Patent ID: 8562344

Claim:
A method for securing a dental implant system to a patient's jawbone, the method comprising: cutting a portion of the patient's gum at a treatment site sufficient to expose the patient's jawbone; positioning a tool over the treatment site, the tool having a through hole therein; placing a router through the through hole and using the router to remove a portion of the patient's jawbone at the treatment site to form a recess, wherein the recess is generally square or rectangular in geometry, with four sides and a bottom; drilling a generally cylindrical hole with a drill bit into the jawbone at the bottom of the recess; positioning a base member that is generally square or rectangular in geometry at the treatment site such that the base member is embedded within the patient's jawbone at the treatment site, wherein the base member has a generally flat top side defined by an outer perimeter, a bottom side and a tapered central opening; wherein the drilled cylindrical hole is located in the jawbone so as to be accurately aligned with the central opening in the base member and is generally perpendicular to the bottom of the recess; inserting an implant screw through the central opening, wherein the implant screw has a head with a tapered section and a threaded end, and wherein the implant screw is perpendicular to the flat top side of the base member; and turning the implant screw to secure the threaded end within the jawbone and to seat the head of the implant screw within the tapered opening of the base member such that the entire bottom side of the base member is in contact with the bottom of the recess.