Dentistry – Prosthodontics – Holding or positioning denture in mouth
Reexamination Certificate
2001-04-09
2002-06-11
Lucchesi, Nicholas D. (Department: 3732)
Dentistry
Prosthodontics
Holding or positioning denture in mouth
Reexamination Certificate
active
06402516
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates generally to dental implants and more particularly to a basal osseo integrated jaw implant for receiving and securing a prosthesis such as a crown, a web or a bridge.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Basal osseo integrated, lateral jaw implants, may be inserted in an implant bed which is surgically placed in the upper or lower jaws. After sufficient healing, lateral jaw implants serve as a means for securing a crown, artificial teeth or prosthetic tooth constructions. These jaw implants are already generally known in many different embodiment forms. These jaw implants are composed substantially of a ring or disk-shaped foot part which is connected through a web to a shaft that is orthogonal to the foot part. The shaft has at its free end an abutment without a thread, for securing a dental overstructure or an external and internal thread for receiving the abutment.
The known solutions can be subdivided into jaw implants with a single-part design or those with a multi-part design, and are disclosed for example in such patent documents as FR 75 07 078, EP 0 214 962, and DE 298 12 642.
Despite the good results which are obtained with the known jaw implants, it has been shown that with the formation of the implant bed and the insertion of the implant into a surgically produced opening, it is very difficult to perfectly adapt the implant into the anatomy of the upper and lower jaws, without having to subsequently re-position the implant. Also, it is often necessary to subsequently adjust the implant by bending the implant web. Naturally, this can be performed only to a limited extent and with the danger of loosening the jaw implant in the upper or lower jaws. The known basal osseo integrated jaw implants have a shape which is often not suitable for the treatment course.
The patent documents FR 2 302 715, EP 0 388 576 and EP 0 214 962 further disclose the construction of jaw implants in which the upper surface of the foot part of the implant and the transition region of the shaft to the web, the so-called shaft neck, are increased by a jet process, an etching process or combined methods, or the transition region is provided with a profiling or a special structure for supporting the secure seating of the implant shaft in the jaw bone. However, in practice it has been shown that due to the structure and the surface increase in this transition region, irritations and inflammations of the connecting tissue may result during the healing process. In addition, the surface increases can lead to an accumulation of bacteria, which can detrimentally affect the healing process and the permanent, secure seating of the jaw implant in the upper or lower jaws.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a jaw implant, which avoids the disadvantages of the prior art.
More particularly, it is an object of present invention to provide a jaw implant which, due to a suitable design of the foot part, guarantees wide possibilities for the adaptation of the implant to the varying anatomies in the formation of upper and lower jaws, allows for simple insertion, and provides for complication-free growth of the implant into the jaw bone and secure and permanent fit.
In accordance with the present invention is provided a jaw implant for mounting a dental prosthesis such as artificial teeth, including a force-transmitting foot part for insertion into a jaw; a shaft which is generally orthogonal to the foot part and having a distal end and a base operatively connected to the foot part; and the foot part and a portion of the shaft adjacent thereto having a surface increase for implanting; a portion of the shaft adjacent the distal end having a smooth, non-irritating surface; and the surface increase portion of the shaft being about one-half the total length of the shaft
The basal osseo integrated jaw implant in accordance with the present invention preferably has a combined, disk-shaped and ring-shaped foot part comprised of different geometric base forms, on which the shaft for receiving and securing a tooth replacement is connected through a web. The web is arranged preferably eccentrically to the center of gravity of the foot part and connects together the portions of the foot part of the different geometrical forms. The foot part, the web and the transition region of the shaft to the web is provided with a surface increase produced in a known manner with a jet, etching or combined processes, while the shaft in its head region has a smooth, non structured surface below the thread or the abutment.
Substantial conformity of the foot part of the jaw implant to the opening produced by the milling in the upper or lower jaw is guaranteed due to the fact that the load-supporting foot part is formed of circular/elliptical and rectangular/square geometrical form portions and the web is arranged eccentrically to the foot part center of gravity and receives the shaft of the implant. Simultaneously, the configuration of the foot part thus formed prevents the inserted implant from turning in the surgically produced implant bed.
The ring-shaped edge, which is produced by recesses provided in the foot part on both sides of the web, together with the inventive configuration secures an exact placement of the foot part in the compacta of the upper and/or lower jaws and thereby provides conditions for a long term, fixed seating of the jaw implant.
In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, the force-transmitting foot part is composed of two disk rings which merge into one another and are formed by circular or elliptic form bodies. The shaft, which is provided on the end side with a thread for securing an abutment, is arranged eccentrically to the foot part center of gravity through a web in the center of a disk ring. A web which is positioned at one side to the inside wall of the disk ring can be used as well, instead of a continuous web. As already mentioned, the foot part, the web and the transition region of the shaft to the web are provided with a known surface increase, while the shaft in its head region has a smooth, non structured surface.
With this type of implant, the occurring forces can be further transmitted from the shaft, for the reception and securing of the dental prosthetic overstructure in the upper or lower jaws. With the surgical introduction of the implant, the shaft can be seated on the prosthetically desired place, and a range of bone that is more remote from the shaft can be used for force transmission. It is especially advantageous to use this implant design in the region of the first and second upper molars, since generally there are still sufficient tuber bones available at a distance from this jaw region, in spite of the fact that there are no teeth required here. However, also in the lower jaw side tooth region the basal osseo integrated jaw implants with asymmetrical shaft arrangement are advantageous. The chewing force transmitting implant surfaces can thus be distributed over the jaw, while the shafts of the implants can be integrated in a favorable medial position against the centrifugal resorption of the lower jaw. When compared with the implants with flat longitudinal sides or implant sides, the implant forms with the foot part formed of two disk rings which merge into one another, has the advantage of a simpler introduction. For producing the implant bed, a round slot with cortical anchoring can be milled by merely using the same size milling tool. The milling extends in an advantageous manner from a single point and then, depending on the desired disk size, advances in the different directions with respect to the center points of the disk rings, which can even be angled relative to one another in a horizontal direction. In the implant bed produced by the corticalic penetration, the implant is first inserted with the shaft-free disk ring and then turned into the correct position.
Due to the eccentric arrangement of the web and shaft relative to the foot part center of gravity and the prop
Bumgarner Melba
Husch & Eppenberger LLC
Lucchesi Nicholas D.
Muir Robert E.
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