BIOMET 3i Has Its Eye on “Big Picture” Solutions in Implantology
Compendium features peer-reviewed articles and continuing education opportunities on restorative techniques, clinical insights, and dental innovations, offering essential knowledge for dental professionals.
September 1, 2014
Volume 35, Issue 8, September 2014
Page(s): pp. 614
Bart Doedens, the president of BIOMET 3i, credits improvements in implant and implant-related products for their broader acceptance among both clinicians and their patients as a preferred solution for tooth replacement. “There have been a variety of improvements in the way manufacturers develop and design their products in order to achieve optimal outcomes, which, in turn, has led to more widespread acceptance of dental implants as a regular treatment option,” he says. Doedens cites the example of the 3i T3® Implant, which is designed to deliver aesthetic results through tissue preservation, as one such improvement. “This implant incorporates key elements such as a contemporary hybrid surface, a stable and tight implant/abutment interface, and integrated platform switching, which is provided by a medialized implant/abutment junction,” he explains.
Advances in other types of technology, especially CAD/CAM, have supported implants’ growing popularity, Doedens adds. “For many patients and their dentists, having a custom CAD/CAM restoration—as opposed to using stock parts and pieces—has become a better alternative, as it allows for something that truly ‘matches’ the patient,” he says.
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One such BIOMET 3i solution is the BellaTek® Encode® Impression System, he notes. The system allows clinicians to create a patient-specific restoration by capturing crucial information to customize the restoration—while being used with or without intraoral scanning machines. It also helps to minimize the patient’s chairtime.
“The benefit is that the system eliminates traditional impression copings as well as the time associated with utilizing them to obtain an impression,” Doedens states. “The clinician simply has to take an impression of the healing abutment and is able to obtain the important pieces of information needed to construct the definitive abutment.”
He also points out that with digital impressions, using the intraoral scanning option means that there is no need for impression material. This, he says, is especially appreciated by patients who are “gaggers.” “Instead of having the impression material-filled tray placed in their mouths, they are scanned by a wand to capture the codes on the healing abutment. This is much more comfortable for them,” he says.
To support clinicians in their efforts to improve their implant skills in general and use of BIOMET 3i products in particular, the company created an advanced training and education department: the BIOMET 3i Institute for Implant and Reconstructive Dentistry (IIRD®). “The IIRD is a state-of-the-art facility located at our company’s headquarters in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, with satellite facilities around the world,” Doedens acknowledges. He further characterizes the IIRD as a resource that “combines leading-edge technology with evidence-based dentistry—empowering clinicians, allied staff, and dental laboratory technicians with world-class knowledge.”
Dental professionals looking for information regarding the IIRD and associated education courses can visit www.iird.com.
According to Doedens, his company is “all in” when it comes to meeting the challenges of implantology, both now and in the future. “At BIOMET 3i, we continue to work on fully understanding the challenges our customers face and, more importantly, the outcomes that their patients expect.” The company’s newly introduced Smile Therapy™ campaign, he says, focuses “specifically on the outcomes patients want when they seek out help from a clinician in their respective area.” This campaign consists of three key components: Sustainable Aesthetics, Peri-Implant Health Management, and Full Arch Rehabilitation. “These areas of focus are designed to lead to sustainable aesthetics in the long-term, accelerated therapy, and successful comprehensive tissue management,” he explains.
In conclusion, Doedens says BIOMET 3i stresses the “big picture”—that is, how implantology impacts patient care. “It is important to recognize that implant therapy is not about the parts and pieces; it’s about the solutions that you are ultimately offering clinicians and the outcomes that are then yielded to the patient who needs to be able to smile and chew with ease.”
BIOMET 3i
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Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410
800-443-8166
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