Endosseous plastic implant method

The method of fabricating a plastic endosseous implant comprising the steps of:

• (a) preparing a mold for an endosseous implant,
• (b) coating the mold interior with a release agent,
• (c) attaching to an interior surface of the mold a dense layer of water-soluble crystals of a particle size corresponding to a pore size desired in a surface region of the implant,
• (d) preparing a mixture consisting essentially of acrylic polymer and monomer with water-soluble crystals of substantially uniform size corresponding to a desired pore size in a subsurface region of said implant and in relative proportions corresponding to the degree of porosity desired therein;
• (e) introducing said mixture into the mold,
• (f) heat curing the material in said mold to form the implant,
• (g) removing said implant from said mold,
• (h) removing the sealing skin of the implant to expose the layer of water soluble salt crystals, and
• (i) leaching said water-soluble crystals from said implant.

The method of fabricating a plastic endosseous implant comprising the steps of:

• (a) preparing a replica mold of an endosseous implant site,
• (b) coating the mold interior with a release agent,
• (c) attaching to an interior surface of the mold a dense layer of water-soluble crystals of a particle size corresponding to a pore size desired in a surface region of the implant by painting the root portion of the mold with a layer of acetate cement and sprinkling said crystals on the cement while it is still tacky,
• (d) preparing a mixture of acrylic polymer and monomer with a water soluble salt of substantially uniform crystal size corresponding to the desired pore size in a subsurface region of said implant and in relative proportions corresponding to the degree of porosity desired therein,
• (e) introducing said mixture into the mold,
• (f) heat curing the material in said mold to form the implant,
• (g) removing said implant from said mold,
• (h) removing the sealing skin of the implant to expose the layer of water soluble salt crystals, and
• (i) leaching said salt from said replica.

The method of fabricating a plastic endosseous implant comprising the steps of:

• (a) preparing a mold of an endosseous implant,
• (b) coating the mold interior with a release agent,
• (c) attaching to an interior surface of the mold a dense layer of water soluble crystals of a particle size corresponding to the pore size desired in a surface region of the implant,
• (d) preparing a mixture of essentially pure acrylic polymer and monomer with a water soluble salt of substantially uniform crystal size corresponding to a desired pore size in a subsurface region of said implant and in relative proportions corresponding to the degree of porosity desired therein,
• (e) introducing said mixture into the mold,
• (f) heat curing the material in said mold to form the replica,
• (g) removing said replica from said mold,
• (h) removing the sealing skin of the replica to expose the layer of water soluble salt crystals, and
• (i) leaching said salt from said replica, said leaching step being carried out in boiling water for about 4 to 15 minutes.

The method of fabricating a plastic tooth implant comprising the steps of:

• (a) preparing a replica mold corresponding to a tooth implant site, the mold having a root portion and a crown portion,
• (b) coating the mold interior with a release agent,
• (c) attaching to an interior surface of the mold a dense layer of water-soluble crystals of a particle size corresponding to the pore size desired in a surface region of the root porton of the implant,
• (d) preparing a mixture of acrylic polymer and monomer with a water-soluble salt of substantially uniform crystal size corresponding to the pore size desired in a subsurface region of said implant and in relative proportions corresponding to the degree of porosity desired therein,
• (e) introducing said mixture into the mold,
• (f) inserting a polymethylmethacrylate pin in said mold so as to extend partially into the root portion thereof and extend partially into the crown portion, said pin being dimensioned to be concealed wholly within said implant when cured,
• (g) adding acrylic polymer and monomer mixture to fill the rest of said mold,
• (h) heat curing the material in said mold to form the implant,
• (i) removing said implant from said mold,
• (j) removing the sealing skin of the implant to expose the layer of water soluble salt crystals, and
• (k) leaching said salt from said implant.

The method of fabricating a plastic tooth implant comprising the steps of:

• (a) preparing a replica mold corresponding to the shape of an extracted tooth, the mold having a root portion and a crown portion,
• (b) coating the mold interior with a release agent,
• (c) sprinkling on said coated interior surface of the mold a dense layer of water-soluble crystals of a particle size corresponding to the pore size desired in a surface region of the root portion of the implant,
• (d) inserting a polymethylmethacrylate pin in said mold so as to extend partially into the root portion thereof and extend partially into the crown portion, said pin being dimensioned to be concealed wholly within said replica when cured,
• (e) adding acrylic polymer and monomer mixture to fill the rest of said mold,
• (f) heat curing the material in said mold to form the replica,
• (g) removing said replica from said mold,
• (h) removing the sealing skin of the replica to expose the layer of water soluble salt crystals, and
• (i) leaching said salt from said replica.

In the method of fabricating a plastic endosseous implant wherein a freshly extracted tooth is used as a master in preparing a replica mold corresponding to at least the root portion of said tooth, the improvement comprising the steps of:

• (a) attaching a layer of water-soluble crystals of a particle size corresponding to the pore size desired in the surface of the root portion of the implant to the interior surface of the mold,
• (b) mixing acrylic polymer and monomer with water-soluble crystals of a particle size corresponding to the pore size desired in the subsurface root portion of the implant in volume portions to provide a preselected degree of porosity therein,
• (c) pouring such mixture into said mold to form a plastic root portion replica corresponding to the root portion of said tooth,
• (d) curing the mixture in said mold to form a plastic root portion replica corresponding to the root portion of said tooth,
• (e) removing a surface layer of plastic from the root portion to expose said water-soluble crystals,
• (f) leaching said salt from said replica,
• (g) coating the plastic root portion with cement, and
• (h) inserting the root portion into the socket of the freshly extracted tooth before the cement hardens for providing initial fixation of the replica implant in the socket.

A method of implanting a replica tooth in an alveolar socket where the adjacent bone height is abnormally low, the method comprising the steps of:

• undercutting the dermis along each side of the bone ridge adjacent to the alveolar socket;
• inserting a replica tooth root portion into the alveolar socket, the tooth root portion having a porous surface extending up to the normal line of gingival attachment, the porous surface having pore sizes in the range of about 50 microns to about 150 microns and the porosity extending to a depth of at least two millimeters;
• building up the alveolar ridge to normal height by packing porous synthetic bone around the tooth root portion at the time of inserting the implant;
• pulling the dermis and overlying gingiva up to the normal gum line of the tooth root portion;
• and
• suturing the dermis and gingiva in place.

A method of implanting a plurality of adjacent teeth in an alveolar environment where the alveolar ridge is abnormally low, the method comprising the steps of

• undercutting the dermis along the alveolar ridge at the location of a plurality of adjacent teeth to be implanted;
• forming an artificial alveolar ridge of porous plastic to fit the natural bone at said location, said plastic having pore sizes predominantly in the range from approximately 200 microns to approximately 400 microns;
• installing crown mounting posts for the plurality of adjacent teeth in the top of the artificial alveolar ridge;
• providing porous surfaces at the bases of the crown mounting posts to promote epithelial tissue attachment of the surrounding gingiva;
• placing the artificial alveolar ridge in mating contact with the natural alveolar bone at said location;
• suturing the previously undercut gums in place around the bases of the crown mounting posts.

A method of correcting an abnormally low alveolar ridge adjacent to a natural tooth caused by periodontal disease comprising the steps of:

• packing porous synthetic bone around the natural tooth to build up the alveolus surrounding the tooth to normal height;
• pulling the dermis and gingiva up to the normal gum line of the tooth;
• and;
• suturing the dermis and gingiva in place.