Nobel Biocare announced today that it has signed a preferred partnership agreement with the Japanese company Noritake Dental Supply Co., Limited, a leading supplier of restorative and prosthetic materials for dentists and dental technicians. This agreement with Noritake marks the company’s third alliance under its recently established Preferred Partner Program, following two earlier agreements with Ivoclar Vivadent and VITA Zahnfabrik. The collaboration with Noritake enables Nobel Biocare to offer superior end-to-end prosthetic solutions by combining its leading competencies in CAD/CAM dentistry with Noritake’s outstanding expertise in dental ceramics, veneering and framework materials. The partnership also includes the development of new materials, joint educational and training programs and commercial activities.
The preferred partnership agreement signed with Noritake, a market leader in restorative and prosthetic materials for dentists and dental technicians, will supplement Nobel Biocare’s portfolio and reinforce its ability to provide the best product fit and highest quality solutions. As a result, the company will be in a position to further expand its leading market position as a provider of superior end-to-end prosthetic solutions that offer outstanding esthetics, strength and fit for every indication and restorative need. Under the terms of the agreement, the partnership with Noritake also involves joint research and development programs, joint clinical research and studies, educational and training programs for dental laboratories and clinicians, as well as joint commercial activities. The collaboration with Noritake will complement Nobel Biocare’s recent launch of a new scanner, software, broad range of new prosthetic products and materials, and strengthen the company’s position as the partner of choice in dentistry.
Domenico Scala, CEO of Nobel Biocare: “Noritake is the perfect addition to our recently established Preferred Partner Program. With Noritake, Ivoclar Vivadent and VITA, this strong group of partners comprises the world’s leading material suppliers in all key geographical regions. These partnerships help to leverage our NobelProcera product line and strengthen our position as the innovator and leader in CAD/CAM dentistry. Customers and patients benefit from fully compatible solutions that lead to even better treatment processes and final restorative results.”
“We are extremely pleased to announce this partnership with Nobel Biocare,” said Mr. Yoshiharu Ogawa, president of Noritake Dental Supply Co., Limited. “The agreement demonstrates our on-going commitment to providing the most reliable and the best esthetic restorations to dental professionals and their patients across the globe.”
Areas of collaboration with Noritake
The partnership agreement with Noritake covers the following areas:
Veneering solutions
Noritake offers established veneering solutions for zirconia, alumina, titanium and cobalt-chrome frameworks, which are fully compatible with the NobelProcera product and material portfolio. The companies will team up to issue certificates of compatibility for their products and materials, thereby ensuring that dental professionals and patients, alike, will benefit from superior final restorations.
Commercial, training and research partnership
The collaboration as provided for in the partnership agreement includes commercial activities, customized training and educational programs, as well as the development of new materials. Recommendations on Noritake veneering material will be integrated into the NobelProcera framework design software. As a result, NobelProcera customers will benefit from additional information and service that leads to efficient prosthetic processes and esthetically pleasing high-end final restorations.
Materials development
Noritake and Nobel Biocare will combine their experience in developing high-performance dental restorative materials. Nobel Biocare’s outstanding know-how in CAD/CAM restorative solutions and industrial manufacturing, coupled with Noritake’s expertise in materials, will result in even better prosthetics quality and treatment processes for dental professionals as well as patients.
Preferred Partner Program includes all major dental suppliers
With the goal of further strengthening NobelProcera’s leading market position in CAD/CAM-based dentistry, Nobel Biocare in 2010 initiated a Preferred Partner Program with selected dental material providers. These partnerships afford access to a wider range of state-of-the art, high-performance dental materials, thereby making it possible to offer customers the most comprehensive portfolio of end-to-end restorative and prosthetic solutions. Nobel Biocare’s expanded product palette will include new products, better veneering solutions, cost-effective treatment options and complete solutions for edentulous indications.
Noritake is the third partner to join this select group of preferred partners – with Ivoclar Vivadent and VITA Zahnfabrik as the other partners in the program to date. With these agreements, Nobel Biocare has joined forces with the world’s leading suppliers of dental materials whereby further supporting the global reach of its superior CAD/CAM dental techniques. The partners’ collective product portfolio allows for certified end-to-end solutions for the entire NobelProcera range of products and materials.
About dental CAD/CAM
Tooth restoration is increasingly driven by the computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) of prosthetics. Modern dental prosthetics such as crowns and bridges are designed by computer (CAD) and then milled on computerized machines (CAM) from metals or ceramics. This procedure is considerably more efficient and is therefore progressively replacing traditional labor-intensive processes such as casting, layering and firing. CAD/CAM prosthetics are also used in combination with dental implants. The manufacturing of CAD/CAM prosthetics takes place either directly in the laboratory or at a centralized milling center on high-precision industrial machines. Centralized milling options are becoming increasingly common as laboratories gain full access to a wide product and material spectrum at only a fraction of the costs (approximately 25% of in-lab systems, as the technicians only need to invest in the scanner technology). CAD/CAM based dentistry is one of the fastest growing market segments in dentistry. Nobel Biocare is the leader in outsourced central milling for all-ceramic CAD/CAM prosthetics. With NobelProcera, Nobel Biocare offers the best-documented and most frequently applied solution in the marketplace, with an installed base of approximately 5,000 systems in 54 countries and more than 8 million restorations to date.
About Noritake
Noritake Co., Limited is a publicly listed corporation headquartered in Nagoya, Japan. The company was founded in 1904 and specializes in porcelain materials. Today, the company employs more than 4,200 individuals throughout the world. Since the 1980s, Noritake has been involved in the field of dental ceramics through wholly-owned Noritake Dental Supply Co., Limited, where it has gained an outstanding reputation for faithfully reproducing the esthetic and functional characterization of natural teeth.
