Adjustable Dental Implant Interface Member for Abutment Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current dental implant systems lack control over abutment positioning, angulation, and parallelism, leading to compromised biomechanical principles such as passive retention, passive support, and resistance form, resulting in reduced implant survivability, increased maintenance, and poor esthetics.
Innovation Solution
An adjustable dental implant device with an interface member that allows real-time adjustment of the abutment's angle, direction, and length to match individual patient morphology, ensuring proper alignment and positioning, including a customizable finish line for optimal support and retention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If fixed prefabricated abutments are used, then manufacturing simplicity is maintained, but adaptability to individual patient morphology is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The abutment device incorporates an adjustable mechanism that allows the abutment to be positioned at multiple angles and orientations relative to the implant anchor. The interface member includes threading and engagement features that enable real-time adjustment during the procedure to match individual patient anatomy, transforming a static fixed abutment into a dynamic adjustable system.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention enables change in geometric parameters of the abutment positioning, specifically angle and orientation, through the adjustable interface mechanism. This allows clinicians to modify the abutment's spatial parameters to achieve optimal alignment with adjacent teeth and proper emergence profile for each patient's unique morphology.
2Manufacturing precision
If adjustable abutment positioning is implemented, then alignment control is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The abutment system is divided into separate components: an implant anchor, an interface member with adjustment mechanism, and the abutment itself. This segmentation allows the positioning function to be isolated in the interface member, enabling precise adjustment without requiring the entire abutment assembly to be complex. Each component can be optimized independently for its specific function.
Solution Approach 2:
The interface member serves as an intermediary component between the implant anchor and the abutment. It provides the adjustment mechanism that mediates the connection, allowing precise control of abutment positioning while maintaining a relatively simple overall device structure. The interface member translates rotational adjustments into precise angular positioning of the abutment.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple active paths of insertion are required for adjustable abutments, then adaptability is improved, but passive retention and support principles are disrupted
Solution Approach 1:
The interface member is pre-configured with threading and engagement features that guide the abutment into a single passive path of insertion. The adjustable positioning is achieved through controlled rotation within defined limits, not through multiple active insertion paths. This preliminary design of the interface geometry ensures that the abutment can only be inserted in the correct orientation, maintaining passive retention principles while still allowing for angular adjustment.
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B~1C
Figure 2A~2B
AI summary
A dental implant device is disclosed in the form of an interface member (40) having a coupling interface (42) that is complementary to the coupling interface provided on a dental implant anchor. The interface member (40) has an apical end (40a), an occlusal end (40b) and a lumen (44) defined therebetween; wherein the apical end (40a) has an external surface forming portion (42) that provides for interfacing with the dental implant anchor; and the occlusal end (40b) defines an elevated rim (47) extending from the external surface portion (42. The interface member (40) is adjustable about the elevated rim (47) to define a flange (46a) that supports the margins of a restoration associated thereon.