Nobel Biocare smile

Our story

Nobel Biocare is about you, for your patient. That’s our promise. And it’s a promise based on over 65 years of research and development in implantology, ever since Per-Ingvar Brånemark’s groundbreaking discovery of osseointegration, and first ever dental implant treatment. 

But we never settle for the status quo. We follow no one. We are bold innovators to the very core, doing whatever it takes to improve the possibilities for professionals to treat more patients better.

  • About us

    About us

    A world leader in innovative implant-based dental restorations, our goal is to empower dental professionals to give quality of life back to patients

  • Our History

    Our history

    A truly unique heritage, with our roots stemming from the discovery of osseointegration by Per-Ingvar Brånemark

About us

Nobel Biocare is a world leader in the field of innovative implant-based dental restorations. Our goal is to empower dental professionals to give quality of life back to their patients.

This philosophy is built on over 65 years of continuous innovation, all stemming from Per-Ingvar Brånemark’s ground-breaking discovery of osseointegration in 1952. Since then, we’ve helped our customers treat millions of patients with our science-backed and forward-looking solutions.

Nobel Biocare supports its customers through all phases of professional development, offering world-class training and education along with practice support and patient information materials. The company is headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland. Production takes place at four sites located in the United States, Sweden and Japan. Products and services are available in over 80 countries through subsidiaries and distributors.

Our company’s portfolio offers solutions from single tooth to fully edentulous indications with dental implant systems (including key brands NobelActive and NobelParallel and ceramic implant NobelPearl*) a comprehensive range of high-precision individualized prosthetics and CAD/CAM systems (NobelProcera), digital solutions for treatment planning and guided surgery (NobelClinician and DTX Studio suite) as well as biomaterials.

Our history

In implant dentistry, our heritage is truly unique. A philosophy of innovation, driven by patient need. A company inspired and led – to this day – by dental professionals who began their own journeys in practices and laboratories. 

This all stems from Per-Ingvar Brånemark’s groundbreaking discovery of osseointegration. The sequence of companies that grew after he treated the very first patient, culminated in Nobel Biocare.

our history

1952 - Brånemark discovers osseointegration

In the 1950s as a young researcher, Per-Ingvar Brånemark was completely absorbed in the study of the anatomy of blood flow. 

As part of that work, he attached a titanium-housed optical component to a rabbit’s leg, which made it possible to study microcirculation in the bone tissue through specially modified microscopes. 

The work at hand was completed successfully, but when it came time to remove the metal-framed optics from the bone, he famously discovered that the bone and titanium had become virtually inseparable. 

“Not long afterwards,” Brånemark said, “we changed the direction of our work to investigate the body’s ability to tolerate titanium.” 

1965 - First titanium implant  

In 1965, Gösta Larsson of Gothenburg, Sweden, was an oral invalid. The very first osseointegrated dental implants, carefully placed by Professor Per-Ingvar Brånemark dramatically changed his life.  

After extensive clinical trials and years of additional research, Per-Ingvar Brånemark and the Swedish company Bofors went on to found Nobelpharma, which later became Nobel Biocare. 

1981 - Nobelpharma is founded in Gothenburg, Sweden 

1988 - First zygomatic implants 

In 1988 Prof. Brånemark introduced zygomatic implants designed to rehabilitate the upper maxilla when severely resorbed. The Brånemark System Zygoma implants anchor in the zygomatic bone, which avoids complex bone-grafting procedures.1

1989 - First ceramic CAD/CAM coping 

Dr. Matts Andersson brought the next leap in function and esthetics for dental prosthetics: the first ceramic CAD/CAM coping. 

1996 - Nobelpharma becomes Nobel Biocare 

1997 - First tapered implant 

Replace was the first tapered dental implant, mimicking the shape of a natural tooth root. Replace Select and NobelReplace Tapered went on to become the world’s most frequently used implant system. 

1998 - First tilted and immediate implant solution: All-on-4® treatment concept 

In collaboration with Dr. Paulo Maló, we created a concept with tilted and immediately loaded implants – the first of its kind. The legendary All-on-4® treatment concept. 

2000 - TiUnite improves treatment outcomes  

The moderately rough, anodized surface for osseointegration, TiUnite, has built a reputation for success and is one of the most clinically researched implant surfaces in the world.2  

2005 - Immediate Function receives FDA clearance 

Immediate Function received clearance by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) – at the time, this was unique only to Nobel Biocare. 

2005 - First guided surgery system 

In 2005, NobelGuide digitized dental implantology by introducing the first comprehensive concept for 3D treatment planning and guided surgery. 

2008 -  NobelActive is released  

NobelActive can allow for Immediate Function in cases where it might otherwise be impossible. To this day, it is still often copied, but never equaled.3-6

2015 - Nobel Biocare is acquired by the Danaher corporation, a global science and technology innovator. 

2019 - The Mucointegration™ era arrives with Xeal™ and TiUltra™

P-I Brånemark made implant dentistry possible with his discovery of osseointegration. With the launch of Xeal™ and TiUltra™ at the IDS in Cologne we go beyond osseointegration to surfaces specifically created for soft tissue attachment as well.7,8

2020 - Reshaping implantology with N1™ implant system

Direct – Shape – Place: the Nobel Biocare N1™ implant system is a landmark innovation created to empower clinicians with simplicity and confidence, for greater patient comfort. It is a complete system featuring new concepts in site preparation, implant macroshape, prosthetic connections, emergence profile and more. 9,10

References

* Distributed by Nobel Biocare. Manufactured by Dentalpoint AG.

  1. Bedrossian E, Rangert B. Immediate Function with the Zygomatic Implant; A Graftless Solution for the Patient with Mild to Advanced Atrophy of the Maxilla Int J. Oral Maxillofac Implants 2006;21:937-942
  2. TiUnite literature search. Nobel Biocare Services AG. July, 2017
  3. Aspriello SD, Rasicci P, Ciolino F, Zizzi A, Rubini C, Procaccini M, Piemontese M, Immediate loading of NobelActive implants in postmenopausal osteoporotic women: 2-years follow up study. Clin Oral Implants Res 2011 22:Abstract 222
  4. Kolinski ML, Cherry JE, McAllister BS, Parrish KD, Pumphrey DW, Schroering RL. Evaluation of a variable-thread tapered implant in extraction sites with immediate temporization: A 3-year multi-center clinical study. J Periodontol. 2014;85(3):386-94
  5. Irinakis T, Wiebe C., Clinical evaluation of the NobelActive implant system; a case series of 107 consecutively placed implants and a review of the implant features. J Oral Implantol. 2009;35:283-88
  6. Galindo DF, Butura CC. Immediately loaded mandibular fixed implant prostheses using the all-on-four protocol: a report of 183 consecutively treated patients with 1 year of function in definitive prostheses. Int J Oral Maxillofac Implants. 2012;27:628-33 
  7. Wennerberg , Alrektsson T, Chracanovic B. Long-term clinical outcome of implants with different surface modification. Eur J
    Oral Implantol 2018;11(Suppl 1): S123–S136
  8. Karl M and Albrektsson T. Clinical performance of dental implants with a moderately rough (TiUnite) surface: A meta-analysis of prospective clinical studies, Int J Oral Maxillofac Implants. 2017;32(4):717-734
  9. Chen, C.-H.; Coyac, B.R.; Arioka, M.; Leahy, B.; Tulu, U.S.; Aghvami, M.; Holst, S.; Hoffmann, W.; Quarry, A.; Bahat, O.; Salmon, B.; Brunski, J.B.; Helms, J.A. A Novel Osteotomy Preparation Technique to Preserve Implant Site Viability and Enhance Osteogenesis. J. Clin. Med. 2019, 8, 170.
  10. Zemp J, Velikov S, Weißbrot S, et al. New Low-speed Site Preparation Protocol Significantly Reduces Noise. J Dent Res. 2020;99 (Spec Iss A):3053