Straumann is proud to announce that another of its products has been internationally recognized for its design and features that provide enhanced benefits for patients: the company’s innovative thermoplastic drill template has won the prestigious 2007 Medical Design Excellence Award (MDEA), which will be presented at an official ceremony in New York in June.
Significant additional predictability in just a matter of minutes
The Straumann® Thermoplastic Drill Template provides a quick, simple and precise solution for ensuring optimum implant placement. The template consists of a small titanium tube (sleeve) vertically embedded in a flat piece of a special polymer that becomes malleable when heated and then sets when cool. Prior to use, the template is warmed in hot water and moulded over a cast model of the patient’s teeth with the sleeve positioned along the planned axis for the implant. Once the polymer has cooled and hardened, the template can be used in the patient’s mouth to position and guide the implant pilot drill, which passes through the sleeve precisely.
The additional contribution to the predictability of the implant procedure is impressive in view of the fact that it takes just a few minutes to prepare the template. Straumann® Thermoplastic Drill Templates are supplied in two shapes and were launched in Europe and North America in 2006, where they are widely available.