative diagnosis system and attending dental physician system found in university hospitals,” he explained.

With a growing demand from overseas, the hospital also offers care services tailored for foreign patients. The hospital said a full-time translation service will be available for patients in several languages including English, Russian and Arabic.

The hospital also provides services such as aromatherapy to stabilize patients. “One of S-Plant Hospital’s strength is that we provide a 10-year insurance program and a warranty system,” Sohn said.

By Cho Chung-un and Lee Sang-ju
(christory@heraldcorp.com)