On1 concept combines advantages of bone- and tissue-level implants

Good ideas from experienced experts are always taken seriously by Nobel Biocare's Research and Development team.

Two such experts provided the impetus for the company to develop the new On1 restorative concept: Professor Eric Rompen of the University of Liège in Belgium; and Dr Bernard Touati, who is in private practice in Paris, France. In the following interview, Nobel Biocare Executive Vice President Melker Nilsson, Head of Sales and Customer Development, discussed the new concept with these two well-known leaders.

On its unveiling at the Nobel Biocare Global Symposium in New York, On1 generated a palpable buzz among attendees, who discovered that this innovative new solution is as much a heuristic concept as a restorative product.

Nilsson: With so many restorative options today, why did you identify a need to develop the On1 concept?

Touati: We have always had the concern that with healing abutments you need to remove the abutment, which disturbs the soft tissue. The On1 concept addresses this, as it means you no longer need to retrieve a healing abutment.

Rompen: On bone-level implants, a healing abutment is actually a procedure that hurts the patient. Every time we disconnect a healing abutment to retrieve it, we reopen a wound. That's not good and the goal here was to avoid that completely.

Touati: We were also driven by ease of use - we didn't set out to invent something for the sake of inventing it. The On1 concept brings the connection for restorative components to tissue level, which can make things simpler for the restoring clinician.

Rompen: We were previously in a system where we had to choose from two options: a bone-level implant or a tissue-level implant. With On1, we can have the best of both worlds. We install a base onto the bone-level implant, and on top of this base, we can choose from a range of restorative options.

Nilsson: Are there any specific indications you had in mind when you developed the On1 Concept? Or would you say it is a versatile solution?

Rompen: It's a versatile solution for both the posterior and anterior and will allow for a very efficient workflow.

Nilsson: What specific benefits do you see from a surgical point of view?

Rompen: From a surgical perspective it's simple - instead of a healing abutment, we place the On1 Base. It directly engages the conical connection and it's never removed, so you know the soft tissue healing - the mucosal integration - will never be disturbed afterwards.

Nilsson: And the benefits from a restorative point of view?

Touati: From a restorative point of view it's again very simple, as we bring the restorative interface to tissue level, which can make things easier. Working at tissue level increases visibility and accessibility.

Nilsson: You've mentioned the advantages of restoring at tissue level - why choose the On1 concept over just placing a tissue-level implant?

Rompen: Tissue-level implants are fine from a biological viewpoint, but the problem is that they are not versatile. If a problem occurs at the flap, if the neck is exposed for instance, you have no solution. With the On1 concept, you have versatility. In addition, with On1, we have a very nice platform shift, which gives us an O-ring of connective tissue that can help stabilise the soft tissues.

Touati: The On1 Base retains restorative flexibility. With the On1 concept we truly have, as Eric said, the best of both worlds.