CA2206163A1 - Dental implant system - Google Patents
Dental implant systemInfo
- Publication number
- CA2206163A1 CA2206163A1 CA 2206163 CA2206163A CA2206163A1 CA 2206163 A1 CA2206163 A1 CA 2206163A1 CA 2206163 CA2206163 CA 2206163 CA 2206163 A CA2206163 A CA 2206163A CA 2206163 A1 CA2206163 A1 CA 2206163A1
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- Prior art keywords
- abutment
- dental implant
- recited
- comprised
- implant assembly
- Prior art date
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Abstract
A dental implant assembly containing an integral dental implant which has an abutment integrally joined to a implant fixture. The abutment contains a top section, a bottom section integrally joined to the top section, and an orifice extending through a portion of the top section. The top section has a cross-sectional shape substantially like a polygon which is formed by alternating linear and arcuate walls. The abutment also has a horizontally-extending ledge disposed beneath the top section of said abutment, and a base which extends upwardly and outwardly from its bottom to its top.
Description
CA 02206163 1997-0~-2~
NHK-lC
DENTAL IMPLANT SYSTEM
Field of the invention A dental implant system for securing an artificial tooth or dental prosthesis to the bone of a patient.
Backqround of the invention Dental implants have been known, and used, since at least the 1930's; see, e.g., United States patent 5,312,254 of Joel L. Rosenlicht. See also United States patent 5,145,371 of Lars Jorneus which discusses the osseointegration method of integrating a dental implant into a patient's jaw. The disclosure of each of these patents is hereby incorporated by reference into this specification.
In applicant's United States patent 5,338,197, a dental implant having a cutting means is described and claimed;
the disclosure of this patent is hereby incorporated by reference into this specification.
Another dental implant assembly is described in appli-cant's copending patent application U.S.S.N. 08/391,662, filed February 21, 1995, which discloses a "HEXAGONAL ABUT-MENT IMPLANT SYSTEM".
Dental implants are moderately expensive. It often costs from about three to four thousand dollars to implant a tooth into a patient's mouth.
One of the reasons for this substantial cost is the multiplicity of steps required by the implant procedure.
These prior art steps will be described below with reference to Nobelpharma catalog PRI 385 94.03 2nd edition (published by the Nobelpharma AB, Box 5190, S-402 26 Goteborg, Sweden).
In the first step of the prior art procedure, an implant or "fixture" is purchased; see, e.g., page 7 of the Nobelpharma catalog and the reference to the 3.75 mm and 4.0 CA 02206l63 l997-0~-2~
mm titanium fixtures illustrated on such page.
The fixture so purchases must then be placed into an instrument set for fixture placement', which is shown on page 22 of the Nobelpharma catalog.
Once the fixture is disposed in the "instrument set...", a "fixture mount" is then attached to the fixture by means of a wrench and a screwdriver. The ~fixture mount" de-vices are shown on page 22 of the Nobelpharma catalog. The instruments for fixture placement of the fixture are also shown on page 22 of the Nobelpharma catalog (see wrench part 17 and screwdriver part 19).
Thereafter, a "connection to contra-angle handpiece"
(see part 11 on page 22 of the Nobelpharma catalog) is at-tached to a handpiece (see page 31 of the Nobelpharma catalog); and the implant assembly may then be driven into the jawbone of a patient.
Thereafter, the fixture mount is removed from the fix-ture. Thereafter, a cover screw (see page 9 of the Nobelphar-ma catalog) is inserted into the fixture. Thereafter, the surgical site is allowed to heal for from about 3 to about 6 months. See, e.g., Branemark/ZarbtAlberektsson: "Tissue In-tegrated Prostheses" (Quintessence Books, 1985).
After the healing period, the implant is exposed by surgical procedures, and the cover screw is removed. There-after, a healing abutment (see page 39 of the Nobelpharma cat-alog) is attached to the fixture. It generally is left in place for from about two to about three weeks, depending upon how the patient's tissue has healed.
Thereafter, the healing abutment is then removed, and a implant abutment is then attached to the fixture. The type of implant abutment to be used will depend on the requirements of the patient. Thus, e.g., and referring to pages 38 and 39 of CA 02206163 1997-0~-2~
the Nobelpharama catalog, one may standard abutment, and "Es-thetiCone" abutment, a "CeraOne~' abutment, a "Ball Attachment", an Angulated Abutment", and the like.
Thereafter, the desired prosthesis is formulated by conventional means. Once the prosthesis has been prepared, it is fitted to the patient's mouth secured to the implant.
It will be apparent that this prior art procedure re-quires a myriad number of prosthetic instruments and parts, many trips by the patient to the dentist, and a several surgi-cal procedures. Not only is the process tedious and expen-sive, but each surgical procedure introduces a certain ele-ment of risk, pain, and suffering.
It is an object of this invention to provide an implant assembly for implanting a prosthesis in a patient's mouth which is substantially less expensive, stronger, safer to use, and less-time consuming to use than the prior art implant assemblies.
It is another object of this invention to provide an implant assembly which, after it is secured to the patient, is less likely to become disengaged therefrom.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide an implant assembly which, after it is secured to the pa-tient, provides substantially no opportunity for bacterial ingress within the assembly.
Summary of the invention In accordance wlth this invention, there is provided a novel implant assembly comprised of an abutment integrally joined to a dental implant fixture and, optionally, a coping removably attached to the abutment. The abutment is prefer-ably an integrally-formed, sleeve-shaped element containing a lower portion and an upper portion. The exterior of the lower portion of the abutment contains an annular groove CA 02206163 1997-0~-2~
disposed between its base and the main, substantially poly-gonal portion of the abutment body. The sleeve of the abut-ment preferably contains rounded corners which are compatible with the oral tissue and its functions in the patient's mouth.
Brief description of the drawinqs The present invention will be more fully understood by reference to the following detailed description thereof, when read in conjunction with the attached drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements, and wherein:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of one preferred abut-ment of this invention;
Figure lA is a top view of an abutment with a substan-tially hexagonal exterior shape;
Figure lB is a top view of an abutment with a substan-tially square exterior shape;
Figure lC is a top view of an abutment with a substan-tially octagonal exterior shape;
Figure 2 is a sectional view of the abutment of Figure l;
Figure 3 is a top view of the abutment of Figure l;
Figure 4 is a bottom view of the abutment of Figure l;
Figure S is a perspective view of a carrier adapted to be used with the abutment of Figure 1;
Figure 6 is a sectional view of the carrier of Figure S
connected to the abutment of Figure 1, which in turn i~ con-nected to an implant fixture, the whole assembly being dis-posed within a vial;
Figure 6A is a perspective view of an abutment retain-ing screw which can be used with the abutment of this inven-tion;
Figure 6B is an exploded perspective view illustrating CA 02206163 1997-0~-2~
how the retaining screw of Figure 6A may be attached to an abutment and an implant fixture.
Figure 7 is an exploded view an abutment implant assem-bly being driven into bone;
Figure 8 is view of a healing abutment which is adapted to fit over the hexagonal abutment of Figure l;
Figure 9 is a sectional view of the healing abutment connected to applicant's abutment/implant system;
Figure 9A is a sectional view illustrating another em-bodiment of the healing abutment connected to applicant's abutment/implant system;
Figure 10 is a perspective view of a denture connected to the healing abutment/abutment/implant system of Figure 9 by means of 0-rings;
Figure 11 is a sectional view of a the abutment/implant system being connected to a standard gold cylinder; and Figure 12 is a perspective view of the assembly of Fig-ure 11 connected via a bar and clip to a denture in a pa-tient's mouth;
Figure 13 is a perspective view of a fixed detachable implant supported bridge which utilizes applicant's abutment system.
Figure 14 is a perspective view of a gold coping device which may be used with applicant's abutment system;
Figure 15 is a sectional view of the gold coping device of Figure 14;
Figure 16 is a top view of the gold coping device of Figure 14;
Figure 17 is a an exploded perspective view illustrat-ing how the gold coping device may be attached within a tooth and secured to the abutment;
Figure 18 a flow diagram illustrated certain preferred CA 02206163 1997-0~-2 processes of the invention;
Figure 19 is a perspective view of one embodiment of an implant assembly comprised of the abutment similar to the one depicted in Figure 1 integraIly joined to a dental implant having cutting means;
Figure 20 is a perspective view of another embodiment of an implant assembly comprised of the abutment of Figure 19 integrally joined to a dental implant having cutting means;
Figure 21 is a perspective view of another embodiment of an implant assembly comprised of the abutment of Figure 19 integrally joined to a dental implant having cutting means;
Figure 22 is a sectional view of the preferred abutment depicted in Figures 19, 20, and 21; and Figure 23 is an exploded view illustrating the connec-tion of the healing ball of this invention to the integral dental implant of Figure 19.
Description of the Dreferred embodiments Referring to Figure 1, a perspective view of one pre-ferred abutment 10 is shown. This abutment 10 is preferably an integral structure which consists or consists essentially of titanium or titanium alloy. Alternatively, the abutment 10 may consist of gold, silver, palladium, vanadium, cobalt al-loy, stainless steel, and the like.
Any of the titanium or titanium alloy materials used in implants may be used to make abutment 10. Thus, by way of illustration and not limitation, one may use one or more of the materials disclosed in United States patents 5,373,621 (a titanium/aluminum/vanadium alloy), 5,372,660 (a titanium/zir-conium alloy), 5,358,529, 5,354,390 (a titanium-base microal-loy containing at least 98 weight percent of titanium), 5,334,264 (a nitrided titanium material), 5,326,362 (a titani-um/aluminum/vanadium alloy), 5,205,921 (a coated titanium im-CA 02206163 1997-0~-2~
plant), 5,192,323 (a titanium/aluminum/vanadium alloy), and the like. The disclosure of each of these United States pat-ents is hereby incorporated by reference into this specifica-tion.
In one preferred embodiment, abutment 10 is machined from pure titanium which, preferably, is originally in the form of a rod. It is preferred that the titanium used meet the standards set forth in A.S.T.M. Standard F 67-88, "Speci-fication for Unalloyed T~tanium for Surgical Implant Applica-tions. In general, it is also preferred that the material used, regardless of whether it is titanium, titanium alloy, and/or other material, meet the requirements set forth in A.S.T.M. Standard Test F 981-87 ~Practice for Assessment of Compatibility of Bio Materials (Non-Porous) for Surgical Im-plants n ~
Referring again to Figure 1, it will be seen that abut-ment 10 is comprised of a hollow core 12 which extends from the top 14 of abutment 10 to its bottom (not shown in Figure 1, but see bottom 16 in Figure 2). The hollow core 12 is in-dicated in Figure 1 by dotted line 18.
Referring again to Figure 1, it will be seen that abut-ment 10 is comprised of a base 20 is extends upwardly and out-wardly from its bottom 16 to form an intermediate ledge 22.
Figure 2 better illustrates the preferred structure near ledge 22. It will be seen that, in the preferred embodi-ment illustrated, ledge 22 is disposed beneath substantially hexagonal portion 24 of abutment 10. Disposed between ~ub-stantially hexagonal portion 24 and ledge 22 is annular groove. Without wishing to be bound to any particular theory, applicant believes that this structure provides a more secure attachment to devices attachable to abutment 10.
Referring again to Figure 1, and in the preferred em-CA 02206163 1997-0~-2~
bodiment depicted therein, it seen that the substantially hex-agonal portion preferably has rounded corners. This is also illustrated in Figure lA, which is a partial top view of the structure of Figure 1.
Referring to Figure lA, it will be seen that hexagonal portion 24 is comprised of exterior surface which contains al-ternating linear portions 28 and arcuate portions 30. Without wishing to be bound to any particular theory, it is believed that the rounded corners (arcuate portions 30) in this struc-ture are substantially compatible with the patient's mouth.
Thus, e.g., these rounded corners do not irritate the pa-tient-s tongue during eating as much as the sharp corners present on normal hexagonal structures.
It is preferred that the length of each linear portion 28 be substantially equal to the length of each of the other linear portions 28. In one embodiment, the substantially hex-agonal shape depicted in Figure 1 is substantially symmetri-cal.
It is also preferred that the length of each linear portion 28 be at least about 1.2 times as long as the length of each curved portion 30. In one preferred embodiment, the length of each linear portion 28 is at least about 3.0 times as great as the length of each curved portion 30.
As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the abutment 10 may have an exterior shape which need not be sub-stantially hexagonal but may assume the shape of other poly-gons. Thus, Figure lB depicts a substantially ~hare cross-sectional shape. Thus, Figure lC depicts a substantially oc-tagonal cross-sectional shape.
As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, sub-stantially any polygonal shape can be used which is capable of being mechanically engaged. Thus, by way of further illustra-CA 02206163 1997-0~-2~
tion, one may use substantially triangular shapes, substan-tially pentagonal shapes, substantially heptagonal shapes, substantially nonagonal shapes, and the like. What is re-quired of any such shape, however, is that contain alternating linear and non-linear sections (the latter preferably being arcuate) and that, preferably, they define a shape which is symmetrical along at least one axis of symmetry.
Figure 2 is a sectional view of the abutment 10 of Fig-ure 1. Referring to Figure 2, it will be seen that the base of abutment 10 preferably has a width 42 at its bottom which is substantially less than its width 44 at its top. In general, width 44 is at least about 1.1 times as great as width 42. In one preferred, with 44 is 4.7 millimeters, and width 42 is 4.0 millimeters.
Referring again to Figure 2, it will be seen that base has a depth 46 which, preferably, is from about 0.5 to about 7.0 millimeters and, more preferably, is from about 0.5 to about 1.5 millimeters. In the preferred embodiment il-lustrated in Figure 2, depth 46 is 1.0 millimeter.
Referring again to Figure 2, it will be seen that, near base 20, hollow core 12 is comprised of stepped bores 48, 50, and 52.
Stepped bore 52 has a diameter 54 sufficient for a screw (not shown) to pass through it. In the preferred em-bodiment illustrated in Figure 2, stepped bore 52 has a dia-meter 54 of 2.2 millimeters.
Referring again to Figure 2, it will be seen that sub-stantially hexagonal portion 24 extends from the top 14 of abutment 10 to annular groove 26. It i~ preferred that the distance 56 between top 14 and annular groove 26 of abutment extend at least about 55 percent of the entire height of abutment 10. In one preferred embodiment, distance 56 is CA 02206163 1997-0~-2 about 3.0 millimeters.
It is preferred that annular groove 26 have a substan-tially circular shape and, more preferably, have a radius of curvature 58 of from about 0.1 to about 0.2 millimeters. In one preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature of groove 26 is about 0.15 millimeters.
Referring again to Figure 1, and in the preferred em-bodiment depicted therein, bore 48 has a diameter 58 of about 3.5 millimeters, bore 60 has a diameter 62 of about 3.0 milli-meters, bore 64 has a diameter 66 at its top most point of about 3.5 millimeters, the distance 70 between point 68 and the end of bore 60 is 2.0 millimeters, and the distance bet-ween surface 68 and ledge 22 is 3.0 millimeters.
Figure 3 is a top view of abutment 10. In the pre-ferred embodiment depicted in Figure 3, the distance 74 bet-ween opposite linear surfaces on the exterior of the hexagonal sleeve preferably is about 3.9 millimeters; and the distance 76 between opposite arcuate surfaces on the exterior of the hexagonal sleeve is about 4.1 millimeters.
Figure 4 is a bottom view of abutment 10. Referring to Figure 4, and in the preferred embodiment depicted therein, it will be seen that bore preferably has a substantially hexagon-al cross-sectional shape 78 which is adapted to mate with the external hexagonal shape of the upper portion of an implant fixture (not shown). In the preferred embodiment shown, the distance 80 between opposing linear walls of said hexagonal shape is preferably 2.7 millimeters.
Referring again to Figure 2, it will be seen that bore 63 is disposed between bore 60 and bore 52 and has diameter which continually decreases from bore 60 to bore 52, thereby forming a chamfered surface. It is preferred that said cham-fered surface form an obtuse angle (as measured with respect CA 02206163 1997-0~-2~
to the interior wall 65 of bore 60) of from about 120 to about 150 degrees.
Figure 5 is a perspective view of carrier 90 which is adapted to be removably connected to abutment 10 and to manu-ally deliver it into the jaw of a patient.
Referring to Figure 5, it will be seen that carrier 90 is preferably an integral assembly which, preferably, consists essentially of plastic material which, preferably, is non-toxic and thus is "medical grade".
One may use any of the -~ic~l grade" material known to those skilled in the art such as, e.g., the plastics de-scribed in United States patents 5,356,709 (polypropylene co-polymyer; styrene/ethylene/butylene/styrene copolymer), 5,312,251 (medical grade ceramic material), 5,326,364 (medical grade ceramic), and the like. The disclosure of each of these United States patents is hereby incorporated by reference into this specification.
In one preferred embodiment, carrier 90 consists essen-tially of high density polypropylene which is extruded into the desired shape.
Referring again to Figure 5, it will be seen that car-rier 90 is comprised of a fin 92, grip 94, and removable cover 96. The fin 92 is comprised of external annular ridges 98 which are adapted to fit within and be contiguous with a ship-ping vial(not show in Figure 5). The grip 94 is preferably comprised of a multiplicity of vertically-extending ridges 100 which facilitate the h~n~ling of grip 94; and will be appar-ent to those skilled in the art, other means of facilitating the handling of grip 94 (such as, e.g., roughened surfaces) may also be used.
Within grip 94 is a compartment 101 in which an acces-sory part (not shown) may be stored. Removable cover 96 is - CA 02206163 1997-0~-2~
adapted to snap into place within such compartment 101.
In one embodiment, removable cover 96 is color coded to indicate which part it is to be used in connection with.
A bore 102 (shown in outline by dotted line 104) ex-tends from the top 106 of fin 92 to the bottom 108 of fin 92.
That portion of bore 102 extending through fin 92 has a sub-stantially hexagonal cross-sectional shape and, thus, is adapted to fit over and engage with the substantially hexagon-al portion 24 of abutment 10.
In one preferred embodiment, illustrated in Figure 5, the width 110 of fin 92 is about 9.9 millimeters, and =xi dimensional of the hexagonally shaped bore 102 as it exits fin 92 is about 4 millimeters.
In the preferred ; 'o~i -nt illustrated Figure 5, the bottom surface 112 of the carrier 90 is preferably a flat sur-face adapted to mesh with the flat surface of ledge 22 (see Figures 1, 2, and 6) so that the carrier 90 is properly aligned with abutment 10 when it is removably connected there-to.
Figure 6 is a sectional view of carrier 90 connected to abutment 10 which, in turn, is connected to implant fixture 114, the abutment and implant being disposed within a vial 116.
Referring to Figure 6, and in the preferred embodiment illustrated therein, it will be seen that carrier 90 is remov-able connected to both cover 96, vial 116, and abutment 10, all by a friction fit. The entire assembly may be disposed in another vial (not shown). In this embodiment, the depth 120 of compartment 101 is preferably from about 5 to about 10 millimeters, the distance 121 between the top lip 122 and the bottom surface 124 of the grip 90 is from about 6 to about 12 millimeters, and the distance 123 from the top of carrier 90 CA 02206163 1997-0~-2~
to its bottom is from about 10 to 20 millimeters.
Referring again to Figure 6, it will be seen that the carrier 90/abutment 10/vial 16 assembly may be used in con-junction with an implant fixture 114. This assembly is quite adaptable and may be used with substantially any of the im-plant fixtures known to those skilled in the art.
Thus, by way of illustration and not limitation, one may use one or more of the implant fixtures disclosed in Unit-ed Statespatents 5,338,197, 5,061,181, 5,030,095, 4,960,381, 4,932,868, 4,871,313, 4,854,873, 4,854,872, 4,713,004, 4,468,200, 4,330,891, 4,016,651, 3,672,058, 3,579,831, 2,609,6045,376,004, 5,364,268,5,362,235, 5,302,125, and the like. The disclosure of each of these United States patents is hereby incorporated by reference into this specification.
By way of further illustration, and referring to theNobelpharma catalog referred to elsewhere in this specifica-tion, one may use any of the implant fixtures disclosed on page 7 of such catalog.
Referring again to Figure 6, it will be seen that im-plant fixture 114 is preferably connected to abutment 10 by means of retaining screw 130. The retaining screw 130 is shown in more detail in Figure 6A.
Referring to Figure 6A, it will be seen that retaining screw 130 is comprised of an internal bore 132 with internal threads 134 adapted to receive and engage with the external threads on a multiplicity of dental prostheses (not shown).
The retaining screw 130 is comprised of tapered section 136 which is adapted to fit within bore 63 (see Figure 2) and mesh with the tapered section therein.
The retaining screw 130 is also comprised of external threads which, after they pass through abutment 10, may be se-~ CA 02206l63 l997-0~-2~
cured to internal threads (not shown) in the implant fixture (not shown in Figure 6A).
Figure 6B is an exploded perspective view illustrating that, after retaining screw 130 is passed through abutment 10, it may be screwed into orifice 140 of implant fixture 114 and become screwably engaged with the internal threads located within orifice 140.
In the preferred embodiment illustrated in Figure 6B, implant fixture 114 is comprised of external threads 142 which can be used to secure implant assembly within the jawbone of a patient.
Figure 7 is an exploded view showing the abutment 10/retaining screw 130/implant fixture 114 assembly 150 dis-posed beneath a socket wrench 152 with a hexagonal bore 154.
As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, socket wrench 152 may be removably attached to the substantially hexagonal portion 24 of abutment 10 and used to insert assembly 150 into a hole in the patient's jaw. Alternatively, or additionally, depending upon the amount of force needed, carrier 90 may be used for this purpose or, alternatively, to start the inser-tion of the assembly 150 in said hole.
In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 7, the implant fixture has an exterior hexagonal shape; and thus it is adapted to be screwed into the hole in the patient's jaw by a socket wrench with a matching hexagonal bore. It will be ap-parent, however, that the means of inserting the assembly 150 into the hole in the patient's jaw will vary with the type of implant 114 u~ed. ThuR, for example, when the exterior shape of impIant 114 is substantially cylindrical, a seating tool (such as a maliet) may be used. These procedures are well known to those skilled in the art.
Figure 8 is a perspective view of a healing ball 160 CA 02206163 1997-0~-2~
which may be used in connection with abutment 10. Referring to Figure 8, it will be seen that healing ball 160 is com-prised of a removable cover 162.
Healing ball 160 preferably consists essentially of medical grade material such as, e.g., medical grade polyethy-lene. In one preferred embodiment, healing ball 160 consists essentially of high density polyethylene.
Referring again to Figure 8, it will be seen that heal-ing ball 160 is comprised of an internal bore 164 which has a substantially hexagonal shape and is adapted to fit snugly over the substantially hexagonal portion 24 of abutment 10 (see Figure 9).
Referring to Figure 9, and in the preferred embodiment illustrated therein, it will be seen that healing ball 160 preferably is comprised of an inwardly-extending annular pro-tuberance 166 which is adapted to fit within and removably se-cured to annular groove 26. There thus is a strong fit bet-ween the mating hexagonal portions and the mating annular por-tions of healing ball 160 and abutment 10.
In many cases, the healing abutment ball 160 is removed from abutment 10 prior to the time any dental device is at-tached. In some instances, however, it is desired to attach the dental device directly to the healing ball 160. In this latter case, it is sometimes desirable to more securely attach the healing ball 160 to the abutment 10.
One means of more securely making such attachment is illustrated in Figure 9A. Referring to Figure 9A, it will be seen that a screw 170 may be inserted through healing ball 160 into abutment retaining screw 130.
Figure 10 illustrates a denture 180 into which two metal rings 182 and 184 with O-rings 186 and 188 have been cured into the denture chairside. Such dentures are well CA 02206163 1997-0~-2~
known to those skilled in the art and are illustrated on page 21 of the aforementioned Nobelpharma catalog. Furthermore, Nobelpharma also sells an ~Overdenture Rit for ~all Attach-ment" (see page 21 of the catalog) which contains a plastic cap with a rubber O-ring, ball attachment replicas, and spac-ers for the ball attachment.
~ eferring again to Figure 10, it will be seen that the metal ring/O-ring assemblies are friction fit over the healing balls 160 to firmly and securely removably attach the denture 180 to the implant assembly.
Figure 11 illustrates how the implant assembly 150 may be used in a similar manner with a gold cylinder 190. Such a gold cylinder is well known to those skilled in the art. See, for example, United States patents 5,209,659 (gold cylinder 126), 5,108,288 (coping 50 having a bore 52 passing axially therethrough and opening into a polygonal opening at its lower end), 5,145,371, and the like. The disclosure of each of these United States patents is hereby incorporated by refer-ence into this specification.
It is known that gold cylinders are available for the fabrication of bar/clip overdentures, for they are designed to fit accurately on the hex abutments and can be incorporated into the bar/clip framework; see Figure 12, and the bar clip assembly 192 illustrated therein. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, this type of over-denture bar system may be readily connected to implant assemblies 150 attached to gold cylinders 190 (see Figure 11).
Thus, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art, applicant's abutment 10, because of the relative universality of its design, may be used in conjunction with many different types of prosthetic applications. It thus affords the dental practitioner substantially more flexibility than does the pri-CA 02206163 1997-0~-2~
or art systems, which utilize a substantial number of parts which are adapted for specific applications.
Thus, by way of further illustration, and referring to Figure 13, the gold cylinder devices 190 may be incorporated into a fixed detachable implant supported bridge 200. See, e.g., United States patent 5,174,954, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference into this speci-fication.
Referring again to Figure 13, it will be seen that screws 202 may be used to secure the bridgework through the gold cylinders to the abutments 10.
Figure 14 is a perspective view of a gold coping 210 which may be utilized to restore a tooth to a patient's mouth.
Referring to Figure 14, it will be seen that gold coping 210 is comprised of an internal hexagonal bore 212 adapted to fit over and engage with hexagonal portion 24 of abutment 10 (see Figure 15). As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, when gold coping 210 is placed on abutment 10, there are only six positions it can be in. By comparison, with prior art abutments which have cylindrical outer surfaces, there are an infinite number of such positions.
This system thus has several advantages. Because the gold coping 210/abutment 10 connection is locked into place by the interaction of the hexagonally-shaped parts, a patient cannot cause the tooth attached to abutment 10 to rotate upon application of pressure to the tooth. In the second place, the gold coping 210 can be utilized as a transfer coping dur-ing impression taking and, when so used, because of the inter-action of the hexagonal shapes, accurately reproduces the po-sition of abutment 10 in the working model.
Referring again to Figure 14, it will be seen that, in the preferred embodiment illustrated therein, gold coping 210 CA 02206163 1997-0~-2~
has a substantially rectilinear top shape 214 with rounded corners 216. In one embodiment, the top of gold coping 210 is substantially square-shaped with rounded corners.
Referring again to Figure 14, it is preferred that gold coping 210 comprise a multiplicity of annular grooves 218.
Gold coping 210 also is comprised of stepped bores 220 and 222.
The gold copying 210 preferably consist essentially of a palladium alloy such as, e.g., the alloy disclosed in United States patent 5,174,954, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference into this specification.
Thus, e.g., one may use a palladium alloy containing from about 50 to about 90 weight percent of palladium, from about 0 to about 37 weight percent of gold, from about 0 to about 3 weight percent of platinum, from about 0 to about 35 welght percent of silver, from about 0.5 to about 8 weight percent of gallium, from about 0 to about 8 weight percent of tin, and up to about 0.2 weight percent of a material selected from the group consisting of iridium, rhenium, ruthenium, and mixtures thereof.
Referring again to Figure 14, it is preferred that the bottom portion 224 of gold coping 210 be adapted to mesh with a fit onto ledge 22 of abutment 10 (see Figure 1).
Figure 15 is a sectional view of the gold coping device of Figure 14. Referring to Figure 15, and also to Figure 14, it will be seen that gold coping 210 is comprised of a curved neck portion with a radius of curvature of about 1.5 millimet-ers.
In the preferred embodiment illustrated in Figure 15, it will be seen that distance 230 is preferably 4.7 millimet-ers, distance 232 is preferably 4.2 millimeters, distance 234 is preferably 5.2 millimeters, distance 236 is 4.6 millimet-CA 02206163 1997-0~-2~
ers, distance 238 is 2.7 millimeters, distance 240 is 4.1 mil-limeters, distance 242 is 3.1 millimeters, distance 244 is 1.5 millimeters, distance 246 is 2.5 millimeters, distance 248 is 2 millimeters, distance 250 is 1.5 millimeters, and distance 252 is 1.5 millimeters, and distance 254 is 2.8 millimeters.
Figure 16 is a top view of the gold coping of Figure 14. Referring to Figure 16, it will be seen that the distance 256 from opposing flat surfaces 214 is 4.0 millimeters.
Figure 17 is an exploded perspective view illustrating how a tooth to which a gold coping 210 has been bonded may be at-tached to a patient's jawbone (not shown) by means of the abutment system of this invention.
Referring to Figure 17, and in the preferred embodiment depicted, it will be seen that tooth 270 may be secured to abutment 10 by at least two separate means.
In the first place, a screw 272 may be inserted through orifice 22 and secured to retaining screw 130 by engagement with internal threads 134 lnot shown in Figure 17, but see Figure 6A).
In the second place, dental cement may be charged into the interior of gold coping 210 prior to the time the gold coping 210 is placed over the hexagonal portion 24 of abutment 10. Thus, in addition to the mechanical bond created by screw 272, there also is an adhesive bond.
Furthermore, there is yet another bond tending to main-tain gold coping 210 in position vis-a-vis abutment 10, and that is the interaction of their respective hexagonal shapes.
The system depicted in Figure 17 has the unique advan-tage that allows the removal of the tooth 270 from the abutment I0 even after the cement has hardened. In order to do this, screw 272 may be removed by turning it counter-clockwise, and thereafter, utilizing a three-pronged crown-CA 02206163 1997-0~-2~
remover to pull tooth 270 out of the abutment 10 by leverage between the top of retaining screw 130 against the smaller taper of 270.
A preferred Process of the invention Figure 18 is a flow diagram of one preferred process of applicant's invention.
In the first step of this process, step 300, abutment 10 is connected to implant fixture 114.
In this step, it is preferred to apply a torque no greater than about 20 Newton/centimeter.
Thereafter, in step 302 of the process, a hole is drilled in the jawbone of the patient sufficiently deep to re-ceive only the length of the implant fixture. In general, this hole is usually from about 8 to about 18 millimeters.
Thereafter, in step 304 of the process, the hole thus drilled is preferably tapped with a tapping tool such as, e.g., the screw taps illustrated on page 11 of the Nobelpharma catalog.
Thereafter, in step 306 of the process, the abutment/implant fixture assembly is delivered to the hole by means of the carrier 90. The carrier 90 may also be used to start screwing the assembly into the hole, applying downward pressure while turning the assembly.
Generally, the carrier 90 will only enable one to drive the abutment/implant fixture assembly a portion of the re-quired distance. The job may be finished by a power-driven socket wrench in ~tep 308 of the process In the next step of this preferred process, step 310, the healing ball 160 is preferably snapped onto the abutment (see Figures 9 and 9A). In one preferred embodiment, the healing ball 160 is disposed within compartment 101 of carrier CA 02206l63 l997-0~-2 90 prior to its use.
Thereafter, in step 312, the gum tissue where the hole had been drilled is sutured around the healing ball 160.
In the next step of process, step 314, the surgical site is allowed to heal before the abutment 10 is directly or indirectly connected to a denture. In general, a healing pe-riod of from about 3 to about 6 months is desirable.
After the desired time of healing, no additional surgi-cal procedure is required, unlike the prior art process (which necessitated second stage surgery to remove the cover screw used in the process and to attach the prosthetic abutment).
By comparison with prior art processes, applicant's prosthetic abutment is already attached.
At this stage of applicant's process, several options are available.
In one embodiment, illustrated in step 316 (also see Figure 10), the healing ball is attached directly to a denture into which metal caps with an O-ring have been cured.
In another embodiment, illustrated in step 318, the healing ball 160 is removed from the abutment 10. At this stage, several additional options are available.
One such option is to attach the gold cylinder 190 on the abutment 10 (see Figures ll and 12) in step 320. Once the gold cylinder 190 has been so attached, one may prepare a bar clip overdenture (see Figure 12) and attach such denture to the superstructure (see step 322). Alternatively, in step 324, the gold cylinders 190 can be incorporated into a fixed detachable implant supported bridge and thereafter secured to multiple implants in place in the jawbone (see Figure 13).
Alternatively, in step 326, after the healing ball 160 has been removed a gold coping 210 may be attached to a tooth (see,e.g., Figure 17 where such a gold coping is imbedded in CA 02206163 1997-0~-2~
the tooth). Thereafter, in step 328, such tooth is attached to the abutment 10.
An integral implant assembly Figure 19 is a perspective view of a preferred embodi-ment of an implant device 350 which is comprised of an abut-ment 352 integrally connected to an implant 354.
Referring to Figure 19, it will be seen that implant device 350 is comprised of several cutting means. One such cutting means is integrally formed drill bit 356.
Drill bit 356 is preferably integrally joined to im-plant section 354 and is adapted to drill bone. Any of the drill bit configurations known to those skilled in the art to useful in drilling bone may be used as drill bit 356. Thus, by means of illustration and not limitation, one may use one or more of the drill bit configurations depicted in United States patents 5,443,468, 5,437,677 (drilling in the glenoid neck), 5,413,579, 5,409,489 (drilling in a femur), 5,403,322 (drilling in the bone of a human limb), 5,366,457, 5,354,299, 5,306,278 (corticotomy drill guide), 5,257,809, 5,055,105, D332492, D273326, and the like. The disclosure of each of these United States patents is hereby incorporated by reference into this specification.
- Referring again to Figure 19, and in the preferred embodiment depicted therein, it will be seen that drill bit 356 is comprised of a tip 358, a first blade 360, and a second blade 362, and a clearance channel 364. In one em-bodiment, not shown, drilling bit 356 is comprised of three blades.
In addition to the drill bit 356, implant assembly 350 also is comprised of raised external helical threads 364 which are disposed on a substantially cylindrical body por-tion 366.
CA 02206163 1997-0~-2~
In one preferred embodiment, threads 364 and body portion 366 are similar to or identical to the threads 53 and body portion 52 of applicant's United States patent 5,338,197; the disclosure of this patent is hereby incorpo-rated by reference into this specification.
In addition to the drill bit 356 and the threads 364, applicant-s implant assembly also is comprised of a multi-plicity of cutting means 368 such as, e.g., cutting flutes in the form of indented notches. In one preferred embodiment, illustrated in Figure 19 (also see elements 70 and 70' of United States patent 5,358,197), each of the indented notches 368 has a radially outwardly-extending cutting surface 370 at substantially a right angle to the circumerferential direc-tion of rotation of the implant assembly 350 (see, e.g., axis 372).
Referring again to Figure 19, and in the preferred embodiment depicted therein, it will be seen that implant assembly 350 is comprised of a longitudinal channel 372 which is similar in function and structure to the longitudinal channel 84 depicted in applicant's United States patent 5,338,197.
As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the device of Figure 19 is comprised of abutment 352 joined to implant 354. However, other implants may also be integrally joined to abutment 352.
Thus, by way of further illustration, the implant device 380 depicted in Figure 20 is very similar to the device 350 depicted in Figure 19 but it omits the use of the longitudinal channel 372 and the cutting flutes 368. In another embodiment, not shown, the device incorporates the longitudinal channel 372 but not the cutting flutes 368. In another embodiment, not shown, the device incorporates the CA 02206163 1997-0~-2~
Il cutting flutes 368 but not the longitudinal channel 372. In another embodiment, not shown, the device omits the raised helical threads 364 and incorporates either both the cutting flutes 368 and/or the longitudinal channel 372 and/or the drill bit 356. Other variations and combinations will be apparent to those skilled in the art.
One preferred embodiment is disclosed in Figure 21 as implant assembly 390. This implant assembly 390 is substan-tially identical to the implant assembly 350 (see Figure 20) with the exception that the drill bit 356 is replaced by a bottom tapered portion 392 which is very similar to the cutting assembly depicted in United States patent 5,338,197.
Thus, referring to Figure 21, it will be seen that tapered portion 392 is comprised of cutting surfaces 394 and 396 disposed at opposite ends of through-hole 398 and prefer-ably perpendicularly disposed to the axis of rotation 372 such that the cutting surfaces 394 and 396 will both cut and direct all or a substantial portion of bone fragments into through-hole 398.
Figure 22 is a sectional view of abutment 352. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, this abutment 352 is very similar to abutment 10 (see Figure 1), but it differs therefrom in that does not contain a passageway with six stepped bores (see Figure 2 for a depiction of these passage-ways in abutment 10).
By comparison, and referring to Figure 22, it will be seen that abutment 352 is comprised is preferably comprised of a threaded orifice 400 which, preferably, has a substan-tially circular cross-sectional shape. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, threaded orifice 400 is adapted to receive and retain a dental prosthesis (not shown).
Referring again to Figure 22, it is seen that base 20 CA 02206163 1997-0~-2~
of abutment 352 is tapered. This-is advantageous in the retention of the implant assembly within the bone.
Referring again to Figures 19-22, the implant devices depicted therein preferably consist essentially of titanium, titanium alloy, and/or other material which is biocompatible with human bone.
The integral implant assemblies of this invention may be used in a manner similar to the multi-piece assemblies.
However, because of their integral structure, they are stronger than the multi-piece assemblies, less likely to disengage, and less likely to present opportunity for bacte-rial ingress from the oral cavity into the bone tissue.
Elsewhere in this specification, the use of healing ball 160 is disclosed in connection with its attachment to abutment 10. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, healing ball 160 may also be remvoably attached to abutment 352 and, when such abutment is integrally connected to implant fixutre 354, to implant devices 350, 380, and 390.
Figure 23 illustrates one such attachment in which, for the sake of simplicity of representation, the means by which annular protuberance 166 fits within annular groove 26 have been omitted (but see Figures 8, 9, and 10).
One substantial advantage of the system depicted in Figure 23 is that, after coping 160 has been removably attached to removable dental implant 350, the entire assembly can be removed from the patient's mouth and transferred to a working model to fabricate the dental prosthesis.
In one preferred embodiment, not shown, coping 160 has a substantially hexagonal shape and preferably consists essentially of plastic. This embodiment is especially advan-tageous for allowing direct pick up of the assembly and accurate timed transfer to a working model. Thus, the ex-CA 02206163 1997-0~-2~
pesnsive prior art cast-on technique can be avoided, as can the painful and time-consuming process of gingival retraction for impression taking.
It is to be understood that the aforementioned descrip-tion is illustrative only and that changes can be made in the apparatus, in the ingredients and their proportions, and in the sequence of combinations and process steps, as well as in other aspects of the invention discussed herein, without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.
NHK-lC
DENTAL IMPLANT SYSTEM
Field of the invention A dental implant system for securing an artificial tooth or dental prosthesis to the bone of a patient.
Backqround of the invention Dental implants have been known, and used, since at least the 1930's; see, e.g., United States patent 5,312,254 of Joel L. Rosenlicht. See also United States patent 5,145,371 of Lars Jorneus which discusses the osseointegration method of integrating a dental implant into a patient's jaw. The disclosure of each of these patents is hereby incorporated by reference into this specification.
In applicant's United States patent 5,338,197, a dental implant having a cutting means is described and claimed;
the disclosure of this patent is hereby incorporated by reference into this specification.
Another dental implant assembly is described in appli-cant's copending patent application U.S.S.N. 08/391,662, filed February 21, 1995, which discloses a "HEXAGONAL ABUT-MENT IMPLANT SYSTEM".
Dental implants are moderately expensive. It often costs from about three to four thousand dollars to implant a tooth into a patient's mouth.
One of the reasons for this substantial cost is the multiplicity of steps required by the implant procedure.
These prior art steps will be described below with reference to Nobelpharma catalog PRI 385 94.03 2nd edition (published by the Nobelpharma AB, Box 5190, S-402 26 Goteborg, Sweden).
In the first step of the prior art procedure, an implant or "fixture" is purchased; see, e.g., page 7 of the Nobelpharma catalog and the reference to the 3.75 mm and 4.0 CA 02206l63 l997-0~-2~
mm titanium fixtures illustrated on such page.
The fixture so purchases must then be placed into an instrument set for fixture placement', which is shown on page 22 of the Nobelpharma catalog.
Once the fixture is disposed in the "instrument set...", a "fixture mount" is then attached to the fixture by means of a wrench and a screwdriver. The ~fixture mount" de-vices are shown on page 22 of the Nobelpharma catalog. The instruments for fixture placement of the fixture are also shown on page 22 of the Nobelpharma catalog (see wrench part 17 and screwdriver part 19).
Thereafter, a "connection to contra-angle handpiece"
(see part 11 on page 22 of the Nobelpharma catalog) is at-tached to a handpiece (see page 31 of the Nobelpharma catalog); and the implant assembly may then be driven into the jawbone of a patient.
Thereafter, the fixture mount is removed from the fix-ture. Thereafter, a cover screw (see page 9 of the Nobelphar-ma catalog) is inserted into the fixture. Thereafter, the surgical site is allowed to heal for from about 3 to about 6 months. See, e.g., Branemark/ZarbtAlberektsson: "Tissue In-tegrated Prostheses" (Quintessence Books, 1985).
After the healing period, the implant is exposed by surgical procedures, and the cover screw is removed. There-after, a healing abutment (see page 39 of the Nobelpharma cat-alog) is attached to the fixture. It generally is left in place for from about two to about three weeks, depending upon how the patient's tissue has healed.
Thereafter, the healing abutment is then removed, and a implant abutment is then attached to the fixture. The type of implant abutment to be used will depend on the requirements of the patient. Thus, e.g., and referring to pages 38 and 39 of CA 02206163 1997-0~-2~
the Nobelpharama catalog, one may standard abutment, and "Es-thetiCone" abutment, a "CeraOne~' abutment, a "Ball Attachment", an Angulated Abutment", and the like.
Thereafter, the desired prosthesis is formulated by conventional means. Once the prosthesis has been prepared, it is fitted to the patient's mouth secured to the implant.
It will be apparent that this prior art procedure re-quires a myriad number of prosthetic instruments and parts, many trips by the patient to the dentist, and a several surgi-cal procedures. Not only is the process tedious and expen-sive, but each surgical procedure introduces a certain ele-ment of risk, pain, and suffering.
It is an object of this invention to provide an implant assembly for implanting a prosthesis in a patient's mouth which is substantially less expensive, stronger, safer to use, and less-time consuming to use than the prior art implant assemblies.
It is another object of this invention to provide an implant assembly which, after it is secured to the patient, is less likely to become disengaged therefrom.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide an implant assembly which, after it is secured to the pa-tient, provides substantially no opportunity for bacterial ingress within the assembly.
Summary of the invention In accordance wlth this invention, there is provided a novel implant assembly comprised of an abutment integrally joined to a dental implant fixture and, optionally, a coping removably attached to the abutment. The abutment is prefer-ably an integrally-formed, sleeve-shaped element containing a lower portion and an upper portion. The exterior of the lower portion of the abutment contains an annular groove CA 02206163 1997-0~-2~
disposed between its base and the main, substantially poly-gonal portion of the abutment body. The sleeve of the abut-ment preferably contains rounded corners which are compatible with the oral tissue and its functions in the patient's mouth.
Brief description of the drawinqs The present invention will be more fully understood by reference to the following detailed description thereof, when read in conjunction with the attached drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements, and wherein:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of one preferred abut-ment of this invention;
Figure lA is a top view of an abutment with a substan-tially hexagonal exterior shape;
Figure lB is a top view of an abutment with a substan-tially square exterior shape;
Figure lC is a top view of an abutment with a substan-tially octagonal exterior shape;
Figure 2 is a sectional view of the abutment of Figure l;
Figure 3 is a top view of the abutment of Figure l;
Figure 4 is a bottom view of the abutment of Figure l;
Figure S is a perspective view of a carrier adapted to be used with the abutment of Figure 1;
Figure 6 is a sectional view of the carrier of Figure S
connected to the abutment of Figure 1, which in turn i~ con-nected to an implant fixture, the whole assembly being dis-posed within a vial;
Figure 6A is a perspective view of an abutment retain-ing screw which can be used with the abutment of this inven-tion;
Figure 6B is an exploded perspective view illustrating CA 02206163 1997-0~-2~
how the retaining screw of Figure 6A may be attached to an abutment and an implant fixture.
Figure 7 is an exploded view an abutment implant assem-bly being driven into bone;
Figure 8 is view of a healing abutment which is adapted to fit over the hexagonal abutment of Figure l;
Figure 9 is a sectional view of the healing abutment connected to applicant's abutment/implant system;
Figure 9A is a sectional view illustrating another em-bodiment of the healing abutment connected to applicant's abutment/implant system;
Figure 10 is a perspective view of a denture connected to the healing abutment/abutment/implant system of Figure 9 by means of 0-rings;
Figure 11 is a sectional view of a the abutment/implant system being connected to a standard gold cylinder; and Figure 12 is a perspective view of the assembly of Fig-ure 11 connected via a bar and clip to a denture in a pa-tient's mouth;
Figure 13 is a perspective view of a fixed detachable implant supported bridge which utilizes applicant's abutment system.
Figure 14 is a perspective view of a gold coping device which may be used with applicant's abutment system;
Figure 15 is a sectional view of the gold coping device of Figure 14;
Figure 16 is a top view of the gold coping device of Figure 14;
Figure 17 is a an exploded perspective view illustrat-ing how the gold coping device may be attached within a tooth and secured to the abutment;
Figure 18 a flow diagram illustrated certain preferred CA 02206163 1997-0~-2 processes of the invention;
Figure 19 is a perspective view of one embodiment of an implant assembly comprised of the abutment similar to the one depicted in Figure 1 integraIly joined to a dental implant having cutting means;
Figure 20 is a perspective view of another embodiment of an implant assembly comprised of the abutment of Figure 19 integrally joined to a dental implant having cutting means;
Figure 21 is a perspective view of another embodiment of an implant assembly comprised of the abutment of Figure 19 integrally joined to a dental implant having cutting means;
Figure 22 is a sectional view of the preferred abutment depicted in Figures 19, 20, and 21; and Figure 23 is an exploded view illustrating the connec-tion of the healing ball of this invention to the integral dental implant of Figure 19.
Description of the Dreferred embodiments Referring to Figure 1, a perspective view of one pre-ferred abutment 10 is shown. This abutment 10 is preferably an integral structure which consists or consists essentially of titanium or titanium alloy. Alternatively, the abutment 10 may consist of gold, silver, palladium, vanadium, cobalt al-loy, stainless steel, and the like.
Any of the titanium or titanium alloy materials used in implants may be used to make abutment 10. Thus, by way of illustration and not limitation, one may use one or more of the materials disclosed in United States patents 5,373,621 (a titanium/aluminum/vanadium alloy), 5,372,660 (a titanium/zir-conium alloy), 5,358,529, 5,354,390 (a titanium-base microal-loy containing at least 98 weight percent of titanium), 5,334,264 (a nitrided titanium material), 5,326,362 (a titani-um/aluminum/vanadium alloy), 5,205,921 (a coated titanium im-CA 02206163 1997-0~-2~
plant), 5,192,323 (a titanium/aluminum/vanadium alloy), and the like. The disclosure of each of these United States pat-ents is hereby incorporated by reference into this specifica-tion.
In one preferred embodiment, abutment 10 is machined from pure titanium which, preferably, is originally in the form of a rod. It is preferred that the titanium used meet the standards set forth in A.S.T.M. Standard F 67-88, "Speci-fication for Unalloyed T~tanium for Surgical Implant Applica-tions. In general, it is also preferred that the material used, regardless of whether it is titanium, titanium alloy, and/or other material, meet the requirements set forth in A.S.T.M. Standard Test F 981-87 ~Practice for Assessment of Compatibility of Bio Materials (Non-Porous) for Surgical Im-plants n ~
Referring again to Figure 1, it will be seen that abut-ment 10 is comprised of a hollow core 12 which extends from the top 14 of abutment 10 to its bottom (not shown in Figure 1, but see bottom 16 in Figure 2). The hollow core 12 is in-dicated in Figure 1 by dotted line 18.
Referring again to Figure 1, it will be seen that abut-ment 10 is comprised of a base 20 is extends upwardly and out-wardly from its bottom 16 to form an intermediate ledge 22.
Figure 2 better illustrates the preferred structure near ledge 22. It will be seen that, in the preferred embodi-ment illustrated, ledge 22 is disposed beneath substantially hexagonal portion 24 of abutment 10. Disposed between ~ub-stantially hexagonal portion 24 and ledge 22 is annular groove. Without wishing to be bound to any particular theory, applicant believes that this structure provides a more secure attachment to devices attachable to abutment 10.
Referring again to Figure 1, and in the preferred em-CA 02206163 1997-0~-2~
bodiment depicted therein, it seen that the substantially hex-agonal portion preferably has rounded corners. This is also illustrated in Figure lA, which is a partial top view of the structure of Figure 1.
Referring to Figure lA, it will be seen that hexagonal portion 24 is comprised of exterior surface which contains al-ternating linear portions 28 and arcuate portions 30. Without wishing to be bound to any particular theory, it is believed that the rounded corners (arcuate portions 30) in this struc-ture are substantially compatible with the patient's mouth.
Thus, e.g., these rounded corners do not irritate the pa-tient-s tongue during eating as much as the sharp corners present on normal hexagonal structures.
It is preferred that the length of each linear portion 28 be substantially equal to the length of each of the other linear portions 28. In one embodiment, the substantially hex-agonal shape depicted in Figure 1 is substantially symmetri-cal.
It is also preferred that the length of each linear portion 28 be at least about 1.2 times as long as the length of each curved portion 30. In one preferred embodiment, the length of each linear portion 28 is at least about 3.0 times as great as the length of each curved portion 30.
As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the abutment 10 may have an exterior shape which need not be sub-stantially hexagonal but may assume the shape of other poly-gons. Thus, Figure lB depicts a substantially ~hare cross-sectional shape. Thus, Figure lC depicts a substantially oc-tagonal cross-sectional shape.
As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, sub-stantially any polygonal shape can be used which is capable of being mechanically engaged. Thus, by way of further illustra-CA 02206163 1997-0~-2~
tion, one may use substantially triangular shapes, substan-tially pentagonal shapes, substantially heptagonal shapes, substantially nonagonal shapes, and the like. What is re-quired of any such shape, however, is that contain alternating linear and non-linear sections (the latter preferably being arcuate) and that, preferably, they define a shape which is symmetrical along at least one axis of symmetry.
Figure 2 is a sectional view of the abutment 10 of Fig-ure 1. Referring to Figure 2, it will be seen that the base of abutment 10 preferably has a width 42 at its bottom which is substantially less than its width 44 at its top. In general, width 44 is at least about 1.1 times as great as width 42. In one preferred, with 44 is 4.7 millimeters, and width 42 is 4.0 millimeters.
Referring again to Figure 2, it will be seen that base has a depth 46 which, preferably, is from about 0.5 to about 7.0 millimeters and, more preferably, is from about 0.5 to about 1.5 millimeters. In the preferred embodiment il-lustrated in Figure 2, depth 46 is 1.0 millimeter.
Referring again to Figure 2, it will be seen that, near base 20, hollow core 12 is comprised of stepped bores 48, 50, and 52.
Stepped bore 52 has a diameter 54 sufficient for a screw (not shown) to pass through it. In the preferred em-bodiment illustrated in Figure 2, stepped bore 52 has a dia-meter 54 of 2.2 millimeters.
Referring again to Figure 2, it will be seen that sub-stantially hexagonal portion 24 extends from the top 14 of abutment 10 to annular groove 26. It i~ preferred that the distance 56 between top 14 and annular groove 26 of abutment extend at least about 55 percent of the entire height of abutment 10. In one preferred embodiment, distance 56 is CA 02206163 1997-0~-2 about 3.0 millimeters.
It is preferred that annular groove 26 have a substan-tially circular shape and, more preferably, have a radius of curvature 58 of from about 0.1 to about 0.2 millimeters. In one preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature of groove 26 is about 0.15 millimeters.
Referring again to Figure 1, and in the preferred em-bodiment depicted therein, bore 48 has a diameter 58 of about 3.5 millimeters, bore 60 has a diameter 62 of about 3.0 milli-meters, bore 64 has a diameter 66 at its top most point of about 3.5 millimeters, the distance 70 between point 68 and the end of bore 60 is 2.0 millimeters, and the distance bet-ween surface 68 and ledge 22 is 3.0 millimeters.
Figure 3 is a top view of abutment 10. In the pre-ferred embodiment depicted in Figure 3, the distance 74 bet-ween opposite linear surfaces on the exterior of the hexagonal sleeve preferably is about 3.9 millimeters; and the distance 76 between opposite arcuate surfaces on the exterior of the hexagonal sleeve is about 4.1 millimeters.
Figure 4 is a bottom view of abutment 10. Referring to Figure 4, and in the preferred embodiment depicted therein, it will be seen that bore preferably has a substantially hexagon-al cross-sectional shape 78 which is adapted to mate with the external hexagonal shape of the upper portion of an implant fixture (not shown). In the preferred embodiment shown, the distance 80 between opposing linear walls of said hexagonal shape is preferably 2.7 millimeters.
Referring again to Figure 2, it will be seen that bore 63 is disposed between bore 60 and bore 52 and has diameter which continually decreases from bore 60 to bore 52, thereby forming a chamfered surface. It is preferred that said cham-fered surface form an obtuse angle (as measured with respect CA 02206163 1997-0~-2~
to the interior wall 65 of bore 60) of from about 120 to about 150 degrees.
Figure 5 is a perspective view of carrier 90 which is adapted to be removably connected to abutment 10 and to manu-ally deliver it into the jaw of a patient.
Referring to Figure 5, it will be seen that carrier 90 is preferably an integral assembly which, preferably, consists essentially of plastic material which, preferably, is non-toxic and thus is "medical grade".
One may use any of the -~ic~l grade" material known to those skilled in the art such as, e.g., the plastics de-scribed in United States patents 5,356,709 (polypropylene co-polymyer; styrene/ethylene/butylene/styrene copolymer), 5,312,251 (medical grade ceramic material), 5,326,364 (medical grade ceramic), and the like. The disclosure of each of these United States patents is hereby incorporated by reference into this specification.
In one preferred embodiment, carrier 90 consists essen-tially of high density polypropylene which is extruded into the desired shape.
Referring again to Figure 5, it will be seen that car-rier 90 is comprised of a fin 92, grip 94, and removable cover 96. The fin 92 is comprised of external annular ridges 98 which are adapted to fit within and be contiguous with a ship-ping vial(not show in Figure 5). The grip 94 is preferably comprised of a multiplicity of vertically-extending ridges 100 which facilitate the h~n~ling of grip 94; and will be appar-ent to those skilled in the art, other means of facilitating the handling of grip 94 (such as, e.g., roughened surfaces) may also be used.
Within grip 94 is a compartment 101 in which an acces-sory part (not shown) may be stored. Removable cover 96 is - CA 02206163 1997-0~-2~
adapted to snap into place within such compartment 101.
In one embodiment, removable cover 96 is color coded to indicate which part it is to be used in connection with.
A bore 102 (shown in outline by dotted line 104) ex-tends from the top 106 of fin 92 to the bottom 108 of fin 92.
That portion of bore 102 extending through fin 92 has a sub-stantially hexagonal cross-sectional shape and, thus, is adapted to fit over and engage with the substantially hexagon-al portion 24 of abutment 10.
In one preferred embodiment, illustrated in Figure 5, the width 110 of fin 92 is about 9.9 millimeters, and =xi dimensional of the hexagonally shaped bore 102 as it exits fin 92 is about 4 millimeters.
In the preferred ; 'o~i -nt illustrated Figure 5, the bottom surface 112 of the carrier 90 is preferably a flat sur-face adapted to mesh with the flat surface of ledge 22 (see Figures 1, 2, and 6) so that the carrier 90 is properly aligned with abutment 10 when it is removably connected there-to.
Figure 6 is a sectional view of carrier 90 connected to abutment 10 which, in turn, is connected to implant fixture 114, the abutment and implant being disposed within a vial 116.
Referring to Figure 6, and in the preferred embodiment illustrated therein, it will be seen that carrier 90 is remov-able connected to both cover 96, vial 116, and abutment 10, all by a friction fit. The entire assembly may be disposed in another vial (not shown). In this embodiment, the depth 120 of compartment 101 is preferably from about 5 to about 10 millimeters, the distance 121 between the top lip 122 and the bottom surface 124 of the grip 90 is from about 6 to about 12 millimeters, and the distance 123 from the top of carrier 90 CA 02206163 1997-0~-2~
to its bottom is from about 10 to 20 millimeters.
Referring again to Figure 6, it will be seen that the carrier 90/abutment 10/vial 16 assembly may be used in con-junction with an implant fixture 114. This assembly is quite adaptable and may be used with substantially any of the im-plant fixtures known to those skilled in the art.
Thus, by way of illustration and not limitation, one may use one or more of the implant fixtures disclosed in Unit-ed Statespatents 5,338,197, 5,061,181, 5,030,095, 4,960,381, 4,932,868, 4,871,313, 4,854,873, 4,854,872, 4,713,004, 4,468,200, 4,330,891, 4,016,651, 3,672,058, 3,579,831, 2,609,6045,376,004, 5,364,268,5,362,235, 5,302,125, and the like. The disclosure of each of these United States patents is hereby incorporated by reference into this specification.
By way of further illustration, and referring to theNobelpharma catalog referred to elsewhere in this specifica-tion, one may use any of the implant fixtures disclosed on page 7 of such catalog.
Referring again to Figure 6, it will be seen that im-plant fixture 114 is preferably connected to abutment 10 by means of retaining screw 130. The retaining screw 130 is shown in more detail in Figure 6A.
Referring to Figure 6A, it will be seen that retaining screw 130 is comprised of an internal bore 132 with internal threads 134 adapted to receive and engage with the external threads on a multiplicity of dental prostheses (not shown).
The retaining screw 130 is comprised of tapered section 136 which is adapted to fit within bore 63 (see Figure 2) and mesh with the tapered section therein.
The retaining screw 130 is also comprised of external threads which, after they pass through abutment 10, may be se-~ CA 02206l63 l997-0~-2~
cured to internal threads (not shown) in the implant fixture (not shown in Figure 6A).
Figure 6B is an exploded perspective view illustrating that, after retaining screw 130 is passed through abutment 10, it may be screwed into orifice 140 of implant fixture 114 and become screwably engaged with the internal threads located within orifice 140.
In the preferred embodiment illustrated in Figure 6B, implant fixture 114 is comprised of external threads 142 which can be used to secure implant assembly within the jawbone of a patient.
Figure 7 is an exploded view showing the abutment 10/retaining screw 130/implant fixture 114 assembly 150 dis-posed beneath a socket wrench 152 with a hexagonal bore 154.
As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, socket wrench 152 may be removably attached to the substantially hexagonal portion 24 of abutment 10 and used to insert assembly 150 into a hole in the patient's jaw. Alternatively, or additionally, depending upon the amount of force needed, carrier 90 may be used for this purpose or, alternatively, to start the inser-tion of the assembly 150 in said hole.
In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 7, the implant fixture has an exterior hexagonal shape; and thus it is adapted to be screwed into the hole in the patient's jaw by a socket wrench with a matching hexagonal bore. It will be ap-parent, however, that the means of inserting the assembly 150 into the hole in the patient's jaw will vary with the type of implant 114 u~ed. ThuR, for example, when the exterior shape of impIant 114 is substantially cylindrical, a seating tool (such as a maliet) may be used. These procedures are well known to those skilled in the art.
Figure 8 is a perspective view of a healing ball 160 CA 02206163 1997-0~-2~
which may be used in connection with abutment 10. Referring to Figure 8, it will be seen that healing ball 160 is com-prised of a removable cover 162.
Healing ball 160 preferably consists essentially of medical grade material such as, e.g., medical grade polyethy-lene. In one preferred embodiment, healing ball 160 consists essentially of high density polyethylene.
Referring again to Figure 8, it will be seen that heal-ing ball 160 is comprised of an internal bore 164 which has a substantially hexagonal shape and is adapted to fit snugly over the substantially hexagonal portion 24 of abutment 10 (see Figure 9).
Referring to Figure 9, and in the preferred embodiment illustrated therein, it will be seen that healing ball 160 preferably is comprised of an inwardly-extending annular pro-tuberance 166 which is adapted to fit within and removably se-cured to annular groove 26. There thus is a strong fit bet-ween the mating hexagonal portions and the mating annular por-tions of healing ball 160 and abutment 10.
In many cases, the healing abutment ball 160 is removed from abutment 10 prior to the time any dental device is at-tached. In some instances, however, it is desired to attach the dental device directly to the healing ball 160. In this latter case, it is sometimes desirable to more securely attach the healing ball 160 to the abutment 10.
One means of more securely making such attachment is illustrated in Figure 9A. Referring to Figure 9A, it will be seen that a screw 170 may be inserted through healing ball 160 into abutment retaining screw 130.
Figure 10 illustrates a denture 180 into which two metal rings 182 and 184 with O-rings 186 and 188 have been cured into the denture chairside. Such dentures are well CA 02206163 1997-0~-2~
known to those skilled in the art and are illustrated on page 21 of the aforementioned Nobelpharma catalog. Furthermore, Nobelpharma also sells an ~Overdenture Rit for ~all Attach-ment" (see page 21 of the catalog) which contains a plastic cap with a rubber O-ring, ball attachment replicas, and spac-ers for the ball attachment.
~ eferring again to Figure 10, it will be seen that the metal ring/O-ring assemblies are friction fit over the healing balls 160 to firmly and securely removably attach the denture 180 to the implant assembly.
Figure 11 illustrates how the implant assembly 150 may be used in a similar manner with a gold cylinder 190. Such a gold cylinder is well known to those skilled in the art. See, for example, United States patents 5,209,659 (gold cylinder 126), 5,108,288 (coping 50 having a bore 52 passing axially therethrough and opening into a polygonal opening at its lower end), 5,145,371, and the like. The disclosure of each of these United States patents is hereby incorporated by refer-ence into this specification.
It is known that gold cylinders are available for the fabrication of bar/clip overdentures, for they are designed to fit accurately on the hex abutments and can be incorporated into the bar/clip framework; see Figure 12, and the bar clip assembly 192 illustrated therein. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, this type of over-denture bar system may be readily connected to implant assemblies 150 attached to gold cylinders 190 (see Figure 11).
Thus, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art, applicant's abutment 10, because of the relative universality of its design, may be used in conjunction with many different types of prosthetic applications. It thus affords the dental practitioner substantially more flexibility than does the pri-CA 02206163 1997-0~-2~
or art systems, which utilize a substantial number of parts which are adapted for specific applications.
Thus, by way of further illustration, and referring to Figure 13, the gold cylinder devices 190 may be incorporated into a fixed detachable implant supported bridge 200. See, e.g., United States patent 5,174,954, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference into this speci-fication.
Referring again to Figure 13, it will be seen that screws 202 may be used to secure the bridgework through the gold cylinders to the abutments 10.
Figure 14 is a perspective view of a gold coping 210 which may be utilized to restore a tooth to a patient's mouth.
Referring to Figure 14, it will be seen that gold coping 210 is comprised of an internal hexagonal bore 212 adapted to fit over and engage with hexagonal portion 24 of abutment 10 (see Figure 15). As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, when gold coping 210 is placed on abutment 10, there are only six positions it can be in. By comparison, with prior art abutments which have cylindrical outer surfaces, there are an infinite number of such positions.
This system thus has several advantages. Because the gold coping 210/abutment 10 connection is locked into place by the interaction of the hexagonally-shaped parts, a patient cannot cause the tooth attached to abutment 10 to rotate upon application of pressure to the tooth. In the second place, the gold coping 210 can be utilized as a transfer coping dur-ing impression taking and, when so used, because of the inter-action of the hexagonal shapes, accurately reproduces the po-sition of abutment 10 in the working model.
Referring again to Figure 14, it will be seen that, in the preferred embodiment illustrated therein, gold coping 210 CA 02206163 1997-0~-2~
has a substantially rectilinear top shape 214 with rounded corners 216. In one embodiment, the top of gold coping 210 is substantially square-shaped with rounded corners.
Referring again to Figure 14, it is preferred that gold coping 210 comprise a multiplicity of annular grooves 218.
Gold coping 210 also is comprised of stepped bores 220 and 222.
The gold copying 210 preferably consist essentially of a palladium alloy such as, e.g., the alloy disclosed in United States patent 5,174,954, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference into this specification.
Thus, e.g., one may use a palladium alloy containing from about 50 to about 90 weight percent of palladium, from about 0 to about 37 weight percent of gold, from about 0 to about 3 weight percent of platinum, from about 0 to about 35 welght percent of silver, from about 0.5 to about 8 weight percent of gallium, from about 0 to about 8 weight percent of tin, and up to about 0.2 weight percent of a material selected from the group consisting of iridium, rhenium, ruthenium, and mixtures thereof.
Referring again to Figure 14, it is preferred that the bottom portion 224 of gold coping 210 be adapted to mesh with a fit onto ledge 22 of abutment 10 (see Figure 1).
Figure 15 is a sectional view of the gold coping device of Figure 14. Referring to Figure 15, and also to Figure 14, it will be seen that gold coping 210 is comprised of a curved neck portion with a radius of curvature of about 1.5 millimet-ers.
In the preferred embodiment illustrated in Figure 15, it will be seen that distance 230 is preferably 4.7 millimet-ers, distance 232 is preferably 4.2 millimeters, distance 234 is preferably 5.2 millimeters, distance 236 is 4.6 millimet-CA 02206163 1997-0~-2~
ers, distance 238 is 2.7 millimeters, distance 240 is 4.1 mil-limeters, distance 242 is 3.1 millimeters, distance 244 is 1.5 millimeters, distance 246 is 2.5 millimeters, distance 248 is 2 millimeters, distance 250 is 1.5 millimeters, and distance 252 is 1.5 millimeters, and distance 254 is 2.8 millimeters.
Figure 16 is a top view of the gold coping of Figure 14. Referring to Figure 16, it will be seen that the distance 256 from opposing flat surfaces 214 is 4.0 millimeters.
Figure 17 is an exploded perspective view illustrating how a tooth to which a gold coping 210 has been bonded may be at-tached to a patient's jawbone (not shown) by means of the abutment system of this invention.
Referring to Figure 17, and in the preferred embodiment depicted, it will be seen that tooth 270 may be secured to abutment 10 by at least two separate means.
In the first place, a screw 272 may be inserted through orifice 22 and secured to retaining screw 130 by engagement with internal threads 134 lnot shown in Figure 17, but see Figure 6A).
In the second place, dental cement may be charged into the interior of gold coping 210 prior to the time the gold coping 210 is placed over the hexagonal portion 24 of abutment 10. Thus, in addition to the mechanical bond created by screw 272, there also is an adhesive bond.
Furthermore, there is yet another bond tending to main-tain gold coping 210 in position vis-a-vis abutment 10, and that is the interaction of their respective hexagonal shapes.
The system depicted in Figure 17 has the unique advan-tage that allows the removal of the tooth 270 from the abutment I0 even after the cement has hardened. In order to do this, screw 272 may be removed by turning it counter-clockwise, and thereafter, utilizing a three-pronged crown-CA 02206163 1997-0~-2~
remover to pull tooth 270 out of the abutment 10 by leverage between the top of retaining screw 130 against the smaller taper of 270.
A preferred Process of the invention Figure 18 is a flow diagram of one preferred process of applicant's invention.
In the first step of this process, step 300, abutment 10 is connected to implant fixture 114.
In this step, it is preferred to apply a torque no greater than about 20 Newton/centimeter.
Thereafter, in step 302 of the process, a hole is drilled in the jawbone of the patient sufficiently deep to re-ceive only the length of the implant fixture. In general, this hole is usually from about 8 to about 18 millimeters.
Thereafter, in step 304 of the process, the hole thus drilled is preferably tapped with a tapping tool such as, e.g., the screw taps illustrated on page 11 of the Nobelpharma catalog.
Thereafter, in step 306 of the process, the abutment/implant fixture assembly is delivered to the hole by means of the carrier 90. The carrier 90 may also be used to start screwing the assembly into the hole, applying downward pressure while turning the assembly.
Generally, the carrier 90 will only enable one to drive the abutment/implant fixture assembly a portion of the re-quired distance. The job may be finished by a power-driven socket wrench in ~tep 308 of the process In the next step of this preferred process, step 310, the healing ball 160 is preferably snapped onto the abutment (see Figures 9 and 9A). In one preferred embodiment, the healing ball 160 is disposed within compartment 101 of carrier CA 02206l63 l997-0~-2 90 prior to its use.
Thereafter, in step 312, the gum tissue where the hole had been drilled is sutured around the healing ball 160.
In the next step of process, step 314, the surgical site is allowed to heal before the abutment 10 is directly or indirectly connected to a denture. In general, a healing pe-riod of from about 3 to about 6 months is desirable.
After the desired time of healing, no additional surgi-cal procedure is required, unlike the prior art process (which necessitated second stage surgery to remove the cover screw used in the process and to attach the prosthetic abutment).
By comparison with prior art processes, applicant's prosthetic abutment is already attached.
At this stage of applicant's process, several options are available.
In one embodiment, illustrated in step 316 (also see Figure 10), the healing ball is attached directly to a denture into which metal caps with an O-ring have been cured.
In another embodiment, illustrated in step 318, the healing ball 160 is removed from the abutment 10. At this stage, several additional options are available.
One such option is to attach the gold cylinder 190 on the abutment 10 (see Figures ll and 12) in step 320. Once the gold cylinder 190 has been so attached, one may prepare a bar clip overdenture (see Figure 12) and attach such denture to the superstructure (see step 322). Alternatively, in step 324, the gold cylinders 190 can be incorporated into a fixed detachable implant supported bridge and thereafter secured to multiple implants in place in the jawbone (see Figure 13).
Alternatively, in step 326, after the healing ball 160 has been removed a gold coping 210 may be attached to a tooth (see,e.g., Figure 17 where such a gold coping is imbedded in CA 02206163 1997-0~-2~
the tooth). Thereafter, in step 328, such tooth is attached to the abutment 10.
An integral implant assembly Figure 19 is a perspective view of a preferred embodi-ment of an implant device 350 which is comprised of an abut-ment 352 integrally connected to an implant 354.
Referring to Figure 19, it will be seen that implant device 350 is comprised of several cutting means. One such cutting means is integrally formed drill bit 356.
Drill bit 356 is preferably integrally joined to im-plant section 354 and is adapted to drill bone. Any of the drill bit configurations known to those skilled in the art to useful in drilling bone may be used as drill bit 356. Thus, by means of illustration and not limitation, one may use one or more of the drill bit configurations depicted in United States patents 5,443,468, 5,437,677 (drilling in the glenoid neck), 5,413,579, 5,409,489 (drilling in a femur), 5,403,322 (drilling in the bone of a human limb), 5,366,457, 5,354,299, 5,306,278 (corticotomy drill guide), 5,257,809, 5,055,105, D332492, D273326, and the like. The disclosure of each of these United States patents is hereby incorporated by reference into this specification.
- Referring again to Figure 19, and in the preferred embodiment depicted therein, it will be seen that drill bit 356 is comprised of a tip 358, a first blade 360, and a second blade 362, and a clearance channel 364. In one em-bodiment, not shown, drilling bit 356 is comprised of three blades.
In addition to the drill bit 356, implant assembly 350 also is comprised of raised external helical threads 364 which are disposed on a substantially cylindrical body por-tion 366.
CA 02206163 1997-0~-2~
In one preferred embodiment, threads 364 and body portion 366 are similar to or identical to the threads 53 and body portion 52 of applicant's United States patent 5,338,197; the disclosure of this patent is hereby incorpo-rated by reference into this specification.
In addition to the drill bit 356 and the threads 364, applicant-s implant assembly also is comprised of a multi-plicity of cutting means 368 such as, e.g., cutting flutes in the form of indented notches. In one preferred embodiment, illustrated in Figure 19 (also see elements 70 and 70' of United States patent 5,358,197), each of the indented notches 368 has a radially outwardly-extending cutting surface 370 at substantially a right angle to the circumerferential direc-tion of rotation of the implant assembly 350 (see, e.g., axis 372).
Referring again to Figure 19, and in the preferred embodiment depicted therein, it will be seen that implant assembly 350 is comprised of a longitudinal channel 372 which is similar in function and structure to the longitudinal channel 84 depicted in applicant's United States patent 5,338,197.
As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the device of Figure 19 is comprised of abutment 352 joined to implant 354. However, other implants may also be integrally joined to abutment 352.
Thus, by way of further illustration, the implant device 380 depicted in Figure 20 is very similar to the device 350 depicted in Figure 19 but it omits the use of the longitudinal channel 372 and the cutting flutes 368. In another embodiment, not shown, the device incorporates the longitudinal channel 372 but not the cutting flutes 368. In another embodiment, not shown, the device incorporates the CA 02206163 1997-0~-2~
Il cutting flutes 368 but not the longitudinal channel 372. In another embodiment, not shown, the device omits the raised helical threads 364 and incorporates either both the cutting flutes 368 and/or the longitudinal channel 372 and/or the drill bit 356. Other variations and combinations will be apparent to those skilled in the art.
One preferred embodiment is disclosed in Figure 21 as implant assembly 390. This implant assembly 390 is substan-tially identical to the implant assembly 350 (see Figure 20) with the exception that the drill bit 356 is replaced by a bottom tapered portion 392 which is very similar to the cutting assembly depicted in United States patent 5,338,197.
Thus, referring to Figure 21, it will be seen that tapered portion 392 is comprised of cutting surfaces 394 and 396 disposed at opposite ends of through-hole 398 and prefer-ably perpendicularly disposed to the axis of rotation 372 such that the cutting surfaces 394 and 396 will both cut and direct all or a substantial portion of bone fragments into through-hole 398.
Figure 22 is a sectional view of abutment 352. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, this abutment 352 is very similar to abutment 10 (see Figure 1), but it differs therefrom in that does not contain a passageway with six stepped bores (see Figure 2 for a depiction of these passage-ways in abutment 10).
By comparison, and referring to Figure 22, it will be seen that abutment 352 is comprised is preferably comprised of a threaded orifice 400 which, preferably, has a substan-tially circular cross-sectional shape. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, threaded orifice 400 is adapted to receive and retain a dental prosthesis (not shown).
Referring again to Figure 22, it is seen that base 20 CA 02206163 1997-0~-2~
of abutment 352 is tapered. This-is advantageous in the retention of the implant assembly within the bone.
Referring again to Figures 19-22, the implant devices depicted therein preferably consist essentially of titanium, titanium alloy, and/or other material which is biocompatible with human bone.
The integral implant assemblies of this invention may be used in a manner similar to the multi-piece assemblies.
However, because of their integral structure, they are stronger than the multi-piece assemblies, less likely to disengage, and less likely to present opportunity for bacte-rial ingress from the oral cavity into the bone tissue.
Elsewhere in this specification, the use of healing ball 160 is disclosed in connection with its attachment to abutment 10. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, healing ball 160 may also be remvoably attached to abutment 352 and, when such abutment is integrally connected to implant fixutre 354, to implant devices 350, 380, and 390.
Figure 23 illustrates one such attachment in which, for the sake of simplicity of representation, the means by which annular protuberance 166 fits within annular groove 26 have been omitted (but see Figures 8, 9, and 10).
One substantial advantage of the system depicted in Figure 23 is that, after coping 160 has been removably attached to removable dental implant 350, the entire assembly can be removed from the patient's mouth and transferred to a working model to fabricate the dental prosthesis.
In one preferred embodiment, not shown, coping 160 has a substantially hexagonal shape and preferably consists essentially of plastic. This embodiment is especially advan-tageous for allowing direct pick up of the assembly and accurate timed transfer to a working model. Thus, the ex-CA 02206163 1997-0~-2~
pesnsive prior art cast-on technique can be avoided, as can the painful and time-consuming process of gingival retraction for impression taking.
It is to be understood that the aforementioned descrip-tion is illustrative only and that changes can be made in the apparatus, in the ingredients and their proportions, and in the sequence of combinations and process steps, as well as in other aspects of the invention discussed herein, without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.
Claims (16)
1. A dental implant assembly comprised of an integral dental implant, wherein said integral dental implant is comprised of an abutment integrally joined to a implant fixture, and wherein:
(a) said abutment is comprised of a top section, a bottom section integrally joined to said top section, and an orifice extending through a portion of said top section, wherein:
1. said top section has a cross-sectional shape substantially like a polygon, wherein said shape is formed by alternating linear and arcuate walls,
(a) said abutment is comprised of a top section, a bottom section integrally joined to said top section, and an orifice extending through a portion of said top section, wherein:
1. said top section has a cross-sectional shape substantially like a polygon, wherein said shape is formed by alternating linear and arcuate walls,
2. said abutment is comprised of a horizontally-extending ledge disposed beneath said top section of said abutment, and
3. said abutment is comprised of a base which extends upwardly and outwardly from its bottom to its top.
2. The dental implant assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein said assembly is comprised of a drill bit integrally joined to said implant fixture.
3. The dental implant assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein said abutment is comprised of a multiplicity of cutting flutes.
2. The dental implant assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein said assembly is comprised of a drill bit integrally joined to said implant fixture.
3. The dental implant assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein said abutment is comprised of a multiplicity of cutting flutes.
4. The dental implant assembly as recited in claim 3, wherein said cutting flutes are circumferentially disposed about the peripihery of said abutment.
5. The dental implant assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein said implant fixture is comprised of a longitudinal channel disposed within the outer surface of said implant fixture.
6. The dental implant assembly as recited in claim 1, whereiin said implant fixture is comprised of a substantially cylindrical body poriton having raised threads over at least a lower portion thereof.
7. The dental implant assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein said implant assembly is comprised of a healing ball removably attached to said abutment.
8. The dental implant assembly as recited in claim 8, wherein said healing ball is comprised of an orifice extending through the top surface of said healing ball.
9. The dental implant assembly as recited in claim 8, wherein said healing ball consists essentially of plastic.
10. The dental implant assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein an arcuate inwardly-extending groove is disposed between said top section and said bottom section of said abutment.
11. The dental implant assembly as recited in claim 10, wherein said top section of said abutment has a cross-section shape substantially like a hexagon.
12. The dental implant assembly as recited in claim 3, wherein said abutment consists essentially of titanium.
13. The dental implant assembly as recited in claim 11, wherein said abutment consists essentially of titanium alloy.
14. The dental implant assembly as recited in claim 11, wherein said hexagonal shape is defined by six substantially equal linear sections and six substantially equal arcuate sections.
15. The dental implant assembly as recited in claim 14, wherein each of said substantially equal linear sections is at least three times as long as each of said substantially equal arcuate sections.
16. The dental implant assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein said implant assembly further comprises a retaining screw disposed within said abutment.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US08/654,315 US5733124A (en) | 1995-02-21 | 1996-05-28 | Dental implant system |
| US08/654,315 | 1996-05-28 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2206163A1 true CA2206163A1 (en) | 1997-11-28 |
Family
ID=24624354
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2206163 Abandoned CA2206163A1 (en) | 1996-05-28 | 1997-05-26 | Dental implant system |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA2206163A1 (en) |
Cited By (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN112449586A (en) * | 2018-06-04 | 2021-03-05 | 种植牙体2004有限公司 | Assembly for forming an abutment for a dental implant having a length not predetermined |
| CN114599312A (en) * | 2019-10-23 | 2022-06-07 | 克雷登特蒙托邦公司 | Gum healing abutment for dental implant |
-
1997
- 1997-05-26 CA CA 2206163 patent/CA2206163A1/en not_active Abandoned
Cited By (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN112449586A (en) * | 2018-06-04 | 2021-03-05 | 种植牙体2004有限公司 | Assembly for forming an abutment for a dental implant having a length not predetermined |
| CN112449586B (en) * | 2018-06-04 | 2022-04-26 | 种植牙体2004有限公司 | Assembly for forming an abutment for a dental implant having a length not predetermined |
| CN114599312A (en) * | 2019-10-23 | 2022-06-07 | 克雷登特蒙托邦公司 | Gum healing abutment for dental implant |
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