Medentika Brings High-Quality, Affordable Implant Components to US
Inside Dental Technology delivers updates on digital workflows, materials, lab techniques, and innovation in dental technology through expert articles and videos.
April 1, 2016
Volume 7, Issue 4, April 2016
Page(s):
A little more than a decade ago, a master dental technician, a master machinist, and an engineer discussed the state of the dental implant industry together and decided that the major manufacturers were making imprecise parts and charging too much money. The three German men decided to change that.
Jürgen Kälber, the engineer, obtained parts from some of the manufacturers and analyzed them closely. Using his engineering skills, he was able to optimize the fit via methods such as increasing the diameters of the screws, increasing the diameters of the abutments, and adjusting the abutments for a more intimate fit and fewer micro-movements.
With the help of Bernd Gaddum, the master dental technician, and Frank Fix, the master machinist, Kälber brought the products to market by forming a company called Medentika. The products are now distributed in the US by Instradent USA.
“With the work that they put into these products, and the fact that they use Grade 5 titanium, which is the best alloy available, Medentika has created a product that we can stand behind confidently,” says John Luangrath, Product Manager, Medentika for Instradent USA.
One of the latest products available in the US is the MedentiLOC abutment, a “Locator” alternative. The abutment comes in various tissue heights and is available in straight and 15° angled versions for all of Medentika’s compatible implant systems. Coupled with the Novaloc Matrix Housing system, this combination gives dentists and laboratories the flexibility and reliability they need from a “Locator” type denture restoration.
All Medentika products all come with a 30-year warranty, which Luangrath says is proof of the company’s confidence in the quality of their components.
Medentika also has not forgotten about the other problem that its founders noticed initially — price. Luangrath says that Kälber, now CEO of Medentika, prioritizes a low-cost approach.
“Jürgen wants to allow the dental laboratory make a profit on these products, so we charge them not the original manufacturer’s price but a value price that will be competitive with a lot of other products on the market, especially in the US,” Luangrath says.
The response here, he says, has been stellar.
“We have been at tradeshows around the country, and we are active on social media,” Luangrath says. “It has been a grassroots effort to show our clients the high quality and precision of the products Medentika offers, and laboratories are appreciating that.”
