Patent Application
20080305456
None
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Portions of the disclosure of this patent document contain material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
The present invention relates in general to dental implants and related devices and more particularly to a dental implant stabilizing device for holding a dental implant in place especially during its reinforcement period after a dental implantation surgery.
Generally, after a typical dental implantation surgery, especially the one which is performed on the upper jaw of a patient, the ossification of the bone, which is usually placed in a sinus cavity around the threaded portion of the dental implant, takes a considerable amount of time. During this period, the implant needs to be stable and held fast in the same position which often proves to be very difficult to maintain. However, the art comes up with several devices or systems which help overcome this problem.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,133,662 to Metcalfe discloses a tooth implant device. The device comprises an anchoring member, which in turn comprises a tooth support receiving member and a means for firmly gripping the bone which supports the natural teeth. The tooth support receiving member receives a tooth support upon which an artificial tooth is to be supported. The tooth support allows for limited movement of the artificial tooth.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,702,697 to Linkow discloses a prefabricated partial subperiosteal implant comprising a prefabricated elongated plate of pliable, work-hardenable material. A short projection extends from one surface of the plate and defines an aperture which receives a post for supporting an artificial tooth structure. The prefabricated implant is inserted through a lateral incision in the gum tissue, and is then molded to the bone. Subsequently the incision is sutured and the post is installed on the support plate.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,456,601 to Sendax discloses a sinus dental implant stabilizer comprising an elongated implant with an internal recess at one end, an insert removably fitting into the recess, a washer to be held between the implant and the insert as it is fitted in the recess, and a nut to fit into the threaded portion of the implant from the opposite side of the insert and the washer. In order to use the stabilizer, as the implant is fitted into the maxillary bone, the nut is fitted through the sinus cavity into the threaded portion of the implant till it gets into contact with the other side of the maxillary bone. As the nut is finally tightened against the maxillary bone, the implant is secured firmly.
Each of the devices disclosed in the above references basically comprises a dental implant itself. Therefore, there is no such “independent” device in the art which is capable of holding a conventional dental implant in place.
The present invention is a dental implant stabilizing device for holding a dental implant in place during its reinforcement period after a dental implantation surgery. The device comprises a dental implant for placement through the maxillary bone into the maxillary sinus, a plate member for placement over the mouth side of the maxillary bone and a fastener for securing the plate member to the implant after the plate member is placed over the mouth side of the maxillary-bone. The plate member is adapted to stabilize the implant after it is secured to the implant.
Referring to the drawings, a preferred embodiment of a dental implant stabilizing device is illustrated and generally indicated as 10 in
Referring to
In a first embodiment as shown in
Referring to
All features disclosed in this specification, including any accompanying claims, abstract, and drawings, may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.
Any element in a claim that does not explicitly state “means for” performing a specified function, or “step for” performing a specific function, is not to be interpreted as a “means” or “step” clause as specified in 35 U.S.C. § 112, paragraph 6. In particular, the use of “step of” in the claims herein is not intended to invoke the provisions of 35 U.S.C. § 112, paragraph 6.
Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, various modifications and substitutions may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the present invention has been described by way of illustration and not limitation.
