BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The details of embodiments of the present disclosure, both as to their structure and operation, may be gleaned in part by study of the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts, and in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of a dental anchoring or attachment assembly that can be attached with an implant that can be anchored to a bone or other base structure such as a tooth root, according to an embodiment;

FIG. 2 illustrates the external surface of the head of a retention member, according to an embodiment;

FIG. 3 illustrates another view of the external surface of the head of the retention member of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 illustrates a dental attachment assembly in an angled, unattached configuration, according to one embodiment;

FIG. 5 illustrates the dental attachment assembly in the angled orientation shown in FIG. 4 but where the retention member is now snap-fit into the socket of the abutment;

FIG. 6 illustrates a removable dental attachment assembly for attaching a dental appliance to an implant, according to one embodiment;

FIG. 7 illustrates a sectional view taken on line 7-7 of FIG. 6, with a retention member shown separated, according to an embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 7, showing the retention member of FIG. 7 aligning with the abutment member of FIG. 6, according to an embodiment;

FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIGS. 7 and 8, including a cap and showing the retention member of FIG. 7 coupled to the abutment member of FIG. 6, according to an embodiment;

FIG. 10 is a sectional view showing a shortened form of the abutment member of FIG. 6, according to an embodiment;

FIG. 11A illustrates another example embodiment of a removable dental assembly, according to one embodiment;

FIG. 11B is an isometric view illustration of the cap of the dental assembly of FIG. 11A;

FIG. 11C is an isometric cutout view illustration of the cap of the dental assembly of FIG. 11B;

FIG. 11D is a sectional view illustration of the cap and a retention member of the dental assembly of FIG. 11A;

FIG. 11E is a sectional view illustration of the cap of the dental assembly of FIG. 11A illustrating consecutive tangent circle arcs which are used to create an angle of a concave recess on an interior wall of the cap;

FIG. 11F is a sectional view illustration of the cap of the dental assembly of FIG. 11A illustrating an angle of the concave recess;

FIG. 11G is a sectional view of the dental attachment assembly of FIG. 11A in a fully swiveled position;

FIG. 12 illustrates a conventional Peek retention member that includes a gap our slot cut into the retention member in order to allow for some resiliency;

FIG. 13 illustrates one embodiment of a dental anchoring or attachment assembly, according to another embodiment;

FIG. 14A illustrates a dental anchoring or attachment assembly with a lower portion configured to be straight;

FIG. 14B illustrates the assembly of FIG. 14A with a lower portion configured to be angled;

FIG. 14C illustrates the assembly of FIG. 14A with another lower portion configured to be angled;

FIG. 15A illustrates a removable overdenture assembly, according to an embodiment;

FIG. 15B illustrates a removable denture assembly that uses a bar, according to an embodiment;

FIG. 16A illustrates a fixed denture assembly, according to an embodiment; and

FIG. 16B illustrates another fixed denture assembly, according to an embodiment;

FIG. 17 illustrates a fixed hybrid dental attachment assembly, according to an embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The detailed description set forth below, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is intended as a description of various embodiments, and is not intended to represent the only embodiments in which the disclosure may be practiced. The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understanding of the embodiments. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that embodiments of the invention can be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known structures and components are shown in simplified form for brevity of description.

The dental attachment assembly described in U.S. Pat. No. 9,931,181 (the '181 patent), which is incorporated herein by reference as if set forth in full, functions similar to a fixed dental attachment system as described above, yet can be more easily removed by a dental professional using a special tool and which overcomes many of the problems of conventional fixed dental attachment assemblies. The dental attachment assembly described in the '181 patent is useful to attach a dental appliance, not intended to be removable by the patient, such as a denture, with an implant and provide a retentive force of about 8 to 75 pounds, while also providing ease of engagement of the retention member with the abutment due to the compressible nature of the materials used and the friction-retained snap-fit of the ball and socket components included within the assembly.

As will be described in detail below, the retention member is formed from a compressible material—such as a polymer or soft metal—to allow the retention member to compress and flex while being attached or detached from an abutment secured to the implant. The compressible and flexible retention member can then be secured with the abutment at a variety of angles, which is often necessary when securing a dental appliance to a plurality of implants extending at different angles across a person's upper or lower mandible. Additionally, the compressible ball eliminates the need for a separate compressible annular ring to be positioned in the socket of the abutment between the retention member and interior abutment walls, as well as the need for a securing mechanism for securing the annular ring to the abutment walls. The dental attachment assembly is therefore easier to manufacture and requires less maintenance once inserted.

FIGS. 1-5 herein are the same as FIGS. 1-5 of the '181 patent. FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of a dental anchoring or attachment assembly 100 that can be attached with an implant (not shown) that can be anchored to a bone or other base structure (not shown) such as a tooth root. The assembly includes an abutment 102 that is secured to the implant and a cap or denture attachment housing (DAH) 104 that is secured in a recess of a dental appliance. A retention member 106 serves to provide the frictionally-retained connection between the cap 104 and the abutment 102. To this end, the retention member 106 includes a shaft 108 that, e.g., has a threaded end portion 110 in a threaded connection with a corresponding threaded bore 111 in the cap 104. A second end of the shaft, which interfaces with the abutment 102, includes a head 112 that is substantially spherical in shape and which is configured to create a frictional fit with an inward projection or barb 120 in a socket 114 found in an upper opening 116 of the abutment 102.

The head 112 includes a curved surface 118 configured to frictionally engage an annular inward projection 120 in the socket 114, and a flat lower end face 119 with, e.g., an inwardly directed hexagonal or polygonal shaped recess 121 for engagement with a suitable tool when the retention member 106 is threadably engaged in bore 111 of cap 104. The inward projection 120 has an undercut 123 that is engaged with the head 112. The socket 114 does not necessarily need to be curved to match the curved surface 118 of the head 112. Instead, the head 112 is in contact with the socket 114 only at projection 120 in most or all attachment orientations. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the outer surface of the head 112 is convex, while the outer end face 119 of the head is flat in order to provide for a closer fit of the head 112 with the abutment 102. The inward projection 120 is configured to have a friction fit with the corresponding diameter of the head 112 at the mouth of the socket 114.

One benefit of the compressible material for the retention member 106 is that the diameter of the head 112 can be altered to increase or decrease the retentive force provided by the frictional-fit or compression of the head 112 engaging with undercut barb 123 of annular projection 120. The greater the maximum diameter of head 112, the higher the retentive force, since the inward projection 120 cuts further into the head when fully engaged. A smaller diameter head 112 provides less retentive force. Retention force may also be varied by using different, softer or harder compressible materials for head 112, as described in more detail in the '210 patent in connection with the modified embodiment of FIGS. 31 to 35C therein.

FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate the external surface of the head 112 of one embodiment of retention member 106. The outer ball-shaped or convex curved surface 118 can have a series of flats or flattened portions 119 around the circumference of surface 118 to reduce the amount of friction between the curved surface 118 of the head and the corresponding curved surface or projection 120 of the socket. In an alternative embodiment, no flats are provided and the head has a smooth outer convex surface. A smooth convex surface increases the amount of friction between head 112 and projection 120, since the projection digs more deeply into the compressible surface of the head in the attached configuration of FIG. 1. Thus, one, two, or all of the following parameters can be used to vary the retention force of the head in the abutment socket: head diameter, head shape, and the selected compressible material of the head. The retention force may vary from anywhere between about 10 to about 75 pounds, although some embodiments may provide as little as about 1 pound of retention force for use in the initial positioning of the dental appliance and dental anchoring device.

The cap 104 is configured with an annular internal surface 122 which may be curved to engage with a corresponding curved outer surface 124 of the abutment, providing an additional frictional fit for the dental attachment assembly.

In one embodiment, a ball flange 126 is provided on shaft 108 at a predetermined spacing below threaded portion 110. Flange 126 extends perpendicular to the axial direction of the shaft 108 and acts as a stop by engaging an opposing surface 127 of the cavity in cap 104 when threaded stem 110 is threaded into bore 111. The ball flange 126 serves to help locate the ball 112 within the socket 114 and cap 104 and prevent vertical movement of the assembly.

In the embodiment described herein, the retention member 106 can be formed from a compressible or elastomeric material such as a polymer or a soft metal, non-limiting examples of which include polymers such as polyether ether ketone (PEEK), polyoxymethylene or acetal polymers such as Delrin®, and soft metals such as nickel titanium (nitinol), pink TiCN (titanium carbo nitride) or titanium. The soft metal can be a coating on the surface of the head portion in some embodiments. In one embodiment, the surfaces may be coated with a gold nitride coating to reduce friction.

FIG. 4 illustrates the dental attachment assembly in an angled, unattached configuration prior to full insertion of head 118 in socket 116, 114, illustrating the varying angles at which the retention member 106 may be snap-fit into the abutment. In practical applications, the implant may protrude from the bone or tooth root at varying angles from the ideal vertical angle due to the structure of the bone or the placement of the implant during surgery. The dental anchoring or attachment assembly therefore corrects any angular displacement by rotation of the head 112 in the socket 114. In one embodiment, the angle of approach of the head with respect to the abutment may vary up to about 20 degrees in any direction from the vertically-aligned orientation shown in FIG. 1. In combination with another implant also offset at a similar angle, the dental anchoring device may therefore provide as much as about 40 degrees of angle correction.

FIG. 5 illustrates of the dental attachment assembly in the angled orientation shown in FIG. 4 but where the retention member 106 is now snap-fit into the socket 114 of the abutment 102. As illustrated in FIG. 5, the head 112 may be secured within the socket 114 despite the differential angle. Furthermore, the annular surface 122 of the cap 104 is also still frictionally engaged around the outer curved surface 124 of the abutment with the offset indicated in FIG. 5, and the annular projection 120 is frictionally engaged at an angle around the opposing annular surface portion of head 118.

While the dental attachment assembly was a huge step forward for fixed dental assemblies in that it eliminated weakening through holes in the appliance and replaced the screwed together interfaces with the retention member 106 made of compressible or elastomeric material such as a polymer or a soft metal, non-limiting examples of which include polymers such as polyether ether ketone (PEEK), polyoxymethylene or acetal polymers such as Delrin®, and soft metals such as nickel titanium (nitinol), pink TiCN (titanium carbo nitride) or titanium, it is not interchangeable with a removable or fixed appliance and still requires expensive component swaps to convert from one to the other, and can have a restoration height of 15-18 mm.

FIGS. 6-10 are recreations of FIGS. 1-5 of U.S. Pat. No. 6,030,219 (the '219 patent), which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, and which illustrate a removable dental attachment assembly 10 for attaching a dental appliance to an implant 12. The design illustrated in FIGS. 6-10 present improvements that overcome the deficiencies with removable assemblies described above. The assembly comprises a female socket member or abutment element 14 and a male retention member or element 16 which has a swivel engagement in a cap 18 secured in a dental appliance or prosthesis. The female element 14 is of relatively strong material such as titanium coated with titanium nitride, pink TiCN (titanium carbo nitride), DLC (diamond like coating) or similar material. Element 14 has an enlarged upper end portion 20 having an upwardly facing socket 26, and a downwardly threaded shaft or stem 22 for attachment to an implant fixture 12 secured in the bone of an upper or lower dental arch. In FIGS. 6-10, the stem 22 is threaded for engagement in a threaded cavity in an implant fixture 12. It will be understood that the female element will be provided in multiple thread configurations and diameters for engagement in any of the various implant fixtures currently available on the market.

The upwardly facing socket 26 is of suitable shape and dimensions for releasable snap engagement with a downwardly depending retention head 28 on the male element 16. The mating shapes of the socket 26 and head 28 are similar to that described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,417,570 (the '570 patent), the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference, and will have a similar action. An outer locating surface 30 of the upper end portion 20 projects upwardly above the tissue level 32 when the female element is secured to an implant or tooth root, as best illustrated in FIG. 9. Locating surface 30 preferably has a slight inward taper from a position just above the tissue level up to the upper end of end portion 20. The surface portion 34 below the gum level may be cylindrical or have a slight inward taper such that the diameter at the lower end 35 of upper end portion 14 matches that of the implant 12, as indicated in FIG. 9.

A pair of diametrically opposed, axially extending notches 36 can be provided on the locating surface 30. These are designed for engagement with an insertion tool (not illustrated) for holding the implant or female element 14 and threading it into a matching socket in an implant fixture 12. The female element or abutment 14 also can have a weep hole 38 connecting the socket 26 to the outer surface of element 14, as best illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7.

Unlike retention member 106 described above, which must be fairly inelastic in order to provide the retentive force needed for a fixed assembly, the male element 16 is formed of a material having some resilience, preferably nylon plastic that provides for some level of elastic reformation when the denture is removed and reattached.

The upper surface 40 is generally fiat, and a skirt 42 projects downwardly from the upper surface 40 to surround the retention head 28. The retention head 28 has an outer shape substantially matching that of the socket 26. Socket 26 has a tapered leading edge or rim 44, a reduced diameter portion 45, an enlarged ring groove portion 46, and a lower chamfer edge portion 48. Head 28 of the male element has a matching shape with a chamfer 50 at the lower end, an annular ring portion 52 of enlarged diameter for snap engagement in groove portion 46, a reduced diameter portion 53, and an outwardly tapered upper end portion 54.

The skirt 42 has a lower end 56 which projects below the lower end of head 28, and an inner surface 60 which is tapered, preferably at an angle of around 10°, and is also concave, as best illustrated in FIG. 9. The dimensions of the skirt and the head are such that the lower end 56 of the skirt will contact locating surface 30 before the lower end of the head contacts the female element, as best illustrated in FIG. 8. The outer surface 62 of skirt 42 is convex or rounded, for snap-fit, swiveling engagement in a cavity 64 of corresponding shape in the cap 18, as best indicated in FIG. 9. This provides a swiveling, rotational movement or hinging action at the cap, where the attachment is secured to the denture or appliance, reducing wear, in a similar manner to that described in the '570 patent. The pivoting of the nylon or resilient male in the metal denture cap 18 allows minor corrections for non-parallel abutments, as well as providing a longer lasting, resilient connection.

The denture or appliance can be removed repeatedly for cleaning, simply by snapping male head 28 out of socket 26, and can then be re-inserted. On re-insertion in the direction of the arrow 65 in FIG. 8, for example, the user may fail to align head 28 co-axially with socket 26. In this case, the lower end of skirt 42 will contact one side of the locating surface 30 before the head 28 reaches the socket. Further downward movement in the direction of the arrow 65 urges the male element to one side, in the direction of arrow 66, to align head 28 properly with the socket. Thus, the locator surface portion 30 of the female element together with the inner locating surface of skirt 42 act to urge the head 28 into proper alignment with the socket prior to snap insertion in the socket. This avoids the problem of the nylon head potentially hitting the tapered rim 44 of the socket if mis-aligned, which would eventually cause damage to the softer head and decrease retention ability. The skirt and locator surface also allow easier location and insertion of the dental prosthesis by the patient.

The female element 14 can be provided in several tissue cuff heights to match the surrounding gingival level 32. The minimum height of the overall attachment assembly is much lower than that of the arrangement as described in the '570 patent and that of a fixed assembly such as described with respect to FIGS. 1-5. The minimum height for a non-hexed implant abutment will be of the order of 1.75 mm., while the minimum height for a hexed implant abutment will be around 2.75 mm, which will help in cases where the implant is at tissue level. This is lower than the height of all such attachments currently on the market today, and has the advantage of providing a much lower profile and increased patient comfort. Other heights will also be provided depending on the depth of the tissue. The low profile above the attachment is also better for tooth placement.

By providing external notches 36 for engagement with an insertion tool, rather than an internal hex indent or the like as in the '570 patent, the height of the female element can be reduced. The notches allow the female element to be held firmly for threading into the implant fixture 12.

The weep hole 38 is located above the tissue level and makes it easier for saliva to escape from socket 26, reducing hydraulic pressure as a result of the male head engaging in the socket. This also allows easier connection of the male and female elements. Once the head 28 is in snap engagement in the socket, as in FIG. 9, the skirt will only contact the locator surface portion 30 at the lower end, while the concave inner surface 60 will be spaced from surface portion 30 along the remainder of the attachment, as best illustrated in FIG. 9. This also enables easier insertion of the head 28 into the socket once the parts are in proper alignment.

FIG. 10 illustrates a modified female element or abutment 70 for attachment to a non-hexed implant (not illustrated). Element 70 will be used with the male element 16 of FIGS. 6-9 in a similar manner to hexed implant abutment 14, and like reference numerals have been used for like parts as appropriate. In this embodiment, head portion in FIG. 10 is shorter than in the previous embodiment, and the hex indent 72 of FIGS. 6-9 is eliminated, with head portion 20 instead having a fiat, lower annular face 74 which fits against the fiat upper face of the implant.

FIGS. 1-5 of U.S. Pat. No. 10,687,920 (the '920 patent), which is incorporated herein in its entirety as if set forth in full, and recreated here as FIGS. 11A-G illustrate another example embodiment of a removable dental assembly that possess the advantages of the removable assembly depicted with respect to FIGS. 6-10 and as described in the '210 patent. But the assembly described in the '920 patent also allows for increased swivel adjustment. As shown in FIG. 11A and more clearly in the isometric views in FIG. 11B and FIG. 11C, in one embodiment, an interior top surface of the cap 1108 of dental assembly 1100 is configured with a concave recess 1110 extending radially along an outer periphery of the interior top surface of the cavity. The concave recess 1110 allows the cap 1108 to swivel at a much greater angle with respect to the retention member 1106 and abutment 1104, and implant 1102, which makes it easier for a person to secure the dental appliance onto the abutment 1104. A central portion 1112 of the interior top surface of the cap 1108 protrudes vertically into the cap cavity and minimizes vertical displacement between the retention member 1106 and the cap 1108 that would have occurred without the presence of the central portion 1112. In this exemplary embodiment, the cap is approximately 1.9 millimeters in height, although one of skill in the art will appreciate that the dimensions of the cap may vary.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 11A, the retention member 1106 is retained by a skirt (or side wall) that projects from one end of the cap 1108 for releasable engagement of the retention member 1106 with the cap 1108, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,981,871, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The outer locating surface of the abutment 1104 has at least two axially spaced retention surfaces for mating, snap engagement with corresponding spaced snap engagement formations on the inner surface of the retention member 1106, to provide a stacked, external retention between the abutment 1104 and retention member 1106.

FIG. 11D illustrates a side cutout view of the cap 1108 and retention member 1106 in a non-swiveled position, which more clearly illustrates how the retention member 1106 fits within the cavity of the cap 1108 when no swiveling has occurred. The retention member 1106 is in contact with the central portion 1112 of the interior top surface of the cap 1108. Outer side walls of the retention member 1106 are generally curved to match the curved surface of the inner side walls of the cap 1108, and they may be in direct contact at a portion of the side walls at any one position to allow for ease of swivel without an excessive amount of friction.

In one embodiment, the concave recess 1110 is specifically designed with a curvature 1114 which may be formed using a series of consecutive tangent circular arcs formed from multiple circles of varying radii, as illustrated in FIG. 11E and FIG. 11F. In the embodiment illustrated herein, circles A, B, and C represent portions of the tangent circular arcs used to derive the curve 1114, although any plurality of circles may be used. The circles A, B, and C are arranged from large-to-small diameter from a bottom portion 1108B of the cap to a top portion 1108A of the cap to form the varying angles of the curve 1114. As illustrated in FIG. 11G, the curve 1114 is designed to optimize the swivel of the cap 1108 around the retention member 1106 while maintaining engagement of the retention member 1106 within the cap 1108. Varying diameters of each of the circles may be used as long as the diameters are arranged from large-to-small from a bottom-to-top direction along the interior side wall of the cap. In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 11E, the concave recess 1110 is formed from circles A, B, and C with diameters of 0.067, 0.083 and 0.186 inches, respectively (i.e. radii of curvature of 0.034, 0.042 and 0.093 inches, respectively). Circle C has a diameter which intersects the concave recess 1110 on an opposing side of the cap, which therefore defines the diameter of the cap cavity. Each curvature of each circle intersects with a different portion of the concave recess 1110 to form a curved surface 1114 of varying degrees of curvature, as shown in FIG. 11F.

FIG. 11G illustrates one embodiment of the retention member 1106 and abutment 1104 in a fully swiveled position within the cap 1108, where a portion of the retention member 1106 has swiveled into the concave recess 1110 in the cap 1108. The opposing side of the retention member 106 has swiveled downward to the point that it is still retained within the cap 1108, which illustrates the complete range of swivel of the cap 1108 in one direction. In this embodiment, the range of swivel S is approximately 30 degrees with a cap having a diameter D of approximately 5.4 millimeters (mm) and a height H of approximately 2.3 mm, although one of skill in the art will appreciate that these dimensions may be varied and still achieve the same degree of rotation. The range of rotation may reasonably extend to approximately 32 degrees (e.g., between 15-20 degrees) and could be extended up to approximately 40 degrees if the dimensions of the cap, retention member and abutment are altered to allow for greater rotation—for example by increasing the height of the cap and reducing the diameter of the abutment.