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Surgical Implant Guide Service Workbook

What You Need to Start

To operate a surgical guide design service, you need five core elements: software, collaboration, case management, manufacturing, and training and support.

A) Design Software (Laboratory Side)

GuideMia Implant Master (Designer / Master Edition)

  • For use by in-house designers / engineers
  • The Starter tier covers CBCT/DICOM data processing, implant planning (depth, angulation, and restoration-driven positioning), multi-unit and full-arch surgical guides from optical scan, tooth-extraction and bone-level guides, and unlimited export of directly producible STL files and restoration models
  • The Studio tier adds AI segmentation of CBCT volumes, zygomatic implant planning, and bone-reduction guides
  • The Enterprise tier adds prosthesis guides and combined guides for partially edentulous and full-arch cases

GuideMia Implant Master is FDA 510(k) cleared (K121466) and built under an ISO 13485 quality system.

B) Planning and Review Software (Clinic / Doctor Side)

Cympha Studio (studio.cympha.com) lets doctors open the 3D Workspace in the browser to view implant positions and fine-tune them where necessary — no software installation, and no account at all just to look at a model. Studio views and edits; it does not record the sign-off. Approval happens back in Cympha, where the Review and Approve link in the case header opens a dedicated page showing the files and the lab slip before the doctor commits.

C) Case Management, File Sharing, and Communication

Cympha — the unified business platform deployed at app.cympha.com:

  • A portal for doctors to submit cases
  • File upload (CBCT, scans, photos)
  • Status tracking, communication records, and long-term archiving
  • A fixed role catalogue: each person picks their role once at sign-up and it cannot be changed afterwards; lab staff join a roster by requesting their lab manager's approval, and any participant can share a case read-only with a colleague by email
  • Per-case billing and invoice management

Cympha Studio — studio.cympha.com provides a browser-based 3D viewer: interactive 3D model viewing, snapshots, bookmarks, annotations, and 4D playback for orthodontics (with multi-stage visualization support for implants). Shared with doctors or patients via a secure link, which the recipient can open without installing any software.

D) Manufacturing Capability

In-house 3D printing, or an outsourced printing partner. GuideMia outputs validated STL files and master models for use in surgical guides, bone-reduction guides, verification jigs, and restoration-driven models.

E) Training, Support, and Services

  • GuideMia training: onboarding training for designers and clinical staff
  • Process consulting: assistance in establishing the laboratory's internal QA (Quality Assurance) processes
  • Technical support: case troubleshooting and software support
  • Optional clinical review service: qualified clinical staff participate in review when necessary

Types of Surgical Guide Cases You Can Offer

GuideMia supports a wide range of implant guide application scenarios. Single-unit implants, multiple-unit implants, immediate placement after extraction and full-arch cases are covered from the Starter tier. Bone-reduction cases and zygoma implants require the Studio tier; prosthesis and combined guides require Enterprise. Confirm the tier before you quote a case.

It Is Recommended to Start with Simple Cases

In the service startup phase, it is strongly recommended to begin with single-unit and simple multi-unit cases, establish internal QA processes, and then gradually expand to complex workflows such as full-arch, bone reduction, and zygoma. This reduces risk, improves turnaround efficiency, and helps the team standardize quality.

Role Division: Laboratory vs. Clinic

  • Laboratory side. Uses GuideMia Implant Master, responsible for case analysis, implant planning, guide design, and production preparation.
  • Clinic / doctor side. Uses Cympha Studio to complete plan review, request changes, and give final approval in the browser.

Clear division of roles: design efficiency at the laboratory, clinical responsibility with the doctor.

How Cases Enter the System

Cases enter the system through Cympha: the doctor submits a case via the case portal at app.cympha.com, uploading CBCT, intraoral scans, photos, and the prescription, while the laboratory tracks status, communication, and approvals on the same platform and retains long-term archives and audit records. When 3D plan review or patient-facing presentation is needed, send a Cympha Studio link, which the recipient can open in the browser without installation.

Surgical Guide Design Workflow

Step 1 — Case Submission

The doctor submits the case through Cympha; the data includes DICOM (CBCT), STL (intraoral scan), clinical photos, and the prescription.

Step 2 — Design in Implant Master

Import the CBCT and scan data; perform anatomical segmentation, implant planning, and guide design; prepare the version for review.

Three-Tier Review and Collaboration

  • Tier 1: Report-based review. Share a PDF/web report, screenshots, and short videos. Suitable for: simple cases, rapid confirmation. Advantages: lightweight, easy to review, and attached to the Cympha case record.
  • Tier 2: 3D composite model review. Share a single 3D model containing the bone structure, dentition, CT cross-sections, and the planned implants. Method: sent to the doctor via a Cympha Studio link, viewable interactively in the browser.
  • Tier 3: Full project file review. Share the complete GuideMia project file (segmentation, planning, history). Used when fully editable, complete data is genuinely required, transferred via Cympha file sharing. Prioritize the first two tiers of review to improve efficiency.

Approval and Production

  • Step 3 — Clinical approval. The doctor reviews the plan in the browser in Cympha Studio, then signs off in Cympha on the Review and Approve page. Three actions are offered there: Request changes, Escalate to lab manager, and Done — back to you. Each one is written to the case's append-only event log, so the whole Timeline of who decided what, and when, stays on the record.
  • Step 4 — Finalization. The laboratory finalizes in Implant Master and exports the production files.
  • Step 5 — Manufacturing. In-house printing or outsourced production; deliver the guide to the clinic.

Using Cympha and Cympha Studio Together

  • Cympha is the operational system: formal case submission, status tracking, multi-client management, auditing, long-term archiving, and per-case billing.
  • Cympha Studio is the sharing interface: rapid 3D plan review, patient-facing presentation, and lightweight links that can be sent to any doctor.

Used together, they replace, within a single workflow, separate portals, file-transfer tools, viewers, and communication channels.

Best Practices for New Laboratories

  • Start with simple cases (single-unit, simple multi-unit)
  • Standardize: review checklists, report templates, approval criteria
  • Gradually introduce Tier 2/3 review
  • Prioritize Cympha Studio links to reduce back-and-forth with full project files
  • Clearly distinguish design responsibility from clinical responsibility

Next Steps

  1. Finish your lab onboarding on Cympha — labs are never listed publicly, so connect with each clinic offline first, then have the doctor search for you by lab name, or by your lab manager's name or email
  2. Subscribe to GuideMia Implant Master at gm.cympha.com and train your designers
  3. Have the clinic side complete plan review through Cympha Studio
  4. Start with simple cases and expand gradually

GuideMia provides the design software, and Cympha the operational infrastructure. For the lab, that means work you can scale and be proud to put your name on. For the clinician, it means the plan, the decisions and the files all live in one Living Case you can open at any time — the peace of mind of never having to wonder what was agreed, or when.