VITA Zahnfabrik - 90 years as an innovative partner for practices and labs

The VITA Zahnfabrik success story began 90 years ago. Established on July 17, 1924 in Essen, Germany, and based in Bad Säckingen since 1943, the company has now been family-run for three generations. With the development of the Helios tooth in the 1920s, the foundation was laid for VITA’s areas of expertise - acrylic teeth, shades and ceramics.

At the time, the Helios layering was revolutionary, providing the starting point for today’s VITA teeth: natural shade gradients with a structure that replicates human dentition by combining a dentin core with an enamel and incisal layer. This development enabled an unprecedented level of natural aesthetics, paving the way for all VITA innovations to follow.

The name still speaks for itself, even today: with three anterior and four posterior acrylic tooth lines, and one anterior and two posterior ceramic tooth lines, VITA offer a wide range of shapes and shades.

Shade guides

At the same time, the further development of the first shade guides from when the company was established led, in 1955, to the Lumin VACUUM shade guide, which provided the basis for the VITAPAN classical A1-D4 shade system launched in 1983. Also available since 1998 is the VITA SYSTEM 3D-MASTER, the first and only scientifically structured system to cover the tooth colour space. Both systems have become established as international standards, with four out of five shade values worldwide now determined using these products.

Ceramics

Just how influential VITA has also been in the area of ceramics is demonstrated in a number of ways, including by the fact that the VITA metal ceramic product name “VMK” from 1962 has become established as a general term in everyday language. The development of the first VITA dental ceramics for the fabrication of customized prosthetics dates back to 1930. The uniform VITA VM veneering concept for metal ceramics, all-ceramics and acrylics has been available since 2003 and has been enhanced on an ongoing basis. Moreover, VITA is also a pioneer in the area of dental CAD/CAM materials. As early as 1985, the first patient was fitted with an inlay comprised of a ceramic that was very similar to the subsequent VITABLOCS product, which went into serial production in 1987. The latest developments are the hybrid ceramic VITA ENAMIC and the zirconia-reinforced glass ceramic VITA SUPRINITY. Thanks to various system partners, VITA materials can now be processed using numerous dental CAD/CAM systems.

Our 90 years of company history are distinguished by progress. Many new developments and enhancements by VITA Zahnfabrik have had a lasting impact on the entire dental industry. The current portfolio comprises innovative solutions both for traditional as well as for computer-aided dentistry. As is customary, VITA Zahnfabrik will continue to expand its current position as a market leader in the future, focusing on its users in doing so.