Dental implant apparatus and method

Abstract

A dental implant includes a healing collar that expands to a desired shape. The expandable healing collar has an orifice to permit a filler material to pass into an interior cavity between the healing collar and the base. A plurality of nested frustro-conical sections form the exterior of the healing collar which is urged upwardly by a spring and a screw. The coronal dental prosthesis that results from the expandable healing collar acts as a support for the replacement of a missing tooth so that a crown may be attached to the expanded coronal portion of the implant. This coronal extension may be angled due to its flexible telescoping mechanism and, thereafter, filled with a suitable material such as a thermoplastic resin, an epoxy-like substance or a self-gearing or light-gearing polymer. Additional apparatus and methods are described for anchoring the implant to the jawbone.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.