Angulated Dental Implant Thread Geometry for Lateral Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Dental implants experience micromotion due to cyclic compression loads and lateral forces from mastication, which inhibit osseointegration, especially in varying bone qualities, and conventional designs fail to provide adequate stability.
Innovation Solution
Dental implants with angulated thread designs featuring undercut spaces between the thread crest and the implant body, providing interlocking engagement with bone to resist lateral forces and enhance stability, even in partial bone engagement scenarios.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If conventional thread designs are used, then the implant can be manufactured with standard geometry, but micromotion occurs due to insufficient resistance against lateral mastication forces
Solution Approach 1:
The thread design employs asymmetric geometry with different flank angles (first flank angle and second flank angle) to create directional resistance against lateral forces. The undercut portion creates an asymmetric profile that interlocks with bone tissue, providing enhanced resistance to mastication-induced lateral forces while maintaining stability and reducing micromotion.
Solution Approach 2:
The thread design incorporates an undercut portion that extends radially outward from the implant body, creating a three-dimensional interlocking structure. This radial dimension allows the thread to engage bone tissue more effectively, providing resistance against lateral forces that would otherwise cause micromotion, thereby stabilizing the implant without requiring increased axial length.
2Adaptability or versatility
If standard thread geometry is used, then manufacturing is simplified, but the implant fails to provide adequate anchorage in varying bone qualities
Solution Approach 1:
The thread design features localized variations in geometry including different flank angles, pitch variations, and an undercut portion at specific locations along the implant body. These local geometric modifications create zones of enhanced bone engagement that adapt to varying bone densities and qualities, ensuring reliable osseointegration across different anatomical sites and bone conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The thread geometry incorporates variable parameters including different flank angles (first and second flank angles), varying pitch along the implant length, and controlled undercut depth. These parameter variations allow the thread to optimize its engagement with bone tissue of different densities and qualities, enhancing adaptability while maintaining reliable fixation and promoting successful osseointegration.
3Strength
If threads only engage bone at tips, then the design is simpler, but lateral stability is insufficient to prevent micromotion
Solution Approach 1:
The thread profile employs asymmetric geometry with distinct first and second flanks having different angles relative to the implant body axis. This asymmetry creates directional mechanical interlocking that resists lateral forces more effectively than symmetric designs, providing enhanced lateral stability while maintaining manufacturability through conventional threading processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The undercut portion introduces a radial dimension to thread-bone interaction, extending the engagement zone from merely the thread tip to include the flank surfaces. This three-dimensional engagement mechanism significantly enhances lateral stability and prevents micromotion while the undercut geometry can be manufactured using standard threading tools with appropriate toolpath programming.
Data Source
AI summary
A dental implant may include among other features a first thread extending along and from at least one of: part of an apical portion or part of a coronal portion, wherein the first thread includes: a first side extending from a body, a crest connected to the first side at an outer extent of the first side; and a second side connected to the crest on an opposing side from the first side, wherein the second side extends from the crest to body, wherein the second side forms an acute angle of between 45 and 85 degrees with respect to an outer surface of the body to create an undercut space adjacent thereto that provides an interlocking engagement with bone or an extraction socket to resist a lateral force applied on the dental implant.