Dental Implant Marking Shell for Soft Tissue Spatial Recording

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current dental implant placement methods, especially immediate implant placement, face challenges in accurately recording and preserving the spatial relationship between the residual soft tissue socket and the underlying dental implant, leading to difficulties in fabricating a dental prosthesis that matches the pre-treatment soft tissue anatomy, and result in irreversible changes to the soft tissue architecture.

Innovation Solution

A hollow shell with orientation and dimensional markings is used to record and preserve the soft tissue anatomy, allowing for independent positioning relative to the dental implant, and a temporary post with distinct markings is used to record the spatial relationship, enabling the fabrication of customized prosthetic components that accurately replicate the soft tissue socket's shape and position.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of time

If immediate implant placement is performed without recording soft tissue spatial relationship, then treatment time is reduced, but manufacturing precision of prosthesis is compromised

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetreatment timeVSAvoidprosthesis fabrication accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of timeVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by placing a marking device on the implant immediately after placement to record the spatial relationship between the implant and surrounding soft tissue. This preliminary marking enables accurate prosthesis fabrication later without requiring additional surgical interventions, thus reducing overall treatment time while maintaining manufacturing precision.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Stability of the object's composition

If traditional implant placement methods are used, then soft tissue architecture is preserved, but device complexity increases due to multiple surgical stages

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesoft tissue architectureVSAvoidsurgical procedure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the implant system into two independent components: the implant itself and the detachable marking device. This segmentation allows the marking device to be placed and removed independently, simplifying the surgical procedure to a single stage while preserving soft tissue architecture, unlike traditional methods requiring multiple surgical stages.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The marking device serves as an intermediary element between the implant and the soft tissue. It captures the spatial relationship information without requiring complex surgical procedures, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining soft tissue architecture stability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Stability of the object's composition

If multiple surgical stages are performed, then soft tissue anatomy is preserved, but loss of time increases due to multiple interventions

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesoft tissue anatomyVSAvoidnumber of surgical interventions
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The marking device is placed during the initial surgical stage and remains in position to guide subsequent prosthesis fabrication. This preliminary action eliminates the need for multiple surgical interventions to re-establish soft tissue anatomy, reducing time loss while preserving soft tissue anatomy through accurate spatial relationship recording.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

4Device complexity

If soft tissue socket position is not recorded, then device complexity is reduced, but measurement precision is compromised

Engineering Contradiction:
Improverecording system complexityVSAvoidsoft tissue socket position accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The marking device provides local quality enhancement by placing specific markings at critical locations around the implant. These localized markings capture the precise spatial relationship between the implant and soft tissue socket, achieving high measurement precision without requiring a complex overall recording system.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentEP2806818B1Apparatus for recording spatial gingival soft tissue relationship to implant placement within alveolar bone for immediate-implant placement
Publication Date: 2019.09.18 EVOLLUTION IP HOLDINGS INC
  • EP2806818B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2806818B1 patent drawingFigure 2~5
  • EP2806818B1 patent drawingFigure 6~7

AI summary

A dental implant has a hollow shell with outer bio-compatible surface for engaging a soft tissue socket left in gingival tissue after a tooth has been extracted, to promote healing. The shell tapers outwardly from a first to a second perimeter, the second perimeter being asymmetrically scalloped with opposite distal and mesial peaks and opposite lingual and facial valleys between the peaks. A dental implant in the bone socket left after tooth extraction is rigidly connected to a temporary post, the temporary post extending in the shell. The shell engages against the soft tissue socket without gaps and without requiring alignment between the shell and implant axes.