According to the American Academy of Implant Dentistry (AAID), 150 million people in the US have lost at least one permanent tooth, with a forecast of 2.7 million implant procedures and 4.5 million implant unit sales in 2024.1.2
The widespread appeal of implants lies in their ability to restore the natural functionality of teeth, boost self-confidence and enhance the wearer’s smile. Implants can be installed freely, using 3D-printed guides, computer assistance, and—more recently—robotic guidance.
Wait… can robots install implants?
The first FDA-cleared and commercially available haptic robotic system for dental implant surgery is the Yomi System by Neocis. This easy-to-use robot is both drill and implant agnostic, allowing optimization of implant type, size and shape for each patient. The system’s software uses tactile boundaries created by the 3D design to provide physical guidance of surgical instruments during bone drilling/preparation and implant placement.
3D boundaries guide the tools in terms of position, angle and depth. While implants can be placed by specialists and general dentists, technology like haptic robotics—which relies on precision and safety—has made dental implant placement safe and simple for everyone.
Benefits of robotic implants
The use of this technology adds significant value to the patient by providing improved implant placement accuracy, surgical visualization, and implant flexibility.3-6 In addition to ergonomic and efficiency benefits for the user, the adoption of robotic technology for dental implant placement can have a positive financial impact on the user’s practice. Dental implants are considered one of the most profitable cosmetic dentistry procedures, with a single implant procedure costing anywhere from $3,000 to $6,000.7,8
Additionally, the use of robotic technology can increase implant process development and patient performance (even beyond implant cases) by fostering a modern, digital practice. The following study was designed to evaluate implant volume growth for a variety of general dentists from different locations and initial volumes after adoption of the Yomi haptic robotic system.
Conducting a study on robotics technology
Methods used
Implant volume data were collected from 11 general dentists from Missouri, Maryland, Utah, Texas, Colorado, Ohio, California, Oklahoma, and New Jersey. The data were grouped into two sections: the practice one year before and one year after the adoption of the Yomi system. The data shown is for total implant numbers, which includes patients receiving everything from single implants to entire arches.
Study results
The median initial annual implant volume (before adoption of the Yomi system) was 75 implants (range 21 to 761). After the adoption of Yomi, the median annual implant volume increased to 212 implants (range 100 to 832). All 11 dentists increased their implant volume with an average increase of 70 implants (table 1).
