exoplan Surgical Kit: 3 Links to the Implant Library

In exoplan, the surgical kit library describes the guided surgery instrument geometry of a specific system: drills, guide sleeves, reduction spoons and drilling depths. It doesn't replace the implant library — it works alongside it, and it's the correct pairing of the two that determines whether the implant lands in its planned position through the surgical guide.

Below we break down how the kit library differs from the implant library, how exoplan links them, and how to choose the right set, using the Straumann, Neodent and Nobel Biocare lines as examples.

What the surgical kit library is in exoplan

A guided surgery kit is the manufacturer's physical set of instruments for placing an implant through a guide. Its digital counterpart is the library that defines drill diameters and lengths, how reducers seat into the sleeve, vertical offsets and stopping depths. When you plan the implant position, exoplan uses these parameters to correctly calculate the height and position of the sleeve in the guide.

Without the kit library, the software doesn't know the system's real drilling protocol, so modeling a correct guided guide isn't possible — only freehand planning with no guarantee that the position transfers to the mouth.

• drill geometry and their sequence (drilling protocol);
• seating diameter and height of the sleeve;
• offset — the distance from the sleeve to the implant platform;
• fixation pins to stabilize the guide.

How the kit library links to the implant library

In exoplan these are two separate files that come together at the planning stage. The implant library defines the geometry of the implant body, the platform (NP/RP/WP) and the connection type. The kit library defines the protocol over that implant: at what height the sleeve seats and with what offset the instrument reaches the bone.

The link works like this: you select the implant of the right system and diameter, then specify a compatible guided kit and a sleeve from the same manufacturer. The software stitches the data together and calculates the vertical position of the sleeve relative to the platform. An error at this step is the most common reason an implant "floats" in depth within the guide.

Straumann guided kit: VeloDrill, BLX and TLX protocols

With Straumann, guided surgery is split across several libraries, and this often causes confusion. The base set — Straumann kit — covers the classic Guided Surgery workflow. Separately there's Straumann VeloDrill kit for VeloDrill instruments, used in the modern lines.

For BLX and TLX implants there are protocol libraries — Straumann BLX protocol and TLX protocol — plus separate files for the fully guided, partially guided and pilot stages. Sleeves are moved into Straumann sleeve, and guide fixation into a separate fixation library.

So a single BLX implant may need a combination: the BLX implant library + BLX protocol (or VeloDrill kit) + sleeve. Check exactly which protocol — pilot, partially or fully guided — you are planning.

• kit — the set of drills and reducers;
• protocol — the specific scenario (pilot / partially / fully guided);
• sleeve — the geometry of the guide sleeve;
• fixation — pins that stabilize the guide.

Sleeve, protocol and kit: how guided surgery files differ

Beginners often download only the "kit" and are surprised the sleeve doesn't drop in. In exoplan these entities are deliberately separated. The sleeve library describes the metal or polymer ring in the guide; the protocol library describes the drilling logic; the kit library describes the instruments themselves. Some manufacturers combine them into one file; Straumann and Nobel keep them apart.

With Nobel Biocare, for example, the sets are split by length: Active Long/Short, Parallel Long/Short, Brånemark and Replace Tapered — for different connection lines. With Neodent (Straumann Group), there are Grand Morse, Cone Morse and EasyGuide kits. The logic is the same everywhere: first the implant system, then the matching guided kit and sleeve.

How to select and install the right kit for your system

Start from the implant you actually have in your clinic. Identify the system and platform, then find the guided kit from the same manufacturer and the protocol version you physically own. If you have VeloDrill instruments in hand, there's no point downloading the classic Straumann kit — the offsets won't match.

The DentalLibs catalog gathers all the current exoplan kit, sleeve and protocol libraries — 1271 items for exoplan, including Straumann, Neodent, Nobel Biocare, Dentsply Sirona and BioHorizons. Download the kit, sleeve and, if needed, fixation as one bundle so you don't assemble a protocol from different versions.

Frequently asked questions about the surgical kit library in exoplan