Guided Implant Surgery Systems were a big focal point of IDS 2023. Last year, we gave our first impressions on the X-Guide Guided Implant System.
Using the X-Guide, we were able to place two implants in less than 40 minutes without using any surgical guides.
Since then, we’ve seen quite a few guided implant systems appear on the market, and the latest is Straumann’s Falcon Guided Implant Surgery System.
At IDS 2023, we caught up with Straumann’s Global Product Manager Marc Cesard to chat about Straumann’s latest innovation.
You can watch the video or enjoy the transcript below.
What extra setup or time is required to use the navigation?
It’s very important to know where you're going to put the marker in the mouth. You may spend a bit of time with your left hand to do the positioning of the marker.
Then it's about good planning and printing the tray with the marker, and that's it. The advantage is that you do free-hand surgery with all the advantages of a guide indicator. We are talking about accuracy and predictability.
You said there's a tray with a marker. Do you still need a custom 3D printer tray to hold the marker?
We have two options, either you buy from us a ready-to-use tray where you put the markers on the right and the left which you then put in the mouth of the patients, or you design your own tray that you match with the teeth of the patients. This you design on coDiagnostiX and you can then print it. Both options are possible.
Okay. Very interesting. Are you looking at the fully edentulous side of things? Is that going to be available at some stage?
Yeah, definitely. The version you see now, is only single and multi, but we are already working with our experts on the edentulous version. We know it's very important for customers, so we are definitely working on it. The same principle will be applied, you place the tray on the bone with a pin screw. The most important thing is that you can have the marker in the mouth of the patients.
Sounds interesting. In what countries is the Straumann Falcon going to be available?
We are starting this year with a limited market release. We are going to release mainly in Europe, in places like Germany, France, UK, Switzerland.
In 2024 we will release wider, in more European countries and hopefully in the US as well.
How much will Straumann’s Falcon Guided Implant System cost?
We are working on pricing. I can tell you that we are going to be aligned with competition. We are not going to be more expensive, but will be market price. But this will be released quite soon.
One important aspect to consider is the price of risk capital.
This includes the cost of purchasing the system. However, in terms of a business model, it is preferable to offer subscription or leasing options.
This allows customers to pay a monthly fee, providing them with greater flexibility. Additionally, since the product is evolving, new versions and updates will be available.
By subscribing to a monthly fee, customers can avoid having to pay additional fees every time a new version is released. Thus, promoting this type of business model is crucial for our company.
Okay, there's going to be an initial capital investment and then a software subscription to stay up-to-date with the latest software developments?
Yes, there could be a lease, you pay a monthly price. You contract for two or three years. Also, the fact that if you are a Straumann user, you buy a certain amount of implants per year.
A lot of things can be put together in the contract or the negotiation. If you're using coDiagnostiX or all those things.
We want to give as many customers as possible the opportunity to access the products.
Is there anything special or unique about the Falcon system and why you chose that over any other guided surgery that might have been available?
It's all about plug and play.
The idea is, we don't want to have a huge, bulky system. The camera that you see on the X-NAV or ClaroNav system, is quite big. The start-up in which we have invested has achieved a remarkable feat of miniaturizing everything. Not only the camera, but also the marker is smaller than the competition. It's much easier to fit in the practice, it doesn't take much space, it's easy to transport so you can transport from one practice to another.
You don't need to calibrate every time you use the system, it is one time calibration for a full year. That makes things much easier, and that’s why we’re different compared to the other systems in the market.
Calibration time in itself can be tricky with the other systems. Zero calibration is great. Portability is a massive factor, especially if you have a small practice. It's hard to fit those big systems in.
Yeah, actually we saw that in a lot of practices and I don't want to blame the competition, but it's true, when you already have a lot of equipment around the patients, if you can minimize everything that makes a big difference.
The first feedback we have from customers is the ergonomics. The fact that it's small is a big factor for us. Very good advantage.