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Implant AtlasIndependent guide to Nobel Biocare implants

History

History of Nobel Biocare and osseointegration

Modern dental implants began with a discovery in Sweden in the 1950s–60s: titanium can bond directly with bone.

Timeline

YearMilestone
1965First patient treated with osseointegrated titanium implants in Sweden (Brånemark's team).1
1981Landmark 15-year report on 2,768 implants published.1
1997Brånemark System® zygomaticus fixture cleared by FDA.2
2002Immediate-function indication for Brånemark System® implants (FDA).3
~2000–2005TiUnite® surface introduced; "TiUnite implants" cleared by FDA in 2005.45
2005Guided surgery concept (later NobelGuide®) cleared by FDA.6
2006NobelReplace® tapered conical connection cleared.7
2007NobelActive® internal connection implant cleared.8
2011–2019Long-term All-on-4® treatment concept studies published by the Lisbon developer clinic.9
2019NobelParallel™ conical connection cleared.10
2020TiUltra™ surface and Xeal™ abutments cleared.11
2021Nobel Biocare N1™ system cleared; MR Conditional portfolio 510(k).1213
2025NobelZygoma™ TiUltra cleared.14
2026S Series (NobelActive® S, NobelParallel™ S, NobelReplace® S) cleared.15
Archival-style laboratory
Archival-style illustration; not a historical photograph.

Why it matters to patients

A long history means more long-term data and wide availability of parts, especially for older systems. It does not guarantee the result of any single treatment.

Independent clinical study

The first long-term report on osseointegrated implants (Brånemark and colleagues, 1981) followed 2,768 implants in 410 jaws placed from 1965 to 1980; in the standardised group, 81% of upper-jaw and 91% of lower-jaw implants remained stable after 5–9 years. 1

Historic study using early implants, techniques and removable bridges. It shows where the field started, not today's results.

Legacy systems

Last updated 28 Sep 2026.

Sources

  1. Independent clinical studyAdell R, Lekholm U, Rockler B, Brånemark PI. A 15-year study of osseointegrated implants in the treatment of the edentulous jaw. Int J Oral Surg 1981 — Int J Oral Surg, 1981. Accessed 28 Sep 2026.
  2. Regulatory recordFDA 510(k) K970499 — Brånemark System Zygomaticus Fixture System — U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 1997-10-16. Accessed 28 Sep 2026.
  3. Regulatory recordFDA 510(k) K022562 — Brånemark System implants – immediate function indication — U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2002-10-11. Accessed 28 Sep 2026.
  4. Systematic reviewKarl M, Albrektsson T. Clinical performance of implants with a moderately rough (TiUnite) surface: meta-analysis of prospective studies. Int J Oral Maxillofac Implants 2017 — Int J Oral Maxillofac Implants, 2017. Accessed 28 Sep 2026.
  5. Regulatory recordFDA 510(k) K050705 — TiUnite Implants — U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2005-05-19. Accessed 28 Sep 2026.
  6. Regulatory recordFDA 510(k) K050393 — The Guided Surgery Concept (NobelGuide) — U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2005-05-04. Accessed 28 Sep 2026.
  7. Regulatory recordFDA 510(k) K062566 — NobelReplace Tapered Conical Connection — U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2006-12-06. Accessed 28 Sep 2026.
  8. Regulatory recordopenFDA 510(k) database — records with applicant "Nobel Biocare" (endosseous implants DZE and abutments NHA) — U.S. Food and Drug Administration (openFDA), 2026-09-28. Accessed 28 Sep 2026.
  9. Independent clinical studyMaló P et al. The All-on-4 treatment concept in the edentulous mandible: longitudinal study with 10–18 years of follow-up. Clin Implant Dent Relat Res 2019 — Clin Implant Dent Relat Res, 2019. Accessed 28 Sep 2026.
  10. Regulatory recordFDA 510(k) K173418 — NobelParallel Conical Connection — U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2019-02-21. Accessed 28 Sep 2026.
  11. Regulatory recordFDA 510(k) K202344 — TiUltra Implants and Xeal Abutments (Nobel Biocare) — U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2020-11-16. Accessed 28 Sep 2026.
  12. Regulatory recordFDA 510(k) K211109 — N1 TiUltra TCC Implant System (Nobel Biocare) — U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2021-12-21. Accessed 28 Sep 2026.
  13. Regulatory recordFDA 510(k) K212125 — Nobel Biocare Dental Implant Systems Portfolio – MR Conditional — U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2021-09-24. Accessed 28 Sep 2026.
  14. Regulatory recordFDA 510(k) K243834 — NobelZygoma TiUltra Implant system — U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2025-08-25. Accessed 28 Sep 2026.
  15. Regulatory recordFDA 510(k) K252197 — Nobel Biocare S Series Implants (510(k) summary) — U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2026-02-18. Accessed 28 Sep 2026.

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