Innovator Profile 2015: Glidewell Laboratories

Q: Over the years, there have been many innovations made in the materials and procedures used to provide implants. Implants have expanded from single teeth to entire sets of dentures. Can you briefly explain what role the Hahn Tapered Implant has in contributing to these innovations?
A. In developing the Hahn Tapered Implant, Jim Glidewell and I devised a new system that continues the evolution of the tapered implant and reduces treatment expenses. We wanted to do something that would give back to an industry that has given us so much. The collaboration represents an effort to expand the availability of implant therapy by combining my experience in implant design with Glidewell Laboratories’ long history of offering premium dental solutions at affordable prices.

The Hahn Tapered Implant System makes the implant treatment process simpler, safer and more predictable than ever before. The system is compatible with widely used tapered implant instrumentation and is suited to treat an extensive range of clinical situations. Available in multiple sizes, Hahn Tapered Implants can be utilized to restore every tooth in the mouth, including a first molar or a lateral incisor in a tight anterior space. The cutting-edge implants allow for precise control during placement, engage a maximum amount of bone and achieve a high degree of primary stability in even the most demanding clinical situations.

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Q: Can you explain how the Hahn Implant enhances implant procedures?
A. The Hahn Tapered Implant System was made to simplify implant therapy and increase case efficiency, advantages that benefit both clinician and patient. The color-coded surgical kit clearly maps the drilling protocol, which is made simpler by the inclusion of implant-specific shaping drills to precisely determine both diameter and depth of the osteotomy. Furthermore, the implants seat very quickly and engage firmly in the direction in which they’re guided, even in fresh extraction sites. With good primary stability, I’ve been able to load them immediately, which is something patients are becoming more accustomed to today.

Q: What features of the Hahn Implant do you believe are the most valuable on a day-to-day basis in a clinician’s practice and why?
A. When it comes to the design of the Hahn Tapered Implant System, there are a number of features that have been shown to be clinically advantageous. The tapered body is great because it allows for placement in all regions of the mouth, including anatomically sensitive areas in fully edentulous cases. The implant features a pronounced thread pattern with self-tapping grooves to enable swift insertion and maximize bone contact. The unique thread pattern and coronal microthreads provide good initial stability and minimize bone resorption. The surface of the implant is treated with resorbable blast media, which is a well-documented, proven surface treatment that promotes osseointegration and leads to high success in all bone types. Furthermore, the machined collar of the implant facilitates soft tissue maintenance, and the conical internal hex connection provides excellent seal, stability and strength.

Q: How has the Hahn Implant impacted patient perception, and has that led to any impact on patient care?
A. Clinicians want to help as many patients as possible, and patients don’t want to sit in the chair any longer than they have to. Everybody wins when you’re able to address all kinds of cases capably and quickly; the Hahn Tapered Implant System makes achieving that goal a straightforward endeavor. With a greater range of implant sizes, implant-specific drills and an assortment of time-tested features enhanced by a contemporary design, the Hahn Tapered Implant System can help clinicians mitigate patient trauma, reduce chair time, promote primary stability and long-term integration and facilitate immediate provisionalization and other prosthetic considerations.

Q: Is there anything else that we haven’t asked about the Hahn Implant that might be important?
A. When I came up with the original Replace tapered implant system in the 1990s, I had no idea how successful it would become. After 45 years of placing and restoring tapered implants, I knew what changes needed to be made to make a great implant even better. So when I was presented with the opportunity to partner with a veteran team of implant engineers and manufacturing professionals to create a new implant system, I couldn’t resist. The Hahn Tapered Implant System is the best implant system I’ve used. I wouldn’t put my name on it if that wasn’t true. And, again, all of this would not be possible without the advantages yielded by Glidewell Laboratories’ long history of providing high quality and affordable dental solutions.

Hahn Tapered Implant System
COMBINES CLINICALLY PROVEN FEATURES WITH CONTEMPORARY INNOVATION
With the goal of expanding access to implant therapy, Dr. Hahn designed this system for general practitioners and specialists alike to make the treatment process simpler, safer and more predictable.
Precision control
Hahn Tapered Implants allow for precise control during placement, engage a maximum amount of bone and achieve a high degree of primary stability in a wide variety of clinical situations.
Wide assortment of implants
The broad assortment includes diameters ranging from 3mm, for tight anterior spaces, to 7mm, ideally suited for molar extractions.
Implant-specific drills
With implant-specific drills and a collection of time-tested features enhanced by a cutting-edge design, the Hahn Tapered Implant System is precisely engineered to meet the demands of modern implant dentistry.

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