Nobel Biocare has released a one-piece implant design `NobelOverdenture` for use in edentulous situations. It features narrow diameter and one piece for ease of handling. It promises to deliver a cost-effective option to secure dentures.
A team of Brown University engineers, led by Thomas Webster, has discovered a new material that could significantly increase osseointegration success rate. Osteoblasts grow faster and produce more calcium on anodized titanium covered in carbon nanotubes compared with plain anodized titanium and the non-anodized version currently used in orthopaedic implants. The work, published in Nanotechnology, uncovers a new material that can be used to make more successful implants. The research also shows tantalizing promise for an all-new device: a “smart”
Straumann has released their new implant – the `bone level` implant. It features the SLActive surface all the way up to the top of the implant. The abutments are anatomically shaped and feature a `platform-switching` concept. It appears that this design is a response to concerns regarding esthetics and recession with implants in the esthetic zone. Straumann reports that `Intermediate data from the first clinical study show excellent esthetic results with regard to both hard and soft tissues indicating a
The new method exploits a membrane-spanning protein called TRPV1, which is unique to pain-sensing neurons. TRPV1 forms a large channel, where molecules can enter and exit the cell. But a “gate” typically blocks this opening. The gate opens when cells are exposed to heat or the chili-pepper ingredient capsaicin. Thus, bathing pain-sensing neurons in capsaicin leaves these channels open, but non-pain sensing neurons are unaffected because they do not possess TRPV1. “We’re optimistic that this method will eventually be applied
Implant Logic Systems is a service which both plans implant positioning and manufactures a custom surgical drill guide to place the implants according to the treatment plan. They use both `Simplant` and a custom software package, VIP, to plan the implant position using CT-Scan data. Their Pilot Compu-Guide Drill Kit is used to ensure accurate osteotomy positioning using the custom designed drill guide and sleeves.
A Washington State disciplinary board has fined a Lynnwood dentist $10,000, suspended his license at least through the end of the year and ordered him to take 41 hours of continuing education courses. The case involved a patient treated between June 2004 and November 2006 who needed nine dental implants. In its order, the commission found that the dentist failed to adequately examine, assess, evaluate, diagnose or develop a treatment plan for the patient. He did not adequately check out
Professor Markus Buehler of MIT`s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering has revealed for the first time the role of bone`s atomistic structure in a toughening mechanism that incorporates two theories previously proposed by researchers eager to understand the secret behind the material`s lightweight strength. He studied the molecular structure of the mineralized collagen fibrils that make up level 2 bone, hoping to find the mechanism behind bone`s strength, which is considerable for such a lightweight, porous material. When pressure
The left side of Lincoln`s face was much smaller than the right, an aberration called cranial facial microsomia. The defect joins a long list of ailments – including smallpox, heart illness and depression – that modern doctors have diagnosed in Lincoln. Laser scans of two life masks, made from plaster casts of Lincoln`s face, reveal the 16th president`s unusual degree of facial asymmetry. The scanning technique is usually used to create 3-D images of children with cleft lip and palate
Tissue Engineering Researchers at the University of Tokyo Hospital and venture company Next 21 are using 3D inkjet printers to produce tailor-made artificial bones for use in facial reconstructive surgery. To make an artificial bone with this technology, a 3D computer model of the bone is first created based on the patient’s X-ray and CT scan data. The computer model is then sliced into a large number of cross-sections and the data is sent to a special 3D inkjet printer,
Straumann has released a set of drill stops for use with their single-use implant drills. The color coded drill stops come in a kit designed for a specific depth e.g 8mm. The small size of the drill stops offer an optimum view of the treatment area and openings on the drill stops facilitate irrigation and removal of bone chips.
