BIOMET 3i Provides Patient-Friendly Solutions, Dentist-Friendly Support

According to BIOMET 3i President, Bart Doedens, the increase in popularity of implant dentistry is due largely to greater acceptance by dental professionals, who are taking the time to learn how to place or restore dental implants. This, in turn, has increased awareness among prospective patients of the benefits of implant treatment as a permanent solution for missing teeth.

“As a leading dental implant manufacturer, BIOMET 3i is also aware that patient and clinician demands are increasing as well. Implant placers want faster integration and more predictability, while restorers are focused on esthetic outcomes,” says Doedens. For these reasons, he notes, his company created the 3i T3® Implant, which is designed to deliver esthetic results through tissue preservation. “The 3i T3 Implant incorporates key elements like a contemporary hybrid surface, seal integrity through a stable and tight implant/abutment interface, and integrated platform switching that is provided by a medialized implant/abutment junction,” he explains.

Implant dentistry, Doedens suggests, is “a myriad of technologies that work in combination to provide an esthetic, positive outcome for the patient.” The company’s BellaTek® Encode® Impression system, he says, is especially patient friendly in that it captures crucial information to make the restoration patient-specific while working with or without intraoral scanning machines to ensure that the patient’s chair time is minimized. “The benefit is that it eliminates traditional impression copings. The clinician simply has to take an impression of the healing abutment and is able to obtain important pieces of information to construct the definitive abutment,” says Doedens. “With the intraoral scanning option, there is no need for impression material, so patients who are ‘gaggers’ have a more convenient option—they are scanned by a wand instead to capture the codes on the healing abutment.”

Doedens agrees with the 2002 McGill Consensus Statement on Overdentures, which states that the mandibular two-implant overdenture is the first choice standard of care for edentulous patients and that not sharing this information with patients is putting them at a disadvantage. “We know that dentures do not halt bone or tissue loss and instead can contribute to the problem as further pressure is placed on the affected area,” he says. “With dental implants that mimic the natural tooth root, the solution is more permanent and doesn’t present the same issues as dentures, such as mouth sores, embarrassment if they fall out, and messy pastes.”

Supporting implant dentists is the Institute for Implant and Reconstructive Dentistry (IIRD®). Located at the company’s global headquarters in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, with satellite facilities in Europe and Latin America, the IIRD is the training and education department of BIOMET 3i. The state-of-the-art facilities combine leading-edge technology with evidence-based dentistry, empowering clinicians, allied staff, and dental laboratory technicians with world-class knowledge that leads to enhanced outcomes, according to the company. Dental professionals looking for information regarding the IIRD and associated education courses can visit www.iird.com.

BIOMET 3i sees a bright future for implant dentistry, says Doedens. “With implants like the 3i T3 Implant, clinicians are able to work with the best in technology, science, and engineering to provide their patients with the quickest route to esthetic outcomes.” He suggests that the decline seen in implant dentistry procedures both in the US and Europe in recent years was due to economic conditions, and expects technological improvements combined with economic recovery to reinvigorate demand for implants. “As the technology continues to improve and world economies recover, patients with disposable income will find themselves in a perfect position to receive optimal dental care,” he maintains.

Hinting at innovations to come, Doedens says BIOMET 3i’s research and development efforts are never-ending. “We continue to search for better ways to provide esthetics through quicker and more optimal means. Dental professionals can expect to be introduced to a bevy of world-class restorative and surgical products from BIOMET 3i in the next few years, including regenerative and CAD/CAM related product line extensions and collaborations,” he says. “Don’t take your eye off BIOMET 3i. There are exciting things on the horizon.”

BIOMET 3i

4555 Riverside Dr
Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410
800-342-5454
dentalaegis.com/go/cced458