Anthogyr, a French company with a 75-year history, has just launched the Axiom X3 dental implant. Like earlier versions in the Axiom range, the X3 is designed to be simple and intuitive with the added advantages of increased flexibility and biocompatibility, enabling dentists to treat a wider range of patients. General manager Philippe Neimark explains why Anthogyr, now part of the Straumann Group, is becoming the dental implant system of choice for a growing number of UK dentists.
Philippe Neimark, the new general manager of Anthogyr.
Why did Anthogyr start microengineering dental implants?
The company was established in 1947 in south east France, in an area famous for precision mechanics. Anthogyr manufactured and supplied medical devices and a complete range of dental equipment – everything except dental chairs. In the 1970s and 80s dental implants emerged as a viable, evidence-based option for the long-term replacement of missing teeth. From the mid-1980s, we were sub-contracted to produce dental implants on behalf of other suppliers. Then, using our expertise in micro-engineering, we developed our own dental implant. Before long, we were specialising in dental implantology.
How did the team at Anthogyr develop the Axiom brand?
In the early 2000s we undertook a review of the needs of everyone in the dental implant ecosystem: dentists, referrers, laboratories, and the dental team. At that time, systems, protocols and surgical kits were highly complex. We started with a blank page and, listening to our customers, we designed a system that offered a full restorative solution to meet the needs of all dentists, whether they were starting out on their implant journey or highly experienced clinicians. In 2009 the Axiom system was born. Since then, the brand has built a global following.
What are the key benefits of the Axiom brand?
The Axiom range has a single surgical kit and a single conical connection to hold the replacement tooth — or prosthesis — in place. This user-friendly approach benefits everyone in the customer’s network — the referrer, the laboratory technician and the team member who orders stock. This contrasts with other brands, which introduce a different kit and connection with every new system. For dentists looking to start offering implants, it’s best to go for a simple, intuitive system with good customer support. The newly launched Axiom X3 simplifies the surgical procedure, allowing for immediate placement as well as controlled guidance in hard bone, while guaranteeing stability in soft bone.
What else is Anthogyr known for?
Anthogyr is well known around the world for its high-quality instruments and equipment, including the Torq Control, a universal torque wrench that has been an iconic product since 1997, and the Xpert Unit, an implantology motor connected to a dedicated mobile app.
We’re also known to be innovative and agile in business, with a customer-centric vision. What’s good for patients is good for our customers. Because we recognize the importance to patients of prosthetically-driven rehabilitation, we acquired the Simeda CADCAM system in 2012. Simeda represents a one-stop shop for high-precision customised prosthetics. This is a system capable of modelling implant-supported restorations of any type, on most platforms, in nearly all high-performance materials. It was a game-changing acquisition. In 2017 we introduced the Axiom Multi Level implant solution, so now we have bone and tissue level implants, helping our customers cater for a wider range of patient phenotypes.
What benefits can dentists expect from the merger with Straumann Group?
It’s a huge opportunity for us and our customers. The merger guarantees the long-term sustainability of Anthogyr products; we can count on the Straumann Group portfolio for biomaterials and for digital equipment, such as scanners, 3D printers and milling machines. We have a deeper presence in the UK, thanks to Straumann Group’s extensive logistics operation. Its warehouse near London Gatwick Airport ensures next-day delivery on products, and we can provide even better support for our partner dentists and technicians. This includes a dedicated nationwide salesforce, a digital success team to provide demonstrations and training, and a top-notch technical support team for digital dentistry.
What is planned for the future of Anthogyr?
Dentists’ needs are at the heart of what we do, and education is central to that vision. When we started with dental implants, the lack of educational support was a real barrier to entry. So we began focusing on education, running programmes at our training centre near Chamonix, at the foot of Mont Blanc. Our customers can visit us and learn about our research and development, our manufacturing, our laboratory and observe a patient having an implant placed in our on-site surgery. Visitors will meet some of our 300 employees and understand what lies behind the product and why we are so passionate about what we do. Our brand is like a family. We want to be the innovative brand of choice, to be close to our customers and for them to be close to us.