Method of making a radiographic guide and a surgical stent/guide for dental implants

• US 9,770,218 B2
• Filed: 04/18/2016
• Issued: 09/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2015
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Provisional Implant Technology
• Original Assignee: Provisional Implant Technology, LLC
• Inventors: Casement, Russell, Casement, Kelley, Gapski, Ricardo
• Primary Examiner(s): LUCCHESI, NICHOLAS D
• Application Number:
  US15/131,162
• Publication Number:
  US 20160302743A1
• Time in Patent Office: 526 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3966 Radiopaque markers visible in an X-ray image
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/12 Arrangements for detecting or locating foreign bodies
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/51 for dentistry
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 1/084 of implanting tools
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 13/34 Making or working of models, e.g. preliminary castings, trial dentures; Dowel pins [4]
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 2008/0084 Provisional implants or abutments
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 9/00 Impression cups, i.e. impression trays; Impression methods computer-assisted sizing A61C13/0004; instruments for determining occlusion A61C19/05

Abstract

A radiographic guide that can be used as a surgical guide is provided. The radiographic guide uses a provisional dental implant instead of a denture tooth or a custom made diagnostic tooth. The provisional dental implant, which can be integrated or selectively interconnected to the radiographic guide, may have a through-hole or a tapped hole that facilitates location of a dental implant. If the planned implant location is acceptable, the radiographic guide can be used as a surgical guide, wherein the hole guides surgical tools used to modify a patient'"'"'s maxilla or jaw so it can receive the implant.

Claims

1. A method of fabricating a radiographic guide, comprising:

taking an impression of a patient'"'"'s dental arch;

using the impression to create a cast of the patient'"'"'s dental arch, the cast including at least one void;

using wax to interconnect a provisional implant crown to the cast, the provisional implant crown being associated with the at least one void, wherein the provisional implant crown includes a hole with a radio-opaque material;

applying partially-cured orthodontic acrylic resin over the cast and the provisional implant crown;

allowing the orthodontic acrylic resin to cure, which causes the provisional implant crown to bond with the orthodontic acrylic resin;

removing the cured orthodontic acrylic resin and interconnected provisional implant crown from the cast;

obtaining a radiographic image of the radiographic guide positioned in the patient'"'"'s mouth;

analyzing the radiographic image to assess if the hole is positioned and aligned with an area of the patient'"'"'s maxilla or jaw that is conducive for accepting and securing a dental implant;

removing the radiographic guide from the patient'"'"'s mouth;

removing the radio-opaque material from the hole;

creating a new hole in the provisional implant crown;

coating the new hole with a radio-opaque material;

placing the radiographic guide into the patient'"'"'s mouth;

obtaining a second radiographic image; and

analyzing the second radiographic image to assess if the new hole is positioned and aligned with the area of the patient'"'"'s maxilla or jaw that is conducive for accepting and securing a dental implant.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the radio-opaque material removed from the hole comprises a coating of radio-opaque material applied to a surface of the hole.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising adding radiographic markers to the radiographic guide.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising adding a separating agent to the cast, but not the provisional implant crown.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the provisional implant crown substantially matches the shape of a provisional implant crown that will be interconnected to a dental implant via an abutment.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the hole does not extend through the provisional implant crown.

7. A method of fabricating a radiographic guide that can be used as a surgical guide, comprising:

obtaining an impression of a patient'"'"'s dental arch;

using the impression to create a cast of the patient'"'"'s dental arch, the cast including at least one void;

associating at least one tooth representation with the at least one void, the at least one tooth representation having a hole including a radio-opaque material;

applying orthodontic acrylic resin over the cast and the at least one tooth representation;

curing the orthodontic acrylic resin;

removing the cured orthodontic acrylic resin and the at least one tooth representation from the cast;

obtaining a radiographic image of the radiographic guide positioned in the patient'"'"'s mouth;

analyzing the radiographic image to assess if the hole is positioned and aligned with an area of the patient'"'"'s maxilla or jaw that is conducive for accepting and securing a dental implant;

removing the radiographic guide from the patient'"'"'s mouth;

removing the radio-opaque material from the hole;

creating a new hole in the at least one tooth representation;

coating the new hole with a radio-opaque material;

placing the radiographic guide into the patient'"'"'s mouth;

obtaining a second radiographic image of the radiographic guide; and

analyzing the second radiographic image to assess if the new hole is positioned and aligned with the area of the patient'"'"'s maxilla or jaw that is conducive for accepting and securing a dental implant.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the at least one tooth representation is a provisional implant crown that substantially matches the shape of a provisional implant crown that will be interconnected to a dental implant via an abutment.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the at least one tooth representation is bonded to the cured orthodontic resin.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the at least one tooth representation is selectively interconnected to the cured orthodontic resin.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the hole does not extend through the at least one tooth representation.

12. The method of claim 7, further comprising at least one of coating the hole with a radio-opaque material, and adding radiographic markers to the radiographic guide.

13. The method of claim 7, further comprising adding a separating agent to the cast.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the separating agent is not added to the at least one tooth representation.

15. A method of placing a provisional implant crown into a patient'"'"'s maxilla or jaw, comprising:

obtaining an impression of a patient'"'"'s dental arch;

using the impression to create a cast of the patient'"'"'s dental arch, the cast including a void that corresponds with an extracted tooth;

associating a tooth representation with void, the tooth representation having a hole;

applying orthodontic acrylic resin over the cast and the tooth representation;

curing the orthodontic acrylic resin;

removing the cured orthodontic acrylic resin and the tooth representation from the cast, the cured orthodontic acrylic resin and the tooth representation defining a radiographic guide;

placing the radiographic guide into the patient'"'"'s mouth wherein the tooth representation is associated with the site of the extracted tooth;

obtaining a radiographic image of the radiographic guide;

analyzing the image to assess if the hole is positioned and aligned with an area of the patient'"'"'s maxilla or jaw that is conducive for accepting and securing a dental implant;

using the radiographic guide as a surgical guide, wherein the hole is used to guide surgical tools that prepare the patient'"'"'s maxilla or jaw for receipt of an implant;

interconnecting the implant to the patient'"'"'s maxilla or jaw;

interconnecting an abutment to the implant; and

interconnecting the provisional implant crown to the abutment.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the tooth representation has a shape substantially similar to that of the provisional implant crown.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein if after analyzing the image, the proposed implant placement is not ideal, removing the radiographic guide from the patient'"'"'s mouth, removing a radio-opaque material from the hole, creating a new hole in the tooth representation, coating the new hole with a radio-opaque material, placing the radiographic guide into the patient'"'"'s mouth, obtaining a second radiographic image of the radiographic guide, and analyzing the second image to assess if the new hole is positioned and aligned with the area of the patient'"'"'s maxilla or jaw that is conducive for accepting and securing a dental implant.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising at least one of coating the hole with a radio-opaque material, and adding radiographic markers to the radiographic guide.