Socket Preservation Screw for Alveolar Ridge Maintenance

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Solution Overview

Problem

The success of dental implant placement is limited by the quality and quantity of existing bone, as atrophic alveolar ridges due to denture destruction and jawbone atrophy cannot securely support implants, necessitating bone preservation and grafting to create a protected space for bone growth.

Innovation Solution

An implantable screw with a healing abutment head and threaded shaft is used to anchor in the jawbone, providing a space for bone growth by maintaining the integrity of the oral socket and allowing for the incorporation of bone growth materials, which is removable once sufficient bone is generated for dental implant placement.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of time

If dental implants are placed in atrophic alveolar ridges, then immediate implant placement is ideal, but the quality and quantity of existing bone is insufficient to securely support implants

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetime for implant placementVSAvoidbone quality and quantity

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of timeVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The socket preservation screw is installed immediately after tooth extraction to preliminarily preserve the alveolar ridge structure and create a protected space for future bone grafting, preventing bone collapse before the actual implant placement occurs

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The treatment is divided into separate stages: first installing the socket preservation screw to maintain space and prevent collapse, then performing bone grafting in the protected space, and finally placing the dental implant once sufficient bone has regrown

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Reliability

If fabric-like membranes are used to create isolated space for bone grafting, then connective tissue cell invasion is prevented, but the space is not protected from chewing forces and tissue pressure

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprotection from tissue invasionVSAvoidchewing forces and tissue pressure

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The socket preservation screw combines multiple protective functions into a single device: it acts as a physical barrier preventing connective tissue invasion like membranes, while simultaneously providing mechanical support to resist chewing forces and tissue pressure that membranes cannot withstand

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The screw utilizes composite construction with a threaded shaft for bone anchoring and a smooth head portion for space maintenance, combining different structural properties to simultaneously address biological and mechanical protection requirements

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

3Quantity of substance

If bone grafting is performed to ensure adequate bone for supporting dental implants, then sufficient bone volume is achieved, but the bone graft material requires an isolated protected space to grow successfully

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebone volumeVSAvoidspace protection requirements

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The socket preservation screw serves as an intermediary device that creates and maintains the isolated protected space necessary for bone graft material to grow successfully, mediating between the bone graft and the surrounding oral environment while preventing harmful factors from compromising the graft

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS9539068B2Implantable screw and system for socket preservation

Publication Date: 2017.01.10 WARSAW ORTHOPEDIC INC

AI summary

An implantable screw for preserving the integrity of an oral socket and for maintaining space during bone grafting procedures is provided, where the screw has a healing abutment head having a region adapted to support soft tissue, a threaded shaft and a tip adapted to penetrate bone tissue. The temporary implantable screws provided may be used in conjunction with bone graft materials and are removable for placement of an oral implant.