Abstract
A cap part (1) placed on an interface (100) or on an attachment to act jointly as a scanning post. The cap part has a cavity (2) for housing at least one cylindrical portion (101) with a circular base of the interface or of the attachment. The cap part is configured by a single body having an upper portion (11) formed by a solid head (3) without holes or notches, and a lower portion (12) provided with a longitudinal blind hole forming the cavity (2). The blind hole has a retaining segment (4), the inner wall of which is partially or entirely formed by a concave, cylindrical retaining surface (40) with an elliptical or oval-shaped base for retaining by embedding an essentially cylindrical portion (101) of the interface (100) or of the attachment.
Claims
1. A dental scanning post system, comprising: a dental abutment or a dental attachment having at least one essentially cylindrical portion with a circular base and an outer diameter; and cap part for dental scanning configured to be placed on the abutment or on the dental attachment, the cap part provided with a cavity for housing the at least one essentially cylindrical portion with the circular base of the abutment or of the dental attachment, wherein the cap part is a single body comprising an upper portion formed by a solid head, without holes or notches, and a lower portion provided with a blind hole at an end opposite from the head which extends in a longitudinal direction of the cap part and forms the cavity for housing the at least one essentially cylindrical portion of the abutment or of the dental attachment, wherein the blind hole of the lower portion of the cap part comprises a retaining segment, an inner wall of which is partially or entirely formed by a concave retaining surface having a cylindrical configuration with an elliptical or oval-shaped base, wherein a transverse cross section of the retaining segment is entirely or partially an ellipse or oval having a smaller diameter and a larger diameter, the smaller diameter is less than the outer diameter of the at least one essentially cylindrical portion of the abutment or of the dental attachment, and the larger diameter is larger than the outer diameter of the at least one essentially cylindrical portion of the abutment or of the dental attachment, the inner wall configured to retain the abutment or the dental attachment by embedding the at least one essentially cylindrical portion of the abutment or of the dental attachment in the retaining segment, the elliptical or oval shape of the transverse cross section of the retaining segment providing retention of the at least one essentially cylindrical portion of the abutment or of the dental attachment by embedding and tightening said at least one essentially cylindrical portion according to the direction of the smaller diameter of the ellipse or oval.
2. The dental scanning post system according to claim 1, wherein the smaller diameter of the ellipse or oval which entirely or partially forms the transverse cross section of the retaining segment of the blind hole is between 1.5% and 6% smaller with respect to the outer diameter of the essentially cylindrical portion of the abutment or the dental attachment.
3. The dental scanning post system according to claim 1, wherein the blind hole comprises a secondary segment, the inner wall of which is formed by a cylindrical concave secondary surface with a circular base and a diameter less than or equal to the smaller diameter of the cross section of the retaining segment, the secondary segment being arranged between the retaining segment and the bottom of the blind hole.
4. The dental scanning post system according to claim 1, wherein the inner wall of the retaining segment is partially formed by the concave retaining surface having a cylindrical configuration with an elliptical base, the rest of the inner wall being formed by a flat surface parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cap part and parallel to the direction wherein the larger diameter of the ellipse or oval forming the base of the retaining surface extends, and wherein the transverse cross section of the retaining segment of the blind hole is an ellipse or an oval truncated at one of the ends with a smaller diameter by a straight line parallel to the direction of the larger diameter of the ellipse or oval.
5. The dental scanning post system according to claim 1, wherein the cap part is made of polyether ether ketone.
6. The dental scanning post system according to claim 1, wherein the head of the cap part is configured as a spherical surface truncated at the upper end thereof by a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the cap part, forming a flat upper face, and truncated at one of the sides of the spherical body by a plane parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cap part, forming a flat side face.
7. The dental scanning post system according to claim 1, wherein the lower portion of the body of the cap part is configured by a body with a cylindrical outer surface with a circular base and wherein the lower portion and the upper portion are joined by a cylindrical neck.
8. The dental scanning post system according to claim 1, wherein the end opposite from the head of the lower portion of the body of the cap part has an opening of the blind hole configured internally by a guiding and centring surface comprising a frustoconical segment which connects to the retaining surface of the retaining segment.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
(1) The accompanying drawings illustrate, by way of non-limiting example, a preferred embodiment of the cap part object of the invention. In said drawings:
(2) FIGS. 1 and 2 are perspective views from above and below of the cap part object of the invention according to a first embodiment, wherein the inner wall of the retaining segment is partially formed by the concave retaining surface having a cylindrical configuration with an elliptical base, the rest of the inner wall being formed by a flat surface parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cap part and parallel to the direction in which the larger diameter of the ellipse or oval forming the base of the retaining surface extends;
(3) FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 are other perspective views of the cap part shown in FIG. 1;
(4) FIG. 6 is a view of the cap part similar to the one shown in FIG. 1 but wherein several segments of the blind hole that runs through the inside of the part have been drawn as dotted lines;
(5) FIGS. 7 and 8 are perspective views of the cap part of FIG. 1 with one fourth and one half removed in order to show the cavity of the blind hole;
(6) FIGS. 9 and 10 are, respectively, a perspective view and a cross-sectional view of the assembly formed by the cap part of FIG. 1 placed on a short abutment;
(7) FIGS. 11 and 12 are, respectively, a perspective view and cross-sectional view of the assembly formed by the cap part of FIG. 1 placed on a long abutment;
(8) FIG. 13 is a schematic view of the cross section of the cap part of FIG. 1, whereon the larger diameter (D) and the smaller diameter (d) of the ellipse or oval of the cross section of the retaining segment of the blind hole have been indicated, drawing the truncated ellipse or oval as a thicker line for it to be seen better;
(9) FIGS. 14 and 15 are perspective views similar to FIGS. 5 and 3, respectively, but belonging to a second embodiment of the cap part of the invention, wherein the inner wall of the retaining segment is entirely formed by the concave retaining surface having a cylindrical configuration with an elliptical base, without any flat surface such as in the case of the first embodiment;
(10) FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the cap part according to the second embodiment shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, wherein several segments of the blind hole that runs through the inside of the part have been drawn as dotted lines;
(11) FIG. 17 is a front view of FIG. 16 wherein the different segments of the blind hole have also been drawn as dotted lines; and
(12) FIG. 18 is a schematic view of the cross section of the cap part of FIG. 14, whereon the larger diameter (D) and the smaller diameter (d) of the ellipse or oval of the cross section of the retaining segment of the blind hole have been indicated, drawing the ellipse or oval as a thicker line for it to be seen better.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
(13) FIGS. 1 to 6 and also FIGS. 14 to 17 show two embodiments of a cap part 1 for dental scanning intended to be placed on an abutment 100 (such as the ones shown in FIGS. 9 to 12) or on a dental attachment in order to act jointly with the cap part 1 as a scanning post. The cap part 1 is provided with a cavity 2 for housing at least one essentially cylindrical portion 101 with a circular base of the abutment 100 or of the dental attachment. The cap part 1 is made of polyether ether ketone (PEEK).
(14) FIGS. 9-10 and 11-12 show an assembly of the cap part 1 placed on a short and long abutment 100, respectively, in order to act as a scanning post. Both abutments 100 comprise an essentially cylindrical portion 101 with a circular base, with the difference that the long abutment 100 (FIGS. 11 and 12) also comprises, on the essentially cylindrical portion 101, an end portion 102 also having a cylindrical configuration with a circular base, although with a slightly smaller diameter than the essentially cylindrical portion 101. The essentially cylindrical portion 101 with a circular base is limited on the bottom with an annular segment 103 with a larger diameter which marks the transition between the upper portion and the lower portion of the abutment 100. The annular segment 103 can act as support for the cap part 1 since it is located above said segment. As will be explained below, the essentially cylindrical portion 101 with a circular base of the abutment 100 is embedded in a segment of the cavity 2 of the cap part 1 being retained in said segment, thus ensuring that they are fixed to each other and the scanning can then be performed, without needing to use any screws for said fixing.
(15) As seen especially in FIGS. 1 to 6 and 14 to 17, the cap part 1 is configured by a single body comprising an upper portion 11 formed by a solid head 3, without holes, hollows or notches, and a lower portion 12 provided with a blind hole at the end opposite from the head 3.
(16) The head 3 is configured as a spherical surface truncated on the upper end thereof by a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the cap part 1 forming a flat upper face 31. The longitudinal axis is shown in FIGS. 1 and 17 with a dotted and dashed line. Furthermore, the spherical surface of the spherical body is also truncated on one side by a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal shaft of the cap part 1, forming a flat upper face 32. Both the upper face 31 and the side face 32 act as indicators or a reference for the position of the implant or replica of the implant in the laboratory model and/or of the abutment 100 during the scanning operation. The drawings do not show the implant or the replica thereof, although the implant, or the replica thereof, would be located and connected above the lower portion of the abutment 100. It is also seen that the lower portion 12 of the body of the cap part 1 is configured by a body with a cylindrical outer surface with a circular base, the lower portion 12 and the upper portion 11 being joined by a cylindrical neck 13.
(17) The blind hole which is provided in the lower portion 12 extends in the longitudinal direction of the cap part 1 and forms the cavity 2 for housing at least the essentially cylindrical portion 101 of the abutment 100 or of the dental attachment.
(18) It is noteworthy that this blind hole comprises a retaining segment 4, the inner wall of which is partially (in the embodiment of the cap part 1 of FIGS. 1 to 13) or entirely (in the embodiment of FIGS. 14 to 18) formed by a concave retaining surface 40 having a cylindrical configuration with an elliptical or oval-shaped base for retaining by embedding in the retaining segment 4 of the essentially cylindrical portion 101 of the abutment 100 or of the aforementioned dental attachment.
(19) As shown in detail in FIG. 18, the transverse cross section of the retaining segment 4 of the blind hole is entirely an ellipse or oval, the smaller diameter d of which is less than the outer diameter of the essentially cylindrical portion 101 of the abutment 100, and the larger diameter D of said ellipse or oval is larger than the outer diameter of the essentially cylindrical portion 101 of the abutment 100. The essentially cylindrical portion 101 of the abutment 100 that is retained by embedding in the retaining segment 4 is the cylindrical portion that is just above the annular segment 103 which marks the transition between the upper portion and the lower portion of the abutment 100. When the abutment 100 is short, such as the one in FIG. 10, the essentially cylindrical portion 101 of the abutment 100 is formed only by the cylinder that has the upper portion, and when the abutment 100 is long, such as the one in FIG. 12, the essentially cylindrical portion 101 of the abutment 100 is not formed by the upper cylinder located at the end or end portion 102, but rather by the lower cylinder, which normally has an outer diameter slightly larger than the upper cylinder of the abutment 100.
(20) Instead, in FIG. 13, which corresponds to the first embodiment of the cap part 1 shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, the transverse cross section of the retaining segment 4 of the blind hole is not entirely an ellipse or oval like that of FIG. 18, but rather an ellipse or an oval truncated at one end of the smaller diameter d by a straight line parallel to the direction of the larger diameter D of the ellipse or oval. This is due to the fact that in the first embodiment, the inner wall of the retaining segment 4 is partially formed by the concave retaining surface 40 having a cylindrical configuration with an elliptical base, the rest of the inner wall being formed by a flat surface 41 parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cap part 1 and parallel to the direction in which the larger diameter D of the ellipse or oval forming the base of the retaining surface 40 extends. This flat surface 41 can be seen in FIGS. 2 to 5, and acts as positioning with the abutment 100 which incorporates the flat face.
(21) By way of example, preferably, the smaller diameter d of the ellipse or oval which entirely or partially forms the transverse cross section of the retaining segment 4 of the blind hole is between 1.5% and 6% smaller with respect to the outer diameter of the essentially cylindrical portion 101 of the abutment 100 or of the dental attachment.
(22) By way of example, for the first embodiment of the cap part 1 shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, wherein the transverse cross section of the retaining segment 4 of the blind hole is not entirely an ellipse or oval, the smaller diameter d (see FIG. 13) of the ellipse is between 5% and 5.50% smaller than the outer diameter of the essentially cylindrical portion 101 of the abutment 100 or of the dental attachment, and in a preferred embodiment it is 5.28% smaller. In this case, the smaller diameter d of the ellipse is considered as the distance in the direction perpendicular to the larger diameter D of the ellipse which goes from the flat surface 41 to the opposite side. In contrast, in the second embodiment of the cap part, corresponding to FIGS. 14 to 18, the transverse cross section of the retaining segment 4 of the blind hole is entirely an ellipse or oval, and the smaller diameter d (see FIG. 16) of the ellipse is between 1.5% and 2% smaller than the outer diameter of the essentially cylindrical portion 101 of the abutment 100 or of the dental attachment, and particularly in a preferred embodiment it is 1.74% smaller.
(23) FIGS. 6-8, 16 and 17 show that the blind hole comprises a secondary segment 5, the inner wall of which is formed by a cylindrical concave secondary surface 50 with a circular base and with a diameter less than or equal to the smaller diameter d of the cross section of the retaining segment 4. The secondary segment 5 is arranged between the retaining segment 4 and the blind bottom of the blind hole.
(24) The secondary surface 50 is cylindrical with a diameter smaller than the smaller diameter d of the retaining segment 4, and furthermore there is a positive clearance in this secondary segment 5 because the cylindrical end portion 102 of the long abutment 100 is less than the diameter of the secondary segment 5. The cylindrical end portion 102 of the abutment 100 simply enters in the secondary segment 5 but is not retained in this segment, since said abutment 100 will only be retained by embedding of the essentially cylindrical portion 101 thereof in the retaining segment 4 due to friction with the retaining surface 40.
(25) FIGS. 7 and 8 show that between the retaining segment 4 and the secondary segment 5 there is a widening segment 7 and that the bottom of the blind hole, above the secondary segment, is formed by a segment with a conical surface 8. However, said segments only define a particular configuration of the blind hole of the cap part 1, it being able to have a different configuration wherein the secondary segment 5 and the retaining segment 4 are not connected by a widening segment, and wherein the bottom of the blind hole has another shape.
(26) In any of the embodiments, in order to perform the scanning, the operator will place the cap part 1 on top of the abutment 100, causing the essentially cylindrical portion 101 with a circular base to be introduced with pressure into the retaining segment 4 of the blind hole. If the abutment 100 is long, the end portion 102 of the abutment 100 will occupy the secondary segment 5. The elliptical or oval shape of the cross section of the retaining segment 4 allows the retaining segment 4 to tighten, according to the direction of the smaller diameter d to the essentially cylindrical portion 101 of the abutment 100 and at the same time it enables, since the cap part 1 is made of PEEK, a certain distribution of material so that it can expand slightly in the direction of the larger radius D of the ellipse or oval.
(27) In order to facilitate the placement and centring of the cap part 1 on the abutment 100, the end of the lower portion 12 of the cap part opposite from the head 3 has an opening 6 of the blind hole configured internally by a guiding and centring surface 60 comprising a frustoconical segment which connects to the retaining surface 40 of the retaining segment 4.
