Patent ID: 7845943

Claim:
An apparatus used in forming a template for locating a dental implant osteotomy in a patient's mandible or maxilla, comprising: a guide post having a curved outer surface, a predetermined diameter, a magnet and a centrally positioned aperture, wherein the magnet is disposed and sealed within the centrally positioned aperture; and a sleeve having a sidewall that includes a top surface, a bottom surface, an outer annular surface, and an inner annular surface generally corresponding to the curved outer surface of the guide post, the sleeve having a longitudinal gap extending all the way through the sidewall from the inner annual surface to the outer annular surface and all the way through the sidewall from the to surface to the bottom surface, and a diameter greater than the diameter of the guide post, wherein the guide post magnetically engages a portion of the inner annual surface of the sleeve so that the sleeve is attached to the guide post.