A bone plate having at least one screw hole adapted to receive a bone screw, a blocker having a blocking end for blocking a bone screw from further backout of bone the blocker being predisposed in a blocking position wherein the blocking end at least partially overlaps a portion of the screw hole, the blocker being moveable from the blocking position by contact with the bone screw during insertion of the bone screw into the screw hole, and a blocker fixation element having an open orientation at which the blocker can move from the blocking position and a closed orientation preventing substantial movement of the blocker from the blocking position. The blocker fixation element cannot be moved to the closed orientation unless the screw head passes the blocker, thereby revealing that the blocker fixation element is in position to prevent substantial movement of the blocker.

Orthopedic fixation devices and methods of installing the same. The orthopedic fixation device may include a coupling element and a bone fastener, whereby the bone fastener can be loaded into the coupling element through the bottom of a bore in the coupling element and a retention member is configured to allow polyaxial rotation of the bone fastener and also to lock the bone fastener in place upon application of a force on a saddle and clamp in the coupling element.

Bone anchors and surgical instruments (e.g., bone taps, drivers, etc.) are disclosed herein that include integrated guide tips. Use of these anchors or instruments can eliminate one or more of the steps in a conventional bone anchor installation procedure, improving surgical efficiency and safety. For example, a surgical instrument can include a guide projection configured for insertion through a cannulation formed in a bone anchor when the surgical instrument is coupled to the bone anchor. The surgical instrument can also include various mechanisms for adjusting the position of the guide projection relative to the bone anchor. The guide projection can replace the needle, stylet, and guidewire used in typical insertion procedures. The bone anchor can also include integrated tapping features to eliminate the need for a separate bone tap instrument. Thus, in some embodiments, targeting, tapping, and driving the bone anchor can be performed in a single step.

A surgical technique can be performed utilizing a detachable driver-implant system and comparatively small surgical incision. The clinician can make an incision through the skin of the patient and retract the skin along the incision to expose a first bone region. The clinician can insert an implant into one or more bone portions using a detachable driver-implant system and then detach the driver, leaving the implant in the one or more bone portions. The clinician can reposition the skin of the patient at least partially over the end of the implant to expose a second bone region not exposed while the first bone region was exposed. After optionally performing one or more surgical steps on second bone region, the clinician can reposition the skin to again expose the first bone region. The clinician can then reattach the driver to the implant and remove the implant from the bone portions.

A joint replacement system for repairing an articular surface of a first bone of a joint includes an anchor portion and an implant portion. The anchor portion includes an anchor to be secured to the bone, and an anchor fixation head including a bone-facing surface (BFS) extending radially outward from the anchor and an implant facing surface (IFS) extending from a periphery of the BFS. The implant portion is formed from a material (e.g., CoCr) more dense than the material of the anchor portion (e.g., Ti) and includes a fixation cavity to receive at least a portion of the anchor fixation head (AFH), the fixation cavity includes an anchor facing surface (AFS) configured to form a frictional connection with the IFS, and a load bearing surface having a contour for articulating against a cooperating articulating surface of a second bone of the joint.

A compression fastener system includes an elongate generally rigid coupling component, a toggle anchor at the distal end of the coupling component that can pivot about 90 degrees between inline and out of line with the coupling component, and a generally cylindrical collet that is engageable with a surface of the coupling component, and having two or more legs that splay upon passage of the coupling component through the collet, at least one leg having a cutting edge along at least a portion of its length that can engage with an adjacent rigid element, such as bone, to fix the rigid coupling component, toggle anchor and collet assembly into compression with the rigid element.

A surgical fastener manipulation tool in accordance with embodiment of the present invention is useful by a surgeon to place fasteners such as threaded screws. The surgical fastener manipulation tool selectively engages a mating structure of fastener for securing the fastener thereto. Thus, advantageously, the surgical fastener manipulation tool can be used for placing such fasteners and/or can be used for extracting (i.e., removing) such fasteners. The ability to extract a fastener (e.g., a threaded bone screw) with the same tool used for placing it is highly beneficial due to time savings during a surgical procedure and is advantageous with respect to prior art fastener manipulation tool configurations that require placement and extraction tools to be differently configured.

The present disclosure provides a dental screw (10) for fixing dental components (1, 2) to each other, the dental screw having a proximal end (11), a distal end (12), and a longitudinal axis (LS), wherein the dental screw further comprises a screw head (13) including a tool engaging interface (20) for engaging a fastening tool (30) at the proximal end and distally to the screw head a screw shank (14), the screw shank comprising a torque limiting portion (15) and distally to the torque limiting portion a threaded portion (16) for engaging a dental component (1, 2, 3), wherein the dental screw is configured to transfer a minimum torque from the tool engaging interface to the threaded portion of 26 Ncm and the torque limiting portion is configured to limit the torque transferable to a maximum torque for preventing damage to the threaded portion. The disclosure also provides a dental fastening tool, a dental fastening set, and a dental support set.

A compression screw for applying compression at a bone joint. The compression screw includes an axial screw body extending from a distal end to a proximal end with the distal end including a series of bone engaging threads configured to be self-drilling and self-tapping and the proximal end including a head which defines a radially extending shoulder. At least one proximal rotary cutting structure is defined proximally of the bone engaging threads. The at least one proximal rotary cutting structure is configured to be self-drilling such that a proximal portion of the axial screw body cuts into and advances within a bone of the bone joint as the axial screw body is advanced. A method of inserting the compression screw is also provided.

Anchor delivery systems include markings on the surfaces of the delivery device which are visually exposed to the user through openings or fenestrations in the anchor, providing visual feedback to the user on the progress of the anchor's insertion. A suture-locking plug is deformable within the anchor tip, thereby enhancing suture entrapment within the tip of the anchor. A compliant component of the handle places the handle components in tension, thereby absorbing built-in axial looseness in the handle. The handle further includes a spin cavity which allows for free spin of the inserter shaft to finalize insertion of the anchor into bone when the anchor has not been fully seated flush with or below the cortical bone surface.