Dental implant able to enhance stability

Abstract

This invention discloses a dental implant able to enhance stability for solving the problem of insufficient support of prior arts. The dental implant of this invention includes: a first threaded section having a first diameter which decreases toward a free end of the first threaded section along a longitudinal axis; a second threaded section connected with the first threaded section and having a second diameter larger than the first diameter; a cut-in section obliquely extending from one end, away from the first threaded section, of the second threaded section outwards and having a tip with a feature of sharpness for cutting into an alveolar bone of a patent in a dental implant surgery; and a head section connected with the cut-in section for receiving a force to facilitate the dental implant to move into the alveolar bone. The dental implant of this invention can enhance preliminary and long-term stability.

Claims

1. A dental implant able to enhance stability, the dental implant defining a longitudinal axis and comprising: a first threaded section having a first diameter which decreases toward a free end of the first threaded section along the longitudinal axis; a second threaded section connected with the first threaded section and having a second diameter larger than the first diameter; a cut-in section obliquely extending from one end, away from the first threaded section, of the second threaded section outwards and having an integral tip with a feature of sharpness wherein the tip has an ability to cut into an alveolar bone of a patent while the dental implant is moved into the alveolar bone by rotating the first threaded section and the second threaded section; and a head section connected with the cut-in section for receiving a force to facilitate the dental implant to move into the alveolar bone.

2. The dental implant able to enhance stability according to the claim 1, further comprising: an engagement section situated between the first threaded section and the second threaded section, and the engagement section further including a solid portion and a plurality ribs which are located on an outer peripheral surface of the solid portion wherein a space between the ribs is configured to receive ossein for increasing the stability of combination of the dental implant with the alveolar bone.

3. The dental implant able to enhance stability according to the claim 2, wherein the cut-in section is a circle of sharp flange or a plurality of sharp flanges which are spaced apart.

4. The dental implant able to enhance stability according to the claim 3, wherein the head section includes an abutment for mounting an artificial crown thereon or for combining a function of receiving the force to implant the dental implant into the alveolar bone.

5. The dental implant able to enhance stability according to the claim 4, wherein the abutment and the second threaded section are two parts which are separately manufactured or are integrally made of a same material.

6. The dental implant able to enhance stability according to the claim 5, wherein the head section includes a bolt head connected with the cut-in section and the abutment is connected to an end face, away from the second threaded section, of the bolt head.

7. The dental implant able to enhance stability according to the claim 6, wherein the abutment are fastened to the second threaded section by means of a process of a laser welding, an electron-beam welding, a bolt-and-hole or an adhesive when the abutment and the second threaded section are two parts separately manufactured.

8. The dental implant able to enhance stability according to the claim 2, wherein the engagement section has a third diameter which is smaller than the first diameter and the second diameter.

9. The dental implant able to enhance stability according to the claim 8, wherein the cut-in section has a first width which is smaller than a second width of an artificial crown.

10. The dental implant able to enhance stability according to the claim 1, wherein the cut-in section is a circle of sharp flange or a plurality of sharp flanges which are spaced apart.

11. The dental implant able to enhance stability according to the claim 10, wherein the head section includes an abutment for mounting an artificial crown thereon or for combining a function of receiving the force to implant the dental implant into the alveolar bone.

12. The dental implant able to enhance stability according to the claim 11, wherein the abutment and the second threaded section are two parts which are separately manufactured or are integrally made of a same material.

13. The dental implant able to enhance stability according to the claim 12, wherein the head section includes a bolt head connected with the cut-in section and the abutment is connected to an end face, away from the second threaded section, of the bolt head.

14. The dental implant able to enhance stability according to the claim 13, wherein the abutment are fastened to the second threaded section by means of a process of a laser welding, an electron-beam welding, a bolt-and-hole or an adhesive when the abutment and the second threaded section are two parts separately manufactured.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the present invention and constitute a portion of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the present invention and together with the description serve to explain the principle of the present invention. In the drawings:

[0026] FIG. 1 is a front view of the dental implant according to the first embodiment of this invention illustrating that a head section just includes a bolt head;

[0027] FIG. 2 is a front view of the dental implant according to the second embodiment of this invention illustrating a head section just includes an abutment but the abutment combines the function of bolt head;

[0028] FIG. 3 is a front view of the dental implant according to the third embodiment of this invention illustrating a head section includes a bolt head and an abutment;

[0029] FIG. 4 is a sectional view of FIG. 3 illustrating the embodiment of one-pieced dental implant;

[0030] FIG. 5 is a sectional view of FIG. 3 illustrating the embodiment of two-pieced dental implant; and

[0031] FIG. 6 is a sectional view illustrating the third embodiment in which the dental implant is implanted into an alveolar bone and an artificial crown is mounted thereon.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

[0032] As shown in FIG. 1, the dental implant 1 which is able to enhance stability according to the first preferred embodiment of this invention is substantially a rod constituted by a plurality sections with different profiles, width or diameters. The sections are, in order, a first threaded section 11, engagement section 12, second threaded section 13, cut-in section 14 and head section 15.

[0033] Both the first threaded section 11 and second threaded section 13 are similar to a machine bolt or self-tapping screw but the threads surrounding the sections may or may not have cutting ability. Diameters of the first threaded section 11 and second threaded section 13 may gradually decrease or maintain unchanged along a longitudinal axis 9 of the dental implant 1 from the cut-in section 14 to the free end of the first threaded section 11. In a preferred embodiment, the second diameter of the second threaded section 13 is larger than the first diameter of the first threaded section 11. The first diameter of the first threaded section 11 gradually decreases toward the free end of the first threaded section 11 along a longitudinal axis 9 to facilitate insertion of the dental implant 1 into a bore 21 on the alveolar bone 2 (FIG. 6) in a dental implant surgery.

[0034] The engagement section 12 is situated between the first threaded section 11 and second threaded section 13. The engagement section 12 includes a solid portion 121 and a rib portion 122 which is located on outer peripheral surface of the solid portion 121. The rib portion 122 is constituted by a plurality of ribs which are spaced apart but preferably intersect with each other to form a hollowed-out and meshed structure. The diameter of the rib portion 122 is the same as or slightly smaller than the largest diameter of the first threaded section 11. In another preferred embodiment, the engagement section 12 may be omitted to make the second threaded section 13 directly connect to the first threaded section 11.

[0035] The profile of the cut-in section 14 is in a form of an umbrella. Specifically, the cut-in section 14 may be a circular flange which integrally extends from one end, away from the first threaded section 11, of the second threaded section 13 obliquely toward the first threaded section 11. The tip 141 of the flange has the feature of sharpness so that the sharp tip 141 of the cut-in section 14 can cut into the alveolar bone 2 (FIG. 6) to enhance stability of the dental implant 1 when the dental implant 1 is moved into the alveolar bone 2 by rotating the first threaded section 11 and second rotating section 13 in a dental implant surgery. The cut-in section 14 is not limited to a whole circle of forgoing flange shown in drawings. In other words, the cut-in section 14 may be composed of a plurality of sharp blades/flanges which are situated in a periphery and spaced apart. The size of the sharp flange is about 1 to 1.5 mm along the longitudinal axis 9. Preferably, the sharp tip 141 may be a vertical extension at the end of the arc of the cut-in section 14 shown in FIG. 6.

[0036] The head section 15 is located at one end, away from the first threaded section 11, of the cut-in section 14. The head section 15 may have a hexagonal, tetragonal or other geometric profile of a bolt head 151 to cooperate with an open-end wrench for rotating the dental implant 1 into the alveolar bone 2 (FIG. 6). In another embodiment, the head section 15 may be formed with a socket (not shown) to cooperate with a screwdriver or hex wrench for rotating the dental implant 1 into the alveolar bone 2. The two embodiments described in this paragraph are the head section 15 of the artificial tooth root of the two-pieced dental implant 1.

[0037] The length of the head section 15 shown in FIG. 2 is longer than that of the head section 15 shown in FIG. 1. Accordingly, the head section shown in FIG. 2 may also function as the abutment 152 for mounting the artificial crown 3 thereon except functioning as the bolt head 151 for cooperating with the open-end wrench to rotate the dental implant 1 into the alveolar bone 2. The embodiments described in this paragraph are the head section 15 of the one-pieced dental implant 1.

[0038] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the head section 15 may include the bolt head 151 connected to the cut-in section 14 and the abutment 152 connected to the bolt head 151. The profile of the bolt head 151 may be the same as or different from that of the abutment 152. The width of the bolt head 151 may also be the same as or different from that of the abutment 152. The width of the abutment 152 may be larger than that of the second threaded section 13 but smaller than that of the cut-in section 14. The embodiments described in this paragraph are the head section 15 of the one-pieced dental implant 1.

[0039] The abutment 152 in forgoing embodiments may be slightly tapped to facilitate assembly of the artificial crown 3. In the embodiments of the one-pieced dental implant 1, the whole implant, from the first threaded section 11 to the abutment 152 of the head section 15, is integrally made of the same material, such as titanium or titanium alloy.

[0040] As for embodiments of the two-pieced dental implant 1 shown in FIG. 5, the dental implant 1 comprises an abutment 152 and a sub-component both of which are separately manufactured. The sub-component includes the bolt head 151, cut-in section 14, second threaded section 13, engagement section 12 and first threaded section 11 mentioned in forgoing embodiments.

[0041] In an embodiment, the abutment 152 may be welded onto the bolt head 151 or the cut-in section 14 (for the embodiment in which the abutment 152 also functions as the bolt head 151) by the process of laser welding or electron-beam welding.

[0042] In another embodiment, the abutment 152 may be provided with a threaded bolt 153 extending outwards from the center of one of its end faces. The sub-component is formed with a threaded hole 154 extending from the end face of the bolt head 151 or the end face of the cut-in section 14 (for the embodiment in which the abutment 152 also functions as the bolt head 151) toward the interior of the second threaded section 13. By rotating the threaded bolt 153 into the threaded hole 154, the abutment 152 which is separately manufactured is assembled to the sub-component to complete the two-pieced dental implant 1.

[0043] In yet another embodiment, the abutment 152 which is separately manufactured is firmly adhered to the sub-component by means of adhesive. The adhesive may be also applied to the position between the threaded bolt 153 and the threaded hole 154 to strengthen fixation between the abutment 152 and the sub-component. The adhesive may be glass ionomer cement, composite cement, resin cement or other proper adhesives.

[0044] In the embodiment of two-pieced dental implant 1, the sub-component may be made of titanium or titanium alloy while the abutment 152 may be made of shape memory alloy such as nitinol. After the abutment 152 is assembled to the sub-component, the orientation of the abutment 152 made of shape memory alloy may be changed due to variation of temperature. By changing the direction of the abutment 152, the abutment 152 may be adjusted to face opposite tooth so as to allow the artificial crown 3 biting the opposite tooth and align the whole dental implant 1 with adjacent teeth.

EFFECTS

[0045] As shown in FIG. 6, after the dental implant 1 of this invention is implanted into the alveolar bone 2, because the sharp tip 141 of the cut-in section 14 penetrate into the alveolar bone 2 (and the gum 4), contact positions or points between the dental implant 1 and the alveolar bone 2 are increased. Specifically, the dental implant 1 of this invention has additional contact positions between the sharp tip 141 and the alveolar bone 2 except the threads on the first threaded section 11 and the second threaded section 13. Besides, the additional contact positions are far away from the threads so that preliminary and long-term stability of the dental implant 1 can be dramatically enhanced.

[0046] On the other hand, because the sharp tip 141 goes deep into the alveolar bone 2 by a certain depth, the sharp tip 141 itself also increases contact area between the dental implant 1 and the alveolar bone 2. Such an advantage can also enhance preliminary and long-term stability of the dental implant 1.

[0047] Next, during osseous integration, ossein will grow through the hollowed-out structure constituted by ribs in the engagement section 12 to combine the newly-growing ossein with the dental implant 1 together. Therefore, long-term stability for the combination of the dental implant 1 and the alveolar bone 2 can be increased.

[0048] Furthermore, dental bone graft material may be put into the hollowed-out structure in the engagement section 12 in advance and then the dental implant 1 is implanted into the alveolar bone 2. The bone graft material may speed up the osseous integration and guide the ossein into the hollowed-out structure. Hence, long-term stability of the dental implant 1 can be also increased.

[0049] Moreover, engagement of newly-growing ossein with the hollowed-out structure of the dental implant 1 blocks continuity from the second threaded section 13 to the first threaded section 11. The engagement can prohibit bacteria from going deep into the interior of the alveolar bone 2 along the threads and thus prevent from periodontal disease.

[0050] Besides, the abutment 152 made of shape memory alloy is helpful for adjusting the direction of the artificial crown 3 to align it with other teeth. Hence, aesthetic appearance can be obtained from the dental implant surgery without reducing the support strength of the abutment 152.

[0051] Summing up, the dental implant 1 of this invention can achieve objects of this invention. This invention has been disclosed in terms of specific embodiments. It will be apparent that many modifications can be made to the disclosed structures without departing from the present invention. Therefore, it is the intent of the appended claims to cover all such variations and modifications that are within the scope of this invention.