Patent ID: 6994547

Claim:
Apparatus for alignment of a dental prosthesis, said apparatus comprising: an implant for insertion in the jaw bone of a patient, the implant having a generally axial bore internally threaded over a portion of its length; an abutment to which the prosthesis will be formed, and which is locked to the implant by interaction of a separable bolt which is externally threaded over a portion of its length with the internal threads of the implant; and a plurality of angled templates for use with said implant, each of said templates being a single piece and comprising a body having a right cylindrical, locator lug at one end thereof and a right cylindrical alignment shaft at an opposite end thereof, said locator lug being constructed and arranged to interact with the axial bore of the implant only when the implant and template are fully inter-engaged, and said alignment shaft is constructed and arranged at an inclined angle to the locator lug for orientation of the alignment shaft relative to teeth adjacent the implant, wherein each template of said plurality of templates has a different inclined angle between 5 and 45′, and one of said templates is selected to determine a correct abutment to use, the selection of said one template being made on the basis of the orientation of the alignment shaft thereof relative to the teeth adjacent the implant.