617 Ingenious Implants with Gerald Niznick : Dentistry Uncensored with Howard Farran

Dr. Gerald A. Niznick was the founder and President of Core-Vent Bio-Engineering and Paragon Dental Implant Company (1982 - 2001) which he sold to Zimmer Dental. The Screw-Vent internal hex implant that he invented in 1986 is still the backbone of Zimmer's dental implant system 25 years later. Barron's Magazine Article on Dental Implant Industry Feb. 15, 2005 referred to Dr. Niznick as "a prosthodontist and entrepreneur who is considered by many as the godfather of American implant dentistry."   He started designing and manufacturing a new line of products in 2004 that were launched in October 2006 through Implant Direct International. In just four years, Implant Direct had a significant global presence in the implant industry with 300 employees, sales offices in the US, Canada, Switzerland and Israel, and with distributors in 30 other countries. Dr. Niznick's product and marketing strategy of selling high quality, innovative products with All-in-1 Packaging at about 1/3rd the price of the major implant companies captured about 4% of the global market, doubling the sales volume that Core-Vent/Paragon achieved after 20 years. Through Dr. Niznick's implementation of the industry's only lights-out 24/7 manufacturing and effective use of the internet for technical support and online ordering, he created a price-point shift in the industry, making implant dentistry more affordable for dentists and their patients.   In December 2010, Sybron Dental Solutions, a division of Danaher, a 15 billion dollar conglomerate, acquired 75% interest in Implant Direct International, leaving Dr. Niznick the president of a joint venture that also included Sybron's Attachments International and Sybron Implant Solutions business assets.   Dr. Niznick graduated from the University of Manitoba Dental School in 1966 and then earned a Masters degree in Prosthodontics at Indiana University in 1968. Throughout the 1980's and 90's he personally trained over 10,000 dentists worldwide on the placement and restoration of dental implants using lectures and live surgical demonstrations.   In the 29-year span between Core-Vent (1982) and Implant Direct (2010), Dr Niznick has had 35 dental implant US patents issued to him including the internal connection patent that has become the cornerstone of modern implant design. His newer patents include ones for micro-threads, double-tri-lobe connections, a 1-Piece with multi-unit abutment platforms, a healing collar retained by the cover-screw and several pending patents include the GoDirect 1-Piece implants and GPS™ abutment system, both compatible with Zest Anchor Company's LOCATOR® Attachment.   Dr. Niznick's significant contributions to the dental implant field have been recognized by academic institutions and dental implant organizations. He has received Honorary Doctorate degrees from the University of Manitoba and from Tel Aviv University, as well as the prestigious Isaah Lew Research award from the American Academy of Implant Dentistry. He was also awarded Alpha Omega Dental Fraternity's highest award, the Achievement Medal, in 2007. The United States Department of Veterans Affairs issued a Commendation to Dr. Niznick for conceiving and funding the largest dental implant study worldwide at 32 VA centers that included 900 patients receiving over 2800 of Dr. Niznick's implants. Special issues of the Journal of Periodontology and the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery were dedicated to publishing the results of this monumental prospective, multi-center clinical study, which added significantly to dental implant knowledge.   www.ImplantDirect.com