Straumann® BLX Implant Delivers on Predictable Immediate Placement
Straumann
Edmond Bedrossian, DDS, is both a dental educator and the owner of a private practice in downtown San Francisco who has specialized in oral and maxillofacial surgery for the past three decades. As a Diplomate of the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, as well as a professor at the University of the Pacific, he takes pride in staying up-to-date on the latest innovations in dental implants. Last year he began using the new Straumann® BLX Implant System, and has seen impressive results.
"I use the BLX implant for all extractions and immediate implant placement in both the esthetic zone as well as in the posterior sextants," Bedrossian attests. "For the past year, it has shown to be a predictable implant for immediate placement in a range of situations."
The BLX implant, according to the manufacturer, is designed for confidence beyond immediacy, and is suitable for other treatment protocols, ranging from immediate to conventional placement and loading. Offering a simplified but versatile portfolio, the system features one connection and under-contoured prosthetics to assist clinicians in achieving high esthetics.
Bedrossian notes the importance of predictability for immediate implant placement, and in this regard the BLX delivers, he says. "Two factors are crucial for immediate implant placement: surface enhancement and implant design." The BLX implant features Straumann's patented Roxolid® material, which the company describes as a high-performance alloy made of 15% zirconium and 85% titanium, offering excellent strength, osseointegration, and biocompatibility. Additionally, the implant's SLActive® surface, Bedrossian says, allows for uniform formation of the fibrin clot, promoting contact osteogenesis.
Bedrossian adds, "The continuous taper of the BLX implant compresses cancellous bone along the length of the implant, allowing for a stable insertion torque. This facilitates immediate implant placement in single-tooth cases, as well as immediate loading in full-arch cases."
The BLX implant, Bedrossian has found, works well when used with the Straumann® Pro Arch protocol, which allows clinicians to provide patients fixed full-arch treatments with an immediate temporary restoration. "The one connection of the BLX implant portfolio is a fantastic innovation, especially when tilting implants in Pro Arch-type cases," he explains. "This one implant-abutment connection gives the surgeon confidence that the implant diameter will be appropriate for initial stability, because even if the diameter of the implant placed varies from the treatment-planned diameter, there won't be any prosthetic compromise."
Feedback from patients has been positive, Bedrossian points out, as the immediate implant placement option he offers with the BLX incorporates atraumatic extraction, with virtually no raised soft-tissue flaps. "I've noticed that postoperative swelling and discomfort is minimal, and patients always respond positively to this treatment approach," he comments.
For clinicians interested in implementing the BLX implant into their practice, Straumann is offering full-day courses and workshops beginning this fall, Bedrossian says. These educational opportunities, including case presentations and hands-on training, will address the use of BLX with immediate implant placement and in conjunction with the Pro Arch treatment concept.
With implant dentistry an accepted and even expected treatment option today, Bedrossian, a devoted dental instructor, stresses the importance of understanding osseointegration, bone physiology, and surgical and prosthetic biomechanics in order to achieve safe and predictable treatment results. He feels that with these concepts, along with innovative solutions like the Straumann BLX, implant dentistry has a solid future.
Straumann
800-448-8168
https://ifu.straumann.com
