On this episode of On Point, a podcast from X-Nav, Host Tyler Kern talked with Dr.Mounir Iskandar, a certified restorative and cosmetic dentistry specialist and a Surgical Prosthodontist at Radiance Dentistry. The duo spoke about his career and the technologies he employs in dentistry.

When Iskandar graduated from medical school in 1998, dental implants were just a small chapter in the oral surgery book. While there was a lack of information, it still caught his attention. He went into oral surgery training, cutting his teeth (or someone else’s) at a practice in Egypt. When he arrived, he studied to get a specialty in Surgical Prosthodontics and get a Masters of Science in Dentistry from the Indiana University School of Dentistry.

As part of his career, he also teaches other oral surgeons about implants. He teaches his students to employ the same philosophy as himself, which is always try to plan and place the implant in a certain way that it can be restored correctly. Also, soft-tissue management around the implant is very crucial and important for the best result. Bone and soft-tissue and the implant all have to work together. Respect the soft-tissue around the implant.

“After training how to put in implants, or learning other protocols, one of the most important things to learn is your own implant system … the sequence of drills and the restorative part,” Iskandar said.

Dr. Iskandar uses X-Guide dynamic surgical navigation now, which allows him to know (and see in real-time) exactly where to put an implant. It’s also important to understand how an implant will be restored. Original placement is crucial, but it also is essential to consider that the implant needs to be restored.

“I was always dreaming of how nice it would be to see where the drill was going while I was drilling. As soon as I found X-Nav, I was in!”