Elastic dental implant

Abstract

A system of uniquely interchangeable dental implant insert elements which may be readily interchanged by screwing the removable elements into and out of a stationary osseointegrated dental implant housing. The removable insert elements may vary as to their rate and degree of elasticity. The abutment shaft upon which the dental prosthesis is affixed is of standard size throughout the system, and is splined in such a way that the splines can be engaged by a single insertion/removal instrument. The overall design is such that the proper degree of shaft deflection for each case can be readily and painlessly tried in until the desired result is obtained. The inserts are designed to be retrievable at any time allowing for removal and replacement of the existing prosthesis which is affixed to the insert. The insert elements can be continuously interchanged throughout the patient's lifetime to allow for changes in the patient's dental needs. The unique design of these inserts allows the dentist to compensate for slight misalignment problems when trying to obtain multiple coincident paths of insertion by allowing the abutment bearing shaft to be deflected such that the longitudinal axis of the shaft can be made to coincide with the path of insertion of the prosthesis, and thus greatly facilitate the seating and restoration of the prosthesis.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.