Implant pioneer Gerald Niznick`s Implants Direct concept of internet-based factory-direct-to-dentist implant sales plans on launching a copy of the Straumann implant design in September. Having already successfully marketed a copy of Nobel Biocare`s implant designs. Read this interview with an European trade journal for interesting details of the strategy.
The FDA has reinspected the BIORA facility and is satisfied with the improvements made. Because the focus of the observations was on the maintenance of quality system documentation and procedures, changes to Straumann® Emdogain, Straumann® PrefGel and Straumann® BoneCeramic were not needed in order to resolve the FDA issues. Straumann has changed the delivery mechanism of Straumann® PrefGel from a pipette to a syringe, which will help to ensure easier, more effective handling of the root conditioner.
A court in Germany has dismissed a request from Belgian dental implant software maker Materialise for an injunction against a Nobel Biocare software product, NobelGuide. Belgium software maker, Materialise had alleged the updated version of Nobel Biocare`s NobelGuide software infringed one of its patents, a spokesman for Nobel Biocare told Reuters on Wednesday. The Duesseldorf district court decided that the NobelGuide software does not infringe the Belgian company`s patent. The updated version had been introduced as a response to last
Canadian researchers at the NRC Industrial Materials Institute (NRC-IMI) in Boucherville, Quebec have developed a porous titanium foam implant said to mimic a metallic version of bone. The titanium foam is made by mixing titanium powder with a polymer, and then adding foaming agents that expand the polymer when heated. Later, through a high-temperature heat treatment, the polymer is removed and the titanium particles are consolidated to provide mechanical strength to the porous structure. Porous titanium had previously been used
Canadian researchers at the University of Alberta have found the surface nanocrystallization of a metallic material is an effective approach for modifying the surface energy of metals. “Our results demonstrate that the combination of surface nanocrystallization and thermal oxidation treatment is a promising approach to suppress the formation of infectious biofilms on metallic materials, thus providing a surface technique to minimize bacterial biofilms on implant surfaces for improved orthodontic and orthopedic applications” says Li the lead researcher. This surface modification
3M ESPE`s digital dental impression system has been selected as a bronze award winner in the International Design Excellence Awards for 2008. This digital dental impression system captures continuous 3D video images to create precise 3D dental models. Intended for use by dentists and hygienists, it eliminates the discomfort of traditional methods and improves communication between patients and dentists by allowing immediate chair-side review. To create a digital impression, the dentist positions the wand in the patient`s mouth and glides
A report by scientists from the Netherlands published in the FASEB Journal identifies a compound in human saliva that greatly speeds wound healing. Scientists found that Histatin, a small protein in saliva previously only believed to kill bacteria was responsible for the healing. Because saliva is a complex liquid with many components, the next step was to identify which component was responsible for wound healing. Using various techniques the researchers split the saliva into its individual components, tested each in
Dr. Jong-Ho Lee, a Korean dentist, has patented his design for a free-angled screwdriver and abutment. The system addresses the prosthetic problem of access screw hole placement. The free-angled driver consists of 2 to 3 sections connected using universal joints which allows the unrestricted rotation of the free-angled driver at any angle. The free-angled driver eliminates the need for a straight channel to access the abutment screw. The abutment screw can be screwed and unscrewed using the curved channel up
Michael Mastromarino, the leader of the body-snatching ring that plundered the corpse of broadcaster Alistair Cooke apologized to the victims as he was sentenced to 18-54 years in prison. “I am deeply sorry for all the emotional pain I have caused to donor families and donor recipients,” he told the Brooklyn Supreme Court in New York. Mastromarino once ran a dental practice on New York`s Fifth Avenue specializing in dental implant surgery. But he was forced to surrender his dental
Novel processing of commercially pure titanium (CP Ti) has produced exceptional mechanical properties and recent clinical trials have proven its superior biocompatibility as well. CP Ti is desirable mainly for its superior biocompatibility, but suffers from low strength compared to either steel or alloyed titaniums. Severe plastic deformation (SPD) processing aims to get microstructural refinement to a level not achievable with traditional processing yielding nanocrystalline titanium. Fatigue life has nearly doubled and although damage tolerance suffered, the levels are still
