Patent ID: 8394125

Claim:
A system for treating a facet joint of a patient, the facet joint anatomy including opposing, superior and inferior articular faces, the system comprising: a superior resurfacing device including a superior resurfacing body configured to selectively transition to a shape conforming to a shape of a superior articular face of a facet joint; and an inferior resurfacing device apart from the superior resurfacing device and including an inferior resurfacing body configured to selectively transition to a shape conforming to a shape of an inferior articular face of a facet joint; wherein each of the resurfacing bodies exhibits sufficient flexibility to transition from a relatively flat state to an inserted state in which the resurfacing body substantially matches any multi-planar curvatures of the corresponding facet joint articular face in the presence of compressive forces of a typical human adult facet joint; wherein each of the resurfacing bodies includes: a base web forming opposing, first and second major surfaces; and a plurality of teeth projecting from the second major surface; wherein each of the resurfacing bodies has a leading end, a trailing end, a first opposing side that extends between the leading end and the trailing end and a second opposing side that extends between the leading end and the trailing end opposite the first opposing side; and wherein the plurality of teeth include: a first set of teeth formed at and between the leading end and the trailing end; a second set of teeth formed at the first opposing side, wherein the second set of teeth is oriented differently than the first set of teeth, wherein the second set of teeth each have an exterior face that faces the first opposing side and an interior face that faces the second opposing side and wherein an angle formed between the interior face and the base web is less than an angle formed between the exterior face and the base web; and a third set of teeth formed at the second opposing side, wherein the third set of teeth is oriented differently than the first set of teeth and the second set of teeth, wherein the third set of teeth each have an exterior face that faces the second opposing side and an interior face that faces the first opposing side and wherein an angle formed between the interior face and the base web is less than an angle formed between the exterior face and the base web.