Patent ID: 7942670

Claim:
A locking system for screws used in securing an abutment to a dental implant comprising: a) an abutment, said abutment being positioned over an implant body having a bore hole formed therein, said abutment having an upper portion, said upper portion of said abutment having a plurality of spaced-apart grooves formed therein, and a space for receiving a screw head; b) a screw being threaded into said bore hole, said screw having a head, the head of said screw being fitted into the space for receiving a screw head in said abutment, said screw head also having a plurality of spaced-apart grooves formed therein, such that when said screw is tightened into said abutment, at least two of said plurality of spaced-apart grooves formed in said screw head are operatively aligned with at least two of said plurality of spaced-apart grooves formed in said abutment; and c) a quantity of fill material, placed in said abutment such that the plurality of spaced-apart grooves in said abutment and the plurality of spaced-apart grooves in said screw head are filled with said quantity of flowable fill material to create a solid bond between said screw head and said abutment, and further wherein said quantity of flowable fill material is selected from the group of composite dental filling material, dental amalgam and dental cement.