An active member of the Italian Academy of Prosthetic Dentistry, Dr. Giacomo Fabbri lectures internationally on prosthodontics and has published numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals while maintaining a private practice in Cattolica, Italy. One of the first clinicians to use Xeal-surface abutments and TiUltra-surface implants – designed to optimize tissue integration from abutment to the implant apex – he explains why he converted to the new surfaces, the results he has seen so far, and why he has confidence in their long-term treatment outcomes.

Dr. Fabbri, could you please tell us about your professional background and what you currently focus on?

I am a prosthodontist, and I also place implants, usually when there is no need for significant bone augmentation. For me, the implant placement and tissue management need to go together in a steady workflow to achieve excellent implant results.

In recent years, I’ve focused my research on how the soft tissue integration can be achieved. Soft tissue integration can protect and preserve the stability at bone interface. I also lecture on prosthetic workflows and how dentists can use these to achieve simultaneous bone and tissue integration. For me, it is essential to plan the emergence profile with a comprehensive approach that considers not just the morphology but also the materials, including surface properties, and the abutment placement protocol used as well. By doing so, soft tissue healing can be optimized. Abutment and implant surfaces are an important factor in this respect.

A lot of your research has been on the material used in abutments. What excited you about Xeal™ and TiUltra™, and how have they enhanced your treatments?

I have been using both Xeal and TiUltra surfaces since February last year, and as a prosthodontist, I find the new abutment surface exciting because Xeal has features you need for soft tissue attachment.¹

So far, I have seen great results in soft tissue healing and management. I look forward to seeing long-term benefits of TiUltra implants in the future, but so far, at one-year follow-up I have seen very promising results in early osseointegration. I am confident that the TiUltra surface is a significant evolution in how anodization is utilized for implant treatment success, and the new surfaces show Nobel Biocare’s expertise in surface technology has been taken to the next level.