NobelReplace
NobelReplace has been placed in very large numbers over a long period. If you have a Nobel implant and do not know which, this is a strong candidate, and identifying which version you have is the whole point of this page.
At a glance
- Original connection
- Tri-channel, three internal grooves
- Current Canadian version
- NobelReplace CC, on the conical connection
- Surface
- TiUnite
- Installed base
- Very large, built over many years
- Critical point
- Tri-channel and CC components do not interchange
- If you have one
- Establish which version before restorative work
The identification problem
This is the most practically important page in our Nobel Biocare section, because NobelReplace exists in two forms with different connections. The original uses Nobel's tri-channel connection, three grooves cut into the inner wall of the implant. The current Canadian version, NobelReplace CC, uses the conical connection instead.
They share a product name. They do not share components. An abutment for one will not seat in the other.
Suppose you had a NobelReplace placed twelve years ago and the crown now needs replacing. Your dentist must establish whether you have the tri-channel or the conical version before ordering anything. This is entirely doable, the connection is visible on a good X-ray and confirmable once the crown is off, but it costs an appointment and sometimes a wrong part.
If you can still contact the practice that placed it, ask them for the connection type and reference number now, while the record exists. Practices close, records are archived, and dentists retire. This is a five-minute phone call that can save a genuinely frustrating appointment years from now.
Why tri-channel was used at all
Three internal grooves index the abutment so it seats in one of three orientations and cannot rotate. It is a sound, well-proven design that served Nobel for many years, and there is nothing wrong with a healthy tri-channel implant in your jaw. The industry's broad shift toward conical connections reflects advantages in sealing and load distribution, not a defect in what came before.
Nobel runs four incompatible connection families, external hex, tri-channel, conical and trioval conical. Components do not cross between them. Whatever you receive, get the connection type, platform and reference number written down; it determines which parts can ever be fitted to your implant. The brand page has a diagram of all four.
Questions worth asking your dentist
- Do I have the tri-channel or the conical CC version?
- If you cannot tell from my records, how will you establish it?
- Are components still readily available for my version?
- If this is a new placement, which version are you using and why?
- Will you write down the connection type and reference number for my records?
- Should I ask my previous dentist for the original placement records?
Related systems
Brånemark System
The older external hex line, also with a large installed base.
NobelActive
Nobel's most widely placed current implant.
References
- Nobel Biocare. Product Catalog, Edition 2024/2025. Catalogue 89351, organised by connection type.
- Nobel Biocare. Implants catalogue. Nobel Biocare Canada, nobelbiocare.com/en-ca/catalog/implants.
Specifications compiled from Nobel Biocare's publicly available product literature and Canadian product pages. Manufacturer performance claims are identified as such. DentalImplantInfo.ca is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Nobel Biocare. Nobel Biocare, NobelActive, NobelParallel, NobelReplace, NobelPearl, NobelZygoma, Brånemark System, TiUnite, TiUltra, Xeal and NobelProcera are trademarks of their respective owners, used here for identification and educational purposes.