Surgical guides: how to produce them with dental 3D printing

3D surgical guides for dental implants improve treatment planning and increase precision so the final clinical workflow is efficient and safe. In this article, we explain how they are produced with dental 3D printing.

All our surgical guides are designed by a dentist specialized in treatment planning with 3Shape Implant Studio software. We offer a validated digital protocol for same-day immediate loading, from crowns and bridges to full-arch cases.

What are surgical guides for dental implant placement?

Surgical guides are custom devices, manufactured with dental 3D printing technology, that help dentists plan and place dental implants with precision, improving surgical outcomes.

Digital guided surgery is one of the most important technological advances in dentistry, using digital dental printing as the basis for a more predictable clinical workflow.

Digital protocol for producing surgical guides

Below, we explain the requirements for carrying out an implant case with surgical guides through our dental laboratory:

What we need:

• ✅ Intraoral scan or impressions
• ✅ CBCT (*)
• ✅ Implant positions and brand

Using the patient data, the prescription indicating implant positions, and the implant brand, a dentist specialized in planning designs the guide in 24h.

At Smileep, we offer an advanced protocol for digital guided surgery, where the dentist can review the planning in just 24 hours and request changes quickly and easily online.

In just 24 hours, you will have access to our online platform to review the treatment plan, including a summary video, control images, and a detailed surgical report. You can show the plan to the patient or request changes easily if needed.

3D printing surgical guides

We manufacture our surgical guides with next-generation dental 3D printing technology, using Formlabs printers dedicated exclusively to biocompatible materials. Surgical Guide Resin is safe, non-cytotoxic, non-sensitizing, non-irritating, and complies with the strict ISO 10993-1:2018 standard, ensuring quality and safety for your patients.

What types of guides are used for digital guided surgery?

Tooth-supported guides:

• Tooth-supported guides: designed for patients with some natural teeth, these guides fix onto the teeth to ensure precise implant placement.
• Abutment-supported guides: used when there are no natural teeth, they are supported by prepared teeth or abutments.
• Mucosa-supported guides: ideal for fully edentulous patients, they adapt to the mucosa. They require a dual CBCT with a removable prosthesis and radiopaque markers.

How are surgical guides designed?

The first step is aligning the intraoral scan with the patient’s CBCT:

Then, using design software, the implants are planned: model, position, size, and angle. The patient’s oral anatomy and the aesthetic and functional goals of the definitive dental prosthesis must be taken into account:

At the end of the process, an STL file of the surgical guide is generated, ready for dental 3D printing.

We deliver the surgical guide in 48 hours

The 3D surgical guide design is intended to support a fully digital implant-supported dental prosthesis treatment from the beginning. That is why it is essential to work with a complete protocol like the one we offer, making it possible to anticipate the final result before implant placement.

Dental 3D printing of the surgical guide

Once the dentist approves the case, we print it in 3D with our Formlabs 3D printers, using Surgical Guide Resin, a class I biocompatible material specifically designed for manufacturing surgical guides.

Temporaries for immediate loading in dental implant planning

We create aesthetic and functional temporary teeth, ready to be shipped together with the surgical guide

Using the previous intraoral scans, we design aesthetic and functional temporary teeth, ready to be adjusted directly onto the temporary abutments.

Surgical report with implant drilling protocol

Surgical guides adapt to the technique used and to the type of support on which they are placed. They may be bone-supported, mucosa-supported, or tooth-supported guides. They are also classified according to the surgical technique used:

• Pilot guide: indicated for use with the pilot drill.
• Complete guide: for fully guided surgery, allowing the full drilling sequence to be followed for precise dental implant placement.

At Smileep, our cases are designed by dentists specialized in implant planning with 3Shape Implant Studio, ensuring optimal precision. In addition to the surgical guide, we provide a complete surgical report with the drilling protocol, including details about the components and key recommendations for the day of surgery.