Patent ID: 12226269

DESCRIPTION OF CERTAIN EMBODIMENTS OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

In the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this application. The drawings show, by way of illustration, specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

The present invention could be a bone foundation guide system18and method or process100. As substantially shown inFIGS.1,17, and19the bone foundation guide system18could comprise a loot foundation guide20, a dental implant surgical guide50and in at least one embodiment, a tissue spacing gasket80as well. The bone foundation guide body22, the dental implant surgical guide50and tissue spacing gasket80may be designed and created together through digital dentistry in which scans of the patient's mouth35(along with impressions and castings thereof) may be used to create a virtual model (not shown) of the patient's existing mouth; to develop a virtual model of the patient's mouth both pre-dental and post-dental surgery; and to develop a dental surgical plan that connects the two patient-specific virtual models. In this manner, the dental surgical planning can provide for the manufacture the bone foundation guide20, dental implant surgical guide50and tissue spacing gasket80so that the contours of the bone foundation guide body22may be created to fit upon the exposed bone14of the dental surgical site12. Further, the dental implant surgical guide50contours may also match those of the dental implant surgical guide50and the tissue spacing gasket80to enable dental implant surgical guide50and the tissue spacing gasket80to alternately be removably attached to and be supported by the bone foundation guide20.

As substantially shown inFIGS.1,2,3,4,5and6the bone foundation guide20, as substantially used by a dental healthcare professional such as a dental surgeon (not shown) to substantially modify (e.g., reduce, augment or both) the bone14of the dental surgical site12as needed for a successful dental surgery. The bone foundation guide20could comprise a bone foundation guide body22with a buccal wall24and lingual wall26connected together at their respective ends by a first end28and a second end30. The first end28and the second end30could be holding the buccal and lingual walls24,26apart from one and other in a substantially parallel fashion to generally create and define an open surgical space32(e.g., that generally passes through the bone foundation guide body22) to generally continuously connect portion of the top34of the body22with a portion of the bottom36of the body22.

The bone foundation guide body22may be further penetrated by one or more attachment apertures38that may be oriented to pass through a buccal24wall. Body fasteners40may pass through the attachment apertures38to into the bone14of the dental surgical site12to removably secure the bone foundation guide body22to dental surgical site12. (Substantially shown inFIG.13.) The attachment aperture38could further feature a. reinforcement collar (not shown) to support and guide the fastener40through the attachment aperture38. In other embodiments, the attachment apertures38could pass though the body22connecting top34and bottom36or through the lingual wall26to provide body attachment to the dental surgical site12. The body may further have a cutting guard23extending up from the top of the lingual wall26to prevent a cutting implement (not shown) when used with the bone foundation guide in removing bone14from a dental surgical site from unwontedly cutting the tongue or other portions of the patient's mouth19, This cutting guard23may further feature out or more cutouts25that may be used to anchor and align other portions.

Some embodiments of the bone foundation guide body22may further comprise one or more anchoring struts42that may be removably attached to the buccal wall24and the lingual wall26between the first end28and the second end30. The anchoring strut42may have at its outer apex44one or more indentations46that can match one or more portions of gum, dentition or both the patient's first or opposing alveolar ridge13(e.g., the opposing alveolar ridge13is located opposite of or opposing to the second alveolar ridge15that is supporting the dental surgical site12. Meaning if the dental surgical site12is on the upper alveolar ridge then the opposing alveolar ridge13could be the lower alveolar ridge.) The front end43of anchoring struts42may be penetrated by strut apertures47that allow strut fasteners49(e.g., tapered pins) to penetrate through the anchoring strut42to the buccal wall24. The strut fasteners49may removably attach to the anchoring strut42by the buccal wall24and be held in place by frictional force. The other or rear end41of the anchoring strut42may have a strut groove48that fits over a respective cutout25. A tab45within the strut groove48may be removably received within the respective cutout25to further reversibly attach the rear end41to the cutting guard23.

The anchoring strut42may allow the patient itself press at least a portion of gum tissue, dentition or both of the opposing alveolar ridge13upon at least one anchoring strut42of the bone foundation guide20to generally hold the bone foundation guide20in place upon the dental surgical site12(e.g., the exposed bone.) In particular, that portion of gum tissue, dentition or both of the opposing alveolar ridge13could be received with the indentation(s)46. The patient's action (e.g.. substantially clamping down with patient's mouth upon the bone foundation guide20in situ could allow the patient to temporarily and removably hold the bone foundation dental upon the dental surgical rite while the dental health care professional (not shown) is free to use both hands to attach the bone foundation guide20in place with body fasteners. Once the bone foundation guide201is secured by body fasteners40to the bone portion of the dental implant surgical site12, the patient could remove one or more portions of the opposing alveolar ridge13from the one or more indentations46upon the one or more anchoring struts42(e.g., the patient opens its mouth to stop biting upon the anchoring struts42.) The dental health care professional can then proceed with the removal of the strut fasteners49from the bone foundation guide20so as to be able to lift the anchoring struts46free and clear from the body22.

The use of anchoring struts42can also be applied to bone reduction guides that lack the present inventions ability to combine or stack together with the dental implant surgical guide or tissue spacing gasket. In such instances, bone reduction guides are not contoured to accept the dental implant surgical guide or tissue spacing gasket but could have a body to which the anchoring struts42are applied to allow the patient to substantially clamping down with patient's mouth upon the bone reduction guide in situ could allow the patient to temporarily and removably hold the bone reduction guide upon the dental surgical site. The portions of dentition, teeth or both of the opposing alveolar ridge could be received with the impressions located upon the apex of anchoring struts42to hold the bone reduction guide in place while the dental health care professional (not shown) is free to use both hands to attach the bone reduction guide in place with fasteners to the dental surgical site. Once the fasteners have secure the bone reduction guide to the dental surgical site, the patient could release its bite upon the anchoring struts. The dental healthcare professional can then remove the anchoring struts42from the body of the bone reduction guide to allow the bone reduction guide to be used to alter bone structure at the dental surgical site.

As substantially shown inFIGS.16,17,18, and19once the anchoring strut(s)42are removed from the bone foundation guide body22, the dental implant surgical guide50could be removably attached to the top34of the body22. The dental implant surgical guide50could be so anchored to dental surgical site12to generally allow dental implant surgical guide50to be substantially be used to guide and locate the placement of dental implants within dental surgical site12.

The dental implant surgical guide50could comprise a dental surgical guide body20having a first end side52and second end side54that terminates the dental surgical guide body52and along with a top side58and a bottom side60that continuously connect a buccal side62with a lingual side64. The bottom side60of the dental implant surgical guide50can be digitally designed and manufactured to have a contour that substantially matches and removably accepts the top34of the bone foundation guide20. The top34of the bone foundation guide body22may also be digitally designed and created to substantially match and to receive the bottom side60of the reciprocal dental surgical guide body52to allow the conjoining of the two guides20,50in a stackable manner so that the bone foundation guide20acts as a base or foundation for the dental implant surgical guide50.

The dental surgical guide body52can be further penetrated by one or more implant apertures66that could continuously connect the top side58to the bottom side60to guide implant preparation and attachment to the dental operation site12. The dental surgical guide body52to removably attach to the body22could utilize a wide variety of attachment means. One such possible attachment means could take use one or more guide pins70and one or more guide tabs71and their frictional interplay with the body22. The guide pins70could protrude out from the bottom side60by the buccal wall62to be removably received within pin apertures on the top34of the body22along the buccal wall24. The one or more guide tabs71could extend outwards from the lingual side64to be respectively received by the cutouts25of the cutting guard23. The guide tabs71and guide pins70along with the lingual side64matching the contour of the cutting guard23could provide a snap-in fit of the dental implant surgical guide50to the bone foundation guide20.

The conjoining or stacking capability of the two guides0,50could alleviate the need to remove the bone foundation guide20from the dental surgical site12prior to attaching the dental implant surgical guide50to the dental surgical site12as well as alleviate the need to attach the dental implant surgical guide50directly to the dental surgical site12and the like. This combining of the two guides20,50could also reduce the time, money, effort, patient discomfort and alike that would otherwise occur if the guides20,50were used separately from one and other. When so combined together, the dental implant surgical guide50generally surrounds the bone foundation guide's open surgical space32to allow implant components, implants or both to pass through the dental implant surgical guide's implant aperture(s)66and on through the of the open surgical space32.

As substantially shown inFIGS.20,21,22and23, one other possible embodiment of the invention10could further comprise a tissue spacing gasket80that can be alternatively used with the bone foundation guide20instead of the dental implant surgical guide50or the anchoring strut(s)42. The tissue spacing gasket80could fit between the bottom36of the bone foundation guide20and the dental surgical site12to allow the proper placement of prosthesis21upon the placed implants by providing an approximation of the distance or thickness of the gum tissue16that otherwise covers the dental surgical site12. The placement of the tissue spacing gasket80upon the bone foundation guide top34where the tissue spacing gasket80is generally sandwiched between the bone foundation guide20and the prosthesis21could allow the tissue spacing gasket80provide additional benefits besides correcting for thickness of the missing (e.g., peeled back) gum tissue16. The tissue spacer guide80could help cradle the prosthesis and maintain the prosthesis proper vertical and centric positions as the prosthesis is being fixed upon the implants, When the prosthesis21is generally fixed about the implants (e.g., to the abutments17attached to the implants), dental acrylic could be injected into the prosthesis to secure implant abutments to the prosthesis. The tissue spacing gasket80could help block out the undercut of the abutments17to generally prevent the acrylic from reaching the undercuts and thus preventing unwanted or premature attachment of the prosthesis to the implants17, The tissue spacing gasket80could further prevent acrylic from reaching and contaminating the exposed bone14.

The tissue spacing gasket80could be made from a pliable polymer that forms a gasket top84upon which the prosthesis could rest and to a gasket bottom82which is reversibly received by the bone foundation top34, the gasket top84and the gasket bottom84being continually connected by one or more gasket apertures86. The one or more gasket apertures86could have the same alignment and size of the implant apertures66of the dental implant surgical guide50. In at least one embedment, the tissue spacing gasket80could denote a gasket open surgical space (not shown) that continuously connects gasket top84and gasket bottom82, the gasket open surgical space generally matching the footprint of the bone foundation guide's open surgical space32.

To generally removably affix the tissue spacing gasket80to the bone foundation guide20, the tissue spacing gasket80could have one or more gasket pins that protrude from the gasket bottom82and could be removably received within apertures on the bone foundation guide top34by the buccal wall24that received guide pins70. The tissue spacing gasket80could further have the gasket tabs88that could be removably be received within the cutting guard cutouts25. The tissue spacing gasket tabs88could generally match the size, placement and orientation of the dental implant surgical guide's guide tabs71.

As substantially shown inFIGS.27-30, another possible embodiment of the invention10could further comprise a bone foundation guide prosthesis200that can be removably combined with the body22of the bone foundation guide to form a bone foundation guide prosthesis-body combination202. The combination202can be applied to the unaltered bone segment14of the dental implant surgical site12and can further can be used in contact with the first alveolar ridge13that is opposing to the dental implant surgical site12to cheek the placement of the bone foundation guide20upon bone segment14of the dental implant surgical site12. As the respective patient bites upon the combination, the opposing or first alveolar ridge13(e.g., opposing teeth) could be brought into contact with the teeth portion204of the bone foundation guide prosthesis200.) The various parameters (e.g., orientation, telemetry, positioning, aesthetics, and the like) as presented by the opposing alveolar ridge-to-bone foundation guide prosthesis bite206could reflect (e.g., generally act as an analogue representation) the final prosthesis-to-opposing first alveolar ridge bite. This bite compression could also ensure solid contact of the combination202upon the bone segment14of the dental implant surgical site12prior to any bone removal by use of the bone foundation guide20. If the observed parameters or the hone foundation guide-to-bone segment fit show any significant departure or inconstancy with the surgical dental implant plan, the dental implant surgery could be halted prior to any irreversible bone alteration at the dental implant surgical site12. The combination202can then be removed from the dental implant surgical site12(e.g., the bone segment14) and the gum tissue can be re-sutured at the dental implant surgical site12to allow greater time to reformulate the associated surgical dental implant plan to take into further consideration those factors that caused the departure or inconsistency in the first place.

As substantially shown inFIG.31, in one possible version once the bone foundation guide prosthesis (or suitable portion thereof)200is removed from the body22, the tooth portion204of the multiple piece or non-unitary version of bone foundation guide prosthesis200could be further combined with a denture base208to form a denture210. In that cases where the implant surgery was halted due to bite misalignment between the first alveolar ridge (not shown) and the bone foundation guide prosthesis200, the denture210could then be used by the respective patient (not shown) until proper adjustments had been made as necessary to correct the deviations or other imperfections that caused halting of the implant surgery that could allow the dental implant surgery to proceed forward again.

The bone foundation guide prosthesis200could comprise the teeth portion204having a top side212substantially replicating the teeth or the bite of the final prosthesis (not shown) and a bottom side214that could support one or more anchor struts42. The bottom side214could further define cutouts216that allow a visible inspection of the bone segment14where the bone segment14comes into contact with the bone foundation guide prosthesis200(e.g., one or more undersides215of the anchor struts42could be contoured to receive and contact a portion of the bone segment14) through a space or gap300defined between the body22of the bone foundation guide20and the body201of the bone foundation guide prosthesis200as shown inFIGS.29-30. As shown inFIG.30, a portion of the bone segment14protrudes through the body22of the bone foundation guide20and into the space or gap300, such that the space or gap300is shown as accommodating the portion of the bone segment14that protrudes though the body22of the bone foundation guide20and into the space or gap300. As shown in a comparison ofFIG.29toFIG.30, this portion of the bone segment14that protrudes through the body22of the bone foundation guide20and into the space or gap300passes through the open surgical space32of the body22of the bone foundation guide20. In one possible embodiment, the bone guide foundation prosthesis bottom214could limit the bone segment contact to three points of contact to substantially prevent rocking of the bone guide foundation prosthesis200upon the bone segment14.

Removable attachment of the struts42to the body22could assist the attachment of the bone foundation guide prosthesis200to the bone foundations guide20. The bone foundation guide prosthesis200could have one or more support tabs220proximate to each end of the bone foundation guide prosthesis200that could be removably received within corresponding support slots220in the lingual wall cutting guard23. Proximate to the rear end41of the anchor strut48could feature a securing tab228that could removably attached to a corresponding securing slot230also formed in the lingual wall cutting guard23.

At least one anchoring strut48could have its front end43form an attachment b222that fits into a respective tab slot224formed by the body's buccal wall24that could be accessed at the top34. Both the attachment tabs222and their respective attachment slots224could be suitably angled to assist the attachment and removal of the bone foundation guide prosthesis200as the bone foundation guide prosthesis220moves over the buccal wall24for attachment or removal. A fastener channel226could traverse the buccal wall24and the attachment tab222(when inserted into the tab slot224) to allow removable placement of a strut fastener49(not shown) placed into the fastener channel226to help hold the anchoring42strut to the top34of the buccal wall. It should be noted that it may not be necessary for each anchoring strut42to have support tab-support slot attachment capability.

As substantially shown inFIG.27, one possible version of the bone foundation guide prosthesis200could have the teeth portion204be unitary or one-piece with the one or more struts48substantially providing strength and rigidity to the combination202. In another version as substantially shown inFIG.28, the one or more anchor struts42are removably attached to the bottom214of the bone foundation guide prosthesis200. Friction fit based tab-slot coupling means could be utilized to removably attach the removable anchor struts42to the bone foundation guide prosthesis200.

As substantially shown inFIG.32, one possible embodiment the strut fastener49could be a multiple piece strut fastener232that could both hold the strut front end43to the buccal wall24as well as secure the buccal wall24to the bone segment14. The multiple piece strut fastener232could have a taper pin234comprising a head236that could further form a threaded receptacle238. The threaded receptacle238could removably receive a part of a threaded portion240of a threaded fastener242to removably connect the taper pin234to the threaded fastener242. The fastener head246could be larger in diameter than the head236of the tapered pin234to allow shoulders248as provided by the stepped configuration of the fastener channel226to support the head236of the tapered pin234. The fastener head246could have a serrated edge250to allow a pliers or like (not shown) to grasp the threaded fastener242to pull out combined threaded fastener and taper pin from the fastener channel226(e.g., and from contact the bone segment12, attachment tab222, buccal wall24and lingual wall26.) The removal of just the threaded fastener242only could leave the tapered pin234in place to secure the body22to the bone segment12while allowing the bone foundation guide prosthesis200to be removed from the body22. A cylinder252could be placed on the threaded portion240of the threaded fastener242to assist the threaded fastener's placement into the fastener channel226.

As substantially shown inFIGS.7-26, one possible method or process100for the use of the invention could start with step102, digital scanning and modeling for the patient-specific dental surgery. In this step, dental digital methods (digital dentistry) may be used in creating patient-specific map of the patient's mouth (which could include the digital scanning of analogue appliances such as patient specific castings and impressions); in creating models for patient-specific bone remodeling (e.g., foundation and re-contouring) of the upper and/or lower dental struts in the patient's mouth; in creating models for dental implant surgical guides/bone foundation guides and prosthetics used post-patient-specific bone remodeling; in creating a patient specific model of the patient's mouth post dental surgery. After this step is substantially completed, the process100could proceed to step104, creation of the guides, tissue spacing gasket and other dental appliances

In step104, creation of the guides and other dental appliances, the acquired and processed modeling data can be used to create the patient-specific bone foundation guide (e.g d patient-specific bone foundation guide, tissue spacing gasket and dental implant surgical guide that be stacked together in various combinations. The anchoring struts can also be patient-specific made to have indentations at their respective apexes to match various portions of the dentition, tissue or both of the opposing alveolar ridge. Once manufactured, the anchoring struts could be removably attached to the bone foundation body. The strut fastener (e.g., a tapered pin) could removably attach the anchoring strut's front end to the buccal wall. The strut rear end could removably straddle the cutting gum's respective cutout with the strut groove allowing the strut groove's tab to be removably received within the cutout.

The design and manufacturing imparted stacking capability could allow the two guides and gasket to come together to various stacked combinations. This stacking capability allows the bone foundation guide. once removably secured to the dental surgical site by the dental health care profession, to generally act as foundation for the dental implant surgical guide or the spacing tissue gasket to secure them alternately to the dental surgical site. This stacking capability could allow the implant, implant components, implant instruments and the like to be guided through the dental implant surgical guide implant apertures and the bone foundation guide's open surgical space to properly interact with the dental surgical site. After this step is substantially completed, the process100could proceed to step106, surgical prep.

In step106, surgical prep, the dental health care professional could (after properly anesthetizes the patient and instituting other required dental surgical pre-operation protocols) could make incisions in the gum area of the dental surgical site, and peel back the gum tissue to expose the portion of bone being operated upon at the dental surgical site. Any teeth at the dental implant surgical site can be removed. If the patient's dental health has declined enough, the alveolar ridge supporting the dental surgical site could be made edentulous After this step is substantially completed, the process100could proceed to step108, use of the bone foundation guide.

In step108, use of the bone foundation guide, the bone foundation guide could be removably attached to the bone foundation guide prosthesis to generally form the bone foundation guide-bone foundation guide prosthesis combination. For the non-unitary version of the bone foundation guide prosthesis, the anchoring struts could then be attached to the bottom of the teeth portion. The anchoring struts (both for unitary and non-unitary versions of the bone foundation guide prosthesis) could then be moved into place over the bone foundation guide body so that support tabs on the teeth portion and securing tabs near the rear end of the anchoring struts can removably engage their respective slots formed by the lingual wall cutting guard. The front ends of the struts can then be swung down upon the top of the buccal wall of the body of the bone foundation guide to respectively engage the attachment tabs with the attachment tab slots formed by the buccal wall. Suitable fasteners can then be placed into the fastener channels to removably secure the attachment tabs in their respective attachment slots to generally hold the bone foundation guide prosthesis in place upon the body to form the combination. The dental healthcare professional cant then initially set the combination upon the bone segment of the dental implant surgical site without first having to remove or alter the bone segment.

The patient could “bite” upon the bone foundation guide prosthesis to bring the alveolar ridge (e.g., the opposing the dentition, tissue or both) into contact with the teeth portion of the combination. By biting upon the combination, the patient generally holds the bone foundation guide initially in place upon the dental implant surgical site. This bite compression could allow the dental healthcare professional to view the resulting bite of the teeth portion and opposing alveolar ridge to help ensure that as the surgical plan is carried out that the final (e.g., implant attached) prosthesis will have the same bite and lockup as one shown by the bone foundation guide prosthesis, This allows the dental healthcare professional to examine the bite as well as resulting orientation, telemetry, positioning, aesthetics and the like as generally provided by the bite. Further, the dental healthcare professional can examine the bone segment and combination interface located below the teeth portion and between the anchoring arches to make sure the combination is properly set upon the bone segment. The dental healthcare professional may also use the cutouts to further examine the bone segment combination interface.

If the alveolar ridge-teeth portion bite does not result in proper or desired telemetry, positioning, orientation, aesthetics; if the combination cannot fit properly upon the bone segment or both then the dental implant surgery can be halted until such deficiencies can be properly rectified. At that point, the combination can be removed from the bone segment, and gum tissue can be re-sutured up to cover the exposed bone segment. If non-unitary version of the bone foundation guide prosthesis is used, then the teeth portion can be removed from the arches and body. The teeth portion can be attached (e.g., glued or cemented) to a denture base to form a denture. The patent can then use the formed denture until corrections have been made to the aspects of the dental implant surgical plan, models and alike to allow the dental implant surgery to resume.

If the alveolar ridge-teeth portion bite results in proper or desired telemetry, positioning, orientation, aesthetics and if the combination fits properly upon the bone segment or then dental implant surgery can proceed with the dental healthcare professional with both hands free to use a drill to make channels in the dental surgical site (e.g., the exposed bone portion) utilizing the attachment apertures, Body fasteners are placed into the attachment apertures and channels to generally removably attach the bone foundation guide to the exposed bone at the dental surgical site. If multiple piece fasteners are used, those fasteners can further secure the through the fastener attachment of the buccal wall through the bone segment to the lingual wall of the bone foundation guide. The dental healthcare professional askes the patient to relax its grip upon the bone foundation guide to generally bring the portion of the dentition, tissue or both of the opposing alveolar ridge out of contact with the indentation(s). When the anchoring struts are cleared from the body (e.g., the threaded fasteners are removed), the bone foundation guide prosthesis could be removed from the bone foundation guide.

The removal of bone foundation guide prosthesis could clear the bone foundation guide to allow the bone foundation guide top to be used to guide a cutting implement (e.g., blade saw) to reduce the dental implant surgical site's bone structure. The harvested bone (e.g., or bone analogue) could then be used to augment the dental surgical site needed. Known dental techniques for reducing or augmenting the bone could be employed to provide the proper bone contour for the dental implant surgical site. Once this step is substantially completed, the process100could proceed to step110, use of the dental implant surgical guide.

In step110, use of the dental implant surgical guide, the dental health care professional could place the bottom side of the dental implant surgical guide upon the top of the bone foundation guide generally enclosing the open surgical space. In one embodiment, the tissue spacing gasket is sandwiched between the bone foundation guide and the dental implant surgical guide. Pins on the underside of the dental implant surgical guide could attach to the attachment apertures in the bone foundation guide top (e.g., by the buccal wall) while the guide tabs extending out from the lingual side could removably engage the cutting guard cutouts to provide a snap fit of the dental implant surgical guide into the bone foundation guide.

The dental healthcare professional could use the bone foundation guide and the dental implant surgical guide stacked or otherwise combined together to substantially direct and operate implant preparation implements (e.g., drills, reamers, and the like). implant components, or both by passing them through the dental implant surgical guide and into the open surgical space to properly prepare the dental surgical site to receive the implants} This implant preparation could ensure there was proper orientation and telemetry of the implant components and implants into the generally exposed bone of the dental surgical site, Once the bone is properly prepared to receive the implants, the implant(s) could then pass through the combination to be anchored into the bone. Once this step is substantially completed, the process100could proceed to step112, using tissue spacing gasket.

In step112, using tissue spacing gasket, once the implants were properly located and set within the dental surgical site, the surgical implant dental guide could be removed from the bone foundation guide and the tissue spacer gasket could alternatively be connected to the bone foundation guide. In one embodiment, the pins located on the gasket bottom can be generally be removably received in the same apertures on the bone foundation guide top that the accommodated the guide pins of the dental implant surgical guide.

In one possible embodiment, once the tissue spacing gasket is removably attached to the bone foundation guide then temporary abutments can be placed upon the implants. A temporary prosthesis can be placed over the tissue spacer gasket to come into contact the temporary abutments. The tissue pacing gasket could cradle the temporary prosthesis at this point holding it in the proper vertical and concentric orientation as dental acrylic is injected into the temporary prosthesis to secure the abutments to the temporary prosthesis. The tissue spacing gasket may further prevent the acrylic from leaking upon and contaminating the exposed bone. The tissue spacing gasket may as well as prevent any acrylic leaking onto the abutment undercut (e.g., to generally prevented unwanted premature attachment of the prosthesis to the implants.) The tissue spacing gasket may help to insure that proper distance between bone and prosthesis is maintained to account for presence of tissue when the gum tissue is placed back over the bane.

Once the acrylic has set, the above abutment prosthesis attachment process may repeated used for a clear or analogue prosthesis that later can be sent back to the lab. The analogue prosthesis with its affixed abutments may be applied to implant bone model that was devised through the dental model to see how the dental healthcare professional may have deviated from the original dental surgical plan in attaching the implants to the dental surgical site. In that manner, the analogue prosthesis will allow the final changes of the actual dental surgery (on site changes made by the dental healthcare professional to take into account issues not foreseen by the dental surgical plan) to be imparted onto the dental model and to the final prosthesis.

Once the temporary prosthesis (and analogue prosthesis) is removed from the tissue spacing gasket-bone foundation guide combination, the tissue spacing gasket could be removed from the bone foundation guide. The gum tissue flaps could be sutured back over the exposed bone (but not necessarily over the implants) and the temporary prosthesis could be reattached to the implants. As the dental surgical site heals and the implants further incorporate themselves into the bone structure, the temporary prosthesis could help maintain the implant positioning as set during the surgery, so that the permanent prosthesis should be able to replace the temporary prosthesis with minimal adjustment and fitting.

This process100could also allow as needed, use of temporary cylinder, associated seals, additional filling, and other sealing methods that may be used to properly prepare the dental implant for the attachment of prosthesis and the like. If healing abutments are used instead, then they can be fitted to the implants as needed. The gum tissues can then be sutured or otherwise cover-up the exposed bone to meet up with the abutment/implants. If the gum tissues need to heal or need to heal around the healing abutments or the implants require ossification to secure them in place to the bone, then after these event(s) have occurred/or a suitable amount of healing time has passed then the final prosthesis (or prosthetic) could be placed upon the implants in a secure fashion. After this step is substantially completed, the process100could proceed back to step102as needed.

CONCLUSION

Although the description above contains many specifications, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention but as merely providing illustrations of some of the presently preferred embodiments of this invention. Thus, the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents rather than by the examples given.

As shown in the specification, drawings, claims and abstract the invention, a bone foundation guide provides for the combining a bone foundation guide and a bone guide foundation prosthesis and a method of use for the resulting combination. The prosthesis can have a teeth portion representing a bite of a final prosthesis as well as one or more anchoring struts that removably attach the prosthesis to the bone foundation guide. The patient could apply the opposing alveolar ridge to the teeth portion to hold the combination in place upon the bone segment of the dental implant surgical site as well as check the bite of the teeth portion and have a teeth portion representing a bite of a final prosthesis as well as one or more anchoring struts that removably attach the prosthesis to the bone foundation guide. The patient could apply the opposing alveolar ridge to the teeth portion to hold the combination in place upon the bone segment of the dental implant surgical site as well as check the bite of the teeth portion and have a teeth portion representing a bite of a final prosthesis as well as one or more anchoring struts that removably attach the prosthesis to the bone foundation guide. The patient could apply the opposing alveolar ridge to the teeth portion to hold the combination in place upon the bone segment of the dental implant surgical site as well as check the bite of the teeth portion and alveolar ridge. The action allows the dental healthcare professional check in situ the representation or analogue of final prosthesis with opposing alveolar ridge to detect any inconsistency or deviation from the dental implant surgical plan. If any inconsistence or deviation is detected, the combination can be removed from the dental implant surgical site prior to any bone removal; the gum tissue can be re-sutured and the patent can use a denture formed from the teeth portion attached to a denture base while inconsistence or deviation are being suitably addressed. If no significant deviation or inconsistency is detected, the dental implant surgery can proceed with the attachment of the combination to the dental implant surgical site; the removal of the bone from the dental implant surgical site.