Computer-Guided Bone Lid Technique for Surgical Extraction of Deeply Impacted Mandibular Third Molars: A Technical Report

Abstract

The extraction of mandibular impacted third molars is one of the most common procedures in oral surgery. One of the extraction methods consists of the preparation of a buccal bone lid to obtain access and remove the tooth. This technique aims to reduce bone loss, promote bone healing distal to the second molar, and increase the accessibility to the impacted tooth, particularly in cases of concomitant pathologies or proximity to the mandibular canal. The procedure benefits from the application of 3D printing technologies to produce cutting guides that, combined with piezosurgery, allow deeply impacted third molar extractions with excellent preoperative planning and extreme localisation precision, as well as predictable repositioning and fixation of the bone lid. The objective of this article is to present two clinical cases of the application of the bone lid technique to extract deeply impacted third molars using 3D printed guides with different designs and piezosurgery.