Dental Implant Adapter Snap Lock Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional dental implant adapters are cumbersome and prone to contamination during removal from the bone, with screw-based connections being time-consuming and risky, especially in hard bone, and often result in mechanical stress that can lead to adapter breakage and implant misalignment.
Innovation Solution
A two-part adapter system featuring a snap lock mechanism that allows for quick and secure attachment and detachment of the dental implant using a movable lock ring, minimizing axial forces and preventing adapter breakage, while maintaining implant stability and position.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a screw-based adapter connection is used to attach the adapter to the dental implant, then the connection is secure and reliable, but the removal process is time-consuming and increases the risk of contamination and implant misalignment
Solution Approach 1:
The adapter connection system is segmented into two independent parts: a screwless adapter body with integrated snap locks and a separate lock ring. This segmentation allows the adapter to connect securely via snap locks while enabling quick release by simply removing the lock ring, eliminating the time-consuming screw removal process and reducing contamination risk.
Solution Approach 2:
The screw mechanism is extracted from the adapter-implant connection system. Instead of using screws to attach the adapter to the implant, the invention uses snap locks that engage automatically when the adapter is inserted into the implant's coronal recess, allowing secure connection without the cumbersome screw fastening and release process.
2Reliability
If a central adapter screw is used to fix the adapter to the implant, then the adapter is securely attached, but the adapter geometry is weakened and prone to breakage under high torque
Solution Approach 1:
The central adapter screw is extracted from the design. The invention replaces the screw-based attachment with snap locks integrated into the adapter body that engage with the implant's coronal recess, eliminating the need for a separate central screw and the associated weakening of the adapter structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The attachment function is merged into the adapter body itself through integrated snap locks. Instead of using a separate central screw to secure the adapter to the implant, the snap locks are built into the adapter structure, strengthening the overall design by eliminating the screw channel and associated structural weaknesses.
3Reliability
If a screwed adapter is used for implant insertion, then the adapter can be firmly fixed to the implant, but there is a risk that the central fixation screw may break under lateral loading
Solution Approach 1:
The central fixation screw is extracted from the system. The invention uses snap locks that engage with the implant's coronal recess to provide firm fixation without requiring a separate screw, thereby eliminating the risk of screw breakage under lateral loading while maintaining secure adapter-implant connection.
4Ease of operation
If a central screw channel is provided in the adapter for screw fixation, then the adapter can be attached to the implant, but the adapter is weakened and may fail at higher torques
Solution Approach 1:
The attachment capability is merged into the adapter body through integrated snap locks. Instead of providing a separate central screw channel that weakens the adapter structure, the snap locks are incorporated directly into the adapter design, maintaining attachment functionality while preserving structural integrity and torque resistance.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The two-part adapter enables efficient, sterile, and secure handling of dental implants, reducing mechanical stress on the implant and bone, and preventing adapter breakage, thus ensuring safe and quick separation without compromising implant position.
Implementation Method 1
at least one snap lock which, when the apical part of the adapter is arranged in a coronal recess of the dental implant, in at least a complementary structure snaps into place on the inside of the recess of the dental implant and creates a reversible plug-in connection
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention describes a two-part adapter for inserting a dental implant into the bone, wherein the first part is an elongated adapter with at least one snap closure on its apical part, which, when the apical part of the adapter is arranged in a coronal recess of the dental implant, engages in at least one complementary structure on the inside of the recess of the dental implant and establishes a reversible plug connection between the adapter and the dental implant, and the second part is a counter ring in whose central recess the apical part of the adapter is arranged.