Guided implant surgery and digital planning are why implants today are among the most predictable procedures in dentistry, and Spring Hope Family Dentistry has quietly built one of the most complete digital implant workflows in the Spring Hope, Rocky Mount, and Nashville area. Dr. Abboud has invested over $250,000 in this equipment for one reason: every piece of it removes a guess from your treatment. Here’s the stack, in plain language, and what each piece means for you in the chair.
RAYSCAN Alpha Plus 3D CBCT Imaging: See Everything First
Every implant case here starts with a CBCT scan on our RAYSCAN Alpha Plus unit, a cone-beam CT that captures your jaw in three dimensions in seconds. A regular dental x-ray is a photograph; a CBCT is a map. It shows your bone height and width to the millimeter, the exact path of the nerve in your lower jaw, and the floor of your sinuses.
What it means for you: no exploratory surprises. We know before surgery whether you need grafting, exactly where the implant should sit, and what to avoid, which is precisely why we can put your exact price in writing at the consultation.
Digital Planning: Guided vs. Freehand. We Do Both
With your scan on screen, Dr. Abboud places your implant digitally before he ever places it physically: position, angle, depth, all decided in advance.
- Guided surgery: for cases that benefit from it, that digital plan becomes a physical surgical guide, a custom template that seats over your teeth and directs the implant exactly where the plan says, within fractions of a millimeter. Guides shine in tight spots, multi-implant cases, and full arches.
- Freehand placement: for straightforward sites, Dr. Abboud places directly, with the digital plan as the roadmap. Freehand done by the person who planned the case is fast, precise, and sometimes the better choice.
The honest answer is that neither is “better” universally, which is why we do both and pick per case, not per marketing brochure.
SprintRay In-House 3D Printing: Guides and Same-Day Teeth
Most offices that use surgical guides order them from a lab and wait weeks. We design yours and print it in-house on our SprintRay printer, often within days. The same printer produces the fixed provisional teeth that All-on-X patients wear home the same day as surgery, and the 3D-printed dentures our denture patients already know us for.
What it means for you: shorter waits, lower costs than outside labs, and a team that controls quality start to finish instead of shipping the important parts elsewhere.
Shining3D Scanning with Photogrammetry: Full-Arch Accuracy
Digital scanning replaced goopy impression trays here a long time ago. But full-arch implant cases demand something more: a bridge seating on four or five implants at once has to fit passively, no rocking, no tension, or screws loosen and parts fail. Our Shining3D scanner with built-in photogrammetry captures the exact position and angle of each implant the way surveying equipment captures a building site.
What it means for you: full-arch teeth that fit right the first time. This is the piece of our workflow no other office in the area has, and it’s a big part of how same-day All-on-X teeth are possible here.
Dr. Abboud’s Take
“Here’s what we’ve got going in this practice: a full digital implant workflow, over $250,000 of it, from the CBCT to the photogrammetry scanner to the printer down the hall. And I spend about $25,000 a year on continuing education to use it at the highest level, including Kois Center coursework, Implant Ninja programs, hands-on implant training in Mexico with 3rd Set, and an All-on-X program in Texas. None of it is for show. Every piece removes a guess before your surgery.”
— Dr. Elie Abboud, DDS
Versah Osseodensification: Keep the Bone You Have
Traditional implant drills remove bone to create the implant site. Our Versah Densah burs do something smarter: rotating in reverse, they compact your bone outward, densifying the walls of the site instead of shaving them away.
What it means for you: denser bone gripping your implant from day one, gentler preparation, and, for patients with soft or borderline bone, often less grafting and fewer separate procedures. In upper back teeth, osseodensification can even perform a crestal sinus lift through the implant channel, turning what used to be a second surgery into part of the placement visit. It’s also why we no longer place mini implants: expanding a narrow ridge lets Dr. Abboud place a full-size implant built to carry decades of chewing.
Neodent and SIN: The Implants Themselves
The implant is the one part that stays in you for decades, so brand matters more than patients realize. If an office places an off-brand implant and you move away, good luck finding parts.
- Neodent: our primary system, made by the Straumann Group, one of the most established implant manufacturers in the world. Millions placed globally, parts available everywhere, with a tapered design that achieves excellent initial stability.
- SIN Implant System: our choice for softer bone and select cases. Different bone calls for different implant geometry, and carrying two proven implant systems means we match the implant to your anatomy instead of forcing one product onto every case.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is guided implant surgery safer?
Guided surgery adds a physical safeguard on top of digital planning, which is valuable in complex cases. But the bigger safety story is the planning itself: every implant here, guided or freehand, is placed according to a 3D plan built on your CBCT scan.
Is the CBCT scan safe?
CBCT uses a low radiation dose, and we scan a focused field rather than more of you than necessary. The information it provides is exactly what makes implant surgery predictable, which is a trade every implant patient should want.
Why does the implant brand matter?
Because implants need parts: abutments, screws, attachments, for decades. Established systems like Neodent and SIN mean any qualified dentist anywhere can service your implant in 20 years. Bargain implants can leave you stranded.
Do you send anything to outside labs?
Surgical guides and provisional teeth are printed in-house. Final implant crowns and bridges are milled by Glidewell and Alien Milling, established U.S. dental labs, working from our digital scans, so there are no goopy impressions and no fit surprises.
Your $99 Implant Consultation, Credited Toward Treatment
Your consultation includes a full exam, a 3D CBCT scan of your jaw, and your exact package price in writing. The $99 fee is credited in full toward your treatment, so if you move forward, the consultation costs you nothing. We charge for it because implant planning is real diagnostic work, and it keeps the visit focused on people who are serious about fixing their smile.
Call or text (252) 478-3422 to reserve your consultation.
Already Have a Quote From Another Office?
Bring it. We’ll review your treatment plan and give you an honest evaluation at no charge, including our exact package price for the same treatment. Many patients discover they have more options than they were told.
Making It Affordable
VIP Plan members save 20% on every implant package. See the VIP Membership Plan for details. We also offer financing through Cherry, Sunbit, and CareCredit, plus an in-house option that splits treatment into three equal monthly payments. We’ll help you understand any insurance benefits before your visit.
Spring Hope Family Dentistry brings this technology to patients across Nash County and beyond. We regularly welcome patients from Rocky Mount, Nashville, Wilson, Bailey, Middlesex, Elm City, Louisburg, Bunn, Castalia, Franklinton, and Lake Royale, most within a 15 to 25 minute drive of our Spring Hope office. See the rest of our equipment on Our Technologies.
