Manufacturing a dental implant drill guide and a dental implant superstructure
DC CAFCFirst Claim
1. A method of manufacturing a dental implant drill guide, comprising the steps of:
- a) imaging a jawbone and tissue structure with a reference to a known anatomical reference to produce a three-dimensional computer graphics model;
b) selecting at least one implant drill hole position for at least one dental implant using said model, said position being specified in three dimensions, including a hole termination point and orientation, and being referenced to said anatomical reference, c) entering at least one set of implant drill hole position coordinates into a computer controlled precision manufacturing device;
d) providing a drill template body having a first surface adapted to overlie a gum surface of the jawbone in a single predetermined position;
e) using said precision manufacturing device to provide a fixed orientation drill guide socket in said template body for each one of said at least one drill hole position entered in step (c) with a corresponding position and orientation.
1 Assignment
Litigations
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Dental implant drill holes and the shape of a dental implant superstructure are chosen by creating a computer model giving jawbone structural details, gum surface shape information and proposed teeth or dental prosthesis shape information. The computer model shows the bone structure, gum surface and teeth images properly referenced to one another so that implant drill hole positions can be selected taking into consideration proper positioning within the bone as well as proper positioning with respect to the dental prosthesis. Similarly, manufacture of the dental implant superstructure used for fixed dental prosthesis or overdentures can be designed based on knowledge of the actual implant positions referenced to an image of the gum surface and proposed dental prosthesis.
-
Citations
9 Claims
-
1. A method of manufacturing a dental implant drill guide, comprising the steps of:
-
a) imaging a jawbone and tissue structure with a reference to a known anatomical reference to produce a three-dimensional computer graphics model;
b) selecting at least one implant drill hole position for at least one dental implant using said model, said position being specified in three dimensions, including a hole termination point and orientation, and being referenced to said anatomical reference, c) entering at least one set of implant drill hole position coordinates into a computer controlled precision manufacturing device;
d) providing a drill template body having a first surface adapted to overlie a gum surface of the jawbone in a single predetermined position;
e) using said precision manufacturing device to provide a fixed orientation drill guide socket in said template body for each one of said at least one drill hole position entered in step (c) with a corresponding position and orientation. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
-
-
7. A method for allowing the reconstruction of an edentulous jawbone in a single surgical operation, comprising the steps of:
-
a) creating a three-dimensional graphic computer model of a patient'"'"'s gum, jawbone and tissue structure, and of a dental prosthesis to be placed over the gum;
b) selecting a number of virtual implant drill holes positions for corresponding implants using said model;
c) entering data related to the virtual implant drill hole positions into a computer controlled precision manufacturing device;
d) providing a rigid drill template body;
e) using said precision manufacturing device to provide a fixed orientation socket in said drill template body for each one of said implant drill hole positions selected in step b);
f) prior to the surgical operation, using said data on said virtual implant drill hole positions and said precision manufacturing device to make a dental implant superstructure having a number of dental implant abutting flanges interconnected by a bridge in a fixed configuration in which said dental abutting flanges are positioned in accordance with the virtual implant drill hole positions;
g) using said drill guide to drill pilot holes in the patient'"'"'s jawbone at said virtual implant drill hole positions;
h) inserting an implant in each of said pilot holes; and
i) installing the dental implant superstructure prefabricated in step f) on the implants inserted in the patients'"'"' jawbone. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9)
-
Specification