Means for fastening artificial teeth

An apparatus for fastening a dental implant in a jaw comprising:

• an implant primary portion formed with a longitudinal blind bore closed at a distal end thereof, the implant primary portion adapted and designed for insertion into the jaw;
• a shell formed with a longitudinal through bore adapted and designed for coaxial retention within the blind bore so as to extend to less than the closed distal end of the blind bore;
• a secondary portion having a longitudinal axis with a distally extending shank terminating in a distal enlargement and a longitudinal through bore, the shank having a distal slot parallel to the longitudinal axis, the secondary portion also having a proximally enlarged head of larger cross-section than the blind bore, the shank sized and adapted for being fully coaxially retained within the longitudinal through bore of the shell, so that the distal enlargement extends past a distal end of the shell;
• a top adapted and arranged to be matingly positioned on the enlarged head, the top provided with a longitudinal through bore in coaxial alignment with the through bore of the secondary portion;
• and
• an elongated mandrel sized and adapted to be longitudinally retained within the top through bore and within the through bore of the secondary portion for retaining the top in position against the enlarged head and for urging sections of the slotted shank radially outward.