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BioImplant is an Austrian dental implant company with a radical new solution to immediate dental implant placement. The patient`s extracted tooth is laser scanned and modified in CAD software, then machined out of zirconium and implanted in the still healing socket for incredibly natural looking results.
The 6th International Congress of the CAI Academy will be held in Verona, Italy from October 28 to 19, 2011. Computer aided implant surgery has reached peak levels of acceptance giving proof of the clinical efficacy of computerized procedures. The Congress will focus on the need of defining the state of the art in research and clinical application. Two main areas will be analyzed: topics of current research and current clinical application. Amongst the speaker are: Dr. Scott Ganz, Dr. Kurt Alexander Schicho, Dr. Gerlig Widmann, Dr. Luc Vrielinck, and Dr. Oguz Ozan.
Researchers at the California Institute of Technology have developed a Palladium based glass that is an alloy of the noble metal palladium, a small fraction of silver, and a mixture of other metalloids—has shown itself in tests to have a combination of strength and toughness at a level that has not previously been seen in any other material. "Our study demonstrates for the first time that this class of materials, the metallic glasses, has the capacity to become the toughest and strongest ever known," Demetriou says. Indeed, the researchers write in their paper, these materials allow for "pushing the envelope of damage tolerance accessible to a structural metal." The palladium alloy described in the paper could soon be of use in biomedical implants, says Demetriou. "One example is dental implants," Demetriou says. "Many noble-metal alloys, including palladium, are currently used in dentistry due to their chemical inertness and resistance to oxidation, tarnish, and corrosion. Owing to its superior damage tolerance, the present palladium glass can be thought of as a superior alternative to conventional palladium dental alloys. Plus, the absence of any elements considered toxic or allergenic—nickel, copper, aluminum—from the composition of this alloy will likely promote good biological compatibility."
BioImplant, an Austrian company, has developed the BioImplant, a CAD/CAM Zirconium implant used in immediate placement. The hopeless tooth is extracted gently by means of a periotome to avoid any damage to the extraction socket, which is to be used as implant site. Particular care has to be taken not to destroy the thin buccal cortical bone. The root of the extracted tooth or an impression of the extraction socket serves as basis for the production of the individualized immediate implant. Macro-retentions, strictly limited to the interdental space, are designed, the buccal and lingual face is slightly reduced and a crown stump is constructed for later connection to the crown in the laboratory. The prepared root is then laser scanned and the implant milled from a medical-grade Zirconia block, the surface is roughened by sandblasting and sintered for eight hours to achieve the desired mechanical properties. Thereafter the implant is cleaned in an ultrasonic bath containing 96% ethanol for 10 minutes, packaged and steam sterilized. Within 10 hours the customized root analogue implant is ready for use.
Sonitus Medica of San Mateo, California has received FDA clearance for SoundBite, a dental hearing aid for people with deafness in one ear. The system works much like a cochlear implant, except for the implantation. A behind the ear device wirelessly transmits audio from the affected ear to a little receiver attached to a tooth that resonates the teeth, that in turn stimulate both cochlea. The removable In-The-Mouth (ITM) device showed no long-term effects on dental or periodontal soft or hard tissues and was determined to be safe for long-term dental wear. The device was worn on patients` natural teeth, as well as on those with fillings, restorations, crowns, root canals, and dental implants.
The use in spine surgery of bone-growth proteins like Medtronic Inc.’s product Infuse has led to widespread nationwide increases in hospital charges ranging from 11% to 41% above conventional surgical costs, researchers found.
The researchers studied the results of a broad U.S. sample of 328,000 spine surgeries from 2002 through 2006. They report their findings this week in JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association.
The authors, from both Brigham & Women’s Hospital in Boston and from Yale, also found that by 2006 the use of the new bone proteins, especially Infuse, had increased to nearly 25% of all operations in which spinal vertebrae are fused together to alleviate back pain.
“People know bone-growth protein is expensive, but this gives an idea of how expensive,” said Kevin S. Cahill, the lead author and a neurosurgeon at Brigham & Women’s hospital.
A new peptide, embedded in a soft gel or a thin, flexible film and placed next to a cavity, encourages cells inside teeth to regenerate in about a month, according to a new study in the journal ACS Nano. This technology is the first of its kind.
The new gel or thin film could eliminate the need to fill painful cavities or drill deep into the root canal of an infected tooth.
The gel or thin film contains a peptide known as MSH, or melanocyte-stimulating hormone. Previous experiments, reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, showed that MSH encourages bone regeneration.
Bone and teeth are fairly similar, so the French scientists reasoned that if the MSH were applied to teeth, it should help healing as well.
To test their theory, the French scientists applied either a film or gel, both of which contained MSH, to cavity-filled mice teeth. After about one month, the cavities had disappeared, said Benkirane-Jessel, a scientist at the Institut National de la Sante et de la Recherche Medicale and a co-author of the recent paper.
Keystone Dental`s Genesis Implant has been cleared by regulators. The implant system features a patented BioSpark™ surface, a nano-surface that mimics the structure of bone, creating a healing environment to optimize bone integration. In addition, the unique AnaTite™ process results in the first-ever marketed pink implant collar and a complete line of pink prosthetics. The aesthetic breakthrough of the AnaTite process allows the Genesis System to project a more natural hue through the patient`s gum tissue for a more natural looking smile.
Dental Implant Prices Decline by 3.3% in Europe as Practitioners Purchase Implants From Low-Cost Manufacturers, According to Millennium Research Group. Average selling prices of dental implant fixtures and final abutments have decreased 3.3% and 8.1%, respectively, over the past year. This occurred as dentists attempted to maintain profitability during the economic crisis by demanding greater discounts and increasingly purchasing implants from low-cost manufacturers.
AstraZeneca is considering spinning off a Swedish business that makes dental implants and medical devices for $2bn (£1.25bn). The Anglo-Swedish drugmaker said today that it had hired JP Morgan Chase to help with a strategic review of the firm. In 2009 the industry suffered its weakest year, with sales falling by 3% to 5%. This year the market has been flat but it is slowly recovering.
Potential suitors for Astra Tech include US rivals such as privately held Biomet, along with 3M, Zimmer, Danaher and Dentsply International, as well as private equity firms, according to industry analysts. Medical technology firms such as Medtronic and Johnson & Johnson seeking to enter the dental implant market could also be interested.
In Europe, the most likely bidders are Swiss firms Nobel and Straumann, the market leaders controlling 21% and 22% of the dental implants market.
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