DENTAL ABUTMENT INCLUDING FILLET

• US 20100119995A1
• Filed: 03/12/2008
• Published: 05/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Astra Tech AB, Dentsply IH, Inc. (Astrazeneca PLC)
• Original Assignee: Astra Tech AB, Dentsply IH, Inc. (Astrazeneca PLC)
• Inventors: Grant, Bethany F., Hannoosh, James G.
• Granted Patent: US 8,226,408 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 433/174
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 8/005 Connecting devices for joining an upper structure with an implant member, e.g. spacers
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 8/0059 with additional friction enhancing means
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 8/006 with polygonal positional means, e.g. hexagonal or octagonal
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 8/0066 with positioning means A61C8/006 takes precedence

Abstract

Exemplary embodiments relate to a dental abutment and methods of forming the same. The abutment (19) may include a head portion (27) located at an upper end of the abutment and constructed to support a prosthetic tooth replacement and soft tissue adjacent the head portion, an anti-rotation feature (25) located at a lower end of the abutment and constructed to mate with a dental implant, and a fillet (21) located at an interface between the head portion and the anti-rotation feature. The fillet may reduce a risk of fracture at the interface between the head portion and the anti-rotation feature. In some examples, the abutment may be formed at least partially of a ceramic material.

Claims

1. A dental abutment, comprising:

a head portion located at an upper end of the abutment and constructed to support a prosthetic tooth replacement and soft tissue adjacent the head portion;

an anti-rotation feature located at a lower end of the abutment and constructed to mate with a dental implant; and

a fillet located at an interface between the head portion and the anti-rotation feature, the fillet having a closed perimeter and forming a concavity at least partly in one of the anti-rotation feature and the head portion.

2. The dental abutment of claim 1, wherein a radial dimension of the fillet along a vertical cross-section of the fillet is at least 0.1 mm, and preferably at least 0.2 mm.

3. The dental abutment of claim 1, wherein the abutment is formed at least partially of a ceramic material.

4. The dental abutment of claim 1, wherein the abutment is formed at least partially of material selected from the group consisting of zirconia, alumina and silica.

5. The dental abutment of claim 1, wherein the anti-rotation feature comprises one or more portions that are angled inwardly toward a central longitudinal axis of the abutment as the height of the anti-rotation feature increases.

6. The dental abutment of claim 5, wherein each of the one or more inwardly angled portions has a minimum thickness where the inwardly angled portion abuts the fillet.

7. The dental abutment of claim 1, wherein the anti-rotation feature is an internal connection.

8. The dental abutment of claim 1, wherein the perimeter of the fillet is circular.

9. The dental abutment of claim 1, wherein the interface between the head portion and the anti-rotation feature of the abutment does not comprise any right angle.

10. The dental abutment of claim 1, wherein the anti-rotation feature has a non-circular shape.

11. The dental abutment of claim 1, wherein the concavity is entirely in the head portion.

12. The dental abutment of claim 1, wherein a diameter of the anti-rotation feature at a location within the concavity is smaller than a diameter of the anti-rotation feature at a location below the concavity

13. A dental assembly, comprising:

an implant including

an anchor portion located at a first end of the implant and adapted to be anchored within a jawbone,

a mating feature located at a second end of the implant, and

a rim surrounding the mating feature; and

an abutment formed at least partially of a ceramic material, the abutment including

a head portion located at an end of the abutment and adapted to support a prosthetic tooth replacement and soft tissue adjacent the head portion,

a seating surface,

an anti-rotation feature located distally from the head portion of the abutment and adapted to mate with the mating feature of the implant in a manner that inhibits rotation of the abutment with respect to the implant, and

a fillet located at an interlace between the head portion and the anti-rotation feature, wherein the fillet has a radial dimension of at least 0.1 mm along a vertical cross-section of the fillet;

wherein mating the anti-rotation feature of the abutment to the mating feature of the implant causes the rim of the implant to contact the seating surface of the abutment along a substantially closed region thereof.

14. The dental assembly of claim 13, wherein the substantially closed region has a minimum radial extent of 0.2 mm.

15. The dental assembly of claim 13, wherein the anti-rotation feature is an internal connection.

16. At least one computer readable medium encoded with instructions that, when executed on a computer system, perform a method comprising:

guiding a machine tool to fabricate a dental abutment, the abutment comprising a head portion located at an upper end of the abutment and constructed to support a prosthetic tooth replacement and soft tissue adjacent the head portion, an anti-rotation feature located at a lower end of the abutment and constructed to mate with a dental implant, and a fillet having a closed perimeter, the fillet located at an interface between the head portion and the anti-rotation feature and forming a concavity at least partly in the head portion.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the fillet comprises a radial dimension along a vertical cross-section of the fillet and wherein the radial dimension is at least 0.1 mm.

18. A method comprising fabricating a dental abutment such that the abutment comprises a head portion located at an upper end of the abutment, the head portion being constructed and arranged to support a prosthetic tooth replacement and soft tissue adjacent the head portion, an anti-rotation feature located at a lower end of the abutment and constructed to mate with a dental implant, and a fillet having a closed perimeter, the fillet located at an interface between the head portion and the anti-rotation feature and forming a concavity at least partly in the head portion.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the abutment is formed at least partially of a ceramic material.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the fillet comprises a radial dimension along a vertical cross-section of the fillet and wherein the radial dimension is at least 0.1 mm, and preferably at least 0.2 mm.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the abutment is formed at least partially of material selected from the group consisting of zirconia, alumina and silica.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein the anti-rotation feature comprises one or more portions that are angled inwardly toward a central longitudinal axis of the abutment as the height of the anti-rotation feature increases.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein each of the one or more inwardly angled portions has a minimum thickness where the inwardly angled portion abuts the fillet.

24. The method of claim 18, wherein the anti-rotation feature is an internal connection.

25. The method of claim 18, wherein the perimeter of the fillet is circular.

26. The method of claim 18, wherein the interface between the head portion and the anti-rotation feature of the abutment does not comprise any right angle.

27. The method of claim 18, wherein the anti-rotation feature has a non-circular shape.

28. A method of fabricating a dental abutment comprising a fillet, the method comprising:

selecting a radius for a fillet based on a critical flaw size of a material; and

fabricating an abutment from the material, the abutment comprising a head portion located at an upper end of the abutment and constructed to support a prosthetic tooth replacement and soft tissue adjacent the head portion, an anti-rotation feature located at a lower end of the abutment and constructed to mate with a dental implant, and a fillet having the selected radius, wherein the fillet is located at an interface between the head portion and the anti-rotation feature.