Dental abutment screw extractor

A method for extracting a broken fragment of a dental abutment screw from a dental implant in a patient's mouth, the method comprising:

• mounting a proximal end of an extraction tool in a hand-held applicator, prior to positioning the extraction tool in the patient's mouth, wherein mounting a proximal end of the extraction tool in the hand-held applicator comprises:
• opening a collet of the hand-held applicator;
• inserting the proximal end of the extraction tool into the collet;
• and
• closing the collet to secure the extraction tool to the hand-held applicator;
• applying heat to a thermoplastic adhesive in a distal end portion of the extraction tool via the hand-held applicator to melt the thermoplastic adhesive;
• positioning the extraction tool in the patient's mouth such that the thermoplastic adhesive in the distal end portion of the extraction tool contacts the broken fragment of the dental abutment screw that is mounted within the dental implant in the patient's mouth;
• wherein the application of heat to the thermoplastic adhesive occurs before or after the extraction tool is positioned in the patient's mouth;
• allowing the melted thermoplastic adhesive to conform to surfaces of the broken fragment;
• allowing the thermoplastic adhesive to cool such that it solidifies around the broken fragment;
• and
• rotating the extraction tool to unscrew the broken fragment from the dental implant;
• detaching the extraction tool from the hand-held applicator after applying heat to the thermoplastic adhesive and prior to rotating the extraction tool.