Abstract
Apparatus and method for installing a dental prosthesis to maxillary or mandibular jawbone of a patient are shown and described. The apparatus and method include a fixation base for providing an attachment surface and an abutment guide attachable to said fixation base in a position wherein the abutment guide is oriented to receive abutments and guide the abutments for placement on the implants. The abutment guide has at least one peg that is designed to be scannable by an intraoral scanner and is designed as a positioning structure that allows a dental prosthesis to be releasably attached to the abutment guide in a specific position.
Claims
1. An apparatus for installing a dental prosthesis to maxillary or mandibular jawbone of a patient, the apparatus comprising: a fixation base for providing an attachment surface; and an abutment guide attachable to said fixation base in a position wherein the abutment guide is oriented to receive abutments and guide the abutments for placement on implants in the maxillary or mandibular jawbone of the patient; wherein the abutment guide has at least one peg that is designed to be scannable by an intraoral scanner and is designed as a positioning structure that allows a dental prosthesis to be releasably attached to the abutment guide in a specific position.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one peg has one or more surfaces that improve their scannability.
3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the one or more surfaces are flat surfaces.
4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the abutment guide has a singular peg which has a shape which prevents rotation of a releasably attached dental prosthesis about its axis.
5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the shape of the at least one peg includes one or more flat surfaces.
6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one peg is beveled.
7. A method of installing a multi-tooth dental prosthesis in a maxillary or mandibular position in a mouth of a patient, the method comprising attaching an abutment guide onto a fixation base for providing an attachment surface in a position wherein the abutment guide is oriented to receive abutments and guide the abutments for placement on implants in the maxillary or mandibular jawbone of the patient, wherein the abutment guide has at least one peg that is designed to be scannable by an intraoral scanner and is designed as a positioning structure that allows a dental prosthesis to be releasably attached to the abutment guide in a specific position.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein the at least one peg has one or more surfaces that improve their scannability.
9. The method of claim 8, wherein the one or more surfaces are flat surfaces.
10. The method of claim 7, wherein the abutment guide has a singular peg which has a shape which prevents rotation of a releasably attached dental prosthesis about its axis.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein the shape of the at least one peg includes one or more flat surfaces.
12. The method of claim 7, wherein the at least one peg is beveled.
13. A method, comprising: installing a fixation base to a maxillary or mandibular jawbone of a patient; attaching a drill guide to the fixation base; drilling one or more implants into the maxillary or mandibular jawbone of the patient through holes in the drill guide; removing the drill guide from the fixation base; attaching an abutment guide to the fixation base, wherein the abutment guide has at least one peg that is designed to be scannable by an intraoral scanner and is designed as a positioning structure that allows a dental prosthesis to be releasably attached to the abutment guide in a specific position; installing the abutments to the implants; scanning the abutment guide by way of the intraoral scanner to create a scan file; designing or adjusting the design of the dental prosthesis based at least in part on the scan file; manufacturing the dental prosthesis; and installing the dental prothesis by mounting the dental prosthesis to the abutments.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein the at least one peg has one or more surfaces that improve their scannability.
15. The method of claim 14, wherein the one or more surfaces are flat surfaces.
16. The method of claim 13, wherein the abutment guide has a singular peg which has a shape which prevents rotation of a releasably attached dental prosthesis about its axis.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein the shape of the at least one peg includes one or more flat surfaces.
18. The method of claim 13, wherein the at least one peg is beveled.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] Various objects, features, and attendant advantages of the present invention will become more fully appreciated as the same becomes better understood when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the several views, and wherein:
[0018] FIG. 1 is an environmental plan view of a fixation base used to install a dental prosthesis, according to at least one aspect of the invention;
[0019] FIG. 2 is a front view of maxillary and mandibular prostheses, shown with apparatus of the invention attached thereto, and fixed to models of maxillary and mandibular jawbones;
[0020] FIG. 3 is an enlarged detail view of a portion of the fixation base of FIG. 1;
[0021] FIG. 4 is a plan view of the fixation base of FIG. 1, shown attached to a mouthpiece;
[0022] FIG. 5A is a plan view of a drill guide attached to the fixation base (the latter first shown in FIG. 1);
[0023] FIG. 5B corresponds to FIG. 5A, but shows the drill guide and fixation base as installed in an actual patient;
[0024] FIG. 6 is a plan view of an abutment guide, to be attached to the fixation base of FIG. 1;
[0025] FIG. 7 is a plan view of a bone reduction guide next to the fixation base of FIG. 1;
[0026] FIG. 8 is an environmental plan view of the fixation base of FIG. 1 installed to actual patient anatomy;
[0027] FIG. 9 is an environmental plan view of an abutment guide in use on an actual patient;
[0028] FIG. 10 is an environmental front view of the fixation base of FIG. 1, installed on a patient during fitting of a prosthesis over installed copings;
[0029] FIG. 11 is an environmental plan view of a prosthesis and implants against a patient, with the fixation base of FIG. 1 installed;
[0030] FIG. 12A is a view showing an exemplary embodiment of the fixation base with mouthpiece guide attached thereto;
[0031] FIG. 12B is a view showing the fixation base with mouthpiece guide of FIG. 12A starting to be placed on a patient's teeth;
[0032] FIG. 12C a view showing the fixation base with mouthpiece guide of FIG. 12A properly fitted on a patient's teeth and with holes drilled and hammered in insertion pins;
[0033] FIG. 12D a view showing the fixation base once secured having the mouthpiece guide removed by unlocking the pins and removing the mouthpiece guide;
[0034] FIG. 12E a view showing teeth being removed;
[0035] FIG. 12F a view showing bone being removed using the fixation base with an integrated bone reduction guide so that bone is flush with the fixation base;
[0036] FIG. 12G is a view showing the drill guide being attached to the fixation base;
[0037] FIG. 12H is another view showing the drill guide attached to the fixation base;
[0038] FIG. 12I is a view showing holes being drilled and setting implants, with the location, depth, and angles being managed through the drill guide and drill kit;
[0039] FIG. 12J is a view showing the drill guide removed and the abutment guide being attached to the fixation base;
[0040] FIG. 12K is a view showing the abutment Guide mounted to the fixation base via locking pins;
[0041] FIG. 12L is a view showing the abutments being attached to implants via holes in the abutment guide;
[0042] FIG. 12M is a view showing a notch in the hole where attachment screws are located to ensure proper positioning of the abutments;
[0043] FIG. 12N is a view showing copings being attached to abutments;
[0044] FIG. 12O is a view showing test fitment of the prosthesis and then removal;
[0045] FIG. 12P is a view showing the prosthesis mounted to the abutment jib, and screwing in the prosthesis to the abutments via the copings;
[0046] FIG. 12Q is a view showing inserting epoxy to fuse the prosthesis to the copings;
[0047] FIG. 12R is a view showing unscrewing the prosthesis from the abutments;
[0048] FIG. 12S is another view showing the prosthesis being removed from the abutments;
[0049] FIG. 12T is a view showing epoxy fusing the copings to the prosthesis;
[0050] FIG. 12U is a view showing the abutment guide being removed from the fixation base;
[0051] FIG. 12V is another view showing the abutment guide being removed from the fixation base;
[0052] FIG. 12W is a view showing the abutments properly set and the fixation base being removed;
[0053] FIG. 12X is a view showing the fixation base removed and with the gums being sutured together around the abutments;
[0054] FIG. 12Y is a view showing the prosthesis being reinserted and mounted to the abutments via screws thought the copings; and,
[0055] FIG. 12Z is a view showing the prosthesis being mounted.
[0056] FIG. 13 is a view showing the abutment guide attached to the fixation base, the abutment guide having standard vertical posts.
[0057] FIG. 14 is a view showing the abutment guide attached to the fixation base, the abutment guide having a plurality of vertical posts that have shapes that enhance their scannability.
[0058] FIG. 15 is a view showing a fixation base with a scannable surface added thereon.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0059] Referring first to FIG. 1, according to at least one aspect of the invention, there is shown apparatus for installing a dental prosthesis 10 (see FIG. 2) to a maxillary or mandibular jawbone (see FIGS. 10 and 11) of a patient 14 (FIG. 5B) in a single session, using implants 16 (see FIG. 11). The apparatus may comprise a fixation base 100 for providing an attachment surface for other apparatus used to orient implants 16, abutments 18 (FIG. 9), copings 20, and dental prosthesis 10 during an installation procedure. Fixation base 100 may further comprise a generally arcuate base member 102 having a front surface 104 bearing a plurality of fasteners 112, a rear surface 108 configured and dimensioned to fit flushly against a maxillary or mandibular bone structure of the patient, and a horizontal surface 110 bearing first attachment elements 106 for engagement of a first dental guide 122 (see FIG. 4) usable with fixation base 100, and wherein fixation base 100 is non-anatomical.
[0060] Fixation base 100 is usable with either the mandibular or maxillary jawbone, as seen in FIG. 2, which uses artificial models 22 of jawbones. Hence, orientation of fixation base 100 changes with use. Description herein will focus on maxillary use, it being understood that the same principles apply for mandibular use. With discussion directed to maxillary use, orientational terms will assume that the head of the patient is facing forwardly in a normal position that would occur with the patient standing straight on his or her legs. Alternatively stated, it is assumed for purposes of discussion that the maxillary jawbone is above the novel apparatus. Therefore, orientational terms such as vertical, horizontal, forwardly, and rearwardly must be understood to provide semantic basis for purposes of description, and do not limit the invention or its component parts in any particular way.
[0061] Fixation base 100 provides not only an attachment surface for other apparatus, but also locates the other apparatus precisely for the dental procedure. Fasteners 112 may be nails, for example. Close fitting holes are drilled into the maxillary jawbone to receive fasteners 112. First attachment elements 106 may comprise pins, threaded bolts, or other manually removable fasteners, and are made to cooperate with corresponding openings in the other apparatus to be mounted on fixation base 100. Fixation base 100 is non-anatomical, being fabricated from a metal, metal alloy, or other strong material. Fixation base 100 may be fabricated for example by three dimensionally printing using a chromium cobalt alloy.
[0062] Unless otherwise indicated, the terms first, second, etc., are used herein merely as labels, and are not intended to impose ordinal, positional, or hierarchical requirements on the items to which these terms refer. Moreover, reference to, e.g., a second item does not either require or preclude the existence of, e.g., a first or lower-numbered item, and/or, e.g., a third or higher-numbered item.
[0063] In one example of the invention, fixation base 100 comprises a plurality of bosses 114 (see FIG. 1) extending radially from the front surface, including bores 116 (see FIG. 3) for receiving and aligning first attachment elements 106. Fixation base 100 may also comprise a plurality of slots 118 for accepting tabs (not shown) of the first dental guide 122. Bosses 114 provide effective guidance surface for attachment elements 106, while minimizing mass of fixation base 100. This characteristic enables the dental practitioner to view the work site more effectively than would be the case if fixation base 100 were larger, thereby obscuring the work site.
[0064] Although fixation base 100 is utilized by itself, properly locating fixation base 100 will likely require an additional guide component. To this end, and referring especially to FIG. 4, the apparatus may further comprise first dental guide 122, wherein first dental guide 122 is a mouthpiece configured and dimensioned to surround teeth (not shown) of the patient, and to releasably attach to fixation base 100. First dental guide 122 may comprise a plurality of tabs (not shown, but similar to tabs 140, FIG. 6) corresponding in configuration to slots 118 (FIG. 1) extending toward and fitting closely with slots 118 of fixation base 100. First dental guide 122 engages fixation base 100 by interfit between slots 118 of fixation base 100 and the tabs of first dental guide 122. The purpose of first dental guide 122 is to assist in locating fixation base 100 with sufficient precision to assure successful installation of dental prosthesis 10. Therefore, first dental guide 122 is used when installing fixation base 100 in the mouth, but is removed thereafter and plays no further role. Subsequently used dental guides use tabs corresponding to those of first dental guide 122, in the same way, and to the same end, that of precisely locating the subsequently used dental guides prior to fixing the latter using attachment elements 106.
[0065] The apparatus may further comprise a second dental guide 124, wherein second dental guide 124 is a drill guide for guiding drilling of holes for implants 16. The drill guide is attachable to fixation base 100 in a position wherein the drill guide is in vertical registry with the maxillary or mandibular jawbone. The drill guide may include a seating feature cooperating with attachment elements 106 of fixation base 100, and a plurality of generally vertical bores 126 corresponding in location to and in axial registry with intended implant sites. The recited structure both pins second dental guide 124 securely to fixation base 100, and also properly orients vertical bores 126 relative to bone tissue, to assure appropriate orientation of implant holes drilled into the jaw. Second dental guide 124 may include stops (not separately shown) within bores 126, to prevent excessive penetration of drills into bone tissue. These stops may comprise e.g. shoulders interfering with the drill.
[0066] Referring particularly to FIG. 5A, the drill guide may be made from a metal or metallic alloy, and comprises a support bar 128 attachable to fixation base 100 (via attachment elements 106), one boss 130 for each one of vertical bores 126, bosses 130 attached to support bar 128 by arms 132 such that voids 134 exist between bosses 130 and support bar 128. Voids 134 enable direct observation of patient anatomy and insertion of irrigation and evacuation apparatus.
[0067] With reference to FIG. 6, the apparatus may further comprise a third dental guide 136. Third dental guide 136 is an abutment guide base including bores 138 sized and oriented to receive abutments 18 and guide abutments 18 for placement against implants 16. The abutment guide base is attachable to fixation base 100 in a position wherein bores are in vertical registry with the maxillary or mandibular jawbone and implants 16 after installation of the latter.
[0068] In summary, apparatus of the invention may include fixation base 100, serving as a foundation for supporting subsequently used guides. Fixation base 100 may also have one edge or surface formed for use as a guide when removing bone tissue, as will be described hereinafter. As an alternative to forming one edge or surface of a guide, the apparatus may include a separate bone reduction guide 142 (FIG. 7). Bone reduction guide 142 has attachment structure cooperating with slots 118 and attachment elements 106 of fixation guide 100, and a surface against which an appropriate bone removal tool (not shown) may be moved while abrading bone tissue.
[0069] The apparatus may include first dental guide 122 to properly locate fixation base 100, second dental guide 124 as a drill guide, and third dental guide 136 to place abutments and to visually check alignments.
[0070] Exemplary methods of using the above apparatus to install multi-tooth dental prosthesis 10 will now be set forth.
[0071] A method of installing multi-tooth dental prosthesis 10 (e.g., as shown in FIG. 2) in a mouth of a patient may comprise obtaining anatomical data from the mouth of the patient; and from the obtained data, designing and fabricating dental prosthesis 10, fixation base 100 to serve as a mounting jig for other dental guides, an abutment guide base (third dental guide 136) to assure appropriate location of subsequently installed implants and abutments, and a drill guide (second dental guide 124) to assure appropriate location and orientation of holes to be drilled for implants 16.
[0072] The method may include installing fixation base 100 to maxillary or mandibular bone tissue of the patient; removing at least one of natural teeth, dental fixtures, and obstructive mouth tissues (none of these is shown) from the work site, to expose an underside of the maxillary or mandibular bone tissue.
[0073] The method may comprise recontouring the bone tissue (by bone removal); drilling implant holes into the recontoured bone tissue, using the drill guide attached to fixation base 100; installing implants 16; removing the drill guide (second dental guide 124); installing abutments 18, and using the abutment guide base (third dental guide 136) attached to fixation base 100.
[0074] The method may include installing copings 20 to abutments 18; installing dental prosthesis 10 over copings 20; bonding copings 20 to dental prosthesis 10; removing dental prosthesis 10, the abutment guide base (third dental guide 136) and fixation base 100; and permanently installing dental prosthesis 10 to abutments 18.
[0075] Anatomical data may be obtained via CT scans or other imagery techniques. From these images, one of skill in the dental arts may design a suitable prosthesis, and the apparatus described above.
[0076] The above is a description of a simplified or basic method. In the basic method, medically advisable procedures and steps such as irrigation are ignored to avoid obscuring the novel method. The basic method may be enhanced with the following additional steps.
[0077] The method may further comprise, after installing fixation base 100 to maxillary or mandibular bone tissue of the patient, cutting back gum tissue to expose forwardly facing surfaces of the bone tissue. This enables solid seating of fixation base 100 against relatively rigid anatomical features, so that geometric integrity is preserved when relying on fixation base 100 to locate other guides.
[0078] In the method, installing fixation base 100 to maxillary or mandibular bone tissue of the patient may further comprise drilling holes into the exposed forwardly facing surfaces of the bone tissue, and driving fasteners through fixation base 100 into the drilled holes, to secure fixation base 100 to the maxillary or mandibular bone. Using driven fasteners such as nails provides a relatively expeditious yet robust way of securing fixation base 100 to the bone tissue.
[0079] The method may further comprise designing and fabricating a mouthpiece (first dental guide 122, FIG. 4) from the obtained data of the mouth of the patient, wherein the mouthpiece complements fixation base 100 by conforming to some surfaces of the mouth of the patient not covered by fixation base 100. The method may further comprise using the mouthpiece to assist in locating fixation base 100 appropriately when installing fixation base 100 to maxillary or mandibular bone tissue of the patient, and removing the mouthpiece after installing fixation base 100 to the maxillary or mandibular bone tissue. As stated previously, including the mouthpiece enhances accuracy and geometric integrity of the installation, when compared to placing and relying solely on fixation base 100. It also enables fixation base 100 to be of minimal bulk, thereby affording better viewing of the procedure by the dental personnel.
[0080] In the method recontouring the bone tissue may comprise using a preformed surface on fixation base 100 to guide a bone removal tool (not shown). In FIG. 8, fixation base 100 includes a surface formed to guide the bone removal tool. As may be seen in this view of actual patient anatomy, bulk of fixation base 100 is not excessive, and reduced bone tissue 12 remains in full view to the dental practitioner.
[0081] Referring to FIG. 7, in the method, recontouring the bone tissue may comprise using a bone removal guide 142 separate from fixation base 100 to guide a bone removal tool. Bone removal guide 142 may accommodate a revision to the desired contours, which revision may possibly not be reflected in or possible with fixation base 100. It may be, for example, that fixation base 100 was formed outside of specified geometric parameters. In this situation, fixation base 100 may nonetheless still be utilized.
[0082] In the method, installing abutments 18 may include adjusting the abutments to appropriate angular orientations relative to a central axis of associated implants 16 using pre-established indicators in the abutment guide base. Referring to FIGS. 6 and 9, a bore 138 for an abutment 18 may include a notch 144 serving as an indicator for appropriate angular or rotational orientation of abutment 18. In FIG. 9, a tool such as a small screwdriver occupies notch 144 while another tool rotates abutment 18 appropriately.
[0083] In the method, installing dental prosthesis 10 over copings 20 and bonding copings 20 to dental prosthesis 10 may further comprise applying a blocking material to seal holes in the dental prosthesis for receiving abutments 18, and applying a settable resin spanning copings 20 and dental prosthesis 10. The settable resin seals gaps that would otherwise exist between copings 20 and dental prosthesis 10. This solidifies dental prosthesis 10 and copings 20 as a single component, and may discourage deposits of food and resultant growth of bacterial colonies.
[0084] The method of may further comprise, after removing dental prosthesis 10 after bonding copings 20 to dental prosthesis 10 and removing dental prosthesis 10, the abutment guide base (third dental guide 136, FIG. 6), and fixation base 100, verifying geometric orientations of attachment points for dental prosthesis 10. FIG. 10 shows a test fitment of dental prosthesis 10 in an actual patient after removal of third dental guide 136, although fixation base 100 has been left in place. Verification of attachment points may prevent a faulty installation going unnoticed until after the patient has left the dental office.
[0085] The method may further comprise, after removing dental prosthesis 10, the abutment guide base (third dental guide 136, FIG. 6), the fixation base 100, and prior to permanently installing dental prosthesis 10 to abutments 18, suturing gums of the patient in positions against the dental prosthesis. This reestablishes protections provided by gum tissue.
[0086] In the method, permanently installing the dental prosthesis may further comprise screwing dental prosthesis 10 to implants 10 or to abutments 18. While the latter is conventional, screwing dental prosthesis 10 in place to one or the other allows for subsequent removal, should that become necessary. In this context, permanent installation refers to ability of the patient to use the newly installed dental prosthesis 10 without further professional attention by the dental practitioner.
[0087] In the method, permanently installing dental prosthesis 10 may further comprise applying a filler material to fill recesses in a rearwardly facing surface of dental prosthesis 10. This may improve esthetics of the installation, and may eliminate places for food to lodge and bacteria to grow. Ordinarily, applied filler material is smoothed after curing, such as by sanding.
[0088] FIGS. 12A-12Z show step by step details of the aforementioned method of the invention. FIG. 12A is a view showing an exemplary embodiment of the fixation base 100 with mouthpiece guide 122 attached thereto. FIG. 12B is a view showing the fixation base 100 with mouthpiece guide 122 of FIG. 12A starting to be placed on a patient's teeth. FIG. 12C a view showing the fixation base 100 with mouthpiece guide 122 of FIG. 12A properly fitted on a patient's teeth and with holes drilled and hammered in insertion pins 112. FIG. 12D a view showing the fixation base 100 once secured having the mouthpiece guide 122 removed by unlocking the pins 106 and removing the mouthpiece guide 122. FIG. 12E a view showing teeth being removed. FIG. 12F a view showing bone being removed using the fixation base 100 with an integrated bone reduction guide so that bone is flush with the fixation base 100. FIG. 12G is a view showing the drill guide 124 being attached to the fixation base 100 and FIG. 12H is another view showing the drill guide 124 attached to the fixation base 100. FIG. 12I is a view showing holes being drilled and setting implants, with the location, depth, and angles being managed through the drill guide 124 and drill kit (not shown). FIG. 12J is a view showing the abutment guide (also sometimes called abutment jig) 136 being attached to the fixation base 100, and FIG. 12K is a view showing the abutment guide 136 mounted to the fixation base 100 via locking pins 106. Also shown in FIG. 12K are two extruded pegs 137 that are mateably and removably received by two peg receptors 139 located on the prosthesis 10 as seen in FIG. 12T. The pegs 137 located on the abutment guide 136 and the peg receptors 139 located on the prosthesis 10 are attachment and positioning structures that allow the dental prosthesis 10 to be releasably attached to the abutment guide 136 in a specific position. FIG. 12L is a view showing the abutments 18 being attached to implants 16 via holes 160 in the abutment guide 136. FIG. 12M is a view showing a notch 144 in the hole where attachment screws are located to ensure proper positioning of the abutments. FIG. 12N is a view showing copings 20 being attached to abutments 18. FIG. 12O is a view showing test fitment of the prosthesis 10 and then removal. FIG. 12P is a view showing the prosthesis 10 mounted to the abutment guide 136 using the extruded pegs 137 located on the abutment guide 136 and the peg receptors 139 located on the prosthesis 10 and screwing in the prosthesis 10 to the abutments via the copings 20. FIG. 12Q is a view showing inserting epoxy to fuse the prosthesis 10 to the copings 20. FIG. 12R is a view showing unscrewing the prosthesis 10 from the abutments 18. FIG. 12S is another view showing the prosthesis 10 being removed from the abutments 18. FIG. 12T is a view showing epoxy fusing the copings 20 to the prosthesis 10. FIG. 12U and 12V are views showing the abutment guide 136 being removed from the fixation base 100. FIG. 12W is a view showing the abutments 18 properly set and the fixation base removed. FIG. 12X is a view showing the fixation base removed and with the gums being sutured together around the abutments 18. FIG. 12Y is a view showing the prosthesis 10 being reinserted and mounted to the abutments 18 via screws thought the copings 20. Lastly, FIG. 12Z is a view showing the prosthesis 10 being mounted.
[0089] FIG. 13 is an isolated view showing the abutment guide 136 mounted to the fixation base 100, with two extruded pegs 137. In one implementation, the pegs 137 on the abutment guide are used as scan bodies, in addition to their role mating with the two peg receptors 139 located on the prosthesis 10. An intraoral scan is performed by a dental intraoral scanner. The scan is used by dental design software which converts the digital data from the intraoral scan into a model used for developing the prothesis. The additional feature of using the extruded pegs as scan bodies allows them to provide even more digital data during the scanning process, where each scan body provides a digital coordinate position of the abutment guide, which information can be used to design a prosthesis that will attach to the abutment. The additional data is obtained to address user variables that are inherent within the stackable system of the fixation base, abutment guide, and prosthesis. For example, the drill bit might wobble when drilling for the implants, causing the implants to be out of position compared to the information obtained from the original scan. The additional scans using the extruded pegs as scan bodies allow the technicians to account for these changes in position so that small adjustments can be made digitally and then the prosthesis printed out. This allows for the tolerances to be tighter. For example, if the implant is off, the installer sometimes has to fill in the gap with resin which can crack. Because of the higher tolerances, fill is not needed. The peg scan bodies maintain the original position of the prosthesis from the original patient scan file and the other implant scan bodies show the adjustment needed. The pegs can be used as scan bodies as they are shown in FIG. 13. In another implementation, the pegs are beveled with flat surfaces such as the pegs 137A shown in FIG. 14. The flat surfaces are angled at the top of the pegs 137A to facilitate better scanning. An additional advantage of the beveled pegs is that the flat side of the pegs prevents the prosthesis from rotating around its axis when mated with the prosthesis, such that only one peg is needed both as a scan body or positioning structure and as a mating structure. The pegs can have one flat, angled surface such as the pegs 137A shown in FIG. 14, or can have multiple flat surfaces, such as two, three, four, five, or more flat surfaces. In one implementation, the flat surfaces converge toward the top of the peg as a geometric structure. Other shapes that prevent rotation like a T-shaped peg, X-shaped peg, or gear-shaped peg could also be utilized. Multiple pegs can also have the same configuration of beveled surfaces such as the pegs 137A shown in FIG. 14 or can have different configurations of beveled surfaces such as they have unique shapes. As such, the present invention includes an abutment guide with a singular peg that can act as a positioning structure due to a shape that prevents the mated prosthesis from rotating about its axis, as well as an abutment guide with pegs that are designed to act as scan bodies, including pegs that have additional flat surfaces that improve their scannability. The scan data can be used by artificial intelligence to determine the position of features and then use that data to generate and three-dimensional print the prostheses right then and there in the office.
[0090] The benefits to the incorporation of pegs as both scan bodies and positioning structures are many, including surgical and record capture time is reduced considerably, predictability of records is enhanced due to the single scan capture (other systems require at least 4 scans during a challenging surgery), the abutment or carrier guide is designed with special scan body posts for predictable simple registration to the design software, the surgery and guides are predictably planned in the laboratory before surgery, where technicians take into account space for prosthetics, smile line, vertical opening, and all of the necessary details of planning implants and full mouth reconstruction, the process of registering surgical records to the software is much simpler and is available for most intraoral scans equipment such that highly expensive technical equipment to perform the same task is not required.
[0091] Alternatively, or in addition, the fixation base itself provides scannable surfaces which can be used as scan bodies. Such surfaces include the Swiss lock slots, housings, and pins, the pins that attach the fixation base and the surrounds the pins go through, or any other surfaces that are present or added for that purpose could be used as scan bodies. These existing structures can be modified with additional beveled flat surface(s) to increase their scannability, or new structures can be added to provide such flat surfaces and placed throughout the fixation base. An implementation of a fixation base 100 with a scannable flat surface added 101A is shown in FIG. 15.
[0092] While the present invention has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the present invention is not to be limited to the disclosed arrangements, but is intended to cover various arrangements which are included within the spirit and scope of the broadest possible interpretation of the appended claims so as to encompass all modifications and equivalent arrangements which are possible.
