Dental News - Interview: An ultimate guide for precise implants

Marc Chalupsky, DTI

Tue. 15 March 2016

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Israeli-based company A.B. Dental has developed a new service for customized implants that combines the latest technologies in implantology, digital dentistry and 3-D printing. The process could be called revolutionary: implants are printed in titanium powder by a special 3-D printer and implant design software using laser sintering. Dental Tribune Online spoke with Dr. Stan Brodie, Director of Implant Planning at ABGuidedService, about this next step in implantology.

Dental Tribune Online: Implantology continues to make significant progress in dentistry. While companies have invested in the development of new implants, prostheses and accessories, there has been less effort to add elements from digital dentistry and 3-D printing for optimal implant planning. What has A.B. Dental achieved in this respect?
Dr. Stan Brodie: A.B. Dental is an implant company based in Israel with worldwide export to 50 countries. We are known for a new 3-D digitally planned implant method that offers dentists a precise technique for placing implants. We provide very good implants and excellent prosthetic components for implants, but much more than that we offer a very interesting technology: ABGuidedService, 3-D planning software for placing dental implants and manufacturing surgical guides using 3-D printing technology. Our ABGuidedService provides everything a dentist needs: surgical tool kits, implants, abutments and even a CAD/CAM bridge for immediate loading. We can design custom-made implants where conventional implants cannot be used.

Could you explain the process for using the ABGuidedService?
First, the dentist uses an intraoral scanner to obtain a scan—we can also work with a precise impression. This will be combined with a CT scan of the patient. Once the dentist has the intraoral and CT scans, he or she submits an order online via our ABDenpax software and sends the scans to us. We then develop the 3-D treatment plan by merging these two scans to create a 3-D image of the patient’s mouth. This has to be done very accurately. In our software, we integrate the model and the CT scan to create a virtual tooth set-up. The ideal implant procedure will be sent to the dentist for review and fine tuning. After the final treatment plan has been approved by the dentist, we 3-D-print the AB Guide, which will be placed in the mouth during surgery. The surgeon will then be able to place the implants in the planned positions with great accuracy. The procedure is fast and predictable.

In many cases, there is resorption of the bone after extractions and there is not enough bone left for conventional implants. We can design a custom implant with our 3-D software and then print it using a laser sintering machine. The laser fuses titanium powder together to create the implant in one piece. We design each implant with the dentist for each case. We print it and it is finished like a regular implant.

You are an expert in computer-guided implant planning and digital manufacture of surgical guides. How does the ABGuidedService differ from other available options?
All companies, like A.B. Dental, look for ways to differentiate themselves from others. Our 3-D planning is unique in the industry. Even if the surgeon does not use a guide, 3-D planning provides far more information than he or she would otherwise have had. Personally, I have been using guided surgery for 16 years and have been developing software for 12 years. We launched our ABGuidedService because dentists do not like to learn how to use software. Many companies sell surgical guide software to dentists, but we provide a full service.

Dentists do not actually have to use our software, but submit an order through an online form on our website. They indicate the kind of surgery they want to perform, the position of the implants, where the extractions are, if they want a temporary bridge, etc. We have three ways of presenting the plan to the dentist: in a PDF report, via software or in an online meeting. Dental implants have been around since the 1950s, but we have developed a completely new approach.

A.B. Dental is based south of Tel Aviv and close to other well-known manufacturers of dental devices. What is the reason for Israel’s strong market position in implantology?
Israel is an amazing country with so much innovation and many companies that have received recognition overseas. The implant industry is derived from the traditional metal-cutting business. Israel is a world-renowned producer of cutting tools for many industries. The metal industry could be considered one of the backbone businesses of our country. (Editorial note: The metal and electrical industries constitute approximately 25 percent of industrial production in Israel according to the Manufacturers Association of Israel.) Many metal-cutting companies recognized that the use of titanium for dental implants was a natural continuation of their expertise in precision metalwork.

Thank you very much for the interview.

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