A presently proposed embodiment of an implant according to the invention will be described below with reference to the attached drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 shows a vertical cross section through an implant fitted in a hole in a jaw bone with soft tissue or connective tissue,
FIG. 2 shows, partially in vertical cross section and partially in horizontal view, a first porosity on a first surface of the implant according to FIG. 1,
FIG. 3 shows a vertical cross section and a horizontal view of the porosity on one or more other surfaces of the implant,
FIG. 4 shows an enlarged view of parts of the implant according to FIG. 1,
FIG. 5 shows a horizontal view of an example of the structure of the porosity of the first surface, at a magnification of 2000 times, and
FIG. 6 shows a vertical cross section through a second embodiment of the implant fitted in a hole in a jaw bone with soft tissue or connective tissue.
In FIG. 1, a section of a jaw bone is indicated overall by reference number 1. Above the actual jaw bone 3 itself, there is an area of soft tissue or connective tissue 2. An implant 4 is fitted in the jaw bone, specifically in a hole 5 that has been formed in said jaw bone. The implant is provided with upper parts 6 which are arranged at the mouth 5a of the hole. In the present case, the implant is provided with a surface or surfaces 7, and one or more threads 7a by means of which the implant can be screwed into the hole 5. Said upper parts 6 can form part of, or can themselves constitute, a means of securing a symbolically indicated prosthesis 8. Said upper parts 6 have a surface 9 which is completely or partially provided with a porosity 10, shown symbolically in the present case. If the surface 9 is provided partially with a porosity, the latter preferably extends across most of the surface. The porosity can in this case be arranged in bands or islands around and/or along the surface extending peripherally. In FIG. 1, a vertical extent for the interacting parts of the tissue 2 and the surface 9 is indicated by H. The interacting parts are indicated symbolically by 11. Said height H in the present case is 1.5-1.8 mm. By keeping the height H of the interacting surface 11, downward growth of epithelium is avoided and the upper parts 13 of the implant are not exposed. The implant 4 can be of the type which, in addition to the porosity 10 on the surface 9, can also comprise one or more other porosities 4a at parts lying below said surface 9. The other porosity can be arranged in a manner known per se and for a purpose known per se.
In FIG. 2, a vertical cross section through the porosity 10 is indicated by 14, and a horizontal section of the porosity 10 is indicated by 15. In accordance with the concept of the invention, the depth D of the porosity will be chosen with a value of 5 μm or less, for example 3 μm. The mean diameter d of the pores will be chosen at 1 μm or less, for example 0.5 μm.
In FIG. 3, reference number 16 indicates a vertical cross section through the porosity 4a, and reference number 17 indicates a horizontal section of the porosity 7. The porosity 4a is a coarser porosity compared to the porosity 10. In this connection, reference may be made to the TiUnite® implant sold on the market by the Applicant filing the present patent application. In the present case, the depth D′ can be 10 μm or more. The mean value of the diameter d′ in this case can be 2 μm or more.
FIG. 4 shows the structure of an embodiment of the implant 4 diagrammatically. The upper parts 6 of the implant can be regarded as comprising an upper part 6a and a lower part 6b. This implant structure may be used in a certain implantation technique in which one wishes to remove part of the implant during the actual fitting and period of incorporation. The part 6a can thus be fitted onto and detached from the part 6b. It can be applied and detached in a manner known per se, and this does not therefore have to be described in detail here. In accordance with the present invention, it is important that the part 6b remains in its position in which it is fitted from the outset and is not disturbed during the implantation and period of incorporation. According to the invention, therefore, the interacting surfaces 11 can remain unaffected throughout the implantation. This guarantees an initial high degree of integration between the soft tissue or connective tissue 2. The values of the height H or h can in this way be maintained, and said exposure is avoided. In FIG. 4, a small accumulation of bacteria and/or organisms is indicated symbolically by 18. It will be appreciated that said bacteria and/or organisms are easy to remove from the actual space 19 if the surface 6a is smooth and easy to clean. The interacting surfaces 11 constitute an effective barrier against penetration of bacteria and organisms to the underlying parts of the implant. The space in which accumulation possibly takes place is indicated by 19.
FIG. 5 shows an example of a porosity which has been produced by means of anodic oxidation and is intended to be arranged on the surface 9 according to FIG. 1. As regards the pore diameters and pore depths, reference is made to FIG. 2. The figure shows a magnification of 2000 times, and the distance of 10 μm is shown in FIG. 1.
In FIG. 6, reference number 10′ indicates a surface which is lengthened in relation to the surface 10 according to FIG. 1. In this case, the length of the implant is shown by L, and the length of the surface by l. The length of the surface 10′ coincides substantially in this case with the thickness of the soft tissue 2, but it can alternatively vary slightly from this. In the present case, the interacting surfaces 11 are lengthened, meaning that their height H′ considerably exceeds the height H in the illustrative embodiment according to FIG. 1. According to the illustrative embodiment, the length l of the surface is at least ⅓ of the total length L of the implant.
The invention is not limited to the embodiment shown by way of example above, and instead it can be modified within the scope of the attached patent claims and the inventive concept.
Patent Application
20080044795
