LT7116B - DENTAL IMPLANT PROSTHETIC DENTAL Abutment Height Detector - Google Patents

Abstract

The subject of the present invention is a denture abutment height detector (10; 15) designed to assist in selecting a denture abutment of the appropriate height in a given situation. The denture abutment height detector (10; 15) of the present invention has a lower part (11) identical to the denture abutment, inserted into a titanium implant, and an upper part (12) to which a dental crown, crown bridge or complete jaw prosthesis is attached. The denture abutment height detector (10; 15) of the present invention differs from denture abutments in that it has several steps (14) arranged with a fixed gap one above the other between the lower part (11) and the upper part (12), where the steps (14) are designed to determine the appropriate height of the denture abutment in a given situation.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates to the field of therapeutic and aesthetic medicine, specifically to dental implantology, and more specifically to a detector for selecting an implantable tooth abutment of the appropriate height.

STATE OF THE ART

Dental implantation is one of the most advanced methods of restoring lost teeth. A dental implant is a titanium alloy screw that, when threaded into the jaw, performs the function of a root. Single dental crowns, crown bridges, or a full jaw prosthesis are later attached to the implants through dental abutments.

The prior art is described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 1 shows an X-ray image of a typical (standard) dental implantation procedure. In simple terms, during the procedure, a titanium implant 2 is threaded into the jaw 1 in place of the missing tooth. When it heals, a prosthetic tooth support 3 is integrated into it. Later, a dental crown 4 is attached to it.

The prosthetic tooth abutment 3 is the element through which the tooth crown 4 is attached to the titanium implant 2. The tooth abutments 3 are available in several different heights, as shown in Fig. 2. The dimensions 0.6 mm, 3.0 mm and 4.0 mm indicated in the figure refer to the height from the top of the titanium implant 2 to the step 5 of the tooth abutment 3, as shown in Fig. 1, and where this height can vary from a few tenths of a millimeter to several millimeters. The vertical position of the tooth crown 4, which, when placed on the tooth abutment 3, rests on the step 5, relative to the jaw 1 depends on the height of the prosthetic tooth abutment 3. If during implantation a prosthetic tooth abutment 3 is chosen that is too low, its step 5, on which the tooth crown 4 rests, will rest against the jaw 1, and the tooth crown 4, placed on such a prosthetic tooth abutment 3, will press on the jaw. And this can cause the jaw 1 to melt over time.

If a prosthetic tooth support 3 is chosen that is too high, its step 5 with the tooth crown 4 will rise above the gums. And this, again, is not good, because it creates conditions for food residues to accumulate, and at the same time bacteria, in the gap formed between the gums and the tooth crown 4.

In the case when the dental prosthetic procedure is performed using crown bridges, or when a full jaw prosthesis is prosthetically performed using the so-called “AII-on-4®” technology, then the full jaw prosthesis is attached to four implants and specialized prosthetic dental abutments MUA (MultiUnit Abutment) 6 are used, shown in Figure 3, which differ in size and angle (https://www.straumann.com/content/dam/mediacenter/medentika/en/documents/brochure/productinformation/PM01_01_0021_%20EN_Multi-unit.pdf). Specialized MUA dental abutments 6 differ from simple prosthetic dental abutments 3 in that the angle of their upper part 7, to which the crown bridge or full jaw prosthesis is screwed, relative to the lower part 8, screwed to the titanium implant, can vary from 0° to 60°. This allows for individualization and adaptation of the prosthesis attachment according to the shape and condition of each patient's jaw and the angle of the implant 2 inserted into the jaw 1. And, again, when using MUA prosthetic tooth abutments, their height, limited by the step 9, is selected individually according to the specific situation of the implantation procedure.

US Patent Application No. US5193999 describes a method and tool for determining the height of a denture abutment for measuring the distance from the gum surface to the implant and, thus, selecting a denture abutment of the appropriate height. The tool has a handle and an angled probing element with measuring segments, where these measuring segments can be measuring lines or points. In essence, the tool acts as a ruler, according to the dimensions of which the doctor can determine the appropriate height of the denture abutment.

Another method of choosing the right height of a prosthetic tooth support, most often used by doctors when prosthetically replacing a single tooth or the entire jaw, is to screw the prosthetic tooth support into a titanium implant, then take an X-ray and use the resulting image to assess whether the prosthetic tooth support is not pressing on the jaw. The disadvantage of this method is that if the immediately selected tooth support turns out to be too low or too high, the doctor is forced to change the tooth support to another one, re-evaluate its position in the jaw until the right one is selected for the specific situation. All this wastes additional time and complicates the dental implantation procedure itself.

ESSENCE OF THE INVENTION

The subject of the present invention is a denture abutment height detector designed to assist in selecting a denture abutment of the appropriate height in a given situation. The denture abutment height detector of the present invention has a lower part identical to the denture abutment, inserted into a titanium implant, and an upper part to which a dental crown, crown bridge or the entire jaw prosthesis is attached. The denture abutment height detector of the present invention differs from denture abutments in that it has not one denture abutment step, but several steps arranged with a fixed gap one above the other.

By its purpose, the denture abutment height detector is a measuring element, according to which the appropriate height of the denture abutment is determined. During the operation, by screwing the denture abutment height detector of this invention into the titanium implant, the doctor, having made a single X-ray, can visually see all the steps at once and, having determined the appropriate height of the denture abutment height detector step in this specific situation in relation to the jaw, select a denture abutment of the appropriate height, which is then attached to the titanium implant in place of the denture abutment height detector of this invention.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The invention is described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. is an image of a prior art radiograph;

Fig. are views of prior art prosthetic tooth abutments;

Fig. are views of prior art prosthetic MUA tooth abutments;

Fig. is a general view of a denture abutment height detector of the present invention according to a first embodiment of the invention;

Fig. is an X-ray image of a prosthetic tooth abutment height detector of the present invention inserted into a titanium implant;

Fig. is an illustrative example of the use of a denture abutment height detector, presented on a radiograph, to select a denture abutment of the appropriate height;

Fig. 1 shows general views of the height detectors of the prosthetic MUA tooth abutments of the present invention according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a denture abutment height detector for selecting a denture abutment of the appropriate height.

According to a first embodiment of the invention, the subject of the invention is a denture abutment height detector 10, shown in Fig. 4, designed to assist in selecting a denture abutment 3 of the appropriate height, shown in Fig. 2. The denture abutment height detector 10 according to the first embodiment of the invention is a cylindrical element having a lower part 11 adapted for insertion into a titanium implant 2 screwed into the jaw 1, and an upper part 12 to which a tooth crown 4 is attached. The denture abutment height detector 10 differs from the denture abutment 3 in that it has several steps 14 arranged at a fixed distance from each other in one part. After inserting the denture abutment height detector 10 into the implant 2 screwed into the jaw 1, the appropriate height of the step 5 of the denture abutment 3 can be selected based on the steps 14. For example, as shown in Fig. 4, the height of the first - lower denture abutment height detector 10 is 0.6 mm, the second from the bottom - 1.5 mm, the third - 3 mm and the fourth -4 mm. The height of the step 14 means the distance from the top of the implant 2 to the step 5 of the denture abutment 3, when the denture abutment 3 is inserted into the implant 2. The denture abutment height detector 10 is attached to the titanium implant 2 in the same way as the denture abutment 3, i.e. with a screw inserted from above through the hole 13.

According to its purpose, the denture abutment height detector 10 is a measuring element, according to which the appropriate height of the denture abutment 3 is determined by the step 14. During the operation, by inserting the denture abutment height detector 10 of such a design into the titanium implant 2, as shown in Fig. 5. in the radiograph, the doctor can visually see the appropriate height of the step 14 in this specific situation in relation to the jaw 1 and, based on this, select a denture abutment 3 of the appropriate height, which is subsequently attached to the titanium implant 2 instead of the denture abutment height detector 10 of the present invention.

Fig. is an illustrative example of the use of the denture abutment height detector 10. On the left side of the radiograph, where the denture abutment height detector 10 is inserted into the titanium implant 2, it can be seen that the third step 14 from the bottom, corresponding to a height of 3 mm, is ideally suited for this particular situation, i.e. it does not press on the jaw 1, and also does not protrude above it so much that it is with a gap above the gums.

The final position of the dental implant implantation procedure, obtained by screwing a 3 mm high prosthetic tooth abutment 3 in place of the tooth abutment height detector 10 and attaching the tooth crown 4 to it, is shown in Fig. 6 on the right side. The radiograph shows that the prosthetic tooth abutment 3 of the appropriate height has been selected, i.e. the step 5 of the tooth crown 4 support is slightly above the surface of the jaw 1.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, when the dental prosthetic procedure is performed using crown bridges, or when a full jaw prosthesis is attached to four implants screwed into the jaw using the so-called “AII-on-4®” technology through specialized MUA dental abutments 6, shown in Fig. 3, the subject of the present invention are height detectors 15 of prosthetic MUA dental abutments 6, shown in Fig. 7. Specialized MUA dental abutments 6 are characterized in that their upper part 12, to which the crown bridge or the full jaw prosthesis is screwed, is inclined to the lower part 11, inserted into the titanium implant 2, at an angle from 0° to 60°. This allows for individualization and adaptation of the prosthesis fixation according to the shape and condition of each patient’s jaw and the angle of threading the titanium implant 2 into the jaw 1.

Prosthetic MUA dental abutments 6 can be of different heights, which are limited by a step 9 for the support of a crown bridge or jaw prosthesis. In order to be able to select a prosthetic MUA dental abutment 6 of the appropriate height during dental prosthetics, height detectors 15 for prosthetic MUA dental abutments have been developed. The height detectors 15 for MUA dental abutments have lower parts 11 identical to the prosthetic MUA dental abutments 6, which are inserted into titanium implants 2, and upper parts 12, to which the crown bridge or the entire jaw prosthesis is attached. Unlike prosthetic MUA dental abutments 6, which have only one abutment step 9, prosthetic MUA dental abutment height detectors 15 have several steps 14 arranged one above the other with a fixed gap, according to which, after screwing the prosthetic MUA dental abutment height detector 15 into the titanium implant 2, a prosthetic MUA dental abutment 6 of the appropriate height relative to the jaw is selected.

Claims (1)

DEFINITION OF THE INVENTION 1. A denture abutment height detector (10; 15), comprising a lower part (11) adapted for insertion into a titanium implant (2) and an upper part (12) with a support step corresponding to the part to which a dental crown, crown bridge or jaw prosthesis is attached, characterized in that the detector (10; 15) has a number of steps (14) arranged with a fixed spacing one above the other between the lower part (11) and the upper part (12) of the detector (10; 15), intended to determine the appropriate height of the denture abutment step from the top of the titanium implant (2) when the detector (10; 15) is inserted into the titanium implant (2).