A dental stent is a custom-made, removable oral device designed to fit precisely over a patient’s existing teeth or gum tissue. This appliance acts as a template or guide, ensuring accuracy and predictability during complex procedures. The stent is fabricated for an individual patient to either guide surgical instruments or protect soft and hard tissues during various treatments.
Primary Functions of a Dental Stent
The primary role of a dental stent is to introduce precision into dental and oral surgical procedures. It functions as a static guide to transfer a virtual treatment plan directly into the patient’s mouth with millimeter-level accuracy. This guidance is especially important in implant placement, where the stent dictates the exact angle, depth, and three-dimensional position for drilling into the jawbone.
The stent also serves a function in tissue protection and conservation. During treatments such as radiation therapy for head and neck cancers, specialized stents shield non-target oral structures like the tongue, salivary glands, and opposing teeth from damaging radiation exposure. In surgical contexts, the device can protect surrounding healthy soft tissues from the rotating instruments used to prepare the bone.
Dental stents provide mechanical stabilization and support to vulnerable areas. Following grafting procedures, such as skin or mucosal grafts, the stent holds the new tissue firmly in place against the underlying site. This stabilization prevents movement, which promotes revascularization and successful healing. The stent minimizes surgical trauma and facilitates a more predictable outcome.
Key Classifications of Dental Stents
Surgical stents, often called surgical guides, are the most common type and are used primarily during dental implant surgery. These guides feature a series of precisely drilled sleeves that direct the surgeon’s instruments to place the implant post in the optimal position for the future prosthetic crown. Using this device reduces the chance of placing the implant at an incorrect angle, which could compromise the final restoration or damage nearby anatomical structures.
Radiographic or Imaging stents are utilized during the initial diagnostic phase. This device is constructed with radio-opaque markers, such as gutta-percha or small metal spheres, placed at the proposed location of the future implant or prosthetic teeth. The patient wears this stent during a Cone-Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) scan, allowing the dental team to relate the planned tooth position to the actual bone density and nerve pathways visible on the scan. This ensures the final surgical guide is based on a prosthetically driven plan.
Periodontal or Healing stents are designed for post-surgical care, particularly after gum or bone grafting. These soft or semi-rigid appliances cover the surgical wound, acting as a protective bandage for the healing site. They conserve the delicate grafted tissue, prevent mechanical irritation from the tongue or cheek, and protect the area from contamination by food particles. This ensures the successful integration of the graft tissue.
A specialized category includes Radiation Therapy stents, fabricated for oncology patients. These devices accurately position the jaw, tongue, or other mobile oral structures away from the radiation field. By positioning the non-target soft tissues, the stent minimizes the dose of ionizing radiation received by structures like the salivary glands, helping to preserve their function and reduce long-term side effects.
Creation and Placement of the Device
The creation of a modern dental stent begins with a digital planning phase. The process involves taking a high-resolution digital impression of the patient’s mouth and combining this data with a CBCT scan. This combined dataset allows the dental clinician to use computer-aided design (CAD) software to virtually plan the final position of the restoration or the path of the surgical procedure.
Once the virtual plan is finalized, the stent is fabricated using computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) processes. Most modern stents are produced through 3D printing (stereolithography) using biocompatible resins or acrylic materials. This digital workflow ensures the physical stent perfectly matches the measurements and angles determined in the CAD planning stage.
The finished device is checked for fit in the patient’s mouth, often by the dental laboratory before delivery to the clinician. During the procedure, the dentist or surgeon secures the stent firmly over the teeth or gums to maintain its static position. The patient receives basic instructions for cleaning the removable stent, typically involving gentle brushing and rinsing with water or a mild oral cleanser.