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Professor Dr. Mario Kern, an oral implantologist, presented the new patented Extended Anatomic Platform® at IDS this year. The EAP is a new dental implant solution, produced using GE Additive’s dental hybrid solution, which includes a Concept Laser Mlab Cusing 200R, a Georg Fischer milling machine, and Follow-Me hyperDENT software. Dr Kern is the creator of the solution.
While the device was initially conceptualized only to aid in the implant’s chewing function, the design evolved over time from more mechanical components to biological and aesthetic categories. The design is intended to mimic the appearance of native tooth as closely as possible. Due to these design shifts, the long-term stability, abutment aesthetic appeal and predictability of the implants became top priority.
With the rising rate of patients opting for dental implants, the rate of peri-implantitis (an infectious disease) has risen in tandem. The infection causes gum and bone structure inflammation around the implant, which makes the soft oral tissue around the implant recede, revealing the metal abutment. The cause of this infection depends on several factors.
To address this issue, Kern’s solution involves ceramic being placed behind the metal in conjunction with a bowl-esque design that allows the ceramic to sit lower on the piece. In patients with gum recession, this design allows dentists to remove a portion of the visible metal to make the existing ceramic visible again. This provides benefits over the current convention, where ceramic is fired separately onto the exposed metal, causing discrepancies in the appearance of the implant.
The materials used in the implant may also have advantages over typical implants. Firstly, the hybrid abutment is said to be more biocompatible, with better cell attachment and enhanced ease-of-use. Additionally, it provides better modification capacities over titanium.
“The dental hybrid process enables economical production of my abutment with highest accuracy,” he stated. “With its dental expertise and technical solutions, GE Additive is the perfect partner for my business. This solution combines the advantages of Additive Manufacturing with subtractive technology, to get the best out of both manufacturing worlds, which means a time and cost-efficient production process.”
For Further Information
More on the dental implant fixtures and final abutments market in the U.S. can be found in a series of reports published by iData entitled the U.S. Market Report Suite for Dental Implant Fixtures and Final Abutments.