POLYMERIC DENTAL IMPLANT ASSEMBLY

• US 20090286202A1
• Filed: 05/15/2008
• Published: 11/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Christopher W. Ford
• Original Assignee: Christopher W. Ford
• Inventors: Ford, Christopher W., Mathew, Boney A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,011,926 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 433/174
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 8/0012 characterised by the material or composition, e.g. ceramics, surface layer, metal alloy use of specific materials A61K6/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 8/0016 polymeric material

Abstract

A dental implant assembly (20) comprises an anchor (26, 126, 226) and a support ring (52, 152, 252) disposed about the anchor (26, 126, 226) and with a ring top end (54, 154, 254) engaging the bottom of the tooth-replicating device (24) to receive an impact force and to transfer the impact force to the bone (22) of a human. The anchor (26, 126, 226) is made of a first material being fracturable in response to a predetermined force and the support ring (52, 152, 252) is made of a second material being fracturable only in response to a force greater than the predetermined force for avoiding fracture of the anchor (26, 126, 226).

Claims

1. A dental implant assembly (20, 120, 220) for attachment to a bone (22) of a human and a tooth-replicating device (24) including:

an anchor (26, 126, 226) of a first material fracturable in response to a predetermined force,

a support ring (52, 152, 252) disposed about and engaging said anchor (26, 126, 226),

said support ring (52, 152, 252) having a ring top end (54, 154, 254) for receiving an impact force from the tooth-replicating device (24), and characterized by

said support ring (52, 152, 252) being of a second material fracturable only in response to a force greater than said predetermined force for engaging the bone (22) and transferring impact forces greater than said predetermined force from the tooth-replicating device (24) to the bone (22) thereby avoiding fracture of said anchor (26, 126, 226).

2. An assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein said support ring (52, 152, 252) is of a metal.

3. An assembly as set forth in claim 2 wherein said metal of said support ring (52, 152, 252) is a titanium alloy.

4. An assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein said anchor (26, 126, 226) is of an organic polymeric material.

5. An assembly as set forth in claim 4 wherein said organic polymeric material of said anchor (26, 126, 226) is polyetheretherketone.

6. An assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein said anchor (26, 126, 226) includes a lower section (28, 128, 228) extending to an anchor bottom end (30, 130, 230) and an upper section (32, 132, 232) extending to an anchor top end (34, 134, 234).

7. An assembly as set forth in claim 6 wherein said upper section (32, 132, 232) has a smaller cross-section than said lower section (28, 128, 228) to present a shoulder (36, 136, 236) separating said lower (28, 128, 228) and upper (32, 132, 232) sections.

8. An assembly as set forth in claim 7 wherein said support ring (52, 152, 252) has a ring bottom end (56, 156, 256) abutting said shoulder (36, 136, 236) of said anchor (26, 126, 226).

9. An assembly as set forth in claim 8 wherein said support ring (52, 152, 252) defines an outer surface (58, 158, 258) extending between said ring top end (54, 154, 254) and said ring bottom end (56, 156, 256) and facing radially outwardly for engaging the bone (22) to transfer the impact force to the bone (22).

10. An assembly as set forth in claim 9 wherein said outer surface (58, 258) of said support ring (52, 252) has a circular cross-section decreasing in size from said ring top end (54, 254) to said ring bottom end (56, 256) for defining a conical shape for supporting said assembly (20, 220) in the bone (22).

11. An assembly as set forth in claim 9 wherein said outer surface (58, 158) of said support ring (152) has a constant size extending between said ring top end (154) and said ring bottom end (156) for defining a tube shape to for supporting said assembly (120) in the bone (22).

12. An assembly as set forth in claim 7 wherein said lower section (28, 128, 228) of said anchor (26, 126, 226) has a circular cross-section decreasing in size from said shoulder (36, 136, 236) to said anchor bottom end (30, 130, 230).

13. An assembly as set forth in claim 6 wherein said anchor (26, 126, 226) presents self-tapping threads (42, 142, 242) for threadedly engaging the bone (22).

14. An assembly as set forth in claim 6 wherein said upper section (32, 132, 232) of said anchor (26, 126, 226) defines an inner bore (38, 138, 238) having female threads (40, 140, 240) for attachment to said abutment (44, 144, 244).

15. An assembly as set forth in claim 14 further including an abutment (44, 144, 244) disposed above said anchor (26, 126, 226) and defining an aperture (46, 146, 246) aligned with said inner bore (38, 138, 238) of said anchor (26, 126, 226) and engaging the tooth-replicating device (24) for receiving an impact force.

16. An assembly as set forth in claim 15 further including a screw (48, 148, 248) engaging said abutment (44, 144, 244) and extending through said aperture (46, 146, 246) and presenting male threads (50, 150, 250) for threadedly engaging said female threads (40, 140, 240) of said inner bore (38, 138, 238) of said anchor (26, 126, 226) for rigidly interconnecting said abutment (44, 144, 244) and said anchor (26, 126, 226).

17. An assembly as set forth in claim 16 wherein said upper section (132) of said anchor (126) extends upwardly through said support ring (152) and into said aperture (146) of said abutment (144).

18. An assembly as set forth in claim 17 wherein said upper section (132) of said anchor (126) has a cross-section presenting a hexagonal shape and said aperture (146) of said abutment (144) has a cross-section presenting a hexagonal shape for engaging said upper section (132) of said anchor (126) to prevent said abutment (144) from rotating relative to said anchor (126).

19. An assembly as set forth in claim 16 wherein said support ring (52) includes an upward protrusion (60) extending upwardly from said ring top end (54).

20. An assembly as set forth in claim 19 wherein said upward protrusion (60) of said support ring (52) has a cross-section presenting a hexagonal shape and said aperture (46) of said abutment (44) has a cross-section presenting a hexagonal shape for engaging said upward protrusion (60) of said support ring (52) to prevent said abutment (44) from rotating relative to said support ring (52).

21. An assembly as set forth in claim 19 wherein said support ring (52) further includes an inward protrusion (61) extending downwardly into said inner bore (38) of said anchor (26), and

said screw (48) extends through said inward protrusion (61) to engage said female threads (40) of said inner bore (38) of said anchor (26).

22. An assembly as set forth in claim 21 wherein said inward protrusion (61) of said support ring (52) has a cross-section presenting a hexagonal shape and said inner bore (38) has a corresponding cross-section presenting a hexagonal shape extending between said anchor top end (34) and said female threads (40) to prevent said support ring (52) from rotating relative to said anchor (26).

23. An assembly as set forth in claim 16 wherein said abutment (244) includes a projection (262) extending downwardly into said inner bore (238) of said anchor (226) and said screw (248) extends through said projection (262) to threadedly engage said female threads (240).

24. A dental implant assembly (20, 120, 220) for attachment to a bone (22) of a human and a tooth-replicating device (24) including:

an anchor (26, 126, 226) of a first material fracturable in response to a predetermined force and having a lower section (28, 128, 228) extending to an anchor bottom end (30, 130, 230) and an upper section (32, 132, 232) extending to an anchor top end (34, 134, 234),

said upper section (32, 132, 232) having a smaller cross-section than said lower section (28, 128, 228) to present a shoulder (36, 136, 236) separating said lower (28, 128, 228) and upper (32, 132, 232) sections,

said upper section (32, 132, 232) defining an inner bore (38, 138, 238) extending downwardly from said anchor top end (34, 134, 234) and presenting female threads (40, 140, 240),

said lower section (28, 128, 228) of said anchor (26, 126, 226) having a circular cross-section decreasing in size from said shoulder (36, 136, 236) to said anchor bottom end (30, 130, 230),

said lower section (28, 128, 228) of said anchor (26, 126, 226) presenting self-tapping threads (42, 142, 242) for threadedly engaging the bone (22),

an abutment (44, 144, 244) defining an aperture (46, 146, 246) aligned with said inner bore (38, 138, 238) of said anchor (26, 126, 226) and engaging the tooth-replicating device (24) for receiving an impact force from the tooth-replicating device (24),

a screw (48, 148, 248) engaging said abutment (44, 144, 244) and extending through said aperture (46, 146, 246) and presenting male threads (50, 150, 250) for threadedly engaging said female threads (40, 140, 240) of said inner bore (38, 138, 238) of said anchor (26, 126, 226) to rigidly interconnecting said abutment (44, 144, 244) and said anchor (26, 126, 226),

a support ring (52, 152, 252) having a circular cross-section and disposed about and engaging said upper section (32, 132, 232) of said anchor (26, 126, 226),

said support ring (52, 152, 252) having a ring top end (54, 154, 254) engaging said abutment (44, 144, 244) for receiving the impact force from the tooth-replicating device (24),

said support ring (52, 152, 252) having a ring bottom end (56, 156, 256) abutting said shoulder (36, 136, 236) of said anchor (26, 126, 226),

said support ring (52, 152, 252) defining an outer surface (58, 158, 258) facing radially outwardly for engaging the bone (22) to transfer the impact force to the bone (22), and characterized by

said support ring (52, 152, 252) being of a second material fracturable only in response to a force greater than said predetermined force for engaging the bone (22) and transferring impact forces greater than said predetermined force from the tooth-replicating device (24) to the bone (22) thereby avoiding fracture of said anchor (26, 126, 226),

said support ring (52, 152, 252) being of a metal,

said metal of said support ring (52, 152, 252) being a titanium alloy,

said anchor (26, 126, 226) being of an organic polymeric material, and

said organic polymeric material of said anchor (26, 126, 226) being polyetheretherketone.

25. An assembly as set forth in claim 24 wherein said circular cross-section of said outer surface (58, 258) of said support ring (52, 252) decreases in size from said ring top end (54, 254) to said ring bottom end (56, 256) for defining a conical shape to support said assembly (20, 220) in the bone (22).

26. An assembly as set forth in claim 24 wherein said circular cross-section of said outer surface (158) of said support ring (152) has a constant size extending between said ring top end (154) and said ring bottom end (156) to define a tube shape for supporting the assembly (120) in the bone (22).

27. An assembly as set forth in claim 24 wherein said upper section (132) of said anchor (126) extends upwardly through said support ring (152) and has a cross-section presenting a hexagonal shape, and

said aperture (146) of said abutment (144) has a cross-section presenting a hexagonal shape for engaging said upper section (132) of said anchor (126) to prevent said abutment (144) from rotating relative to said anchor (126).

28. An assembly as set forth in claim 24 wherein said support ring (52) includes an upward protrusion (60) extending upwardly from said ring top end (54) and having a cross-section presenting a hexagonal shape,

said abutment (44) presents an inner bore (38) having a cross-section presenting a hexagonal shape for engaging said protrusion (60) of said support ring (52) to prevent said abutment (44) from rotating relative to said support ring (52),

said supporting ring (52) includes an inward protrusion (61) extending downwardly into said inner bore (38) of said anchor (26),

said inward protrusion (61) of said support ring (52) has a cross-section presenting a hexagonal shape and said inner bore (38) of said anchor (26) has a corresponding cross-section presenting a hexagonal shape extending between said anchor top end (34) and said female threads (40) to prevent said support ring (52) from rotating relative to said anchor (26), and

said screw (48) extends through said inward protrusion (61) to engage said female threads (40) of said inner bore (38) of said anchor (26).

29. An assembly as set forth in claim 24 wherein said abutment (244) includes a projection (262) extending downwardly into said inner bore (238) of said anchor (226) and said screw (248) extends through said projection (262) to threadedly engage said female threads (240).