Nobel Biocare announced today that it has signed a preferred partnership agreement with Germany-based VITA Zahnfabrik, a global market leader in restorative and prosthetic materials for dentists and dental technicians. The agreement with VITA marks the second partnership, after Ivoclar Vivadent, in the company’s newly established Preferred Partner Program. The collaboration with VITA enables Nobel Biocare to offer superior end-to-end prosthetic solutions by combining its leading competencies in CAD/CAM dentistry with VITA’s leading dental ceramics and expertise in artificial teeth as well as veneering and framework materials. The partnership will also involve the development of new materials, joint educational and training programs and commercial activities.
VITA to join Preferred Partner Program
The preferred partnership agreement signed with VITA, a worldwide market leader in restorative and prosthetic materials for dentists and dental technicians, will provide Nobel Biocare with access to state-of-the-art prosthetics materials and align the company’s portfolio to provide the best product fit and highest quality solutions. Nobel Biocare will consequently further expand its leading market position as the 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 VITA 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. This agreement with VITA will not only complement Nobel Biocare’s recent launch of a new scanner, software, and broad range of new prosthetic products and materials, it will also strengthen the company’s position as the industry’s leading full solution provider and partner of choice in dentistry.
Domenico Scala, CEO Nobel Biocare: “The partnership with world-leading materials provider VITA enables us to further expand our NobelProcera offer and strengthen our position as the innovator and leader in CAD/CAM dentistry. This collaborative undertaking encompasses a wide range of joint activities and represents an optimal fit between our two companies, that will lead to enhanced clinical results for dental professionals and their patients.”
Dr. Henry Rauter, CEO VITA: ”The optimal match between VITA products and the products and manufacturing processes of selected business partners has been our key to success for decades. This new partnership with Nobel Biocare increases our customers’ flexibility and enables them to combine VITA products with other leading dental systems.”
Areas of collaboration with VITA
The partnership agreement with VITA covers the following areas:
Veneering solutions
VITA is a market leader in veneering solutions and has an extensive network of customers. VITA offers one of the broadest portfolios of veneering solutions on the market, including veneering systems for alumina, zirconia, titanium and cobalt-chrome frameworks. VITA’s veneering portfolio is fully compatible with the NobelProcera product and materials portfolio and therefore represents an ideal fit in terms of a holistic approach to high quality tooth restorations. Nobel Biocare and VITA will issue certificates of compatibility for their products and materials, thereby guaranteeing customers the superior quality of final restorations. Building on their combined competencies and expertise, Nobel Biocare and VITA will support customers by issuing clear veneering protocols and recommendations.
Material development
VITA and Nobel Biocare will collaborate in developing and supplying state-of-the-art, high-performance dental restorative materials. Combining Nobel Biocare’s leading knowledge in CAD/CAM restorative solutions and industrial manufacturing with VITA’s material expertise will result in even better prosthetics quality and treatment processes for dental professionals as well as their patients.
Commercial, training and research partnership
Under the partnership agreement, the companies’ joint efforts in the area of prosthetics will focus on the development of new materials, as well as on training, educational and commercial activities. Nobel Biocare will promote VITA’s veneering materials, while the new Nobel Biocare CAD software will grant NobelProcera customers access to VITA’s denture tooth library. Both parties will combine their excellent training and education competencies to offer customized learning programs for veneering, denture prosthetics, treatment planning, preparation and placement techniques.
Preferred Partner Program with leading dental materials providers
With the goal of further strengthening NobelProcera’s leading market position in CAD/CAM-based dentistry, Nobel Biocare initiated a Preferred Partner Program in January 2010 with selected providers of dental materials. The partnerships will afford access to a wider range of state-of-the-art, high-performance dental materials thereby making it possible for customers take advantage of the most comprehensive portfolio of end-to-end restorative and prosthetic solutions available in the market. Nobel Biocare’s broadened product range will include new products, better veneering solutions, cost-effective treatment options and complete solutions for edentulous indications. In January 2010, Ivoclar Vivadent was the first company to partner with Nobel Biocare within the framework of the Preferred Partner Program.
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 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 plant on high-precision industrial machines. Centralized milling is becoming an increasingly favored option because laboratories gain full access to a wide spectrum of products and materials at only a fraction of the costs (approximately 25% of in-lab systems, as technicians need only to invest in the scanner technology). CAD/CAM-based dentistry is one of the fastest growing market segments in dentistry. Nobel Biocare is the market leader in outsourced central milling for all-ceramic CAD/CAM prosthetics. With NobelProcera, Nobel Biocare offers the best-documented and leading solution on the market, with an installed based of roughly 5,000 systems in 54 countries and over 8 million restorations to date.
About VITA
VITA Zahnfabrik H. Rauter GmbH & Co. KG AG is an independent, family-owned enterprise based in Bad Säckingen, Germany. The company is specialized in materials and technologies for the manufacture of high-quality dental restorations. VITA enjoys worldwide renown and, in its more than 80-year history, has realized numerous pioneering achievements in the fields of ceramics, artificial teeth and the reproduction of human tooth colors. As a global player, the company is present in all of the world’s key dental markets. VITA employs a workforce of more than 800 individuals.
