Nobel Biocare showcased its digital workflow product line, some new implant products, and the Foundation for Oral Rehabilitation (FOR) at its Global Symposium 2013 this week in New York.
The company's secure online network NobelConnect enables a seamless workflow from patient diagnostics and treatment planning to surgery and later also prosthetics, the company noted in a press release. Starting with diagnostics and treatment planning in the NobelClinician Software, the surface model obtained from the second-generation NobelProcera 2G scanner can now be added to the scene at any stage of the treatment, the company explained.
Surgical templates are automatically generated using the integrated surface scan and planned implant positions. In addition to the traditional fully guided approach, NobelGuide will now also offer options for guided pilot drilling. All surgical templates can be visualized immediately in the NobelClinician software, ordered online, and are ready to use upon delivery.
In addition, the OsseoCare Pro iPad-operated drilling unit is also linked to NobelConnect. This allows the secure transfer of digital plans from NobelClinician directly into the intelligent device for free hand surgeries or guided surgery options. Each is documented into automated clinical reports. After the surgery, patient-specific data are exported back to NobelClinician and stored in the fully encrypted NobelClinician file for later reference.
The company is also offering a new membrane, creos xeno.protect, to selected European markets. The biodegradable collagen membrane is designed for dental use in guided bone regeneration and guided tissue regeneration procedures. The company did not disclose the official launch date for this product.
Also new is NobelProcera Angulated Screw Channel (ASC) abutment, which allows for a more optimal and aesthetic screw access position, according to the company. Clinicians, previously limited to cement-retained solutions because of aesthetic reasons or access difficulties, can now opt for screw-retained solutions.
The concept behind the angulated screw channel is to provide a choice of screw access positions. This is supported by the new Omnigrip interface tooling, which features a friction-based pickup function designed to make the screwdriver easily connect to the screw. Screw tightening is then possible whether the screwdriver is straight or at an angle. The ASC concept combined with Omnigrip will be introduced starting with selected NobelProcera abutments next year.
