Patent Publication Number: US-2013244206-A1

Title: Patient-specific system for restoring missing dentition

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/612,194, filed on Mar. 16, 2012, the entirety of which application is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD 
     The present disclosure generally relates to a system to restore dentition utilizing dental implants and patient-specific surgical and restorative components. Specifically, drilling instructions and a guide for implant placement are created with the optimal prosthetic outcome, and the healing abutment, temporary abutment, impression coping and final abutment have the same, custom emergence profile, which forms the gingival tissue surrounding the implant, and which is unique to each patient. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Pre-manufactured dental implant surgical and prosthetic components to shape the patient&#39;s gingival tissue to achieve a more anatomically correct emergence profile are known. According to one prior art technique, a healing cap for providing a predetermined oval contour to the gingival tissue is described. A number of problems and restrictions are presented, however, with the use of pre-manufactured surgical and prosthetic components. Specifically, the anatomically correct emergence profile of a patient is unique to that patient. Pre-manufactured surgical and prosthetic components for dental implant restoration can only approximate general emergence profiles intended to fit reasonably well with the anatomical assumptions made during the design of those pre-manufactured components. 
     SUMMARY 
     The patient-specific surgical and prosthetic components of the present invention and the method for their use provide a means for achieving a more predictable restorative outcome because the implant placement and emergence profile are designed and manufactured specifically for each patient&#39;s unique anatomy to achieve an optimal prosthetic outcome. 
     A patient-specific system for restoring missing dentition is provided herein. In one embodiment, the system includes surgical components including a dental implant drilling guide adapted to the patient&#39;s dental anatomy, dental implant, drills required to place said implant, and drilling depth and sequence instructions specific to the patient. Further, the system includes a patient-specific healing abutment to form a customized emergence profile, an impression coping with the same emergence profile, a provisional abutment with the same emergence profile, a final abutment, a provisional crown or bridge, and a final crown or bridge. The crown or bridge may be screw or cement retained. 
     In an embodiment, a patient-specific system for restoring missing dentition is provided. The system includes a dental implant drilling guide adapted to the dental anatomy of a patient, a dental implant, one or more drills required to place the implant, drilling depth and sequence instructions specific to the patient, and patient-specific components having a customized emergence profile including: a healing abutment, an impression coping, a provisional abutment, and a final abutment. The patient-specific components have the same customized emergence profile geometry. 
     The system may further include a provisional crown or bridge, and a final crown or bridge. The final crown or bridge may be retained using a screw or cement. 
     The patient specific components may include an implant contact region configured to connect the bottom of the patient-specific components to the dental implant. The patient-specific emergence profile geometry of the patient-specific components may be designed by computer-aided design (CAD). The designed geometry may be produced by computer-aided machining (CAM). The patient-specific components may have the same or substantially the same emergence profile geometry intended to form the gingival tissue. 
     Each patient-specific component may have an opening that extends through at least a portion thereof. The opening may provide access for a screw. The screw may secure the patient-specific components to the dental implant. 
     In an embodiment, a patient-specific system for restoring missing dentition is provided. The system includes a dental implant drilling guide adapted to the dental anatomy of a patient, a dental implant, one or more drills required to place the dental implant in the patient, drilling depth and sequence instructions specific to the patient, a healing abutment, an impression coping, a provisional abutment, a final abutment, a provisional prosthetic, and a final prosthetic, wherein the healing abutment, the impression coping, the provisional abutment, and the final abutment are patient-specific components having the same customized emergence profile geometry. The patient-specific components may include an implant contact region configured to connect to the dental implant. The customized emergence profile geometry of the patient-specific components may be designed by means of computer-aided design (CAD), and the designed geometry may be produced by computer-aided machining (CAM). 
     In an embodiment, a patient-specific system for restoring missing dentition includes: one or more dental implant surgical components, a healing abutment, an impression coping, a provisional abutment, a final abutment, a provisional crown or bridge, and a final crown or bridge. The healing abutment, the impression coping, the provisional abutment, and the final abutment are patient-specific components having the same customized emergence profile geometry. Also, the emergence profile geometry of the patient-specific components includes an implant contact region configured to connect to the dental implant. 
     The one or more dental implant surgical components may include one or more patient-specific surgical components such as a dental implant drilling guide adapted to the dental anatomy of a patient, drilling depth and sequence instructions specific to the patient, a dental implant, one or more drills required to place the dental implant in the patient, or a combination thereof. The one or more dental implant surgical components may include: a dental implant drilling guide adapted to the dental anatomy of a patient, a dental implant, one or more drills required to place the implant, and drilling depth and sequence instructions specific to the patient. 
     The customized emergence profile geometry of the patient-specific components may be designed by means of computer-aided design (CAD) and the designed geometry may be produced by computer-aided machining (CAM). 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The aforementioned objects and advantages of the present invention, as well as additional objects and advantages thereof, will be more fully understood herein after as a result of a detailed description of a preferred embodiment when taken in conjunction with the following drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a side view of a healing abutment, impression coping, and temporary abutment with matching, patient-specific emergence profile geometry having, at the bottom, an implant contact region with geometry to connect to the implant; 
         FIG. 2  is an embodiment of tooth replacement system components including a dental implant drilling guide adapted to the patient&#39;s dental anatomy, dental implant, drills required to place said implant, drilling depth and sequence instructions specific to the patient, patient-specific healing abutment to form a customized emergence profile, an impression coping with the same emergence profile, a provisional abutment with the same emergence profile, a final abutment with the same emergence profile, a provisional crown, and a final crown; and 
         FIG. 3  is an example of patient-specific drilling depth and sequence instructions. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring now to the drawings in detail,  FIG. 1  is a side view of an embodiment of patient-specific components including a healing abutment  10 , temporary abutment  20 , impression coping  30 , and final abutment  40  with matching patient-specific emergence profiles  45  and patient-specific emergence profile geometry. At the bottom of each component  10 ,  20 ,  30 ,  40  is an implant contact region  50  with geometry to connect to the dental implant  60 . Also shown in  FIG. 1  is a provisional crown  70  for placement on the temporary abutment  20 , and a final crown  80  for placement on the final abutment  40 . 
     In one embodiment, the patient-specific emergence profile geometry of these components is designed by means of computer-aided design (CAD) and the designed geometry is produced by computer-aided machining (CAM). 
     Regardless of the method of design or manufacture, the patient-specific components  10 ,  20 ,  30 ,  40  share the same, or substantially similar emergence profile geometry intended to form the gingival tissue. 
     To provide access for a screw that engages threads of an internal bore  90  in the dental implant  60 , the patient-specific components  10 ,  20 ,  30 ,  40  may have a central opening  100 . The opening  100  may have a bore that extends through the entire axis of the component. The bore has a seating area for the head of a screw. The screw includes a head and a lower section having external threads thereon. The screw is threaded into an internally threaded bore of the dental implant. The screw secures the patient-specific components  10 ,  20 ,  30 ,  40  to the dental implant  60 . These components  10 ,  20 ,  30 ,  40  have a prosthetic connection to interface with the dental implant  60 . The dental implant  60  also has threads for engaging the bone of the dental arches (including the maxillary and mandible). The dental implant  60  is located below a gingival surface and contacts a dental arch (not shown). 
       FIG. 2  shows an embodiment of a tooth replacement system  200  including various components that may be in the system  200 . Shown therein are a dental implant drilling guide adapted to the patient&#39;s dental anatomy (contained in box  210 ), a dental implant  60  (in package  220 ), drills  230  required to place said implant, drilling depth and sequence instructions  240  specific to the patient (see also  FIG. 3 ), and the following items contained in box  250  (see also  FIG. 1 ): a patient-specific healing abutment  10  to form a customized emergence profile  45 , an impression coping  20  with the same emergence profile  45 , a provisional abutment  30  with the same emergence profile  45 , a final abutment  40  with the same emergence profile  45 , a provisional crown  70 , and a final crown  80 . The system  200  may also include a tray  260  having recesses for holding impressions  270 ,  280 . 
       FIG. 3  is an example of patient-specific drilling depth and sequence instructions. 
     While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, a specific embodiment thereof has been shown by way of example in the drawings. It should be understood, however, that it is not intended to limit the invention to the particular forms disclosed but, on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention. 
     While the present invention has been described with reference to one or more particular embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that many changes may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Each of these embodiments and variations thereof is contemplated as falling within the spirit and scope of the disclosed invention.