This invention relates to dental implants and abutments and related articles.
Single tooth restorations present the unique requirement that they must be supported non-rotationally on the underlying abutment. When a prepared natural tooth is the underlying abutment, this requirement is met in the normal course of preparing the abutment with a non-circular cross-section. Likewise, when the underlying abutment is a post fitted onto an implant, this requirement is met by preparing the post with a noncircular cross-section. This latter scenario can be more complicated due to the added connection between the implant and the abutment.
Typically, a dental implant is implanted into the bone of a patient's jaw and comprises a socket, e.g., a bore, which is accessible through the overlying or surrounding gum tissue for receiving and supporting one or more attachments or components which, in turn, are useful to fabricate and support the prosthodontic restoration. Dental implant procedures can use a variety of implanting modalities, for example, blade, threaded implant, or smooth push-in implant. The present invention is not concerned with the implant modality that is used. The invention is, however, concerned with connections between implants and attachments, as well as with other matters.
With respect to connections used in implant systems, internal threads of the implant have been used to connect abutments having threaded stems. Rotational alignment is not, however, easily achieved using threaded connections. Further, such a threaded bore, by itself, cannot generally provide rotational fixing. Rotationally fixing the prosthetic tooth to the abutment, and rotationally fixing the abutment to the implant, must be accomplished to ensure that the prosthetic tooth is non-rotational in the mouth of the patient after the restoration process is complete. To improve the likelihood that the implant will not exhibit movement, the implant is typically allowed to undergo osseointegration prior to being subjected to normal loading.
To overcome the non-rotational deficiency between the implant and attachments, dental implants include an anti-rotational structure to restrain components attached to the implant against rotation relative to the implant around the longitudinal axis through the bore. A common structure used to restrain rotation includes a male projection or a female indentation located on or near the gingival surface of the implant which is concentric with the opening into the bore. These designs are not, however, free of problems.
An inherent disadvantage of implant components is that their small size makes assembly difficult. Problems include the difficulty of properly positioning abutments in implants. The relatively small size of the components and tight working environment make it difficult to know when an abutment is properly seated in an implant. Related problems include abutments becoming loose due to the extreme forces incurred through normal chewing actions. Traditionally, axial retention has been achieved with a screw threading through the abutment and attaching to the implant. More recently, attempts have been made to eliminate the axial screw by using snap-in abutments. These snap-in abutments generally are provided with protrusions extending from the distal end of the stem of the abutment. Some of these snap-in designs are more successful than others. Practitioners have noted that some abutments used in these screwless systems become loose due to the large forces generated through chewing. For some, the disadvantages associated with screwless abutments outweigh any potential benefits.
These screwless abutments also exhibit unacceptable axial movement. This axial movement can lead to damage of the abutment or the implant as a result of misaligned forces and increased internal wear. The internal wear and misaligned forces lead to further unacceptable movement, inevitably requiring repair and replacement. In the mildest cases, the patient is inconvenienced. In the more severe cases, where the patient waits too long, infection and permanent bone and tissue damage occur. Thus, even systems that provide adequate connection must continually be improved upon to reduce patient suffering, or worse.
The prior art has successfully addressed many problems. But not all disadvantages have been overcome, and some solutions carry their own disadvantages.
This invention, in particular, relates to dental implants and abutments. This invention also relates to rotation-limiting dental connecting mechanisms of the kind employing a non-round projection engaged in a non-round bore to connect two parts endwise in a fashion that limits relative rotation between the parts around their common longitudinal axis. Some embodiments of the present invention are concerned with limiting axial movement between endwise-connected dental implant system parts. This present invention also concerns sensory feedback systems indicative of connection conditions in dental implant systems.
An embodiment of the invention comprises a dental implant having a proximal end adapted to abut an abutment and an interior bore extending distally from the proximal end. As used herein, unless otherwise indicated, a distal location is closer to or deeper in the bone than a proximal location. The implant is provided with a first anti-rotation cavity in the interior bore and a second anti-rotation cavity in the interior bore. The first cavity comprises a first minor diameter and the second cavity comprises a second minor diameter no greater than the first minor diameter of the first cavity. Depending on the application, the second anti-rotation cavity is positioned distal of the first anti-rotation cavity.
The implant may also be provided with an axial retention section distal of the first and second anti-rotation cavities. The axial retention section is adapted to mate with a device inserted into the interior bore. The axial retention section comprises, for some embodiments, a threaded section in the interior bore that is adapted to mate with an abutment screw inserted into the interior bore. In an alternate embodiment, the axial retention section comprises a recess adapted to engage a resilient lip of a device inserted into the interior bore. Another embodiment uses both an abutment screw and a resilient feature to inhibit axial movement.
In another embodiment, the implant is provided with a first feedback feature distal of the first and second anti-rotation cavities. The feedback feature may, for example, comprise male geometry. In yet another embodiment of the implant, the interior bore comprises a feedback feature and an axial retention feature. Anti-rotational features are, in some embodiments, provided in combination with a feedback feature and an axial retention feature.
Another embodiment of the invention is directed toward an implant system. A dental implant system in accordance with the invention comprises an implant, a first abutment, and a second abutment. The implant comprises a proximal end opening to a bore, a first internal anti-rotation cavity in the bore, and a second internal anti-rotation cavity in the bore, wherein the second internal anti-rotation cavity is located distal of the first anti-rotation cavity.
The first abutment comprises a stem adapted to fit in the bore of the implant. The stem comprises a first non-locking portion adapted to be located in the first internal anti-rotation cavity without rotationally-lockingly engaging the first internal rotation cavity. The stem further comprises a locking portion distal of the non-locking portion. The locking portion is adapted to rotationally-lockingly engage the second anti-rotation cavity.
By contrast, the second abutment comprises a stem having a locking portion adapted to rotationally-lockingly engage the first anti-rotation cavity. The stem of the second abutment further comprises a non-locking portion distal of the locking portion. The non-locking portion of the second abutment is adapted to be positioned in the second anti-rotation cavity without rotationally-lockingly engaging the first anti-rotation cavity.
An abutment cross-section need not, however, have the same configuration as that of an implant cross-section for the implant and the abutment to be rotationally locked. For example, a 12-point hexagonal configuration can lock with a 6-point hexagonal configuration. The two cross-sections should, however, be adapted to be engaged such that relative rotation is relatively small and, preferably, substantially eliminated.
The system may comprise one or both of the abutments. Further, in some embodiments, at least one of the abutments is an angled abutment. The angled abutment, in some embodiments, comprises a locking section adapted to interface with at least one of the two or more anti-rotation cavities. Preferably, the abutment is adapted to be rotatable in increments of 30° prior to fixedly engaging it with the implant. That is, the abutment is adapted for 30° indexing. One embodiment of anti-rotational cavity adapted to provide 30° increment rotation comprises a 12-point polygonal socket.
Another system of the invention comprises an implant having a first internal anti-rotation feature and a driving tool adapted to engage the implant through the first internal anti-rotation feature. The system may also comprise an abutment adapted to engage the implant through a second internal anti-rotation feature of the implant.
An alternate implant system of the invention comprises an implant comprising an interior bore and a feedback feature in the interior bore. A threaded section is positioned distal of the feedback feature. The system further comprises an abutment adapted to be attached to the implant.
The abutment comprises a post and a stem extending from the post. The stem is adapted to fit in the interior bore. The stem comprises a complementary feedback feature adapted to cooperate with the implant feedback feature and provide feedback to a practitioner indicating when the abutment is properly seated. The complementary feedback feature may, for example, comprise male geometry. The feedback provided to the practitioner may, for example, comprise tactile or audible output or both tactile and audible output, such as when a resilient member snaps back to its non-deformed shape or position. The feedback system may, alternatively, or in combination with tactile and audible output, provide a visual indication concerning a seating condition of an abutment of coping structure.
An abutment screw is adapted to fit within a through-bore extending through the post and stem of the abutment and retain to the abutment in the implant. The abutment screw comprises a proximal end (e.g., the screw head) adapted to interface with the abutment and a distal end adapted to engage the threaded section of the implant. More generally, the implant may be provided with an internal axial retention section adapted to engage an abutment retention shaft. The axial retention shaft engages an internal axial retention feature of the implant to limit axial movement of the abutment relative to the implant.
Although the invention is directed toward individual components, such as the implant, the abutment, the axial retention shaft, and to systems comprising combinations thereof, other aspects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art from a review of the Applicants' teachings.
In
Focusing on
For some applications, at least one of the anti-rotation cavities 22 and 24 is adapted to mate with a conventional driving tool, for example, a tool with a working end comprising a square, a pentagon, a hexagon, an octagon, etc. Preferably, at least the other cavity is adapted to mate with an abutment stem having a predetermined shape. Some tools are described in
In one conventional implant system, an implant comprises an external hexagon, i.e., a hexagonal projection, for engaging a driving tool. The driving tool applies relatively significant amounts of torque to the external hexagonal projection to screw the implant into the patient's bone. After the implant is screwed into place and healing has occurred, an abutment is mated with the external hexagonal projection and seated on the implant. Unfortunately, the significant amount of torque applied to the hexagonal projection often mars and distorts the hexagonal configuration. This distortion can, in some applications, result in play, or wiggle-room, between the implant and the abutment.
To overcome this distortion-related problem, the implant 10 has been provided with the first and second anti-rotation cavities 22 and 24. The implant 10 may, for example, be driven with a driving tool through the first anti-rotation cavity 22. The abutment 40 can then be mated with the second anti-rotation cavity 24, which has not been subjected to driving torques as was the first anti-rotation cavity 22. The second anti-rotation cavity 24 is in pristine condition, enabling a tight fit to occur between the abutment 40 and the implant 10. Although the invention is not limited to internal anti-rotational features, an advantage of internal anti-rotation cavities, over external projections, is that the cavity can generally be longer (deeper) than would be possible with an external feature. The longer length provides greater surface area for engaging a driving tool. Thus, there is a smaller chance of damaging the implant during installation.
The cavities illustrated in
Turning to
Referring to
For some applications, it is desirable to be able to increment the angled abutment 40 in steps to achieve the proper functional and cosmetic alignment of a prosthetic ultimately affixed to the post 42, i.e., the abutment may be indexed. Accordingly, the locking portion 48 and the second anti-rotation cavity 24 are adapted to provide a predetermined minimum rotational increment. The illustrated embodiment has a minimum rotational increment of 30° due to the 12-point shape. Once the abutment 40 is rotationally aligned, the practitioner can apply pressure to seat the abutment 40, while being sensitive to feedback indicative of the abutment's seating status.
The polygonal shape is not required to have actual points. Other forms of interface, for example, indentations and projections, are suitable to limit rotation between the implant 10 and the abutment 40. Furthermore, shapes other than polygons are suitable for limiting rotation between the components. The actual rotational increment size will depend, at least in part, on the anti-rotation feature in the second cavity 24 and the shape of the locking portion 48.
Turning briefly to
Returning to
The feedback system may be a system adapted to provide only tactile feedback, or only audible feedback or both tactile and audible feedback. A system is considered to provide feedback when the sensory output is of a sufficient level so as to be sensed by a practitioner without the practitioner taking extraordinary steps to receive the feedback. Generally, use of tactile feedback and audible feedback, alone or in combination, is desirable in many applications due to the relative simplicity of such systems and the advantages of such systems over current verification practices.
Verification techniques involve additional steps, typically taken immediately after the practitioner performs the abutment-seating steps, that often use additional equipment. Current verification practices typically involve the use of radiographic equipment, e.g., an X-ray. Use of radiographic equipment is both relatively costly and time-consuming. The practitioner must adjust the equipment to take a proper image, and typically step out of the room to snap the image. The patient is also exposed to another dose of radiation. Such verification systems are both costly and time-consuming. In contrast, a feedback system does not have the attendant costs and delays of verification systems. The feedback system of the present invention operates, in a practical sense, contemporaneous with the seating process. A verification process involves identifiable steps separate from those required to seat an abutment.
In some embodiments, the abutment 40 is adapted to be axially-restrained in the bore 20 without additional components. In essence, the abutment 40 is autonomously axially-restrained when seated. The stem 44 of the abutment 40 comprises axial retention features adapted to interface with axial retention features in the abutment interior bore 20. In the illustrated embodiment, the implant feedback feature 34 and the abutment feature 54 also have retention capability. The axial retention feature 54 comprises the plurality of fingers 56 that are adapted to provide both feedback and retention capabilities.
Other structures are suitable for providing one or both axial retention and feedback capabilities. In some embodiments, including some comprising resilient members providing both retention and feedback, an additional axial retention structure is required, or at least desirable. Such additional axial retention structure may be integral with one or both of the abutment 40 and the implant 10. Alternatively, the structure may be separate, but coupled to and relatively fixed, with respect to one of either the abutment or the implant. Furthermore, separate additional axial retention structures need not be relatively fixed to either one of the abutment or the implant. For example, the separate additional retention structure may also be provided as an abutment retention shaft that interfaces with one or both the abutment 40 and the implant 10, yet is separable from both. One example of an abutment retention shaft is the abutment screw 70 illustrated in
In
In
The system may also comprise a straight abutment 90, for example, illustrated in
To avoid rotational lock between the implant 10 and the second cavity 24, the non-locking portion 96 has a major diameter 100 (
The first anti-rotation cavity 22 may comprise a configuration including interior acute angles while the second anti-rotation cavity 24 comprises a configuration including interior obtuse angles. Furthermore, both cavities may be provided with the same type of configuration, but of differing diameters. Additionally, the straight abutment 90 may be adapted to engage the implant 10 through the second anti-rotation cavity 24, whereas the angled abutment 90 is adapted to engage the implant 10 through the first anti-rotation cavity 22.
To facilitate compatibility among components, a system in accordance with principles of the invention may comprise an implant having one internal anti-rotation feature for engaging both straight and angled abutments and another internal anti-rotation feature for engaging a driving tool. The one internal anti-rotation feature may be adapted to engage the driving tool as well as the abutments. Similarly, the other anti-rotation feature may be adapted to engage multiple abutment stem types as well as the driving tool. And although the invention is primarily described with respect to implants having two internal features, principles of the invention are not so limited. An implant may be provided with a single internal anti-rotation feature, with a single external anti-rotation feature, with two or more internal features, or two or more external features, or various combinations.
With reference to
With reference to
An alignment portion 230 of the working end 222 comprises a hexagonal shape aligned with the hexagonal driving portion 226. The alignment portion 230 facilitates aligning the driving portion 226 with the first anti-rotation cavity 26 while the driving tool 220 is being coupled with the implant 10′. After the tool 220 is mated with the implant 10′, the alignment portion 230 provides a visual indication as to how the implant 10′ anti-rotation cavity 26 is aligned in the mouth of the patient, e.g., the rotational alignment of the implant 10′. The illustrated alignment portion 226 comprises male alignment geometry in the form of the hexagonal shape. Alternative to, or in combination with, the male alignment geometry, the working end 222 may be provided with visual alignment indicia, such as lines running along the length of the working end 222.
The driving tool 220 may be provided with a handle 232 to facilitate gripping the driving tool 220. The handle 232 is not required, however, as the alignment portion 230 may comprise sufficient structure to aid gripping the driving tool 220.
The impression coping components illustrated in
One method for improving connectivity in accordance with the invention includes coupling an abutment to an implant positioned in a patient, and sensing a tactile feedback associated with seating the abutment. Subsequent to sensing the tactile feedback, the implant is engaged with retention structure to resist axial movement of the abutment relative to the implant. The retention structure may be rotated while engaging a thread and allowed to move deeper into the implant as the retention structure is rotated.
The retention structure may be engaged with the implant to limit axial movement of the abutment relative to the implant, but allow some movement of the abutment when a dislodging force is applied to the abutment. For example, the retention structure may threadably engage the implant, but prior to fully screwing the structure down, the abutment can be unseated if a sufficient force is applied. In this manner, a practitioner, e.g., a dentist, can apply a test force insufficient to dislodge the abutment but sufficient to verify that the abutment has not become loose. This avoids problems associated with applying forces, through the retention structure, to an abutment that has become misaligned subsequent to having been seated.
To reduce unwanted rotation between an implant and an abutment, a torque is applied to a first internal anti-rotation feature of the implant to insert the implant deeper into a bone. Subsequent to applying the torque to the first internal anti-rotation feature, an abutment is engaged with a second internal anti-rotation feature of the implant. Such a process allows the abutment to engage a pristine feature, one not damaged while inserting the implant into the patient.
Another advantage of using an implant that has two internal anti-rotation features is that a suitable abutment can be selected from a plurality of abutments and the selection can be based, at least in part, upon prevailing conditions in the patient's mouth. Generally, this use of an implant having two or more anti-rotation features results in a wider assortment of abutments that can be mated to the implant than can be mated to an implant comprising only one anti-rotation feature. While each abutment type is theoretically available with any stem type, a suitable abutment is not as readily available as a practitioner would like. A suitable abutment has a stem that, in fact, can be mated to the osseointegrated implant and is suitable for other prevailing conditions in the patient's mouth. To reduce problems associated with not having a suitable abutment, a practitioner installs an implant comprising two internal anti-rotation features. The practitioner can then be fairly confident that when it comes time to attaching an abutment, a suitable abutment having a stem adapted to engage at least one of the features will be available.
The invention clearly reduces connectivity problems and other problems encountered in the field of dental implants. Applying principles of the invention to dental restoration processes yields improved results. The likelihood of a suitable abutment being available, when needed, is increased, while reducing the amount of planning required. And, costs may also be reduced by eliminating or reducing the need to use verification equipment, such as radio-graphic equipment, during the restoration process.
Use of terms such as first, second, up, below, etc., are for convenience in describing the illustrated embodiments and such use is not intended to limit the variety of embodiments of the invention. Similar features are identified throughout with similar numbers to aid understanding but not to indicate such features are required to be identical among the various embodiments.
The foregoing description of the invention is illustrative and explanatory. Various modifications and alterations to the embodiments disclosed herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of this disclosure. It is intended that all such variations and modifications fall within the spirit and scope of this invention as claimed.
This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/713,404, filed Nov. 13, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,338,286, based on U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/450,541, filed Feb. 26, 2003; which is based on U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/425,976, filed Nov. 13, 2002, all of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
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Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
Parent | 10713404 | Nov 2003 | US |
Child | 12002594 | US |