Dentistry – Prosthodontics – Holding or positioning denture in mouth
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-14
2001-12-25
Wilson, John J. (Department: 3732)
Dentistry
Prosthodontics
Holding or positioning denture in mouth
C433S172000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06332778
ABSTRACT:
CLAIM OF PRIORITY
This application makes reference to, incorporates the same herein, and claims all benefits accruing under 35 U.S.C. §119 from an application for IMMEDIATELY LOADABLE EXPANDING IMPLANT earlier filed in the Korean Industrial Property Office on Feb. 12, 1999 and there duly assigned Serial No. 5167/1999.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an implant, more particularly, an immediately loadable expanding implant which is adapted to various shapes and sizes of a socket formed in a jawbone, from which a tooth has just been extracted, and comprised of a fixture which is inserted and then expanded in the socket and an abutment which is coupled to an upper portion of the fixture.
2. Description of the Related Art
An implant fixture, which is inserted into a socket of an extracted tooth and serves as the tooth, has been developed to various different forms. Recently, a screw type implant fixture is widely used.
However, this screw type implant fixture should be immediately inserted into a socket, after the tooth is extracted. In case that a width of the gum is narrow, there is a problem of fixing the screw type implant fixture. That is, when the implant fixture is immediately inserted into the socket, after the tooth is extracted, it is not easy to fix the implant fixture into the socket because the implant fixture is smaller than an upper portion of the socket of the extracted tooth and has a different structure from a shape of the extracted tooth. In other words, for example, a front tooth or premolar has a structure in which a right-left width size is larger than a front-back width size. And the tooth generally has two or three roots. However, the screw type implant fixture does not reflect these points. Further, in case that the width of the gum is narrow or an inside diameter of the socket is reduced by the expansion of the gum, there is a problem that a part of the screw is exposed from the implant fixture.
In addition, the abutment coupled to the upper portion of the implant fixture is fixed to the implant fixture by a locking screw. However, the operation for fixing a tooth is very complicate.
Moreover, if saliva is permeated through a cap between the implant fixture and the abutment, there are some fears of being infected with a germ contained in the saliva or shaking of the fixture.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an implant in which a lower portion of the implant corresponding to the tooth root is expanded and fastened on an inside wall of a jawbone in the socket.
It is other object of the present invention to provide an expanding implant which is adapted to various shapes and sizes of a socket formed in the jawbone.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an implant in which the abutment is facilely coupled to the fixture.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an implant which prevents the saliva from permeating through a cap between the implant fixture and the abutment, thereby preventing from being infected with a germ contained in the saliva.
To achieve the above objects and other advantages, there is provided an implant provided with a fixture inserted into a socket and an abutment coupled to an upper portion of the fixture. The fixture includes a hollow fixture body, a plurality of screw threads repeatedly formed along a circumferential outer face thereof, and a partition wall having a through hole. The partition wall integrally formed in an inside wall thereof and divides the inner space of the fixture body into an upper abutment receiving portion and a lower nut receiving portion. The fixture is formed with at least one slot extended from a lower end of the fixture body to a first position. The fixture includes a screw of which a head portion rests against the partition wall and positioned at the abutment receiving portion and of which a body portion is extended through the through hole to a lower portion of the nut receiving portion. A nut is fitted to the body potion of the screw and moved upward and downward in the nut receiving portion by the rotation of the screw. The nut receiving portion is formed so that the fixture body begins to be outwardly expanded when the nut is moved to the first position.
The nut comprises a nut body which is formed with a through hole extended from an upper end to a lower end and has various shapes corresponding to the socket, and a guiding body which is outwardly projected from an upper portion of the nut body and is inserted into the slot, and wherein the body of the nut has a shape corresponding a shape of the inside wall of the fixture body from the upper end of the nut receiving portion to the first position.
Further, the partition wall has a ring-shaped protrusion on an upper portion thereof which is at the side of the abutment receiving portion, the screw has a ring-shaped groove corresponding to the protrusion.
Preferably, the fixture further comprises a cap which is coupled to the lower end of the fixture body, and the cap has a hemisphere shape having a receiving groove for receiving the lower end of the fixture body, and the cap is formed with a thread on an inside wall of the receiving groove.
Preferably, the fixture body is integrally formed with a neck portion on the upper portion thereof, the neck portion is formed with a thread to coupled to the abutment.
Preferably, the abutment is integrally formed with the fixture body.
Further, according to the present invention, there is provided an implant provided with a fixture which is fixedly inserted into a socket and an abutnent which is coupled to an upper portion of the fixture. The fixture comprises a hollow fixture body, a plurality of screw threads formed along the circumference of the outer face thereof, and a partition wall formed with a through hole, integrally formed in an inside wall thereof, and dividing the inner space of the fixture body into an upper abutment receiving portion and a lower nut receiving portion. The fixture includes at least one slot extended from a lower end of the fixture body to a first position, a screw of which a head portion rests on the partition wall and positioned at the abutment receiving portion and of which a body portion is extended through the through hole to a lower portion of the nut receiving portion, and a nut which comprises a nut body and a guiding protrusion, the nut having various cross-sections corresponding to a shape of the socket and having a through hole, and the guiding protrusion being outwardly projected from its upper end and being inserted into the slit, fitted to the body portion of the screw, and moved upward and downward by a rotation of the screw, wherein an inside wall of the nut receiving portion entirely has a parabola shape having a first position as a peak point, when the nut is moved from an upper end of the nut receiving portion to the first position, the fixture body begins to be outwardly expanded.
Preferably, the fixture body has an expanding rate and an expanding portion which is varied according to a shape and form of the parabola.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2721387 (1955-10-01), Ashuckian
patent: 3579831 (1971-05-01), Stevens
patent: 4177562 (1979-12-01), Miller et al.
patent: 5762500 (1998-06-01), Lazarof
patent: 6126662 (2000-10-01), Carmichael
Bushnell , Esq. Robert E.
Pill-Hoon Jung
Wilson John J.
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