IMPLANTS, TOOLS, AND METHODS FOR SINUS LIFT AND LATERAL RIDGE AUGMENTATION

• US 20100081112A1
• Filed: 06/16/2009
• Published: 04/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Maxillent Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Maxillent Ltd.
• Inventors: Gross, Yossi, Fostick, Gideon, Better, Hadar, Uchitel, Ilan
• Granted Patent: US 8,029,284 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 433/174
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 19/06 Implements for therapeutic treatment radiation therapy A61N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 8/0018 characterised by the shape
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 8/0022 Self-screwing A61C8/0028 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 8/0024 with self-boring cutting edge
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 8/0039 in the form of hollow cylinder with an open bottom
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 8/0092 for sinus lifting

Abstract

Apparatus is provided that includes a dental implant having a proximal implant end and a lateral external surface. The implant is shaped so as to define a lumen therethrough having a lateral opening through the lateral external surface. The apparatus further includes an applicator, which is removably coupled to the proximal implant end. The applicator includes a delivery tube having a distal tube end that is removably coupled to the implant such that the delivery tube is in fluid communication with the lumen via the lateral opening. Other embodiments are also described.

Claims

1-133. -133. (canceled)

134. Apparatus comprising:

a dental implant having a proximal implant end and a lateral external surface, the implant being shaped so as to define a lumen therethrough having a lateral opening through the lateral external surface; and

an applicator, which is removably coupled to the proximal implant end, and which comprises a delivery tube having a distal tube end that is removably coupled to the implant such that the delivery tube is in fluid communication with the lumen via the lateral opening.

135. The apparatus according to claim 134, wherein the distal tube end is welded to the implant, and wherein a portion of a wall of the delivery tube is thinner than the wall immediately adjacent to the portion, such that application of a breaking torque to the delivery tube breaks the delivery tube at the thinner portion, thereby decoupling the delivery tube from the implant, wherein the thinner portion is within 3 mm of the distal tube end.

136. The apparatus according to claim 135, wherein the delivery tube is shaped so as to be circumscribed with a groove that defines the thinner portion.

140. The apparatus according to claim 135, wherein the applicator is configured to break the delivery tube at the thinner portion by rotating the distal tube end with respect to the lateral opening.

142. The apparatus according to claim 135, wherein the applicator comprises a lever arm, which is coupled to the delivery tube and arranged to rotate the distal tube end with respect to the lateral opening.

144. The apparatus according to claim 142, wherein the applicator comprises a rotatable surface accessible from a proximal end of the applicator, which rotatable surface is rotatable with respect to a portion of the applicator, rotation of which rotatable surface rotates the distal tube end by extending the lever arm.

145. The apparatus according to claim 135, wherein the applicator comprises:

a connecting screw, which removably couples the applicator to the proximal implant end; and

a rotatable surface accessible from a proximal end of the applicator, which rotatable surface is rotatable with respect to a portion of the applicator,

wherein the applicator is configured such that rotation of the rotatable surface both (a) applies the breaking torque to the delivery tube that breaks the delivery tube at the thinner portion, and (b) rotates the screw to decouple the applicator from the proximal implant end.

146. The apparatus according to claim 134, wherein, when the delivery tube is coupled to the implant, a portion of the delivery tube runs alongside the implant such that a greatest distance between a longitudinal axis of the implant and a surface of the portion of the delivery tube furthest from the longitudinal axis is less than 6 mm.

148. The apparatus according to claim 134, wherein the applicator comprises an applicator body, which comprises a rotatable surface accessible from a proximal end of the applicator, rotation of which rotatable surface with respect to a portion of the applicator body causes the delivery tube to become decoupled from the implant, and wherein the applicator is shaped so as to define a stabilization surface accessible from the proximal end of the applicator, application to which stabilization surface of a stabilizing force stabilizes the implant during rotation of the rotatable surface.

149. The apparatus according to claim 148, wherein the rotatable surface and the stabilization surface are configured to facilitate on-axis rotation of the rotatable surface, thereby minimizing any off-axis force that the rotation may cause the apparatus to apply to its surroundings.

150. The apparatus according to claim 148, further comprising a stabilization tool, which is configured to be removably coupled to the stabilization surface of the applicator body, and to apply the stabilizing force to the stabilization surface.

137-139. -139. (canceled)

141. (canceled)

143. (canceled)

147. (canceled)

151-170. -170. (canceled)

171. A method comprising:

providing (a) a dental implant having a proximal implant end and a lateral external surface, the implant being shaped so as to define a lumen therethrough having a lateral opening through the lateral external surface, and (b) an applicator, which is removably coupled to the proximal implant end, and which includes a delivery tube having a distal tube end that is removably coupled to the implant such that the delivery tube is in fluid communication with the lumen via the lateral opening;

forming a bore in an alveolar ridge;

inserting the implant into the bore;

injecting a fluid through the lumen; and

decoupling the delivery tube from the implant.

172. The method according to claim 171, wherein the distal tube end is initially welded to the implant, wherein a portion of a wall of the delivery tube is thinner than the wall immediately adjacent to the portion, wherein the thinner portion is within 3 mm of the distal tube end, and wherein decoupling the delivery tube from the implant comprises breaking the delivery tube at the thinner portion by applying a breaking torque to the delivery tube.

174. The method according to claim 172, wherein breaking the delivery tube at the thinner portion comprises using the applicator to break the delivery tube at the thinner portion by rotating the distal tube end with respect to the lateral opening.

175. The method according to claim 171,

wherein the applicator includes an applicator body, which includes a rotatable surface accessible from a proximal end of the applicator,

wherein decoupling the delivery tube from the implant comprises rotating the rotatable surface with respect to a portion of the applicator body,

wherein the applicator is shaped so as to define a stabilization surface accessible from the proximal end of the applicator, and

wherein rotating the rotatable surface comprises stabilizing the implant by applying a stabilizing force to the stabilization surface.

173. (canceled)

176-180. -180. (canceled)

181. Apparatus comprising:

a dental implement, having a distal portion that extends from a distal end along up to 50% of a longitudinal length of the implement, the implement being shaped so as to define a lumen therethrough having at least one distal opening through a center of the distal end, and the implement having a greatest diameter no more than 8 mm and a length of at least 3 mm,

wherein at least a portion of a lateral external surface of the implement is shaped so as to define a cutting surface,

wherein at least a portion of the distal portion is shaped so as to define at least one surface selected from the group consisting of;

at least one end mill cutter surface, at least one self-tapping surface, and both the at least one end mill cutter surface and the at least one self-tapping surface, and

wherein the selected at least one surface does not extend into a central area of the implement that defines the lumen.

185. The apparatus according to claim 181, wherein the distal portion is shaped so as to define a plurality of end mill cutting surfaces that are distributed about a central axis of the implement, such that lines respectively defined by the cutting surfaces are tangential to a circle having a center which is intersected by the central axis of the implement.

182-184. -184. (canceled)

186-204. -204. (canceled)

205. A method comprising:

providing a dental implant having a proximal implant end, and a distal implant portion that extends from a distal implant end along up to 50% of a longitudinal length of the implant, the implant shaped so as to define a lumen therethrough (a) having at least one distal opening through a distal external surface of the distal implant portion, and (b) open to the proximal a proximal implant end through a proximal opening;

forming a bore through a ridge;

inserting the implant into the bore; and

after inserting the implant into the bore, sealing the proximal opening of the implant.

206-214. -214. (canceled)

215. Apparatus comprising a dental kit, which comprises:

a dental implant having a proximal implant end, and a distal implant portion that extends from a distal implant end along up to 50% of a longitudinal length of the implant, the implant shaped so as to define a lumen therethrough (a) having at least one distal opening through a distal external surface of the distal implant portion, and (b) open to the proximal a proximal implant end through a proximal opening; and

a mechanical plug,

wherein the proximal opening and the plug are configured such that the plug can be sealingly coupled to the proximal opening.

216. (canceled)

217. A method comprising:

providing a dental implement having a distal portion that extends from a distal end along up to 50% of a longitudinal length of the implement, the implement shaped so as to define a lumen therethrough having at least one distal opening through a distal external surface of the distal portion;

forming a bore in bone of an alveolar ridge;

inserting the implement into the bore at least until the distal opening comes into fluid communication with periosteal tissue covering a lateral surface of the bone; and

delaminating the periosteal tissue from the bone by injecting a fluid through the lumen to form a cavity between the bone and the periosteal tissue.

223. The method according to claim 217, further comprising, after delaminating the periosteal tissue, injecting a regenerative material into the cavity via the lumen.

218-222. -222. (canceled)

224-227. -227. (canceled)