Resorbable Shield for Dental Implant Bone Growth Material Containment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Dental implants often fail due to bacterial invasion, loosening, and improper implantation, leading to peri-implantitis, bone loss, and tissue loss, necessitating surgery for replacement.
Innovation Solution
A dental implant repair system that includes bone growth promoting material and a protective shield to prevent material escape and soft tissue collapse, featuring a shield with spikes to overlay the bone growth material and an abutment for fixation with the implant, ensuring the material stays within the body cavity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If bone growth promoting material is placed in the body cavity about the dental implant, then bone growth is enhanced, but the material may escape from the body cavity
Solution Approach 1:
A resorbable shield in the form of a thin film or shell is placed over the bone growth material to contain it within the body cavity. The shield is made of resorbable material that gradually degrades as bone growth progresses, allowing the material to be contained during the critical growth period while eventually being absorbed into the surrounding tissue.
Solution Approach 2:
The resorbable shield acts as an intermediary element between the bone growth material and the oral cavity environment. It mediates by physically containing the material to prevent escape while allowing the biological processes of bone growth to proceed uninterrupted.
2Reliability
If the body cavity is left open for bone growth, then bone tissue can grow into the implant, but soft tissue may collapse into the grafted region
Solution Approach 1:
The resorbable shield maintains the structural integrity and shape of the body cavity during the bone growth period. It prevents soft tissue from collapsing into the grafted region while allowing bone tissue to grow into the implant, and is eventually resorbed after serving its protective function.
Solution Approach 2:
The shield is placed beforehand to cushion and protect the bone growth material and the body cavity structure during the vulnerable period before bone growth provides sufficient structural support. It anticipates and prevents soft tissue collapse before it can occur.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the protective element is made resorbable, then it degrades over time, but it must maintain structural integrity during the bone growth period
Solution Approach 1:
The resorbable shield is made from materials whose degradation parameters can be controlled to match the bone growth timeline. The material maintains its structural properties during the initial bone growth phase and gradually changes its mechanical properties as it resorbs, transitioning from a load-bearing structure to a degrading scaffold.
Solution Approach 2:
The shield may be constructed from composite materials that combine resorbable polymers with reinforcing fibers or coatings, providing sufficient structural integrity during the bone growth period while maintaining the ability to resorb after the implant is securely fixed.
Data Source
AI summary
A dental implant system includes bone growth promoting material configured for disposal within a body cavity about an implant. A protective element is configured to overlay the bone growth promoting material. Methods of use are also disclosed.