Patent ID: 7670142

Claim:
A method for securing a prosthesis on an implant supported in bone tissue, the method including: installing in a patient's jaw bone an implant having an O-ball abutment and integral nut; removably supporting on the implant a calcinable appendage comprising calcinable material and having a receptacle shaped to engage and fit closely over the O-ball abutment of the implant and a multi-faceted portion shaped to engage and fit closely around the integral nut of the implant; sculpting the calcinable appendage into a desired permanent appendage shape by applying sculptable material to the calcinable appendage and shaping the sculptable material, the desired permanent appendage shape being suitable to allow a dental prosthesis to be supported on the permanent appendage after the permanent appendage has been formed; forming an appendage mold by investing the sculpted appendage in refractory material; removing the sculpted appendage from the mold; casting a permanent appendage by providing suitable material in the mold, allowing the material to harden, and removing the refractory material from the hardened permanent appendage; supporting the cast permanent appendage on the implant; molding a dental prosthesis to fit on the permanent appendage supported on the implant; and then supporting the dental prosthesis on the permanent appendage supported on the implant.