Improved dental implant structure

Abstract

An improved dental implant structure comprises an implant, an outer crown, and a dental crown. The implant has a positioning portion at one end. The outer crown is sleeved onto the implant, with an axial end adjacent to the positioning portion having a positioning hole for the insertion of the implant's positioning portion. The dental crown has a coupling hole at one end for the insertion and fixation of the end of the outer crown distal from the implant. The outer diameter of the implant's positioning portion tapers in the direction toward the outer crown, forming a predetermined angle between the peripheral surface of the positioning portion and the axial direction of the implant. Similarly, the inner diameter of the positioning hole tapers in the direction away from the implant, forming the same predetermined angle between the inner peripheral surface of the positioning hole and the axial direction of the outer crown.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This invention relates to the field of dental implants, and in particular to an improved dental implant structure that can effectively disperse occlusal forces and is easy to install. [Previous Technology]

[0002] Note: Dental implantation is a dental restorative technique primarily used to replace missing teeth, restoring the patient's chewing function and aesthetics. The basic structure of a dental implant includes the implant (an artificial tooth root embedded in the alveolar bone) and the crown (an artificial tooth). The implantation process mainly involves fixing the implant, made of highly biocompatible materials (such as titanium or titanium alloys), into the patient's alveolar bone. Through osseointegration, the implant integrates tightly with the bone tissue, and the crown is then installed on top of the implant as a replacement for a normal tooth. This integration provides the implant with a certain degree of stability and supports normal chewing and biting functions. However, after long-term or strenuous use, the durability of the implant structure becomes a significant concern.

[0003] Traditional dental implant structures still face some challenges in coping with long-term and strong occlusal pressure. Because the materials used in dental implant structures differ from those used in natural teeth, the way they withstand occlusal forces also differs. In some cases, excessive chewing force or prolonged chewing time can easily lead to the following problems: (i) The connection between the crown and the implant is a critical stress-bearing area. Under excessive occlusal force, this connection may loosen or become damaged, affecting the stability and lifespan of the implant. (ii) Long-term occlusal stress may burden the bone tissue surrounding the implant, leading to accelerated bone resorption and further affecting the stability of the implant structure.

[0004] Therefore, how to provide a dental implant structure that can effectively reduce the wear and tear on the implant or crown caused by occlusal forces is one of the issues that medical professionals and researchers in related fields urgently need to solve. [Summary of the Invention]

[0005] The main objective of this invention is to provide an improved dental implant structure that can effectively disperse occlusal forces and has a simple structure that is easy to install.

[0006] To achieve the above-mentioned objective, the present invention provides an improved dental implant structure comprising: an implant having a positioning portion at one end; an outer crown fitted onto the implant; the outer crown having a positioning hole at one axial end adjacent to the positioning portion for insertion of the positioning portion of the implant; and a crown having a connecting hole at one end for insertion and fixation of the end of the outer crown away from the implant; wherein the outer diameter of the positioning portion of the implant gradually tapers toward the direction approaching the outer crown, such that the outer periphery of the positioning portion forms a predetermined angle with the axial direction of the implant; wherein the inner diameter of the positioning hole gradually tapers toward the direction away from the implant, such that the inner periphery of the positioning hole forms the predetermined angle with the axial direction of the outer crown.

[0007] In one embodiment, the predetermined angle is preferably between 1 degree and 10 degrees.

[0008] In one embodiment, the range of the predetermined angle is preferably between 2 degrees and 6 degrees.

[0009] In one embodiment, the outer crown has an upper layer and a lower layer connected to each other, the upper layer being farther away from the implant than the lower layer; wherein the outer diameter of the upper layer is smaller than the outer diameter of the lower layer.

[0010] In one embodiment, the height of the upper layer along the axial direction of the outer crown is greater than the height of the lower layer along the axial direction of the outer crown.

[0011] In one embodiment, the height of the upper layer along the axial direction of the outer crown is less than the height of the lower layer along the axial direction of the outer crown.

[0012] In one embodiment, the outer crown further has an inwardly recessed groove formed between the upper layer and the lower layer, with its two ends respectively connected to the upper layer and the lower layer.

[0013] In one embodiment, the outer crown further has a chamfered portion formed at one end of the lower layer away from the upper layer, and the outer diameter of the chamfered portion gradually tapers away from the lower layer.

[0014] In one embodiment, the implant further includes a threaded portion and a cap portion; the threaded portion is connected to one side of the positioning portion and has a plurality of external threads on its outer peripheral surface; the cap portion is formed between the positioning portion and the threaded portion, and its two ends are respectively connected to the positioning portion and the threaded portion; wherein the outer diameter of the cap portion gradually increases from the positioning portion toward the threaded portion, such that the outer peripheral edge of the cap portion forms a second predetermined angle with the axial direction of the implant, and the second predetermined angle is greater than the predetermined angle.

[0015] In one embodiment, the crown and the outer crown are fixed together by an adhesive bonding method.

[0016] The following are preferred embodiments based on the purpose, effects and structural configuration disclosed in this invention, and are described in detail with reference to the drawings.

Implementation Method

[0017] The following description with reference to the drawings represents a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It should be understood that these drawings and descriptions are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the present invention. Furthermore, the terms "upper" and "lower," "left" and "right," "front" and "rear," "first" and "second," etc., used in the specification are used to clearly indicate the relative positions between elements or mechanisms and are not intended to be limiting.

[0018] Please refer to Figure 1. The improved dental implant structure provided in the first preferred embodiment of the present invention is for use by a user in mounting on an alveolar bone 100 and a gingiva 200 of an implant recipient. The improved dental implant structure mainly includes: an implant 10, an outer crown 20, and a dental crown 30. Wherein:

[0019] The implant 10 has a threaded portion 11 and a positioning portion 12. The outer peripheral surface of the threaded portion 11 is provided with a plurality of external threads 110 for fixing in the alveolar bone 100 of the implant recipient by means of the external threads 110. In this embodiment, the threaded portion 11 is a self-tapping screw structure and has a deep thread and a wide pitch.

[0020] The positioning portion 12 is located at one end of the threaded portion 11 and extends away from the threaded portion 11. When the threaded portion 11 is locked in the alveolar bone 100, the positioning portion 12 protrudes from one end of the alveolar bone 100 and the gingiva 200. The outer diameter of the positioning portion 12 gradually narrows away from the threaded portion 11, so that a predetermined angle θ is formed between the outer periphery of the positioning portion 12 and the axial direction of the implant 10 (as shown in Figure 4), thereby forming a conical cylinder. In this embodiment, the predetermined angle θ is preferably between 1 degree and 10 degrees, more preferably between 2 degrees and 6 degrees. A long groove 120 extending along the axial direction of the positioning portion 12 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the positioning portion 12.

[0021] The implant 10 further includes a cap 13 formed between the positioning portion 12 and the threaded portion 11, with both ends connected to the positioning portion 12 and the threaded portion 11 respectively. The outer diameter of the cap 13 gradually increases from the positioning portion 12 toward the threaded portion 11. The outer periphery of the cap 13 forms a second predetermined angle with the axial direction of the implant 10, and the second predetermined angle is greater than the predetermined angle θ, so that when the implant 10 is installed in the alveolar bone, the cap 13 can prevent bacteria from entering.

[0022] The outer crown 20 is a hollow, cap-shaped component, detachably fitted onto the positioning portion 12 of the implant 10. The outer crown 20 has an upper layer 21 and a lower layer 22 connected together, with the upper layer 21 being farther away from the implant 10 than the lower layer 22. The outer diameter of the upper layer 21 is smaller than the outer diameter of the lower layer 22. In this embodiment, the height of the upper layer 21 along the axial direction of the outer crown 20 is greater than the height of the lower layer 22 along the axial direction of the outer crown 20, so that the outer crown 20 forms a long and narrow cap-shaped component.

[0023] The outer crown 20 further has an inwardly recessed groove 23 formed between the upper layer 21 and the lower layer 22, with its two ends connected to the upper layer 21 and the lower layer 22 respectively.

[0024] The outer crown 20 further has a chamfered portion 24 formed at one end of the lower layer 22 away from the upper layer 21, and the outer diameter of the chamfered portion 24 gradually tapers away from the lower layer 22.

[0025] Wherein, a positioning hole 25 is formed at one axial end of the outer crown 20 adjacent to the axial interior of the outer crown 20, for the positioning part 12 of the implant 10 to pass through. The shape of the positioning hole 25 of the outer crown 20 corresponds to the positioning part 12 of the implant 10 and is also conical. The inner diameter of the positioning hole 25 gradually narrows in the direction away from the implant 10, so that the inner periphery of the positioning hole 25 forms a predetermined angle θ with the axial direction of the outer crown 20.

[0026] The crown 30 is disposed above the outer crown 20, and has a connecting hole 31 extending through the crown 30 along its axial direction on its bottom side. The shape of the connecting hole 31 corresponds to the shape of the outer crown 20, and is used to allow one end of the outer crown 20 to pass through and be fixed in the connecting hole 31. In this embodiment, the shape of the crown 30 is a natural tooth shape, which meets the requirements of natural aesthetics.

[0027] Referring to Figure 2, when installing the dental implant structure of the present invention, the user first locks the threaded portion 11 of the implant 10 into the alveolar bone 100 of the implant recipient for fixation, and exposes the positioning portion 12 above the alveolar bone 100 and the gingiva 200. It is worth noting that since the threaded portion 11 in this embodiment is a self-tapping screw structure, the alveolar bone 100 does not need to be pre-grooved before locking in. Next, the user fixes the crown 30 and the outer crown 20 by an adhesive method. For example, in this embodiment, an adhesive 40 is filled in the gap between the bonding hole 31 and the outer crown 20 to connect the crown 30 and the outer crown 20. This facilitates subsequent installation or removal of the crown 30 and the outer crown 20.

[0028] Next, please refer to Figures 3 and 4. After the crown 30 and the outer crown 20 are fixed, the user can place the outer crown 20 along the positioning hole 25 onto the positioning part 12 of the implant 10 to form a contact state. Since the outer wall surface of the positioning part 12 of the implant 10 and the inner wall surface of the corresponding positioning hole 25 of the outer crown 20 are both conical, a certain holding force and frictional resistance are generated between the outer wall surface of the positioning part 12 and the inner wall surface of the positioning hole 25. Therefore, when the dental implant structure of the present invention is subjected to load and impact, the outer crown 20 can effectively disperse these occlusal pressures, allowing the underlying implant 10 to bear a smaller axial force, thereby making the dental implant structure more stable and effectively preventing loosening.

[0029] It should be added that when the outer crown 20 is fitted onto the positioning part 12, a predetermined distance is separated between the top side of the positioning part 12 and the bottom side of the positioning hole 25, forming an air cushion space 26. The presence of the air cushion space 26 prevents the outer crown 20 from directly transmitting occlusal stress from above to the implant 10, and instead allows the air cushion space 26 to buffer and disperse the occlusal stress. Therefore, the air cushion space 26 can effectively protect the implant 10 from wear caused by occlusal stress and relatively extend the service life of the implant 10. In this embodiment, the height of the air cushion space 26 is approximately 0.5 mm.

[0030] Please refer to Figure 5, which shows an improvement in the dental implant structure provided by a second preferred embodiment of the present invention. The structure is similar to that of the first preferred embodiment. However, in this embodiment, the axial height of the upper layer 21 of the outer crown 20 is less than the axial height of the lower layer 22, so that the outer crown 20 becomes a cap-shaped member with a wider width and a shorter height.

[0031] In summary, the improved dental implant structure provided by the present invention, by means of the conical structure of the positioning part 12 of the implant 10 and the positioning hole 25 of the outer crown 20, can effectively disperse the occlusal pressure from the upper end, effectively improve the problem of long-term unstable force of conventional dental implant structures, and make the dental implant structure more stable and prevent it from loosening.

[0032] The above embodiments are merely illustrative of the technology and effects of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Any person skilled in the art can modify and change the above embodiments without departing from the technical principles and spirit of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be as described in the patent application scope below. [Simplified Explanation of the Diagram]

[0033] Figure 1 is an exploded view of a first preferred embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is an assembly diagram of a first preferred embodiment of the present invention, showing the crown and the outer crown in combination. Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a first preferred embodiment of the present invention, showing the crown, the outer crown, and the implant in combination. Figure 4 is a partial sectional view of a first preferred embodiment of the present invention, showing the conical appearance of the positioning portion of the implant and the positioning hole of the outer crown. Figure 5 is an exploded view of a second preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Claims

1. An improvement to a dental implant structure, comprising: an implant having a positioning portion at one end; an outer crown fitted onto the implant; the outer crown having a positioning hole at one axial end adjacent to the positioning portion for insertion of the positioning portion of the implant; and a crown having a connecting hole at one end for insertion and fixation of the end of the outer crown away from the implant; wherein the outer diameter of the positioning portion of the implant tapers toward the outer crown, such that the outer periphery of the positioning portion forms a predetermined angle with the axial direction of the implant; wherein the inner diameter of the positioning hole tapers toward the direction away from the implant, such that the inner periphery of the positioning hole forms the predetermined angle with the axial direction of the outer crown; wherein when the outer crown is fitted onto the positioning portion, a predetermined distance is separated between the top side of the positioning portion and the bottom side of the positioning hole, forming an air cushion space.

2. An improvement to the dental implant structure as described in claim 1, wherein the predetermined angle is preferably between 1 degree and 10 degrees.

3. An improvement to the implant structure as described in claim 2, wherein the predetermined angle is preferably between 2 and 6 degrees.

4. An improvement to the implant structure as described in claim 1, wherein the outer crown has an upper layer and a lower layer connected to each other, the upper layer being farther away from the implant than the lower layer; wherein the outer diameter of the upper layer is smaller than the outer diameter of the lower layer.

5. An improvement to the implant structure as described in claim 4, wherein the height of the upper layer along the axial direction of the outer crown is greater than the height of the lower layer along the axial direction of the outer crown.

6. An improvement to the dental implant structure as described in claim 4, wherein the height of the upper layer along the axial direction of the outer crown is less than the height of the lower layer along the axial direction of the outer crown.

7. An improvement to the implant structure as described in claim 4, wherein the outer crown further comprises an inwardly recessed groove formed between the upper layer and the lower layer, with its two ends respectively connected to the upper layer and the lower layer.

8. An improvement to the implant structure as described in claim 4, wherein the outer crown further has a chamfered portion formed at one end of the lower layer away from the upper layer, and the outer diameter of the chamfered portion tapers away from the lower layer.

9. An improvement to the implant structure as described in claim 1, wherein the implant further includes a threaded portion and a cap portion; the threaded portion is connected to one side of the positioning portion and has a plurality of external threads on its outer peripheral surface; the cap portion is formed between the positioning portion and the threaded portion, with its two ends respectively connected to the positioning portion and the threaded portion; wherein the outer diameter of the cap portion gradually increases from the positioning portion toward the threaded portion, such that the outer peripheral edge of the cap portion forms a second predetermined angle with the axial direction of the implant, and the second predetermined angle is greater than the predetermined angle.

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