---
title: "What Is Guided implant surgery? Dental Practice Glossary"
description: "Guided implant surgery uses a digital treatment plan and a custom surgical guide to place dental implants in the positions that were planned before surgery."
url: https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/glossary/guided-implant-surgery
publisher: Copeland Consulting Services
email: drcopeland@joncopelanddds.com
contact: https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/contact
---

Technology and implants

# Guided implant surgery

Guided implant surgery uses a digital treatment plan and a custom surgical guide to place dental implants in the positions that were planned before surgery.

Guided surgery starts with a digital plan, often built from a [CBCT](https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/glossary/cbct) scan and an [intraoral scanner](https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/glossary/intraoral-scanner) file. A guide made from that plan directs the drill and the implant. A 2026 paper notes that static fully guided systems improve the accuracy of implant placement.

The guide may be printed or milled. See [3D printing in dentistry](https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/glossary/3d-printing-in-dentistry).

A guide does not remove the need for judgment. Bone shape, mouth opening and guide fit can affect results. The same paper points out that most studies have focused on flat bone surfaces. Training and the right planning software matter.

[Next stepIndustry work with Dr. Copeland](https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/contact?topic=industry)

## Related terms

-   [CBCT](https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/glossary/cbct)
-   [3D printing in dentistry](https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/glossary/3d-printing-in-dentistry)
-   [Flapless implant surgery](https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/glossary/flapless-implant-surgery)
-   [Dental implant](https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/glossary/dental-implant)

## Sources

1.  [PubMed Central: Impact of bone surface inclination on the precision of static fully guided implant surgery](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12826028/)

## Talk with Dr. Copeland

[Contact Dr. Copeland](https://joncopeland.multisites.ai/contact)[Email](mailto:drcopeland@joncopelanddds.com)