Guided Surgery Sprint
Validate case intake, CBCT merge, guide design review, drill sequence, and day-of-surgery kit readiness with a documented acceptance checklist.
Innovation Lab
Prototype the next scan-to-restoration workflow before it reaches every operatory.
The Straumann Innovation Lab is a pilot environment for dental groups, laboratories, educators, and specialist clinics that want to pressure-test connected implant dentistry with realistic clinical constraints.
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Pilot tracks
Test the workflow where clinical, laboratory, and operational teams meet.
Scanner Adoption Lab
Evaluate intraoral scan capture, margin clarity, implant scan body selection, and lab communication across real practice roles.
Restorative Data Loop
Connect digital analog selection, CAD library governance, milling strategy, and final restoration approval into a repeatable handoff.
Cybersecure Case Exchange
Review access control, data retention, GDPR-ready processing terms, and secure file transfer for multi-site dental organizations.
What a pilot includes
01
Clinical protocol map
Define indication, provider role, restorative objective, and documentation requirements before any hardware discussion.
02
Component compatibility review
Confirm implant, scan body, analog, Ti base, software library, and milling material fit for the desired workflow.
03
Training and governance plan
Build launch checklists for clinicians, assistants, laboratory technicians, procurement, and compliance stakeholders.
Selection considerations
Trade-offs implant teams still debate.
Pilot conversations rarely fail on technical curiosity. They slow when clinical, restorative, and operations leaders disagree on which workflow direction the practice will commit to. The notes below frame the live debate so the choice is documented, not left to assumption.
Immediate Loading vs Delayed (Two-Stage) Loading
Immediate loading case: Reduces patient time to function, supports anterior aesthetic cases, and aligns well with full-arch and All-on-X protocols when primary stability and bone quality permit.
Delayed loading case: Greater predictability in compromised bone, smoking patients, or bruxism cases; allows osseointegration before functional load and lowers early failure exposure documented in long-term registries.
Straumann surgical kits, BLX/TLX implant lines, and prosthetic libraries support both protocols. Selection should reflect bone quality, ISQ measurements, occlusal load, and the clinician's documented case history rather than a default rule.
Chairside CAD/CAM vs Centralized Dental Laboratory
Chairside case: Same-day provisional or final restoration shortens patient journey, supports single-visit workflows, and keeps the case file inside the practice. Best for high-volume single-unit and small-span work.
Lab case: Wider material range (high-translucency zirconia, layered porcelain, full-cast metal), specialist technician craftsmanship, and consistent quality for complex full-arch or aesthetic anterior cases.
Most successful DSO and specialty practices run a hybrid: chairside for routine restorations, lab for full-arch and aesthetic cases. Straumann scan body and digital analog libraries are designed to feed either path so the practice does not lock in one workflow prematurely.
Documented limitations
Where digital implant workflows are, and are not, the right fit.
Honest scope notes help practices avoid over-deploying digital tooling. Examples documented in pilot reviews include:
- Guided surgery accuracy depends on inputs. Surgical guides, CBCT merge quality, and intraoral scan accuracy compound; deviations in any upstream step reduce final placement accuracy regardless of guide manufacturing tolerance.
- Material restrictions for chairside milling. Chairside milling units support a defined library of blocks; not every Ti base, abutment material, or full-arch configuration is approved for chairside production and some cases must route to a validated laboratory.
- Patient anatomy boundary conditions. Severely atrophic ridges, sinus proximity, and proximity to inferior alveolar nerve may exceed the indication range of standard implant diameters and require specialty protocols, augmentation, or referral.
- Data exchange responsibility. Open STL/PLY export and CAD library compatibility cover the device side; clinician-laboratory handoff requires shared file naming conventions, case status governance, and laboratory-side software validation that remain practice responsibilities.
Pilot with evidence
Bring one case pathway. Leave with a tested rollout plan.
Share the workflow you want to improve, whether it starts with an edentulous consultation, a failing tooth extraction plan, or a DSO-wide scanner launch.