Prosthetic implant attachment system and method

A dental implant attachment kit comprising:

• a series of base members having lower ends sized to seat on various types of artificial root implants and upper ends of size equivalent to a range of different tooth sizes;
• a series of prosthetic heads each configured to be secureable to any one of said base members, said prosthetic heads each having a lower end cuff portion and an upper post portion with the upper root portions being angled relative to the cuff portion at angles between 0 and 30 degrees;
• the lower end of each prosthetic head and the upper end of each base member having interengageable indexing locking means for releasably locking a prosthetic head on a base member against rotation in any one of at least three fixed indexed angular positions at different relative angles to said base member;
• and
• securing means for securing a selected one of said base members to an artificial root implant and for securing a selected one of said prosthetic heads to said base member.

A method of mounting a dental prosthesis on an artificial root implant cylinder, comprising the steps of:

• securing a base member having an indexing locking formation at its upper end to the upper end of a root implant cylinder;
• securing an impression head having a cooperating locking formation at its lower end to the base member with the locking formations in mating engagement to prevent relative rotation between the parts, the impression head having indexing means on its outer surface for forming indexing marks in a dental impression for indexing the head in the same orientation in the impression as on the base member both horizontally and vertically;
• taking an impression of the jaw with the impression head in place;
• removing the impression and impression head, securing an analog of the base member to the impression head with the indexing locking formation of the analogue engaged with the corresponding formation on the impression head, and replacing the impression head in the impression with its indexing means aligned with the indexing mark in the impression;
• forming a dental cast of the impression in which the base member analogue is set;
• separating the impression head from the cast;
• selecting a prosthetic head for mounting on the analogue, the prosthetic head having an indexing formation at its lower end for engagement in the analogue indexing formation;
• securing the prosthetic head to the analogue after selecting appropriate angulation;
• customization of the prosthetic head to follow gingual form interim use of a custom temperary;
• forming and casting the prosthesis over the prosthetic head;
• and
• removing the prosthesis and prosthetic head from the cast and securing them to the base member mounted in the jaw with the locking formation on the prosthetic head in mating engagement with the locking formation on the base member.

A method of mounting a dental prosthesis on an artificial root implant, comprising the steps of:

• selecting a base member and securing the base member to the upper end of an artificial root implant cylinder;
• securing an impression head having indexing marks on its outer surface to the base member;
• taking an impression of the jaw so that the position of the impression head and indexing marks are impressed in the impression,
• removing the impression and impression head from the jaw;
• securing an analogue of the base member to the impression head and replacing the impression head in its indent in the impression with the indexing marks on the impression head indexed with the corresponding indexing marks in the impression;
• making a cast from the impression in which the analogue is set in an equivalent position in orientation to the base member in the jaw;
• selecting a prosthetic head for mounting on the analogue, the analogue and prosthetic head having interengageable formations for allowing the prosthetic head to be rotated relative to the analogue into any one of a plurality of different angled orientations;
• adjusting the prosthetic head into the optimum angled position relative to the analogue;
• securing the prosthetic head to the analogue in the selected position;
• customizing the prosthetic head to follow the natural gum line;
• forming and casting the dental prosthesis to fit the prosthetic head;
• separating the prosthesis and prosthetic head from the analogue;
• and
• reassembling the prosthetic head on the base member in the jaw at the selected orientation with the interchangeable formations on the prosthetic head engaging corresponding formations on the base member and securing the prosthesis to the prosthetic head.