Manufacturing a Dental Implant Drill Guide and a Dental Implant Superstructure

• US 20070212666A1
• Filed: 05/17/2007
• Published: 09/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/1996
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Technique D'Usinage Sinlab Incorporated (Capital Pro-Égaux, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Technique D'Usinage Sinlab Incorporated (Capital Pro-Égaux, Inc.)
• Inventors: POIRIER, Michel
• Granted Patent: US 7,866,980 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 433/215
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 1/084 of implanting tools
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 9/0053 Optical means or methods, e.g. scanning the teeth by a laser or light beam

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 superstructures 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.

Claims

1. A method of pre-operatively manufacturing a dental implant overlying structure, the method comprising the steps of:

a) obtaining a three-dimensional graphic computer model of a jawbone;

b) selecting at least one virtual implant position using said model; and

c) prior to a surgical operation for positioning at least one implant in the patient'"'"'s jawbone, using said data on said at least one virtual implant position to make a dental implant overlying structure having a dental implant abutting flange positioned and configured in accordance with each of said at least one virtual implant position.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein step a) comprises the steps of:

obtaining an image of a dental prosthesis to be placed over the patient'"'"'s gum and referencing a patient'"'"'s gum image, a jawbone and tissue image, and a dental prosthesis image with respect to a common frame of reference.

3. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the overlying structure includes a superstructure having a number of dental abutting flanges interconnected in a fixed configuration by a bridge, and wherein step c) comprises the steps of:

selecting a shape of said bridge using said model and specifying shape data.

4. The method as defined in claim 3, wherein step c) further comprises the step of entering said shape data into a computer controlled precision manufacturing device.

5. The method as defined in claim 1, comprising the steps of:

obtaining a model of the patient'"'"'s gum, the jawbone and tissue structure, and of the implants in said jawbone, and using said model to pre-operatively create said dental implant overlying structure.