Bone lid technique with piezosurgery to preserve inferior alveolar nerve.

The inferior alveolar nerve is at risk during surgical removal of impacted mandibular teeth and excision of benign tumors of mandible. Manual and/or mechanical instruments used in the close proximity of delicate structures do not allow the control of the cutting depth and can damage these structures by accidental contact. Piezoelectric surgery is a new and innovative bone surgery technique using the microvibrations of special scalpels at ultrasonic frequency so therefore soft tissue will not be damaged even upon accidental contact with the cutting tip. This article presents an alternative technique that uses piezoelectricity to minimize trauma to the inferior alveolar nerve, vascular tissues, or surrounding dental tissues.