A Better Quality of Life Within Reach
LOCATOR FIXED allows clinicians to leverage familiar, proven workflows to provide patients a faster, more accessible path to a fixed prosthesis
Fixed full-arch dental prostheses have long been a sought-after treatment option for permanent restoration of missing teeth. Compared to removable overdentures, fixed prostheses can offer improved functionality and comfort, and help patients reclaim a quality of life comparable to having healthy, natural dentition. Given an increasingly edentulous population, as well as the continual development of new techniques for fixed full-arch procedures, it’s likely that demand for this treatment will only continue to grow over time.
In the more than 5 decades since dentistry began using implants as a foundation for fixed full-arch restorations, delivering the therapy has been both challenging and prohibitively expensive for many patients. However, Zest Dental Solutions has unveiled an innovation that makes treatment more accessible.
“With LOCATOR FIXED, I think dentists are going to be able to change many people's lives for the better.”
- Xavier E. Saab, DDS, MS
LOCATOR FIXED is a new attachment solution that builds upon Zest’s trusted LOCATOR abutment technology—enabling simple and predictable delivery of fixed full-arch dental restorations.
New Solution, Familiar Workflow
For over 20 years, prosthodontist Xavier E. Saab, DDS, MS, has leveraged LOCATOR abutments to successfully deliver removable restorations, restoring comfort and confidence to edentulous patients in the Houston, TX, area. After Zest asked Dr. Saab to test-drive its latest attachment system, he discovered that new LOCATOR FIXED housing and inserts create an efficient and predictable way to provide fixed fullarch solutions—using the same LOCATOR abutments and familiar workflow he relies on for removable procedures.
“LOCATOR FIXED has been fantastic so far. It’s a great addition to the practice,” Dr. Saab said. “I truly believe that prosthetic success is directly related to how simple or complex it is to deliver the prosthesis. The more complex the process, the easier it is to introduce error; the simpler the process, the more predictable success becomes.”
Historically, providing fixed full arches has been a “convoluted” process, he said. “If you talk to a doctor who does a lot of these procedures, they typically pride themselves on how complicated it is.” Even recent digital innovations designed to simplify treatment can present a multitude of difficulties: “What I've seen in the market are results that are subpar using technology that is amazing,” Dr. Saab reported, citing as examples photogrammetric impression technique and 3D-printed prototyping, which don’t allow physical try-in of the finalprostheses. This leaves doctors unable to properly assess esthetics and phonetics.
“With LOCATOR FIXED, you're able to do all of the above,” he said. “It simplifies impressions, fabrication, try-in, and delivery by allowing the dentist to follow a traditional overdenture fabrication workflow.”
A Less Invasive Procedure
While traditional screw-retained restorations remain a valid treatment option, they pose numerous challenges, even to the seasoned clinician. “The biggest issue with traditional fixed is the prosthetic screw,” Dr. Saab said. “And, if you are using prostheses with Ti-bases, then the thickness of the porcelain gets reduced even further. This creates areas on the prosthesis that are very vulnerable to fracture.”
As a screw-less attachment system, LOCATOR FIXED prevents such complications, preserving the integrity and longevity of the prosthesis. According to Zest, LOCATOR FIXED also requires shorter prosthetic space requirements than other fixed systems, resulting in a less invasive procedure with minimal bone reduction. “Because the prosthesis is so much easier to deliver, LOCATOR FIXED allows us to focus more on the real anatomical demands of the patient and reduce only what is necessary to accommodate the anatomy,” noted Dr. Saab.
Reduced Chair Time
In addition to average chair time savings of more than 40 minutes during initial prosthesis delivery, LOCATOR FIXED makes subsequent hygiene appointments shorter and simpler. Without the need to access screw holes, remove and retorque screws, and reseal every hole, doctors can reduce chair time, component costs, and avoid frustrating complications like stripped screws.
“Removal and reinsertion of a traditional fixed takes a lot of time out of the doctor's schedule,” Dr. Saab shared. But with LOCATOR FIXED, he said removal takes approximately 5 to 10 seconds, and it’s a roughly 5-minute process to change all the inserts and reseat the prosthesis.
An Easier Path Toward Treatment
Existing and new LOCATOR overdenture patients can be upgraded to a fully fixed solution at a fraction of the cost of conventional screw-retained solutions. The ability to offer patients an efficient, cost-effective middle ground between removable and traditional fi xed options affords practices opportunities for increased case acceptance and growth.
Because LOCATOR FIXED employs an easy workflow and well-known pickup techniques, it takes little time for clinicians to start planning and providing treatment. For practitioners who currently provide LOCATOR removable overdentures, making the move to LOCATOR FIXED is as easy as taking a 2-hour online education course.
In all, Dr. Saab believes the unique benefits of LOCATOR FIXED make it a great option for any doctor who has a moderate amount of experience with dentures. “I would encourage any dentist who knows how to make a good denture and has a patient that wants a fixed solution to give it a try,” he said. “I think dentists are going to be able to change many people's lives for the better.”
