Solvay SA is moving into the dental device business, with a new business unit focused on using polymers, rather than metal, in partial dentures.
The new Solvay Dental 360 group, announced in a March 21 news release, will involve “an innovative material” to replace metal in removable partial denture frames. Additionally, it will look into enabling a digital workflow that could speed up the work of dental laboratories and dentists.
Removable partial denture (RPD) frames replace missing teeth and are typically made of metal.
Brussels-based Solvay claims its new high-performance material allows for metal-free, biocompatible, more comfortable, natural-looking RPD frames which are at least 60 percent lighter than a metal frame.
Solvay uses its Ultaire AKP (aryl ketone polymer) material to make its Dentivera milling disc.
From this device, dental lab technicians use software fine tuned to this material to design and mill the RPD frame, Solvay added.
“Solvay's … launch into medical devices is driven by our innovation power as a world leader in metal-replacing materials and proven track record in healthcare,” said Jean-Pierre Clamadieu, CEO of Solvay.