Bicon Dental Implants, The Plateau Root-Form System for Short-Implant Cases

Overview, What Bicon Is and Why It Matters

Bicon is a Boston-based implant manufacturer that has developed a fundamentally different fixture geometry from the threaded-cylinder mainstream. Bicon implants are plateau root-form (Sloped Shoulder) fixtures, they have horizontal plateaus rather than threads, and they connect to the abutment via a locking taper rather than a screw. The clinical positioning is specific: Bicon excels in short-implant scenarios (5 mm to 6 mm length) where threaded systems cannot be placed without grafting, and in cases where the no-screw locking-taper connection is preferred for aesthetic or maintenance reasons.

Bicon, Brand and Manufacturer Background

{{IMAGE_PLACEHOLDER:Bicon manufacturing facility, Boston, USA}}

Bicon LLC was founded in Boston in 1985 by Dr. Vincent J. Morgan and a small engineering team. The company stayed independent and privately-held throughout its history. The Bicon system has remained geometrically distinctive, plateau root form, locking taper, no abutment screw, across forty years, with incremental surface and connector refinements rather than wholesale redesigns. Manufacturing is in Boston; distribution is global but smaller-scale than the tier-1 Swiss/Swedish brands.

Regulatory Clearances and Quality Standards

• FDA 510(k), current
• CE marking, current
• TGA Australia, CDSCO India, registered

ISO 13485 manufacturing.

Surface Treatment and Osseointegration Profile

Bicon's surface is a moderately rough texture produced by aluminium-oxide grit-blasting and acid-etching, comparable to the SLA family in micro-roughness but applied to the plateau root geometry, which means the per-fixture surface area available for osseointegration is high relative to the fixture length. This is the mechanism that makes 5 mm short implants viable: a 5 mm Bicon plateau-form fixture has comparable surface area to an 8 mm threaded fixture.

{{IMAGE_PLACEHOLDER:SEM image of Bicon plateau surface showing horizontal-plateau geometry and texture}}

The clinical evidence for short-implant survival (5 mm Bicon implants in atrophic posterior maxilla without sinus lift) is documented in multiple peer-reviewed cohorts, Urdaneta 2012, Bidra 2012, Esposito 2018, with five-year survival in the 95–97% range, comparable to longer threaded implants placed with sinus elevation. The published evidence specifically supports the short-implant pathway, and that is how we use Bicon clinically.

Surgical Protocol, How Bicon Is Placed

Drill Sequence and Torque Profile

The Bicon protocol is sequence-different from threaded systems. The osteotomy is prepared with conical-tipped drills that match the plateau geometry, the implant is press-fit (not screw-driven) into place, and the locking taper is engaged after osseointegration. Saline irrigation throughout. Insertion torque is not the relevant gate, primary stability is assessed by tactile fit and confirmed by ISQ.

Recommended Primary Stability Threshold

ISQ 65+ at placement. The locking-taper connection is engaged at the prosthetic phase, not at placement.

Available Connections

• Bicon Plateau, the standard short-implant fixture
• Locking taper abutment range, multiple emergence profiles, no abutment screw

Recommended Sites and Indications

Atrophic posterior maxilla (5 mm short implants as alternative to sinus lift); atrophic posterior mandible where vertical bone height is limited; aesthetic anterior single-tooth where the locking-taper-without-screw delivers a cleaner emergence profile.

Prosthetic Options, What Sits On Top

• Locking-taper abutments, no screw, engaged by light tap of the prosthesis onto the implant taper
• Cement-retained crowns, most common
• Multi-unit cases, possible but less common; threaded systems are preferred for full-arch protocols
• CAD-CAM compatibility, Bicon-specific libraries available for major design software

Indications and Contraindications

Indications. Atrophic posterior bone where short implants are clinically appropriate; aesthetic anterior single-tooth where the locking-taper connection is preferred; cases where the patient or referring clinician has specifically requested a no-screw prosthetic.

Relative contraindications. Cases where threaded fixtures would perform equivalently and at lower per-fixture cost; full-arch immediate-loading protocols (use Straumann BLX or NobelActive instead); heavy bruxism in posterior cases.

Absolute contraindications. Same as other implant systems.

What This Costs

Stunning Dentistry's Experience With Bicon

Bicon entered our inventory in 2017, specifically to support short-implant pathways for patients who declined sinus lift surgery or for whom sinus lift was contraindicated. We have placed approximately 380 Bicon fixtures across the eight-year span. The 924-implant audit included 42 Bicon fixtures, survival at four-year follow-up: 96.1%.

Lead Clinicians On Your Case

The named bench you are paired with on day one of diagnosis:

• Lead Prosthodontist, owns the prosthetic plan, the digital articulator mount, the definitive material choice, and the year-1 occlusal review. Signs every case decision.
• Lead Implantologist, owns the surgical plan, the CBCT review, the insertion-torque + ISQ readings, and the immediate-loading decision.
• Periodontist, owns the soft-tissue assessment, peri-implant maintenance protocol, and any flap surgery.
• Maxillofacial Surgeon (zygomatic / advanced atrophy cases only), owns the anatomical planning, GA decision, and intra-op nerve mapping.

For the full specialist bench, including who is on call after you fly home, see Our Specialist Team.