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3i compatible external hex abutment selection guide

Biomet 3i External Hex Compatible Abutment Selection Guide

Four checks to choose a Titan compatible abutment for T3, Osseotite, Full Osseotite, Nanotite and classic Biomet 3i external hex implants. All share one prosthetic connection; the seating surface is the only variable.

External hex or Certain? “Osseotite” is a surface used on both 3i connections, and their parts do not interchange. If the record says “Certain,” use the 3i Certain guide. This is the most common 3i ordering error.
hex sitsaboveExternal hexT3, Osseotite, Nanotite,Full Osseotitehex recessedinsideCertain internal hexT3 Certain, Osseotite Certain,Nanotite Certain“Osseotite” is a surface, used on both connections.Parts never interchange. Check the record for “Certain.”

Step 1: Identify the seating surface

The seating surface, not the implant body, decides the parts. There are four: 3.4, 4.1, 5.0 and 6.0mm, color-coded purple, blue, yellow and green. Find the body diameter and implant design on the surgical record, then read across.

Purple3.4mm platformBlue4.1mm platformYellow5.0mm platformGreen6.0mm platformBody ØTaperedParallelwalledExpanded(XP)3.25 mm3.4mm3.4mm4.1mm3/43.75 mm—4.1mm—4.0 mm4.1mm4.1mm5.0mm4/55.0 mm5.0mm5.0mm6.0mm5/66.0 mm6.0mm6.0mm—Circled sizes are the common misorders. Confirmthe seating surface on the record before ordering.Read the seating surface. In “4/5,” the second number is it.4.0Tapered4.1mm seating4.0mm bodyUse 4.1mm parts3.75Parallel walled4.1mm seating3.75mm bodyUse 4.1mm parts4/5Expanded platform (XP)5.0mm seating4.0mm bodyUse 5.0mm parts
Design Implant lines Body Ø × seating surface
Tapered T3, Osseotite NT, Full Osseotite, Nanotite 3.25×3.4, 4.0×4.1, 5.0×5.0, 6.0×6.0
Parallel walled T3, Osseotite, Full Osseotite, Nanotite 3.25×3.4, 3.75×4.1, 4.0×4.1, 5.0×5.0, 6.0×6.0
Short T3 Short 5.0×5.0, 6.0×6.0
Expanded platform (XP) Osseotite XP, Full Osseotite XP (no longer in ZimVie’s current catalog) 3/4 = 3.25×4.1, 4/5 = 4.0×5.0, 5/6 = 5.0×6.0

Step 2: Choose the abutment type

Abutment Use it for
Straight Locking Abutment (SLIAF) Cement-retained single crowns; the hex engages for anti-rotation. All four seating surfaces.
Simple Step Abutment (Titan Design) Two-piece, with a separate titanium screw. More emergence-profile diameters and prep heights than the straight locking abutment. 4.1mm and 5.0mm.
Post Abutment Non-engaging; multi-unit or splinted work where the framework resists rotation.
Castable / UCLA Sleeve Custom cast frameworks. Hex (engaging) or non-hex (non-engaging).
Temporary Abutment Provisionals during healing. Textured for acrylic retention.
Ball Abutment Overdenture retention with O-ring housings. 3.4, 4.1 and 5.0mm.

See the full range with photos below.

Step 3: Choose the emergence profile and collar height

Match the emergence profile to the cervical diameter of the tooth being replaced, supporting the papillae without pressing on them. Probe tissue depth from the platform to the gingival crest and choose the collar that puts the shoulder at or just below the margin. Titan offers more collar heights and profile diameters than the OEM catalog for the 3i external hex.

Emergence ØNarrower profileAnteriors, tight interdental spaceEmergence ØWider profilePremolars and molarsGingival marginImplant platformcrowncrownToo shortMargin too deep;cement hard to clearCorrectShoulder at or justbelow the marginToo tallMetal showsabove the tissueTissuedepthCollarheightSoft tissueBoneExcess cement

Full method, including prep height, in our abutment sizing guide.

Step 4: Engaging or non-engaging

hex indexedEngaging (hex)Single units: locks rotationsplinted frameworkNon-engagingSplinted: divergent implants seat together
Rule of thumb: single unit = engaging. Multi-unit or splinted = non-engaging for the framework, but engaging impression copings during the impression. More in the engaging vs. non-engaging guide.

The Titan external hex range

Machined in Bergenfield, New Jersey from Grade 23 ELI titanium (Ti-6Al-4V ELI, ASTM F136) and FDA-cleared. Abutments, copings, analogs, sleeves and bar posts for each platform, so a case doesn’t get assembled from three vendors.

Simple Step Abutment, a Titan design

Our own design: a two-piece abutment with a stepped body and a separate titanium screw, for the 4.1mm and 5.0mm seating surfaces. It comes in more emergence-profile diameters and prep heights than the straight locking abutment, so you can match the site without custom work.

Titan Simple Step Abutment T-4ESA for Biomet 3i external hex 4.1mm platformSimple Step Abutment emergence profile levels 1, 2 and 3 with collar height options

Straight Locking Abutments, all four platforms

The workhorse for cement-retained single units, with more collar-height and emergence increments than the OEM range.

Multi-unit and transmucosal abutments

For screw-retained bridges and full-arch work. The two-piece transmucosal abutment carries the connection above the tissue for easier hygiene and impressions on deep sites.

Conical abutment system

The full conical chain for the 4.1 / 5.0mm and 6.0mm platforms: bar post, open-tray impression coping with long screw, stainless lab analog and burnout UCLA sleeve.

Post abutments: restorative vs. bite registration

Both are one-piece, non-engaging 4.1mm posts. T-4PA stays in the case; T-4PABR records the bite and comes back out. T-4PA has no thread timing or anti-rotation feature: check occlusal height on the model and create a flat wall so the index is known.

If you are… Use
Building a provisional or multi-unit restoration T-4PA
Taking an impression without the full transfer chain T-4PA
Recording the bite for articulator mounting T-4PABR
Verifying vertical dimension across a full arch T-4PABR

Bar posts for laser-welded frameworks

Bar posts → laser-welded bar → splinted framework bar laser weld joints overdenture or fixed framework rides the bar Non-engaging posts let divergent implants seat simultaneously; the bar provides the anti-rotation.

Non-engaging posts let divergent implants seat together; the welded bar supplies the anti-rotation. Ordered per implant. T-IOL is a dedicated post for immediate occlusal loading; case selection remains the clinician’s decision.

Overdenture ball abutments: 3.4, 4.1 and 5.0mm

How the overdenture attachment stacks up denture base metal housing — cured into the denture rubber O-ring — the retention, replaceable ball abutment — torqued into the implant implant snaps together

Each ball abutment comes with a metal housing and two O-rings. Retention lives in the O-ring, so the keeper, replacement O-rings, wrench and lab analog are stocked too.

Standard abutment restorative chain

Impression coping, lab analog and burnout sleeve, all matched to the 4.1mm standard abutment.

Instruments

The Implant Locator Pin threads into the implant by hand and guides the abutment on in parallel. Guide pins in 20, 22, 24 and 26mm. One 0.050″ (1.27mm) hex driver works across the external hex range.

In-stock components ordered before 4:00 PM ET ship the same business day. Not sure which part fits? Call 1-201-439-0470.

Frequently asked questions

How do I identify the seating surface?
From the record, not the body alone. A 3.75mm parallel-walled implant takes 4.1mm parts, and an expanded-platform (XP) implant takes the second number in its name: 3/4 = 4.1mm, 4/5 = 5.0mm, 5/6 = 6.0mm.

When do I use engaging vs. non-engaging?
Engaging for single units. Non-engaging for multi-unit or splinted frameworks, where divergent angles prevent simultaneous hex engagement.

Is my “3i Osseotite” implant external hex or Certain?
If the record doesn’t say “Certain,” it’s external hex.

Quick reference

Decision Set by Rule
Seating surface Body Ø and design on the record 3.4, 4.1, 5.0 or 6.0mm. 3.75mm parallel walled = 4.1. XP (3/4, 4/5, 5/6): the second number.
Abutment type Restoration design Straight locking for cemented single units. Simple Step for more profile and prep-height choices. Post abutment for multi-unit. Castable for custom cast work.
Profile and collar Tooth and tissue depth Profile = cervical diameter. Shoulder at or just below the margin.
Engaging or not Single vs. multi-unit Single unit = engaging. Splinted = non-engaging.

Shop all Biomet 3i External Hex parts. Have the OEM part number? Call 1-201-439-0470 and we’ll cross-reference it to the Titan equivalent before you order.

Disclaimer: Biomet 3i®, T3®, Osseotite®, Nanotite®, and ZimVie® are registered trademarks of ZimVie Inc. and/or its affiliates. Titan Implants, Inc. is an independent manufacturer of compatible prosthetic components. This guide is for informational purposes and does not constitute clinical advice. Titan Implants is not sponsored by, affiliated with, or endorsed by ZimVie Inc.

More selection guides: Engaging vs. Non-Engaging · Abutment Sizing · Implant Locator Pin · One Driver Advantage · 3i Certain Guide · All Resources