CAD/CAM abutments and implant bars on demand with NobelProcera Services

Growth is the trend in the implant market and there's little sign of it slowing in the years ahead.1 As a result, laboratories that can provide high-quality abutments, implant crowns and implant bars will be increasingly in demand. However, ramping up production of either component can require significant investments in equipment, time and staff training that many labs simply cannot afford. That's where NobelProcera Scan and Design Services can help.

Send a case, receive precision-fit abutments and implant crowns

Previously only available for ordering implant bars, labs can now streamline their workload and expand their offering of abutments and implant crowns by outsourcing design and production to NobelProcera. The process is simple. Using the online form, the lab uploads a 3Shape or NobelProcera digital scan file, enters their design specifications and sends their request in a click.

Just about any requirement can be met. Not only can labs create abutments and crowns for all Nobel Biocare implants, but for other major implant systems too. The choice is there for titanium or zirconia in different shades, abutments with cement-retained copings or a screw-retained approach for direct veneering, as well as innovative solutions such as the angulated screw channel abutment available in zirconia for conical connection implants.

With the order sent directly to the expert NobelProcera production facility, a team of skilled CAD designers creates a design and shares a 3D visualisation for the lab to approve. When the lab is happy, the precision-fit abutments and implant crowns are precision-manufactured, quality checked and dispatched back to the lab.

Send a model, receive unrivaled bars

Already an established feature of the service, labs can order market-leading NobelProcera Implant Bars by preparing the case materials as normal, noting the details of the case on a short accompanying form, before sending it to be scanned and designed by NobelProcera's team of skilled technicians.

The Scan and Design Service covers an extensive range of over 170 implant platforms. And, as NobelProcera produces implant bars only from solid blocks of titanium alloy for surgical applications,² potential weaknesses relating to soldering or laser welding are avoided.

High-precision production just a click away

All NobelProcera CAD/CAM prosthetics are produced at a state-of-the-art facility in Mahwah, New Jersey, USA. Manufactured in accordance with the ISO 13485 and 21 CFR Part 280 quality management systems, the output quality of every prosthetic is monitored. This results in products demonstrating high precision of fit,^3,4 mechanical stability⁵ and years of safe and reliable performance.^6,7,8,9 The Nobel Biocare interface is also designed for a precise fit between abutment and implant. Although not always visible to the naked eye, use of third-party components not designed and tested for the system can result in uncontrolled forces and may cause individual components or even the entire system to fail. Choosing implant restorations that are designed, tested and proven as a complete system can avoid future complications.

Outsource means opportunity

In a matter of days, the precisely manufactured abutment or implant bar is shipped to the lab with a material authenticity certificate and a 5-year product warranty. By offering unrivaled results and removing the need for expensive investments, NobelProcera's Scan and Design Service lets labs take requests for high-quality abutments and bars that they might otherwise be unable to process. In other words, it gives labs the flexibility to take opportunities that they can't afford to miss.

References

1. Nobel Biocare forecast, August 2016.
2. Nobelbiocare.com: NobelProcera Implant Bars titanium alloy characteristics.
3. Katsoulis J, Mericske-Stern R, Rotkina L, Zbären C, Enkling N, Blatz MB. Precision of fit of implant-supported screw-retained 10-unit computer-aided-designed and computer-aided-manufactured frameworks made from zirconium dioxide and titanium: an in vitro study. Clin Oral Implants Res. 2014 Feb;25(2):165-74.
4. Martínez-Rus F, Suárez MJ, Rivera B, Pradíes G. Evaluation of the absolute marginal discrepancy of zirconia-based ceramic copings. J Prosthet Dent. 2011 Feb;105(2):108-14.
5. Truninger TC, Stawarczyk B, Leutert CR, et al. Bending moments of zirconia and titanium abutments with internal and external implant-abutment connections after aging and chewing simulation. Clin Oral Implants Res 2012;23(1):12-18.
6. Zembic A, Bosch A, Jung RE, Hammerle CH, Sailer I. Five-year results of a randomized controlled clinical trial comparing zirconia and titanium abutments supporting single-implant crowns in canine and posterior regions. Clin Oral Implants Res 2013;24(4):384-90.
7. Ozer F, Mante FK, Chiche G, et al. A retrospective survey on long-term survival of posterior zirconia and porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns in private practice. Quintessence Int 2014;45(1):31-8.
8. Pozzi A, Tallarico M, Barlattani A. Monolithic lithium disilicate full-contour crowns bonded on CAD/CAM zirconia complete-arch implant bridges with 3 to 5 years of follow-up. J Oral Implantol. 2013 Nov 4.
9. Ekfeldt, A., Furst, B. & Carlsson, G. E. Zirconia abutments for single-tooth implant restorations: a 10- to 11-year follow-up study. Clin Oral Implants Res, doi:10.1111/clr.12975 (epub ahead 2016).