title: Using drill stops on twist drills to promote safety and efficiency when creating osteotomies for dental implants.
abstract: 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.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  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.
authors.affiliation: Dr. Gary Greenstein is a clinical professor, Department of Periodontology, College of Dental Medicine, Columbia University, New York City, and is in private practice, Surgical Implantology and Periodontics, 900 W. Main St., Freehold, N.J. 07727, ggperio@aol.com.
authors.forename: Gary
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Greenstein
authors.forename: Ben
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Greenstein
authors.forename: Rishin Niranjan
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Desai
mesh_terms: D003757:Dental Implantation / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000295:instrumentation*; D003762:Dental Instruments / Q000009:adverse effects; D006801:Humans; D063168:Mandibular Osteotomy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000295:instrumentation*; D063166:Maxillary Osteotomy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000295:instrumentation*; D061214:Patient Safety
keywords: Drill stops; complications; implants; mandibular canal; osteotomy