Patent Application
20240023978
The present invention relates generally to dental prostheses. More particularly the present invention relates to a dental prosthesis guide system which is formed to guide the placement of implants to anchor a dental prosthesis such as a full denture, partial denture, or crown.
Generally, the installation of a dental prosthesis replicating a tooth is performed in two steps. The first step is the installation of a bone screw into a bone of a patient. This involves drilling a hole, and then setting a screw. This screw must then set for a period of time to allow the patient's body to adapt and accept the screw, and allow new bone growth in and around the screw. Only after this time period has elapsed can a replica tooth prosthesis (commonly called a “crown”) be installed by connecting it to this now secure screw. Usually this connection is via an adhesive. This process requires a substantial amount of a dentist's time, leading to higher costs. Further, the waiting period after the screw is implanted is uncomfortable and difficult for the patient. Further still, the bone target for screw installation, which will be drilled, is often not uniform, and is difficult to estimate. As such, the drilling may easily be off, causing a misaligned screw, or worse.
Moreover, unguided drilling creates a number of additional difficulties such as maintaining proper drill orientation throughout the entire drilling process. Failure to do so can cause unwanted widening of the drilled hole as well as a non-straight and non-uniform hole.
Therefore, what is needed is a dental prosthesis guide system that may allow the prosthesis to be installed at the same time as the installation of the implant, and that may also aid in guiding proper placement of the implant.
The subject matter of this application may involve, in some cases, interrelated products, alternative solutions to a particular problem, and/or a plurality of different uses of a single system or article.
In one aspect, a surgical guide is provided. This surgical guide may be useful for placement of a dental prosthesis in the mouth of a patient. The surgical guide has a framework connectable to the bone in the mouth of a patient. The frame work has a plurality of anchor pin holes each sized to receive an anchor pin therethrough to connect the framework to a bone of a patient. The framework further has a plurality of connectors operable to connect one of a drilling template and a dental prosthesis. The surgical guide further includes a drilling template which has a plurality of guide apertures to guide a drill bit. The drilling template is removably connectable to the framework which properly positions the guide apertures for drilling into the patient's bone for the later placement of implants. The surgical guide further includes a dental prosthesis which is connectable to the framework as well. This prosthesis is formed to replace the tooth or teeth missing from the patient's mouth. The dental prosthesis has a plurality of implant guide holes. Each implant guide hole is sized and operable to allow a portion of an implant to pass through the implant guide hole, and sized and operable to allow a portion of the implant to engage with the dental prosthesis.
In another aspect, a method of installation of a dental prosthesis is provided. The method involves drilling a plurality of holes in a bone of a patient's mouth using a drill and then placing an anchor pin through an anchor pin hole of a framework into one of the plurality of drilled holes, thereby holding the framework in place to a mouth of the patient. The method further involves connecting a drilling template to the framework, the drilling template comprising a plurality of guide apertures to guide a drill for proper placement of drilled holes in a patient's mouth for the placement of dental implants. The method involves drilling an implant hole into the patient's mouth through each of the plurality of guide apertures, and then removing the drilling template from the framework. A dental prosthesis may then be connected to the framework. This dental prosthesis has a plurality of implant guide holes, each implant guide hole aligned with the implant hole drilled into the patient's mouth using the drilling template. An implant may be installed through the implant guide hole of the prosthesis. The installing step comprises setting a part of the implant into the implant hole, while a second different part of the implant engages with the dental prosthesis, thereby anchoring the prosthesis to the bone of the patient.
The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings is intended as a description of presently preferred embodiments of the invention and does not represent the only forms in which the present invention may be constructed and/or utilized. The description sets forth the functions and the sequence of steps for constructing and operating the invention in connection with the illustrated embodiments.
Generally, the present invention concerns a surgical guide for placement of a dental prosthesis configured to be installed concurrently with an implant (bone screw) to support and anchor the prosthesis. Further, the invention concerns a dental prosthesis that may also include a guide for a drill to ensure proper orientation of drilling a hole and or placing an implant in bone. The guide hole of the prosthesis may align with the surgical guide and may be formed to align the drilled hole and/or implant with the ideal bone installation area. Moreover, by directly attaching the implant to the prosthesis, no adhesive cement is needed, thereby eliminating problems caused by the cement including gum irritation and infection.
The dental prosthesis contemplated herein is formed to replicate a tooth it is replacing. In one embodiment, this may be a single tooth. In another embodiment, the prosthesis may cover multiple teeth. For example, the technology used herein may be used for a single tooth replacement (a “crown”) or multiple teeth including complete arch restorations, for example full dentures, hybrid bridges, partial denture, or fixed bridge, and the like. In addition to this, the prosthesis is formed having a guide hole through its height that will allow the implant to be placed therethrough. In some embodiments, a drill bit or self-drilling screw can pass through the guide hole into the bone. Once the drill bit drills a proper hole as guided by the guide hole, a screw may be inserted, anchoring the prosthesis to the bone. This guide hole may be threaded, or smooth, depending on embodiment. In one threaded embodiment, the threads may be formed directly into the prosthesis material. In another embodiment, a sleeve may contain the threads and may have the prosthesis formed around it. The sleeve may be, for example, a durable material such as titanium or the like.
As is known in the art, an implant (screw) preferably may be given a period of time to be accepted by the patient's body before it can fully support the dental prostheses (often referred to as a crown). This is because the patient's body takes time to accept the implanted screw, and grow bone around it to hold it securely in place.
The screw contemplated herein may be any shaft, threaded or otherwise, capable of being implanted securely into a bone of a patient. The screw may be configured to set into a pre-drilled hole, may be self-driven (also called “self-drilling”), or self tapping, among other options.
In one embodiment, to accommodate for this, allowing the present invention to be installed concurrently with the screw, the surgical guide as disclosed herein will be used. The surgical guide base is positioned securely on the bone of the patient and can hold the prosthesis and/or surgical guide cover in proper position. In many embodiments, the surgical guide cover connects to the surgical guide base and is sized to fit over the dental prosthesis which may or may not be connected to the surgical guide base, depending on embodiment.
In further embodiments, once the implants are placed along with the prosthesis, an additional securing component may be used to secure the prosthesis while the implant is setting. In one embodiment, wings may be used to secure the prosthesis to adjacent teeth. In another embodiment, embodiment allowing securing of the prosthesis while the screw is setting involves a retainer. The retainer may be removably connectable to adjacent existing teeth in the patient's mouth, or another component in the patient's mouth such as a surgical guide or other base, jaws, adjacent bone, and the like, and may protect and secure the prosthesis.
In embodiments wherein a tooth is being extracted and will soon after be replaced with a prosthesis, a 3D model may be taken of the tooth, and then replicated such that the replacement prosthesis is a nearly identical replica of the original removed tooth. For example a 3D scan of a removed tooth or teeth of the patient may be taken using a computerized system. Based on this scan, the prosthesis may be generated automatically using a computer controlled system based on the scanned removed tooth. This generated replica may be formed as a crown only, or may comprise a partial or complete root for the prosthesis.
In embodiments wherein the tooth has been removed and the original tooth or teeth are not available, a best guess may be made to replicate the original based on measurements of the installation area.
In one embodiment, a method of identifying the best area for bone drilling may include taking a 3D X-ray of the jaw or bone around the tooth. This will provide a 3D model of the bone structure around the area to be drilled, and will allow the operator to identify the path the screw will take. Based on this, the tooth may be fabricated with the guide hole to guide the drill into the bone accordingly. However, it should be understood that any method to identify the best path for the screw may be used. It should be understood that the prosthesis guide hole may be configured based on the identified best area for drilling to control angle, width, and depth, thereby limiting damage and danger that can be done when drilling and/or setting the screw.
Typically, after the prosthesis and screw have been installed in place, the guide hole may be filled, thereby completing the prosthesis. The filling may be performed with any filling known in the art such as a composite, dental metal, or the like. In another embodiment, the filling may be performed by applying a veneer, covering the hole. This embodiment may be particularly useful when the guide hole protrudes through a side of the prosthesis.
The dental prosthesis may be made of any material capable of being mounted within a mouth of the patient. Generally, the prosthesis may be any material typically used to make crowns, dentures, partial dentures, and similar prostheses in the dental field. However, it should be understood that this invention is not limited to these materials.
Similarly, the implant (also referred to as a screw) may be any material capable of being screwed into bone and set therein. Generally, the screw may be made of typical medical or dental implant material such as zirconium, titanium, or the like. However, it should be understood that this invention is not limited to these materials.
The drill contemplated herein may be any drill capable of drilling into bone tissue. Any existing dental or medical drill may be used, as well as future innovations on such drilling devices.
Generally, the surgical guide contemplated herein includes a base formed as a framework. The framework is specially formed to fit in a particular patient's mouth after taking measurements of the patient. The framework is then connected to the patient using, for example, pins which are placed into the bone of the patient's mouth after a hole is drilled to accommodate the pin. The surgical guide framework has an adequate number of anchor pin holes placed in strategic positions and orientations to secure the surgical guide base frame work in the correct position. During surgery, maximum attention should be paid to secure the surgical guide in the correct position in the patient's mouth and that it does not move in any direction from the correct position while being manipulated with the instruments. Proper location of the surgical guide frame work is important because the base frame work provides a foundation for the drilling template as well as the foundation for the prosthesis and defines the correct location for both.
A drilling template is removably connectable to the base framework. The drilling template defines a plurality of implant guide apertures which guide placement of implants in the proper location and orientation. Determination of the proper implant position is based on measurements and analysis of a particular patient and will vary from patient to patient. In one embodiment, a plurality of tabs on the drilling template connect to a plurality of corresponding surgical guide holes in the frame work. The connection of the drilling template to the framework is done in a specific and fixed way, to ensure that the drilling template is in just the right position. The apertures of the drilling template allow the soft tissue punch and osteotomy to be performed using a drill or drills in just the right position and orientation. In one embodiment, the drilling template has a convex outer face extending away from the mouth of the patient. This defines a space between template and user mouth so that, in some embodiments, existing teeth can remain in place without interference.
During the formation and design of the drilling template for the patient, bone quality and quantity was considered in the implant planning. The sequence, speed and length of the drilling is indicated in a personalized surgical protocol provided with the surgical template. The surgical guide also may be provided with one or a plurality of necessary stoppers to make the depths of the holes correctly. These stoppers prevent a drill bit from going too deep into the tissue of the patient. The stopper or stoppers may be formed into the drilling template, or may be a separate tool to position against the drilling template and through which the drill bit passes. Once a shoulder on the drill meets the stopper, the proper depth of drilling has been reached.
Once the osteotomies have been made using the drilling template by following the personalized protocol, the prosthesis is attached to the base framework. Like the drilling template, the prosthesis is specifically formed and sized to be properly positioned for the patient based on the connection with the framework. In one embodiment, a plurality of tabs on the prosthesis connect to a plurality of corresponding surgical guide holes in the frame work. These tabs may be removed once the prosthesis is permanently placed and fixed in position. The connection of the prosthesis to the framework is done in a specific and fixed way, to ensure that the prosthesis is in just the right position.
Once the prosthesis is in place, the implants are seated into the openings formed in the bone. The prosthesis comprises a plurality of apertures which are designed to align with the openings formed into the bone. The prosthesis is formed so as to be placed at the same time as the placement of the implants. As discussed above, this allows for much quicker and more efficient placement of dental prosthesis, rather than the prior art system of placing implants, waiting for them to form into the bone, and then attaching the prosthesis.
Accordingly, the prosthesis is connected to the framework base, and known to be properly positioned. Implants, such as threaded implants may then be installed through the prosthesis apertures into the bone of the user. The implant is operable to engage with both the bone of the patient and the prosthesis so as to connect one to the other. In one embodiment, a head or abutment of the implant may engage with a shoulder formed within the prosthesis aperture to anchor the two together. In another embodiment, an abutment of the implant may have threads on an outer surface. These threads may engage corresponding threads on an inside of the aperture of the prosthesis and/or a threaded sleeve positioned within the aperture of the prosthesis. Any structure that allows the implant to engage both the bone of the patient and the prosthesis to join them together may be used without straying from the scope of this invention. The engaging of both the bone and the prosthesis allows for immediate fixation of the prosthesis to the bone.
When the implants and prosthesis are secured in place, the tabs or other connectors on the prosthesis are cut off or otherwise removed from the prosthesis. The framework is no longer needed, and thus the pins securing it to the bone are removed, and the framework is removed. Thus the prosthesis is fully installed and operational. Any holes or openings in the prosthesis may be filled with a suitable material such as resin or acrylic as is known in the art.
Turning now to
While several variations of the present invention have been illustrated by way of example in preferred or particular embodiments, it is apparent that further embodiments could be developed within the spirit and scope of the present invention, or the inventive concept thereof. However, it is to be expressly understood that such modifications and adaptations are within the spirit and scope of the present invention, and are inclusive, but not limited to the following appended claims as set forth.
