The new way forward for oral surgery with the Surgic Pro2

As a specialist oral surgeon with extensive experience of working within the hospital and health care industry, Sami Stagnell talks about the importance of recognising the significant advances being made in surgical dental equipment and how this can greatly improve clinical outcomes for every patient.

One of the most important pieces of equipment I routinely use in practice has been the NSK Surgic Pro surgical micromotor. I’ve been using the Surgic Pro for over eight years both within the NHS hospital services that I run as well as in almost every other surgery that I’ve worked in.

I’ve been using the Surgic Pro for all types of surgical procedures where teeth are being extracted or where it’s likely to involve bone removal such as treating wisdom teeth, impacted teeth and for apicectomies. From an implant perspective I use it for bone grafting, taking autogenous bone and placing implants. It’s always been a real workhorse for me and something that I know I can always totally rely on every time.

Getting to know the Surgic Pro2

When I first heard that NSK was about to launch the new Surgic Pro2 I was intrigued, but at the same time I wondered how they could improve on something as good as the original Surgic Pro. However, NSK is one of those innovative companies that really understand what matters to the people using their equipment and constantly look at ways to improve their performance for clinicians and patients alike.

When NSK asked if I would like to trial the Surgic Pro2 in my own practice I was delighted to accept. What I’ve found is that it’s like upgrading from a durable, reliable older model of car to the very latest model and suddenly you realise what you’ve been missing – a smoother drive, easier operation and being far more comfortable underfoot.

The Surgic Pro2 has been designed to enhance the performance of the Surgic Pro with a range of new specifications including a lighter, more compact motor, a large back-lit LCD panel, a high resolution LED light source and Bluetooth connectivity. Rather than being just a surgical micromotor, the Surgic Pro2 has now become a central interface for other primary surgical applications. It also features a new wireless foot control which is more responsive than the original cable version and it has a real sensitivity to how much pressure I put on the pedal relative to the speed I’m getting from the handpiece. However much pressure I use, there’s no loss of power to the tooth and the feedback is great as well. The optic handpiece and improved LED lighting are also real benefits along with the clear and simple layout of the new data screen allowing me to constantly review information as I work.

Thanks to the Bluetooth connectivity and by utilising the free NSK app, all patient and treatment-generated data can be saved to an external device which can be displayed and transferred as required or stored electronically in the patient’s file. I believe this is an essential part of patient safety mechanisms and reporting as well as helping to provide full traceability of procedures to aid compliance.

In my experience, particularly in my teaching role, there’s a hesitation about investing in surgical equipment, especially micromotors. My advice is that a micromotor is one of the key pieces of equipment you should invest in and if you’re going to do it, do it now. With the Surgic Pro2 you simply can’t get anything better and it’s an investment that will last you for a very long time.

The value of customer support

When it comes to choosing the right equipment for surgical procedures, for me it’s about robustness, durability and ease of use and that’s exactly what NSK’s surgical handpieces and equipment deliver. And ultimately, it’s all about the backup that NSK provides that’s so important, knowing I can pick up the phone and speak to the NSK team who are always on hand to deal with any problems or queries and ensure we’re never without key pieces of equipment for any length of time.

I would also like to thank NSK UK for being a phenomenal supporter of the dental charity Den-Tech where I’m proud to be on the board of trustees. Den-Tech was set up to offer dental lab services alongside the important clinical work that dental charities are already doing. Its aim is to provide affordable dental appliances to patients in need in this country as well as providing training, mentoring and education for dental technicians in developing countries.

Last year NSK donated lab handpieces and motors to the charity which are essential to the work we do out in the field and has also recently donated a number of refurbished handpieces to use as we move into more clinical roles. Donations like this are so important to Den-Tech as they are otherwise very expensive investments for us. We are always so grateful that NSK understands the value of supporting us and upcycling these resources and their kindness and generosity is unparalleled.

About the author

Sami Stagnell
Specialist Oral Surgeon BDS MFDS (RCSEs) MSc MFGDP(UK) AKC MOralSurg RCSEng/Ed) AFFMLM

Having graduated from Kings College London Dental Institute in 2009 Sami worked across primary care and Maxillofacial Surgery House jobs in the South of England before taking on specialty training in Oral Surgery. As a specialist he currently manages and provides NHS Oral Surgery across the Wessex region and is one of the few UK graduates to have held an ITI scholarship where he spent a year in Graz Austria with the Oral Surgery and Implant team expanding his Implantology skillset.

He holds Memberships with the Royal College of Surgeons Edinburgh and England as well as the Faculty of General Dentistry.  Sami has completed an MSc in Aesthetic Dentistry and was awarded one of the first recognized UK Fellowships in Clinical Leadership with Health Education England. Furthermore, he is an active member of many societies and represents the profession with the British Dental Association and at the Royal Society of Medicine as well as acting as a Key Opinion Leader to several companies within the industry.