Do I need a special handpiece to run Crown Down with Straumann?

No. Crown Down drills use a Morse taper 1.5° lock with a 4.0 mm shank well, which is the same standard contra-angle interface that Straumann's own surgical drills use. There is no brand-specific driver, no proprietary connection, and no adapter. Any handpiece already on your tray for Straumann cases accepts Crown Down drills.

Can I use Crown Down for guided Straumann cases planned in coDiagnostiX?

Yes. The coded depth stoppers seat directly into guided-surgery templates, and coDiagnostiX-planned guides work with Crown Down drills the same way they work with Straumann drills. Because the 2-drill protocol replaces the 5- to 8-step Straumann sequence, the number of through-sleeve handovers drops sharply, which shortens the guided portion of the case.

What about the BLX or SLA surface implants — do the drills change?

The drill kit doesn't change with the implant surface. Surface treatment (SLA, SLActive, ZLA) affects osseointegration biology, not osteotomy geometry. Crown Down drills prepare the same standardized diameters that Straumann specifies for any of its Bone Level implants, regardless of surface finish. For BLX (the tapered BL variant), the drilling chart is the same as BL.

Is Crown Down affiliated with Straumann?

No. Crown Down is an independent manufacturer of universal implant drilling kits. "Straumann" and "coDiagnostiX" are trademarks of Institut Straumann AG. Crown Down references Straumann here only to document compatibility with Straumann's published osteotomy specifications; there is no partnership or endorsement.

Straumann Compatible

Crown Down for Straumann. The Compatible Implant Drill Kit.

Name: Straumann-Compatible Implant Drill Kit — Crown Down Carbide
Creator: Dr. Zvi Fudim, DDS
Published: 2026-07-02

You place Straumann. Your Straumann drills wear out on schedule and the replacement sequence is a recurring line item on the practice books. Crown Down is a tungsten carbide implant drill kit that maps to both Bone Level and Bone Level Conical osteotomy specifications, uses two drills instead of five to eight, and doesn't require scheduled replacement.

By Dr. Zvi Fudim, DDSClinically reviewed June 20265 min read

Quick Answer

Crown Down is a universal tungsten carbide implant drill kit that publishes validated drilling charts for both Straumann Bone Level (BL) and Straumann Bone Level Conical (BLC). Each Crown Down drill maps to the exact osteotomy diameter Straumann specifies, the handpiece interface (Morse 1.5\u00b0, 4.0 mm well) is identical to a Straumann surgical drill, and the 2-drill protocol replaces the standard 5- to 8-step Straumann drilling sequence at every diameter and depth.

1Same osteotomy diameters, half the drill count. The 2-drill protocol prepares the exact final diameter Straumann specifies, using one cortical pass and one trabecular pass instead of a pilot + intermediate + final sequence.
2Works with coDiagnostiX-planned guided cases. Coded depth stoppers seat into standard guided-surgery templates; the through-sleeve portion of the case drops from 5 to 8 drill changes to just 2.
3No brand-specific handpiece required. Morse taper 1.5\u00b0 lock with a 4.0 mm shank well, the same standard interface used by Straumann's own surgical drills.
4$3,495 one time, no replacement cycle. Vs $5,000 to $12,000 across a 5-year window on a Straumann steel kit once ongoing drill replacements are counted.

Which Straumann lines does the kit cover?

Crown Down publishes validated drilling charts for the two most widely placed Straumann Bone Level implant families. Each chart maps the Crown Down 2-drill protocol to the osteotomy diameter Straumann specifies for that implant at each drilling depth.

Straumann Bone Level (BL)

The parallel-walled Bone Level family. Drilling chart covers Ø 3.3, Ø 4.1, and Ø 4.8 mm implant diameters at all Straumann standard lengths.

Download BL drilling chart (PDF)

Straumann Bone Level Conical (BLC)

The tapered BLC family (also marketed as BLX in some regions). Drilling chart covers the same three diameters with the tapered-osteotomy adjustments Straumann specifies for conical implant placement.

Download BLC drilling chart (PDF)

Both charts print on a single page and are designed to sit beside the surgical tray. Surface treatment (SLA, SLActive, ZLA) does not change the drilling sequence; the same chart covers every Straumann Bone Level implant regardless of surface finish.

What actually changes on a Straumann case with Crown Down.

The osteotomy is prepared to the same final diameter and depth Straumann specifies. Primary stability targets stay the same, implant selection stays the same, restorative components stay the same. What changes is the drill sequence itself: one cortical pass with a tungsten carbide drill matched to the implant diameter, then one trabecular pass with the paired second drill. Two drills per site, one cortical and one trabecular, instead of the pilot → intermediate → final sequence in a standard Straumann surgical kit.

Straumann steel kit sequence

1. Round bur (mucosal punch / crestal marking)
2. Needle drill (starter)
3. Pilot drill Ø 2.2 mm
4. Depth gauge / paralleling pin
5. Twist drill Ø 2.8 mm
6. Twist drill Ø 3.5 mm (BL 4.1)
7. Final drill matched to implant diameter
8. Crestal bone drill (if indicated)

5 to 8 drills, 800 to 2,000 RPM, continuous saline irrigation. Replaced roughly every 20 to 50 osteotomies as the cutting edge dulls.

Crown Down protocol on the same case

1. Cortical drill matched to implant diameter
2. Trabecular drill (paired partner)

2 drills, ~250 RPM, no saline dependency. Solid tungsten carbide, engineered for unlimited clinical use. Osteotomy is prepared to the exact final diameter Straumann specifies for the chosen implant.

Surgeons switching a Straumann workflow to Crown Down report that the biggest change is not the material or the drill count on paper — it’s the tray. The standard Straumann surgical tray lays out 8 to 12 sequenced drills with color-coded rings. The Crown Down tray shows one cortical drill and one trabecular drill for the diameter being placed, plus a single set of coded depth stoppers. Assistants report the setup reads at a glance.

5-year cost: Straumann steel kit vs Crown Down.

The Straumann Bone Level surgical kit is a well-engineered stainless steel kit. It also depreciates on schedule: the drills dull under normal clinical drilling loads and the practice reorders replacement drills to keep the tray in cutting condition. That reorder cycle is what turns the sticker price into an operating cost.

Cost line	Straumann steel kit	Crown Down
Initial kit purchase	$2,000 to $3,500	$3,495
Drill replacement / year	$600 to $1,800	$0
5-year total	$5,000 to $12,500	$3,495

Ranges depend on annual case volume and replacement cadence. The dedicated drill cost calculator runs the exact numbers for your case volume and current Straumann invoice pricing.

The handpiece question

Same handpiece, same tray, same case flow.

Crown Down drills use a Morse taper 1.5° lock with a 4.0 mm well and an 18 mm shank length. This is the same open-standard interface that Straumann surgical drills use (and Nobel Biocare, Zimmer Biomet, and every other major implant system). Any standard contra-angle handpiece on your Straumann tray already accepts Crown Down drills without an adapter.

No proprietary driver, no reprocessing change, no separate handpiece budget. The kit ships, you sterilize it, and it replaces the Straumann drill sequence on the tray you already have.

Crown Down drill shank technical drawing showing the Morse 4 mm well, 5.21 mm and 5.00 mm shoulder diameters, 18.00 mm shank length, and 88-degree taper that mates with standard contra-angle handpieces used on Straumann surgical trays.

Morse shank, 4.0 mm well, 18 mm length.

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers to questions clinicians ask most about this topic.

Yes. Crown Down publishes drilling charts for both Straumann Bone Level (BL) and Straumann Bone Level Conical (BLC) lines. The 2-drill protocol maps each Crown Down drill to the correct osteotomy diameter that Straumann specifies for each implant, so the same tungsten carbide kit places Straumann implants using Straumann's published surgical parameters. Downloadable PDF drilling charts for both lines are on the /compatibility page.

A Straumann Bone Level surgical kit typically retails between $2,000 and $3,500 depending on the configuration, plus recurring drill replacement as the stainless steel drills dull (typically $100 to $200 per drill, replaced every 20 to 50 osteotomies). A moderately busy Straumann practice usually spends $5,000 to $12,000 across a 5-year window when replacement drills are counted. Crown Down is a flat $3,495 with no replacement cycle.

See the drilling chart for your Straumann line.

Download the BL or BLC drilling chart, book a clinical demo for your specific case volume, or run the 5-year cost math against your current Straumann invoice pricing.

View catalog & pricing Book a clinical demo

Keep reading

Crown Down for Straumann. The Compatible Implant Drill Kit.

Which Straumann lines does the kit cover?

What actually changes on a Straumann case with Crown Down.

5-year cost: Straumann steel kit vs Crown Down.

Same handpiece, same tray, same case flow.

Frequently asked questions

See the drilling chart for your Straumann line.

Related reading

Universal Implant System Compatibility

Implant Drill Kit Cost Calculator

Crown Down 2026 Catalog

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