The present disclosed subject matter is generally in the field of positioning systems. More particularly, it is generally in the field of systems for positioning two elements, wherein one is received within the other.
Partial or complete loss of an individual's natural teeth, either or both at the upper and lower jaw, due to age, accident, diseases or other reasons has some serious effects on an individual, both functionally and socially. Lack of teeth poses several serious functional problems such as not being able to chew, speech difficulties, etc. Even more so, a smile with a full set of white teeth is considered something to be desired, i.e., esthetics play an important role in life.
While a denture can be accurately fitted to the alveolar ridge of an individual, it is difficult to retain a denture in position. That is, during normal chewing or talking, the denture has a tendency to ride up out of position on the alveolar ridge, causing speech difficulties, chewing difficulties, and general unsatisfactory use of a denture.
A denture is a removable dental prosthesis which has artificial teeth embedded in a denture base resembling the gum or gingiva. The denture base provides the support for the prosthesis by resting on the gingiva or over a support bar secured to the respective jaw bone by a plurality of dental implants. The underside of the denture base has a depression receptacle that receives at least a portion of the gingiva or support bar, so as to provide a snug, reversible fit of the denture.
In recent years practice has developed of permanently implanting dental implants (at times referred to as dental fixtures or posts) in the bone structure of the mouth. These permanent dental implants are made of hard material acceptable by the body's biological processes (e.g., titanium) and which are locked into position by bone growth. By utilization of the permanently installed implants in the mouth of the individual, the possibility then exists for more readily securing a denture in place either fixedly or removably.
According to the present disclosed subject matter there is provided a removable denture system comprising a personalized support beam configured to be fixedly attached to an individual's jaw bone by a plurality of dental implants; a personalized denture conforming with dental parameters of the individual and comprising a bottom surface shaped and sized so as to constitute a super-structure configured for cooperating with the support beam; and a denture locking arrangement for securely locking and unlocking the denture to the support beam. One of the support beam and the super-structure comprises one or more positioning grooves extend parallel to a path of insertion (POI) of the denture, and the other of the super-structure and the support beam, respectively, comprises one or more corresponding laterally projecting positioning projections, each positioning projection configured to cooperate with a corresponding positioning groove, and configured to provide at least partial snug fit together. The support beam and super-structure are configured to eliminate movement therebetween when the super-structure is assembled over the support beam.
The term super-structure, when directed to the above subject matter, denotes a recess within the bottom surfaces of the denture, constituting thereby an integral part thereof.
The term path of insertion (POI), (also known as path of placement) denotes an axis along which the denture is placed onto or removed from the support beam, said line intersecting the occlusal plane of the individual's mouth.
The term occlusal plane denotes the plane on which upper and lower teeth (or dentures) meet.
The location of the positioning grooves and positioning projections can be any location along the periphery of the super-structure and/or the support beam, namely any of the labial and/or lingual surfaces or the end surfaces between which the labial or lingual surfaces extend.
According to another aspect of the disclosed subject matter there is provided a removable denture system comprising: a personalized support beam configured to be fixedly attached to an individual's jaw bone by a plurality of dental implants; a personalized denture conforming with dental parameters of the individual and comprising a bottom surface shaped and sized so as to constitute a super-structure configured for cooperating with the support beam; and a denture locking arrangement for securely locking and unlocking the denture to the support beam. One of the support beam and the super-structure comprises one or more positioning grooves extending parallel to a path of insertion (POI) of the denture, and the other of the super-structure and the support beam, respectively, comprises one or more corresponding laterally projecting positioning projections, each positioning projection configured to cooperate with a corresponding positioning groove and configured for at least partial snug fit therein when the super-structure is assembled over the support beam, contributing thereby to rigidity and grip of the super-structure over the support beam.
A denture according to the present disclosed subject matter can be configured with any one or more of the following designs and features:
It is however important that the wall surfaces (lingual, labial, end and bottom) of the super-structure follow and correspond with the shape of the respective walls (lingual, labial, end and top) of the support beam (i.e., the denture) and all said walls and surface are substantially in full contact with each other in a tight and snug fit, thereby ensuring motionless fitting of the denture over the support beam while facilitating its easy mounting and removal, per demand only.
The provision of laterally projecting positioning projections over the support beam plays a further role in reinforcing the support beam and in increasing the resistance of the support beam to bending moments, shear moments and torsion moments acting on the support beam. In particular, provision of such positioning projections adjacent to the location of bores formed in the support beam for securing to the dental implants significantly increases resistance of the support beam to bending moments, shear moments and torsion moments acting on the support beam, rendering it competent for bearing significant forces applied during chewing, biting and tearing actions performed by the individual wearing a denture. That is even more so when considering proximal locations of dental implant bores.
According to an aspect of the presently disclosed subject matter, there is provided a positioning system comprising:
a personalized removable denture conforming with dental parameters of the individual and comprising a bottom surface formed with a recess configured for receiving therein the support beam, the support beam and the recess being configured to preclude movement therebetween when the support beam is fully received within the recess;
wherein one of the support beam and the recess comprises one or more positioning grooves formed therein and extending parallel to a path of insertion of the denture, and the other of the recess and the support beam comprises one or more positioning protrusions laterally projecting therefrom and configured to be slidingly received within a corresponding positioning groove to provide at least a partially snug fit, the positioning grooves and/or positioning protrusions formed so as to taper along the path of insertion, and
wherein the one or more positioning grooves and the corresponding one or more positioning protrusions are configured on one or more a labial face, a lingual face, and an end face extending between the labial and lingual faces, of the recess and the support beam.
The one or more positioning protrusions and the one or more positioning grooves may comprise a funnel-like configuration providing easy and correct positioning of the recess over the support beam.
One or more of the positioning grooves may extend the entire height of the support beam or the recess.
One or more of the positioning grooves may extend partially along the height of its respective support beam or recess, with its corresponding positioning protrusion extending no more than a correspondingly partial amount along the height of its respective support beam or recess.
The positioning protrusions may be configured on the support beam, the recess following the shape of the support beam, maintaining a thickness substantially conforming with a corresponding decrease of thickness of the personalized denture.
The one or more positioning protrusions may extend a height ranging between a full height to a portion of the height of the corresponding positioning grooves.
The bottom surface of the denture or an upper surface of the support beam may comprise recesses and/or depressions, and the other of the bottom surface of the denture and an upper surface of the support beam being configured with corresponding protuberances and/or additional positioning protrusions in register with the recesses or depressions.
A top surface of the support beam, and respectively the bottom surface of the denture, may each comprise a flat portion.
A top surface of the support beam, and respectively the bottom surface of the denture, may comprise one or more ridges.
Walls of the support beam, and respective walls of the bottom surface of the denture, may be substantially parallel to one another.
Wall surfaces of the bottom surface of the denture forming the recess may cooperate with the respective walls of the support beam and corresponding surfaces of the walls to provide the snug fit together, to eliminate any tolerances between the recess and support beam, to thereby ensure motionless fitting of the denture over the support beam and however facilitating for its easy mounting and removal.
The positioning system may further comprise a locking arrangement for securely locking and unlocking the denture to the support beam.
The locking arrangement may be configured such that it does not bear any loads.
The support beam may be configured to be fixedly attached to the individual's jaw bone by a plurality of dental implants.
In order to understand the disclosed subject matter and to see how it may be carried out in practice, examples will now be described, by way of non-limiting examples only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Attention is first directed to
The support beam 20 follows the general arched shape of the jaw 24 and is configured with a lingual (inside) face 30, a labial (external) face 32 and a top surface 36.
The top surface 36 of the support beam 20 can be substantially flat and smooth over its entire length, as shown in the drawings. It should be appreciated, however, that the top surface can be at least partially rough and have small projections and/or recesses therealong.
The denture 42 is configured for detachably mounting over the support beam 20 as will be discussed hereinafter and is personalized so as to conform with dental parameters of the individual namely comprises a plurality of teeth 44 resembling the natural teeth of the individual as far as shape, size and color, and a gum-mimicking portion 46 configured to extend below the support beam when mounted thereon and to cover at least a portion of the mucous membrane (the natural gum portion of the individual).
Fixedly integrated within a bottom surface of the personalized denture 42 there is a super-structure 50 having a cross-section conforming with that of the support beam 20 and adapted for at least partially snugly mounting thereover, for example at substantially zero tolerance.
The super-structure 50 is provided with an upper wall 54 being substantially flat and smooth configured for flush positioning over the top surface 36 of the support beam 20. The super-structure 50 is further provided with a lingual surface 56 and a labial surface 58, each extending between two opposite end surfaces 80 and 82, for flush engagement with the corresponding lingual surface 30, labial surface 32, and end surfaces 84 and 86 (
It should be appreciated that the super-structure is designed so as to cooperate with the top surface of the support beam. Thus, in the case that the support beam is at least partially rough, as indicated above, the upper wall of the super-structure will be shaped accordingly.
Manufacture of the support beam 20 and the personalized denture 42 is disclosed for example in U.S. Pat. No. 7,806,691.
It is appreciated that the personalized denture 42 is configured for application to and removal from the support beam 20 along a path of insertion (POI) namely the axis along which the personalized denture 42 is placed onto, or removed from the support beam 20, intersecting the occlusal plane of the individual's mouth.
As can further be seen, in particular in
It should be appreciated that the super-structure 50 may be configured with any number of positioning grooves 64, which can be formed in any of the surfaces, namely the lingual surface 56, the labial surface 58 and any of the end surfaces 80 and 82.
It is noted, in the particular example, that the positioning projections 60 extend along the entire height of the support beam 20 and are configured with a rounded shape so as to minimize irritation upon removal of the personalized denture 42. On the other hand, the positioning grooves 64 extend from the lowermost surface 68 of the super-structure up to the top surface 54 and as mentioned hereinabove, are configured for snug sliding over the positioning projections 60.
The denture system 10 is further configured with a locking mechanism 76 which in the present example is a pin-type locking arrangement disclosed in further detail in
It is appreciated that the above locking mechanism 76, at the locked position, does not bear any loads but rather, the super-structure 50 of the personalized denture is mounted over the support beam 20 with substantially zero tolerances therebetween.
Further attention is now directed to
However, in the particular illustrated example of
It is appreciated that the trapezoidal configuration of the positioning projections 100 and the corresponding positioning grooves 112 facilitate easy mounting of the personalized denture 92 over the support beam 90 whereby the wide opening 116 of the positioning grooves 112 is placed over the narrow, top base 104 of the positioning projections 100. This thus provides a funnel-like arrangement, easing placing of the personalized denture over the support beam 90; however this does not diminish the firm support provided to the personalized denture 92 over the support beam 90 when fully received thereon.
Further, the denture system collectively illustrated in
Turning now to
It is appreciated that the dove-tail type positioning configuration of grooves and projections further reduces movement between the super-structure and the integrated personalized denture whilst mounted over the support beam, thus eliminating any movement.
It is further appreciated that the provision of the laterally projecting positioning projections 142 significantly increases resistance of the support beam 140 to bending moments, shear moments and torsion moments acting on the support beam, thus increasing its stability and endurance. On the other hand, it is appreciated that at those locations where the super-structure 160 is provided with positioning grooves, the overall thickness of the walls of the super-structure are not thinner but rather maintain a substantially uniform thickness.
With reference to
Correspondingly, the personalized denture 190 is configured with an integrated super-structure 192 configured with corresponding positioning grooves 198 wherein a bottom opening thereof designated 200, substantially flush with a lowermost surface 204 of the super-structure 192 is substantially wider and narrows upwardly into a rectangular form at 206 with a shape matching that of the corresponding positioning projections 182 and configured for snugly mounting thereon. The widening opening at 200 facilitates easy mounting and positioning of the personalized denture 190 over the support beam 180 wherein upon placing the personalized denture 190 and positioning it over the support beam 180, the personalized denture 190 becomes fixedly positioned to the support beam 180, without any tolerances therebetween as discussed hereinabove.
Likewise, the positioning projections 182 may be configured such that the bottom base is wider than the top base, both in a plane extending along a posterior-anterior direction, and at a plane substantially parallel to the support beam 180 (
It should be appreciated, in connection with any of the examples discussed herein, that the number of positioning projections and respective positioning grooves may change as well as their location and their shape and size. Accordingly, one denture system may comprise several different types of positioning projections and corresponding positioning grooves, as long as the general concept of snug fitting is present, with substantially zero tolerance therebetween.
Whilst in the examples illustrated herein so far the positioning projections were configured on the support beam and respectively the positioning grooves were configured in the super-structure, in the following examples of
Turning first to
The positioning grooves 256 extend parallel to the path of insertion (POI) of the denture and, in the particular example, the positioning grooves 256 have a top, widened opening 260, extending from the top, substantially flat and smooth surface 262 of the support beam 250 and tapering downwards towards a substantially rectangle section 266, in a funnel like configuration.
As noted in
Similar to the previous example, in this case too, the denture system is configured with a locking mechanism which in the present example is a pin-type lock mechanism 76, of the type disclosed hereinafter with particular reference to
The positioning grooves 290 and the respective positioning projections 300 have a tapering cross-section, namely wherein the positioning grooves 290 have a wide top opening 304 extending flush with a top surface 306 of the support beam 292 and terminating at a bottom, narrow base 308 thereof. Respectively, the positioning projections 300 of the super-structure 296 extend from a narrow, bottom base 310 extending flush from a bottom edge 312 of the super-structure 296 and widening upwards towards the top surface 316 of the super-structure 296.
In this example too, the configuration is such that mounting of the personalized denture 298 is facilitated and is directed by the funnel-type arrangement of the positioning grooves, however, upon positioning of the personalized denture 298 to its final location over the support beam 292, the personalized denture 298 becomes rigidly supported and with substantially zero tolerance i.e., with substantially no motion between the personalized denture 298 and the support-beam 292.
Turning now to
The example of
As mentioned hereinabove, the denture systems disclosed hereinbefore are fitted with a locking mechanism. According to one example, the locking mechanism is a pin-type lock 76, discussed with further detail in
The lock 76 comprises a housing 400 rigidly embedded within the personalized denture 402, wherein said housing comprises a sleeve 404 comprising an elastomeric or ceramic material. The lock 76 comprises a locking pin 408 formed with an annular displacement limiting ring 412 configured for snapping arrestment by the sleeve 404, said pin being displaceable between a locked position (
In some cases, the personalized denture is fitted with a throughgoing bore also at its labial face, with a corresponding throughgoing locking bore formed in the support beam, wherein in case of difficulty in extracting of the locking pin 408 a sharp article may be inserted through the opening (e.g., a paper staple and the like) to facilitate pushing the locking pin 408 in the lingual direction into its extracted position (
Turning now to
The locking mechanism, generally designated 500 comprises a support beam 502 of the type fixedly attached to an individual's alveolar ridge 504 above the mucous membrane 506 by a plurality of dental implants 510.
The denture system 500 further comprises a personalized denture 514 conforming with dental parameters of the individual and having fixedly integrated within a bottom surface thereof a super-structure generally designated 516 having a cross-section conforming with that of the support beam 502 and configured for snug and tolerance-free engagement over the support-beam 502. The locking mechanism comprises at least one first magnet 522 fixedly received within the support beam 502 and oriented such that its North pole faces upwards and its South pole faces downwards. A disk-like manipulator 530 is received within the personalized denture 514 and is rotatably secured about an axis of rotation 532 substantially parallel to an axis of said first magnet 522. The manipulator 530 laterally projects, partially from at least one or both of the lingual or labial face 538 and 540, respectively and is fixedly fitted with at least one second magnet 544 oriented in an opposite sense from the first magnet 522, namely with its south (S) pole facing downwards and its north (N) pole facing upwards.
The disk-like manipulator 530 is displaceable between a locked position (
It is appreciated that the number of locking mechanisms of the aforementioned type fitted in a denture system may vary depending on the space provided in the denture system and accordingly, the attracting force may be controlled by providing magnets with different force and for that purpose, small though powerful magnets (e.g., neodymium magnets) may be used.
Furthermore, it is noted that one of the first magnet 522 and second magnet 544 may be a piece of ferrous metal configured for attraction to a magnetic member provided at either the support beam 502 or the denture 514.
In
The arrangement is such that at a first orientation of the manipulator, attraction forces extend between the first magnet 522 of the support beam and the second magnet 566 of the personalized denture 560, whilst unlocking the locking mechanism is facilitated by rotating the manipulator 562 to a position where the magnet 564 extends above the first magnet 522, giving rise to rejection forces therebetween, facilitating easy extracting and removal of the denture.
Turning now to
The personalized denture 620 is configured with a disk-like manipulator 622 projecting from either or both the lingual surface 626 or labial surface 628 and rotatable about an axis substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the locking stud 606, said locking manipulator is configured with a locking aperture 632 having a wide portion 634 and a narrow portion 636 (
At the unlocked position the personalized denture 620 is positioned over the support beam 600 allowing the stud 606 to project into the wide portion 634 of the locking aperture 632 (
It is appreciated that according to any of the above disclosed locking mechanisms, at the locked position, the locking mechanism does not bear any loads but rather, the super-structure of the personalized denture snugly bears over the support beam with substantially zero tolerances therebetween.
Reference is now being made to
The denture system 710 comprises a support beam 720 fixedly secured to a jaw bone 724 (i.e., to the individual's alveolar ridge above the mucous membrane) of an individual, by a plurality of dental implants 726 received within the jaw bone 724 and wherein the support beam 720 is secured to said dental implants 726 by appropriate screws 728.
The support beam 720 is similar to the support beam as described for example with reference to
The denture 742 is configured for detachably mounting over the support beam 720 (
The denture 742 comprises a bottom surface 770 formed with a recess 750 along a portion thereof, defined by an upper wall 754, a lingual surface 756, labial surface 758 (shown also in
The recess 750 has a cross-section conforming with that of the support beam 720 and adapted for cooperating with the support beam 720. In particular, the recess 750 is sized and shaped so as to at least partially snugly mount over the support beam 720 (
The recess 750 can be embedded with an additional layer made of a material different from that of the denture.
The denture 742 can be manufactured by machining or precision molding, or a combination of the two.
As shown in
It should be appreciated that the recess 750 may be configured with any number positioning grooves, which can be formed in any of the surfaces defining the recess, as indicated above.
The positioning grooves 764 of the recess 750 are configured to cooperate with corresponding positioning projections 760 (
It should be appreciated that the denture is designed so that the recess thereof cooperates with the top surface of the support beam. Thus, in the case that the support beam is at least partially rough, the denture will be shaped accordingly.
Referring now to
The positioning projections 860 extend only along a portion of the wall 832 of the support beam 820.
The positioning projections 960 are of an irregular shape, and are asymmetrical with respect to the wall 932 of the support beam 920.
It should be appreciated that the corresponding positioning grooves of the super-structures and the dentures described above are shaped to cooperated with any shape of their corresponding projections.
While there have been shown several examples of the disclosed subject matter, it is to be understood that many changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention, mutatis mutandis. For example, the denture system according to the disclosed subject matter may be designed with a support beam configured with one or more positioning projections and one or more positioning grooves, and the super-structure be configured corresponding with one or more positioning grooved and one or more positioning projections, respectively.
This is a Continuation-In-Part of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/961,040 filed Aug. 7, 2013, which is a Continuation-In-Part of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/903,607 filed Oct. 13, 2010, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 13961040 | Aug 2013 | US |
Child | 15995444 | US | |
Parent | 12903607 | Oct 2010 | US |
Child | 13961040 | US |