35Newtons® FirstPlug® Screw Channel Barrier

When Drs. Alexander Shor and Jim Janakievski met in graduate school at the University of Washington, they discovered many common interests. They shared a passion for landscape photography and a love of nature. As dental clinicians, they also faced many of the same challenges. Both had a profound interest in the field of implant dentistry. They realized that no ideal material specifically created for use as a screw channel barrier was available. The management of screw channels is critical in the life cycle of an implant restoration, and existing options present many limitations. For that reason, they cofounded 35Newtons^®, and along with it, the FirstPlug^® system — a medical-grade polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) screw channel barrier and instruments.

The company’s name was chosen for its meaningful significance to the implant process — the most common torque value for connecting a restoration to an implant is 35Ncm. Dr. Janakievski, a Tacoma, Washington-based periodontist, said, “Over the years, collaborating on patient care has helped us identify numerous clinical challenges. With the goal of creating a better workflow for clinical practice, we have worked together to develop solutions to overcome these obstacles.” Dr. Shor, a Seattle-based prosthodontist, concurred: “We needed an option that was elegant, usable, and affordable — all of these are very important factors.”

A medical-grade solution

One of the most compelling reasons for creating the FirstPlug^® system was the need the product met for quality standards for medical products. FirstPlug^® properties are superior to commonly used materials and have been optimized for safe and efficient use in the dental office. “Many dentists are creative problem solvers and are lacking suitable alternatives; some have undoubtedly resorted to the local hardware store for an answer,” said Dr. Janakievski. “PTFE is the right material, but we feel strongly that implants and other sensitive dental procedures call for a medical-grade option.” With FirstPlug^®, there is no longer a need for industrial pipe thread tape (aka, Teflon™), cotton pellets, gutta percha, or silicone. And FirstPlug^® can be autoclaved.

FirstPlug^® is made from PTFE that is made in the U.S.A. Material selection for covering implant abutment screws is important to limit leakage, which has been shown to negatively impact peri-implant tissues. “None of the common materials and techniques in use today were developed specifically for this procedure, and all have their drawbacks,” said Dr. Janakievski. For example, cotton pellets provide an ideal substrate for pathogenic oral flora to flourish, while gutta percha can be difficult to remove. “The ideal barrier material provides a good seal to limit leakage, is pliable, biologically inert, and easily retrievable,” said Dr. Shor.

Every detail in the FirstPlug^® system has been engineered to fit the clinical application. The cylindrically shaped plug seats easily in the screw channel without rolling or twisting. The patented medical-grade PTFE has the right compression characteristics for packing and sealing the screw access chamber, as well as sufficient stiffness to support the overlying restorative materials. The accompanying instrument set includes a Barrier Plugger™ for efficient packing of the PTFE plug, as well as a Barrier Excavator™ for easy removal when uncovering the screw to remove temporaries or replace a restoration.

Dentists who have used the system have provided positive feedback. Some of the most popular features of FirstPlug^® follow:

• Efficient dispensing system saves chair time
• Easy to pack and remove
• Dense and strong material
• A solid foundation for the overlying restorative material
• Avoids waste
• Medical-grade material inspires confidence in safety and quality
• Dedicated placement and removal instruments (Barrier Plugger™ and Barrier Excavator™)

In addition to the optimized physical characteristics of the medical-grade PTFE material, FirstPlug^® is manufactured, assembled, and packaged under strict medical-device protocols and quality systems. “Of course, FirstPlug^® users appreciate the added convenience, efficiency, and clinical benefits,” said Dr. Shor. “But first and foremost, we hear from our dentists that sealing implant access channels with a medical-grade material, made in medical-class conditions, offers invaluable peace of mind.” In fact, 100% of dentists who tried FirstPlug^® said they would use it in their own mouth should they require a dental implant restoration.

35Newtons^® is bringing a much needed upgrade to the clinically sensitive task of filling access channels in screw-retained restorations. Drs. Janakievski and Shor are educators, speakers, and published authors who are focused on clinical excellence and innovation. That focus on clinical excellence for their own practices led to the development of FirstPlug^®. Dr. Shor said, “We designed this product for ourselves. We were our own first customers.” Dr. Janakievski added, “We tested different versions, and when we were confident with the design, we knew we had to make it available to all of our colleagues.”

Visit www.35newtons.com for more information.

This information was provided by 35Newtons^®.