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In 2004, Zest Anchors introduced the LOCATOR Bar Attachment System for bar restorations, an innovation that increased the available options for removable implant prosthetics.1 The LOCATOR Bar Attachment makes it easier for dental practitioners to fabricate a splinted cast alloy bar or milled titanium bar with LOCATOR Bar Attachments, and it provides a simpler solution for overdentures or partial dentures retained by bar-splinted endosseous implants in the mandible or maxilla. The LOCATOR Bar Attachment System can be particularly useful in treating geriatric patients, especially to provide function and lip and esthetic support in less time and with less morbidity, compared with restorations of implants using conventional crowns or fixed partial dentures.2 Bar-overdentures offer the benefit of splinting the implants within the arch for removable applications and provide better stability and retention than freestanding attachments.3 Choice of Three LOCATOR Bar Females Zest Anchors’ LOCATOR Bar Attachment System provides 3 methods for fabricating resilient attachments for an implant-retained bar. Drill and Tap LOCATOR Bar Female The bar can be drilled and tapped to allow LOCATOR Bar Females to be threaded into the completed implant bar. The 1.7-mm Bar Drill and a 2.0-mm Bar Tap are used for creating the threaded site into either a titanium or cast alloy bar. A 3-piece LOCATOR Core Tool helps thread the LOCATOR Bar Female into place. LOCATOR Bar Females are also available in a special thread size to replace worn TSB Ball Attachments. All that is needed to retrofit an existing bar is a minimum bar width of 4 mm to upgrade to a LOCATOR. Laser Weld LOCATOR Female The LOCATOR Laser Bar Female can be laser welded onto a bar. The LOCATOR Paralleling Mandrel is used to position the appropriate LOCATOR Bar Female and weld it into place. Existing denture components and tools can be used as connections for the LOCATOR Bar Females; all parts are universal. Cast-To-Bar LOCATOR Female The LOCATOR Cast-To-Bar Female (316L stainless steel) is positioned by using the LOCATOR Paralleling Mandrel and waxed into the bar. The precisionmachined finish of the attachment is maintained by casting the gold alloy to the LOCATOR Cast-To-Bar Female. Outstanding Features All 3 LOCATOR Bar Females have Zest Anchors’ patented self-aligning feature, which helps the patient accurately seat his or her prosthesis without the need for accurate alignment of the attachment components. The self-correcting alignment of the LOCATOR Attachment also reduces wear and tear on the attachment components by directing proper insertion of the appliance every time—even when patients bite their dentures into place. The company’s unique dual retention innovation—a combination of inside and outside retention—provides the LOCATOR Attachment with greater retention surface area than is possible with other attachments. Independent laboratory testing has demonstrated the high level of wear resistance inherent in the Dual Retention design.4 The LOCATOR Bar Attachment System features the low attachment profile available with Zest Anchor’s LOCATOR Attachments, providing a total vertical attachment height of 2.5 mm (2.75 mm for the Laser Bar Female). Zest Anchors recently added a Threaded Castable Sleeve, which eliminated the need to drill and tap the threaded preparation into the cast bar. Ordering To learn more about the LOCATOR Bar Attachment System or to place orders, visit www.zestanchors.com or call tollfree at (800) 262-2310. A LOCATOR Bar Attachment System Technique Manual is also available from Zest Anchors. References 1. Staubli PE, Bagley D. LOCATOR attachment: newly available for bars. Spectrum: The Voice of Techno-Clinical Dentistry. May/June 2005. 2. Stanford CM. Dental implants: a role in geriatric dentistry for the general practice? J Am Dent Assoc. 2007;138:34S-40S. 3. Kurtzman GM. Lab techniques for use of the LOCATOR attachment in bar-overdenture applications. TeamWork.The Insider’s Guide to Quality Dentistry. March 2008. 4. Zest Anchors, Inc. Information on file, Delsen Testing Laboratories data during 60,000 cycles of function. Escondido, CA.