Ankylos Dental Implants, The TissueCare Conical Connection

Overview, What Ankylos Is and Why It Matters

Ankylos is a German-engineered implant system originally developed in 1985 at the University of Frankfurt by Professor Georg-H. Nentwig and team. It is the longest-clinically-documented conical Morse-taper connection in the field, predating the more recent Straumann Bone-Level and Nobel Active conical systems by more than a decade. The TissueCare connection geometry creates a microbial seal between fixture and abutment via a deep conical taper, supporting long-term tissue stability and reducing the bacterial-leakage-driven crestal bone loss that affected earlier external-hex implant designs.

Ankylos, Brand and Manufacturer Background

{{IMAGE_PLACEHOLDER:Dentsply Sirona / Ankylos production facility, Germany}}

The Ankylos system originated at the University of Frankfurt in 1985, with the first clinical placements that year by Professor Nentwig. The system was acquired by Friadent in the late 1990s, then by Dentsply (now Dentsply Sirona) in the early 2000s. Manufacturing is in Mannheim, Germany; clinical research continues through the Dentsply Sirona Implants R&D centre. Dentsply Sirona is the largest publicly-traded dental products company globally (NASDAQ: XRAY).

Regulatory Clearances and Quality Standards

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

ISO 13485 manufacturing across Dentsply Sirona sites; full lot-level traceability.

Surface Treatment and Osseointegration Profile

Cellplus is the Ankylos surface, sandblasted with corundum, then acid-etched in hydrochloric and sulfuric acid. Sa value approximately 1.6 µm. The chemistry is similar to other established moderately-rough surfaces (SLA, OsseoFix); the differentiation of Ankylos is in the connection geometry rather than the surface chemistry.

{{IMAGE_PLACEHOLDER:SEM image of Cellplus surface}}

The TissueCare connection, a deep internal Morse-taper that engages between fixture and abutment, produces a documented microbial seal at the implant-abutment interface. The clinical consequence: less bacterial leakage into the connection, less inflammation at the crestal bone, and measurably less bone loss at the implant-abutment junction over long-term follow-up. Multiple prospective cohorts (Krennmair 2016, Romanos 2014, Zipprich 2007) document this effect.

Surgical Protocol, How Ankylos Is Placed

Drill Sequence and Torque Profile

Brand-specific drill kit with Ankylos C/X-specific geometry; saline irrigation 50 ml/min; target insertion torque 20–35 Ncm (Ankylos achieves primary stability through the apical thread engagement rather than aggressive coronal compression).

Recommended Primary Stability Threshold

ISQ 65+ for delayed loading. Immediate loading is supported for selected anatomies but is not the primary positioning of the system.

Available Connections

• Ankylos C/X, the standard fixture with TissueCare conical connection
• Multi-unit abutments, for full-arch protocols

Recommended Sites and Indications

Single-tooth, multi-unit bridge, full-arch in delayed-load protocols. Cases prioritising long-term tissue stability over immediate-load speed.

Prosthetic Options, What Sits On Top

• Atlantis CAD-CAM abutments, Dentsply Sirona's custom-CAD system, fully compatible with Ankylos
• Standard cement-retained or screw-retained abutment range
• Multi-unit configurations for All-on-4 / All-on-6 protocols

{{IMAGE_PLACEHOLDER:Ankylos prosthetic build cross-section showing TissueCare conical connection sealing}}

Indications and Contraindications

Indications. Single-tooth, multi-unit, full-arch in delayed-load protocols. Cases where the long-term tissue seal is the priority.

Relative contraindications. Heavy parafunction, active periodontitis at adjacent sites, smoking, uncontrolled diabetes, same general patient profile as other systems.

What This Costs

Stunning Dentistry's Experience With Ankylos

Ankylos has been in our inventory since 2015, specifically for cases where the TissueCare seal and the long published track record were the deciding factors. We have placed approximately 720 fixtures across the ten-year span. The 924-implant audit included 88 Ankylos fixtures, survival at four-year follow-up: 96.4%.