Nobel Biocare is synonymous with scientific leadership and innovation. The company has a 40-year heritage of original scientific research and innovation in restorative and esthetic dentistry—the longest in the industry—and is dedicated to continually advancing safe and effective solutions.
Nobel Biocare builds upon Professor Per-Ingvar Brånemark’s foundation of modern implant dentistry and Matts Andersson’s development of prosthetic and CAD/CAM dentistry with Procera.
Upon these two innovations, Nobel Biocare has introduced to the market numerous advanced restorative and esthetic dental solutions, many of which have become industry standards.
1950 to 1960
In 1952, Brånemark revolutionized dentistry when he discovered at his laboratory in Sweden that titanium integrates with bone. He called the process "osseointegration".
1960 to 1970
Modern-day implantology was invented in 1965 when Brånemark treated Gösta Larsson, a patient who was missing teeth due to severe chin and jaw deformities. Larsson was the first person in the world to receive titanium dental implants.
1970 to 1980
In 1978, the Swedish health authorities approved the insertion of implants for clinical purposes. Brånemark then approached companies in Sweden—including Bofors, a company associated with the chemicals and defense industries—to work with him in partnership to develop his concept of dental implants. In 1978 Bofors agreed to a partnership with Brånemark.
1980 to 1990
Bofors Nobelpharma (later Nobelpharma) was founded in 1981 in Gothenburg, Sweden to realize the commercial potential of titanium implants.
In 1982, Brånemark presented his scientific data at the Toronto Conference on Osseointegration in Clinical Dentistry, which proved to be the turning point for the treatment’s acceptance.
In the same year, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of titanium dental implants in the United States.
In 1983, Dr Matts Andersson developed the Procera method of high-precision, repeatable manufacturing of dental crowns. Nobelpharma saw the potential in Procera and acquired the technology in 1988.
Procera was introduced to the market and approved by the Swedish National Board of Health in 1989.
1990 to 2000
Modern ceramics for dentistry were developed in 1992.
Nobelpharma was listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange in 1994. The company was renamed Nobel Biocare in 1996. The company acquired the leading American firm Steri-Oss Inc., in 1998 and became the undisputed global leader in restorative and esthetic dentistry.
In 2000, the surface treatment TiUnite was applied to Brånemark System implants to further enhance osseointegration.
2000-2010
Nobel Biocare Holding AG, the new parent company, was founded and headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, in 2002. The firm was admitted to the SIX Swiss Exchange in the same year.
The company’s "full-solution provider" approach began in 2002, and was followed by the introduction of the first guided surgery system, NobelGuide, in 2005.
In 2008 Nobel Biocare launched NobelActive™—a new implant design with innovative features. It is the first product launched according to Nobel Biocare's new scientific and clinical standards. Nobel Biocare also relaunched its prosthetic offering Procera under the new brand name NobelProcera™.
In 2009, Nobel Biocare had over 2,200 employees across the world, the largest share of the global dental market, and a distribution network covering more than 70 countries.
The company has released many innovations over the last forty-plus years, all of which have helped to set the standard for patient rehabilitation and care.
