This application is a continuation of International Application PCT/SE2005/000095, with an international filing date of Jan. 28, 2005, which claims the benefit of Swedish Patent Application No. 0400157-4, filed Jan. 29, 2004, the entire contents of both applications are hereby expressly incorporated by reference herein.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a trans-mucosal component for a dental implant intended to support a prosthetic restoration.
2. Description of the Related Art
Trans-mucosal components such as abutments or spacer sleeves as such are already well known in the dental sector and can have one or more portions passing through the gum. In the case where the trans-mucosal component is a separate unit, it is designed to be connected to the bone-anchoring element via a spacer screw or the like. Reference is made to spacer sleeves which are available on the market and which are also described in a large number of different designs in the patent literature.
The total installation of the implant in the form of bone-anchoring element, trans-mucosal component and attached prosthetic installation is intended to form a dental unit which is well anchored in the jaw bone or gum. For example, it is not desirable for the jaw bone and/or the gum to degenerate or resorb and subside around the trans-mucosal component and the fixture and thus expose, for example, the lower portions of the trans-mucosal component to the soft tissue or the upper part of the fixture. This kind of exposure may cause accumulation of bacteria and gives a less attractive appearance. The object of the invention is to solve this problem by permitting an excellent and durable degree of integration between jaw bone/gum and adjoining portions of the trans-mucosal component or fixture. To avoid bone resorption and subsidence tendencies, the various parts must have extents in the vertical direction (height of the implant and of the trans-mucosal component) which satisfy conditions for epithelial contact and gum contact against the facing portions of the trans-mucosal component, specifically a certain natural, biological width of the adjoining soft tissue should be maintained. Such an object has hitherto been in conflict with the need for a low height of the trans-mucosal component. It is an object of the invention to solve this problem too.
It is also expedient to achieve an effective coordination of the structures and functions of the trans-mucosal component and of the implant. Thus, for example, it is important to be able to adapt the trans- mucosal component from the point of view of height so that even low trans-mucosal components can now be obtained without risk of bone resorption and subsidence tendencies. There is therefore a need to be able to produce trans-mucosal components with a low height and at the same time satisfy said esthetic requirements.
According to an embodiment of the invention the trans-mucosal component is provided with a waist-shaped or inwardly narrowed part for reducing the necessary height of the trans- mucosal component and creating a volume for generation of a stabilizing and retentive belt of soft tissue.
A feature of one aspect invention is that the distance in the longitudinal direction along the contact surface of said waist-shaped or narrowed part at least corresponds to the required width of the adjoining soft tissue. The height reduction is chosen as a function of the size and strength of the remaining implant material in the area between the waist-shaped or inwardly narrowed part and a possible through recess in the implant body. The waist-shaped or inwardly narrowed part is preferably located in its entirety on the trans-mucosal component or the trans-mucosal part of a one-piece implant. In one embodiment, one or both of first and second portions that cooperates with the soft tissue can be provided with an oxide layer, i.e. a titanium oxide layer, in the case where the trans-mucosal component is made of titanium. In a preferred embodiment, a first portion has a cone-shaped (or truncated cone shaped), curved or arcuate first part which can face the epithelium and which can have a length measurement or height measurement of ca. 1 mm. The second portion for cooperation with the connective tissue of the gum can have a curved or arcuate part with a height measurement which can lie in the range of 1.5-1.9 mm, and preferably is ca. 1.7 mm. At its widest cross-sectional area, the trans-mucosal component can have a first diameter of 3-6 mm and, at its waist-shaped or inwardly narrowed area, can have a second diameter of 2-5.5 mm. The lower, medium and higher values within both ranges are in this case set in relation to one another. The waist-shaped or inwardly narrowed part can have a mean depth of 0.2-1.5 mm, preferably 0.5 mm. Further embodiments of the novel arrangement are set out inter alia in the attached patent claims.
By what has been proposed above, it is possible to provide the necessary gum coverage against the trans-mucosal component or part of a one-piece implant despite the need for a low height of these parts, and without risk of subsidence or resorption. Thus, for example, gum coverages which satisfy the natural (biological) requirements for a certain longitudinal extent of the soft tissue adjoining the trans-mucosal component can be guaranteed without the trans-mucosal component having to have the same height. Instead, the trans-mucosal component is designed with an inwardly narrowed or waist-shaped part which increases the contact distance with the soft tissue compared with a straight longitudinal extent of the contact surface of the trans-mucosal component. The inwardly narrowed or waist-shaped part will have such a size that said contact surface distance at least corresponds to the biologically necessary width of the soft tissue.
Further measures for increasing integration can be used in combination with said inwardly narrowed or waist- shaped part, for example in the form of growth-stimulating titanium oxide layers, or grooves or depressions in the inwardly narrowed or waist-shaped part.
Another aspect of the invention can be an implant of the type which comprises a separate trans-mucosal component for passage through soft tissue, which component either can be connected to the bone-anchoring element, or the so-called fixture, of the implant as a separate unit or can also be integrated with the bone-anchoring element to give a so-called one-piece implant. In the case where the trans-mucosal component is a separate unit, it preferably comprises a continuous recess for a screw used to secure the component and, possibly, the prosthetic installation to the bone-anchoring element of the implant. The trans-mucosal component is designed to cooperate with soft tissue, in this case the gum, and on its outside it has a part that can cooperate with the gum. A first portion of this part can cooperate with the epithelium of the gum, while a second portion cooperates with the connective tissue of the gum.
Some proposed embodiments of the arrangement according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the attached drawings, in which:
In
The upper part 2a thus has a curved top surface 2e which, when the implant and spacer sleeve are in the implanted state in the jaw bone, can follow the top face or outside of the gum or soft tissue at the installation. The waist-shaped or inwardly curved part 2c can lie in a plane at right angles to the longitudinal extent of the implant, as is shown in
The waist-shaped or inwardly narrowed part 2c can be located entirely on the outer surface of the transmucosal component or it can be located so that it is contigous with that part of the trans-mucosal component adjoining the bone anchoring part (1) of the dental implant. In the latter case the surface of the waist-shaped or inwardly narrowed part is then formed by a part of the trans-mucosal component and an annular upper, end surface of the fixture.
b shows a one-piece implant in which the spacer 2 is integrated with the fixture 1. In this case too, the spacer part 2 of the one-piece implant comprises an inwardly curved or waist-shaped part 2c which is designed to cooperate with the surrounding soft tissue, i.e. the gum.
c shows the implant together with a prosthetic restoration in the form of a crown 3. The gum level 4 has also been indicated in the figure.
In accordance with
These straight or parallel outer surfaces would have a height substantially corresponding to the vertical or longitudinal extents of the portions 2c′ and 2″. Said heights or lengths of the portions will thus be reduced by the heights H3 and H4 to establish the height reduction effect.
The outer surfaces of the portions 2c′ and 2c″ according to
b shows grooves 9 which extend only partially round the periphery and are located higher up on the sleeve. The grooves 8,9 can have depths and widths which themselves permit ingrowth of soft tissue and thus increase the stability of the surrounding soft tissue, and they can for example have a width of ca. 100 mm and a depth of ca. 70 mm. In one embodiment, the waist-shaped part 2c itself extends round the whole periphery of the spacer sleeve, but the case can also arise in which the inwardly curved part or parts extend (s) only partially round the periphery, for example on those parts which adjoin the teeth upon complete installation of implant, spacer and prosthetic installation. At its upper parts, for example at the flange 1a, the fixture can be provided with a titanium oxide layer in the same way as the proposed layers of the first and second portions of the waist-shaped or inwardly curved part.
c also shows examples where said grooves 8 curve and are substantially parallel to the curved shoulder 2e of the spacer for better adaptation to the topography of the surrounding jaw bone. The inwardly curved or waist-shaped part 2c itself can also have a curved, scalloped extent and follows the topography of the soft tissue as is shown in
The invention is not limited to the embodiment described above by way of example, but can be modified within the scope of the attached patent claims and the inventive concept.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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0400157-4 | Jan 2004 | SE | national |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | PCT/SE05/00095 | Jan 2005 | US |
Child | 11495119 | Jul 2006 | US |