The Greatest Challenge: The Pressure of Time

SLIM Compact, the New Solution for Screw-Retained Prosthetics

The challenge from patients is not new, yet today it is unavoidable: to be relieved of pain and the inability to smile with confidence as quickly as possible...

Early prosthetic solutions favoured single-phase approaches. Due to the limited technological capabilities of the time, two-phase solutions gradually came to the fore, but the waiting period required for osseointegration quickly tested the patience of patients, clinicians, and the market alike.

The demand for immediate replacement of lost teeth called for new surgical solutions. When I founded BIONIKA in 1989, the best-known implant systems available in Hungary included the blade implant (following Linkor), the Bauer screw, the Oraltronics BC screw, Straumann, Pitt Easy, Tiolox, and the Brånemark screw. The analysis of these systems — their advantages and disadvantages — gave rise to the first BIONIKA implants.

In response to the dilemma faced by the medical profession, we adopted the founding principle of designing our own solution for every possible clinical scenario. The clinical background for this was provided by Dr. Gusztáv Klenk, then Head of the Oral Surgery Department at the Institute of Stomatology, who was the first to place BIONIKA implants. This dilemma persists to this day, but the pressure of time has clearly emerged as the single most important factor in prosthetic dentistry.

The BIONIKA SLIM Family

The SLIM family, which received ORKI approval in 1993, is a comprehensive system designed to address every implantological requirement and challenge that emerged at the time. I highlight this system because the solution built on the constructional geometry of the Bauer screw remains among the most competitive single-phase designs to this day. Over the past 25 years, numerous companies have developed in this direction and achieved considerable success.

The first member is the SLIM flexible, which borrowed the properties, geometric, and surgical characteristics of the original Bauer screw (cycloidal tapered, self-compressing thread structure, flexible zone), available in a version that can be bent intraorally during placement.

By extending the flexible zone while retaining the thread groove form of the system, and inspired by the BC screw from Oraltronics, a variant was developed within the SLIM family featuring a wide and deep thread groove with a narrow thread ridge — later named the Speedy.

In line with market demand, screw-retained solutions are playing an increasingly prominent role in BIONIKA's product range. By adapting the Multi-unit concept found in two-phase implant systems, we created the SLIM Compact variant, which comprehensively extends the application scope of the SLIM family — from cemented prosthetics to a wide range of screw-retained solutions. In doing so, we strive to meet the demands of the greatest challenge in our field: the pressure of time — and above all, in the best interest of our patients.