My garage is, admittedly, not quite as neat as I would like it to be. Sure … it started off well. I hung a nice pegboard and had spots for all the tools, but we all know what happens. The fog of war hits in the middle of a project and tools never get put back in the right spot. So a few times a year, I have to invest an hour into resetting the whole workbench. Run that drill over and over again, year after year. Insanity.
Unfortunately, my implant driver setup in my practice looks a lot like the screwdriver setup on my tool bench. Tools are missing and nothing is in the right place, and there’s no organization at all. That’s fine in my garage, but in my practice, that sloppiness costs time and money. I decided to research how best to organize this implant driver problem. I thought I would be making a trip to the Container Store. Instead, I found something way easier: the Sidekick Basic by Smile Line USA. It has solved all my implant driver problems!
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The Sidekick Basic is a self-contained driver set that comes in a metal bur-block-like kit that makes organization easy. It also makes it quick identify when something is missing. The Sidekick Basic comes with nine different implant driver tips, all at a length of 13 mm. Each is color-coded to make life easier. Included in the kit are drivers for Ankylos, Astra, Camlog, Friadent, 3i, Nobel Biocare, SPI, and Straumann, as well as a 1.4 mm hex “universal.” Also included is a driver head that each driver conveniently pops in and out of. According to Smile Line USA, this kit should cover around 99% of implant driver needs!
There is also a torque wrench and dynamometric key that works with the Sidekick system available for an extra charge. I added this on and am glad I did; it allows me to use the same kit for all my implant prosthetic needs, from attaching an impression coping or scan body to doing a final torque of a restoration.
In addition to the Sidekick Basic, there is a Sidekick Master kit that includes 27 tips. It’s all the same tips that come on the Sidekick Basic, but with three different lengths on each. This was overkill for me, but if you do a lot of hybrids that require long drivers or second molar restorations that require short drivers, the Sidekick Master might be for you.
This kit has made implant systems flow much easier in our office. Our driver kit before was a mess, but this is simple and easy to work with. And if something is missing, we know immediately, so things get lost way less often. In addition, the Sidekick Basic is simple, clean, and easy to sterilize and maintain. Because of this, my dental assistants absolutely love the Sidekick Basic. It has made their life easier, too!
Editor's note: This article appeared in the December 2022 print edition of Dental Economics magazine. Dentists in North America are eligible for a complimentary print subscription. Sign up here.
