Using drill stops on twist drills to promote safety and efficiency when creating osteotomies for dental implants.

Background: A growing number of dental implants are being placed each year in the United States. This upward trend is associated with an increased incidence of comorbidities. In this regard, use of a drill stop has the potential to decrease unintended consequences of overdrilling the depth of an osteotomy.

Methods: The authors did not find any studies in the dental literature in which researchers assessed the safety and effectiveness of using drill stops on twist drills. Nevertheless, the advantages of utilizing drill stops and the undesired results due to excessive drilling can be reasonably deduced.

Results: The authors describe the following clinically relevant issues pertaining to overdrilling of osteotomies for dental implants: the anatomical effect of excessive drilling in different sections of the oral cavity, reasons for excessive drilling, methods to avoid overlengthening of implant sites and benefits of using drill stops on twist drills.

Conclusions: Use of drill stops enhances safety, accuracy and efficiency when creating an osteotomy. Drill stops also reduce the clinicians and patients stress during operative procedures.

Practical Implications: Drills stops can be beneficial when utilized in situations in which there is reduced visibility, making it difficult to read the lines on a twist drill. They also are helpful when there is a dearth of bone over the mandibular or mental nerves, and precisely lengthened osteotomies are needed to avoid nerve injuries.