Patent ID: 8287278

Claim:
A method for securing a dental implant to a patient's jawbone, the method comprising: removing a portion of the patient's gum at a treatment site sufficient to expose the patient's jawbone; removing a portion of the patient's jawbone at the treatment site to form a generally square or rectangular recess in the patient's jawbone; positioning a base member 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 periphery, a tapered central opening and at least one screw hole positioned between the central opening and the outer periphery and wherein the outer periphery is generally square or rectangular in geometry; inserting a securing screw through the screw hole; rotating the securing screw until the securing screw is screwed into the patient's jawbone and a head of the securing screw is at least flush with the top side of the base member; inserting an implant screw through the central opening, wherein the implant screw has a head with a tapered section and a threaded end; 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; securing an abutment to the base member, wherein the abutment comprises a top end and a bottom end having an outer periphery that is generally square or rectangular in geometry so as to match the shape of the outer periphery of the base member, wherein the abutment tapers outward from the top end to the bottom end such that an outer periphery of the top end is smaller than the outer periphery of the bottom end, and wherein an outer periphery edge of the bottom end of the abutment is inset from the outer periphery of the base member.