Torque Driver Compatibility

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In this video, Alex discusses the compatibility of dental prosthetic torque drivers.

00:00 Is it compatible?

A common question we get from our customers is whether their torque driver is compatible with an implant system other than the one it was purchased for.

For example, you may do a lot of Straumann or Nobel implants and have one of their branded torque drivers. And you may wonder if one can be used for the other, or for any other system.

Yes, any of the branded or 3rd party drivers can be used for any of the major implant systems on the market - but there are limitations.

00:33 Limited Torque Values

Most of the branded torque drivers are only designed for a specific torque. For example, both the Straumann and Nobel prosthetic drivers have torque values of 15 and 35 Ncm. So, while you can easily use either one of these drivers for both the Nobel and Straumann system, they aren't going to be suited for a system that has a different recommended torque value.

For instance, the ZimVie Certain is 20 Ncm, ZimVie TSV and BioHorizons are both 30, and the Astra systems range from 15 to 25 depending on the platform.

01:10 Standard Connections
There are two standard connection types used in prosthetic torque drivers. The latch style, also known as the handpiece type, and the 4mm square style. But not every driver uses one of the standards. The Straumann torque wrench has a completely different style and you probably won't find any non-Straumann driver tips that are made to fit it.

01:31 Connection Adapters
There are a variety of adapters on the market that increase the compatibility of most torque drivers.

Several companies sell adapters that allow you to use a latch tip in a square driver. And there are also adapters that allow you to use a square tip in either a Nobel or Straumann driver.

The one exception is that we have never found an adapter that allows a square style tip to be used in a latch type driver. And that's not a great thing if all you have is a latch driver. A good example of this is that when ordering an Angled Screw channel custom abutment from TruAbutment, that company includes a square style AS driver tip at no additional charge. But if you only have a latch style driver, you would have to purchase a latch tip separately.

02:20 Our Recommendation

For these reasons, we generally recommend that if you are purchasing a new torque driver you purchase one with the square style. This will give you the most compatibility for the driver tips that are on the market.

There are square style drivers such as the Precise Adjustable torque wrench from ITL Dental that have a range of torque values so they can be used on all of the major systems.

Alex Rugh, CDT
O'Brien Dental Lab