Implant surfaces
The microscopic texture of an implant helps bone grow onto it. Here is what each brand's surface is, in plain English.
Does the surface matter? All modern rough surfaces work well. Differences are mostly in how fast early healing happens. Your dentist's technique matters more.
| Surface | Used by | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| SLA (sand-blasted, acid-etched) | Straumann, Dentium, SIC and others | Sand-blasting and then acid-etching creates a rough, microscopic texture that bone grows into. SLA is one of the best-documented surfaces in dentistry. |
| SLActive | Straumann | An SLA surface that is kept wet and chemically clean in a saline-filled container until surgery. It attracts blood and cells faster, which studies link to quicker early healing. |
| ZLA | Straumann (ceramic) | A roughened surface for Straumann's zirconia implants, produced by sand-blasting and etching the ceramic. |
| TiUnite | Nobel Biocare | An oxidised (anodised) surface with a porous, volcano-like texture. It has been on the market since 2000 and has a large body of research. |
| TiUltra | Nobel Biocare | Nobel's newer surface that changes gradually from smooth at the neck to rough at the tip, aiming to combine easy cleaning at the top with strong bone contact below. |
| OsseoSpeed | Astra Tech (Dentsply Sirona) | A blasted titanium surface treated with fluoride. Studies of Astra Tech implants show stable bone levels over many years. |
| FRIADENT plus | Ankylos, Xive (Dentsply Sirona) | A grit-blasted, acid-etched surface used on Dentsply Sirona's German systems. |
| Acqua | Neodent | Neodent's hydrophilic (water-attracting) version of its NeoPoros surface, designed to speed up early healing. |
| NeoPoros | Neodent | Neodent's standard blasted and acid-etched surface. |
| BCP (biphasic calcium phosphate blasted) | Anthogyr | Blasted with a calcium-phosphate material that dissolves away, leaving a clean rough texture without grit residue. |
| MIS sand-blasted & acid-etched | MIS | A conventional rough surface created by blasting and acid-etching. |
| Laser-Lok + RBT | BioHorizons | Laser-made micro-channels on the collar help gum fibres attach to the implant, which may reduce bone loss around the neck. The body uses a resorbable-blast (RBT) texture. |
| Promote | Camlog | Camlog's blasted and acid-etched surface. |
| MTX | ZimVie | A surface created by blasting with a soluble material and then cleaning it away. |
| OSSEOTITE | ZimVie | A dual acid-etched surface. The T3 adds a nanometre-scale calcium-phosphate layer on top. |
| SA (sand-blasted, acid-etched) | Osstem | Osstem's own blasted and etched surface, used on the TSIII and other Osstem systems. |
| Xpeed | MegaGen | A blasted and etched surface with calcium added into the titanium oxide layer. |
| TiPurePlus | BEGO | BEGO's blasted and etched surface. |
| OCS (Osseo Connect Surface) | bredent | bredent's blasted and etched surface. |
| Integra-CP / DAE | Bicon | Bicon offers both a hydroxyapatite coating and an uncoated dual acid-etched surface. |
| INICELL | Thommen | A sand-blasted, thermally etched surface that is made hydrophilic right before placement with a conditioning liquid. |
| ZERAFIL | Zeramex | A roughened zirconia surface for metal-free implants. |
| NeoSpike | Neoss | Neoss's blasted and etched surface with a nano-textured finish. |
| OsseoFix | ADIN | A resorbable-blast (RBM) surface. |
| Cortex SLA | Cortex | Sand-blasted, acid-etched surface. |
| NanoTec | Alpha-Bio Tec | Alpha-Bio's blasted and etched surface. |
| SBM (soluble blast media) | Implant Direct | Blasted with a material that dissolves, leaving a clean rough surface. |
| Moderately rough (blasted & etched) | Southern Implants | A standard moderately rough surface. |
| ZirTi | Sweden & Martina | Blasted with zirconia particles and then acid-etched. |