Patent ID: 8690569

Claim:
A guide tube positioning device for positioning a guide tube on a polymeric plate, the guide tube being adapted for guiding a drill or bur used for boring an orifice in a dental patient's bone for receiving an implant that will support a prosthetic crown, the polymeric plate being configured to be fitted over the patient's dental arch to be used as a template, the guide tube positioning device comprising: a base on which at least a movement mechanism is mounted, wherein the base comprises at least one means for affixing a radiographic or tomographic support on the base, wherein the movement mechanism comprises a mesio-distal support defining a mesio-distal track that has a curved circular arch shape extending along a mesio-distal direction, and a mesio-distal goniometer slidable within the mesio-distal track, the mesio-distal goniometer comprising a graduated ruler having a curved circular arch shape along the mesio-distal direction, wherein the movement mechanism further comprises an assembler carrier having a guide tube assembler depending therefrom, the guide tube assembler defining a lower free end that is configured for receiving and holding the guide tube to be positioned on the polymeric plate, the assembler carrier defining a vestibular-lingual track that has a curved circular arch shape extending along a vestibular-lingual direction, and further comprises a vestibular-lingual goniometer slidable within the vestibular-lingual track, the vestibular-lingual goniometer comprising a graduated ruler having a curved circular arch shape along the vestibular-lingual direction, and wherein the vestibular-lingual goniometer is supported on the mesio-distal goniometer, the movement mechanism thereby effecting vestibular-lingual adjustment of the guide tube assembler by movement of the assembler carrier along the vestibular-lingual goniometer, and effecting mesio-distal adjustment of the guide tube assembler by movement of the mesio-distal support along the mesio-distal goniometer.