Today, Maillefer is a very important brand of Dentsply Sirona Endodontics. For 130 years, Maillefer has not only been one of the world’s largest endodontic-focused business units, but also one of the largest employers in the canton of Vaud, with more than 750 employees currently. A large part of the integrated solutions and innovative products that Dentsply Sirona offers in the field of endodontics are produced at the site in Switzerland. Coupled with continuous innovation, this contributes in a big way to the ongoing development of Dentsply Sirona’s Endodontics division. At Maillefer, innovative ideas and optimized solutions are created and produced to improve the clinical success of endodontic treatments.

Maillefer has its own engineering team that develops custom machines to facilitate the production process of dental instruments on site. The team consists of 40 people, including highly experienced engineers who build sophisticated production systems with in-line quality control. Designed specifically for the manufacture of dental instruments, the machines are much more advanced than most others available on the market. With its own machine production, the know-how of the manufacturing process remains in-house. Maillefer’s first-hand experience in dentistry and the assurance of quality through in-house production enables the company to offer dentists unique solutions they can rely on. As a result, Maillefer’s customers have a competitive advantage.

Continuity by Innovation

Auguste Maillefer was inspired due to an early realization that the instruments used at the time were not created with an actual understanding of dentistry. By combining his technical expertise and clinical experience, he was able to be one step ahead of other producers by designing highly innovative and technologically advanced instruments, for both himself and his colleagues. Global access to advanced, specialized and reliable endodontic therapies as well as the current expertise of Maillefer, would not have been possible without the work of the early pioneer, Auguste Maillefer.

Since its creation, Maillefer has continued to evolve its solutions and services. This was true through the partnership with Dentsply, which has enabled it to expand its international presence, and then with Sirona, which significantly increased its coverage of customers’ needs. Innovation lies in Maillefer’s genes and the company has always been able to “reinvent itself” in order to remain a major player in the dental market. Today, Maillefer produces more than 1 million files per day for customers all over the world.

Maillefer/Dentsply Sirona Endodontics file systems are a great example of product development with Swiss precision. The ProTaper and WaveOne Gold families, for example, offer dentists optimal support for root canal preparation thanks to their high resistance and cutting performance. The new TruNatomy treatment concept also provides dentists with an excellent option for root canal preparation and includes all the instruments and materials needed for smooth and predictable root canal treatment.

Dr. Clifford J. Ruddle, DDS, who partnered with Maillefer to design the ProTaper and WaveOne Gold endodontic file systems said, “I am quite sure that, in 1889, the Swiss founders of Maillefer never imagined Maillefer in 2019. What a remarkably profound impact the brand has made and continues to make as a leader in international healthcare. Over the years, it has been a great honor for me to have played a role in collaborating with the Maillefer team to design several leading endodontic products. Maillefer’s genius is its people and their imagination to create novel, innovative, and highly useful products of impeccable quality that serve to empower clinicians, improve patient care, and transform lives.”