The company was founded as an NV in 1984. At that time money was raised to gather the necessary machines and manpower to develop a screw and plate system, specifically dedicated to the oral and maxillo-facial surgeon with focus on orthognatic surgery.
At the time (1981-1983), the profession started to find a way to get rid of intermaxillary fixation for orthognatic surgery. The work of Spiessl in Basel was at the frontline.
A lot of our attention went into the development of the head of the screw and it's wrench screwdriver. Also the tread of the screw was rolled instead of cut out. The know-how came from the automobile industry.
Also we paid a lot of attention to the cleanness and packaging. We wanted to deliver the screw as clean as an implant, ready to stay in the bones for all times. This protocol is still followed except for the fluoridation process that was abandoned for environmental reasons.
Since that time we learned to cut out the thread directly on the machine, even more predictable than before. The profile of the thread is unique in the sense that the thread is not cut out, but fluent. The advantage is that it hold even in the thinnest of maxillary bone.
An instrument of proud was also the percutanuous trochar to fix the mandibular split. This instrument was there before any similar instrument was on the marked and is still functioning as it was at that time.
In 1995 we started distributing the 3i company (Implant Innovations) dental implants in the Benelux as an independent dealer with great success.
In 2001, immediate loading started to become common property in dentistry. Most of the time the suprastructure is then placed directly on the implants. We conceived a set of very handy implant screwdrivers in different
lengths. The screwdrivers are made in titanium, what makes them very light so if they drop, they stick to the tongue rather than fall in the throat. Also a long extra fine screwdriver was designed for the implants in the upper jaw.
In 2002 a new product line was launched, dedicated to implant reconstructive surgery. This included a specific kit with 1.2mm screws that are up to 14mm long. The screws are extraordinary well suited for fixation of bone grafts, prior to implant placement.
In 2003 a specific pediatric kit was brought out, including 1.2mm screws and a set of according plates.
The 3i dealership was sold back to the 3i company in 2004. Titamed continued as a BVBA, and dedicated itself to the original core business.
In 2004 we started the research for a distraction device to widen the maxilla after the appropriate corticotomies. The focus in the design went to make the device patient friendly in terms of comfort and hygienic
maintenance, since the device should stay 3 to 5 months in the mouth. The key of the design was to generate the distraction forces deep in the bone and not on top of the bone. The smile distractor was patented in July 2005 and we strongly believe to bring the smile distractor to the international market.