FR2780634A1 - SYSTEM FOR MOUNTING A DENTAL PROSTHESIS ON AT LEAST ONE IMPLANT - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention concerns a system comprising: at least an implant (5) fixed to the jaw (2); and at least an assembly (7) for mounting the prosthesis (1) on said implant (5), consisting of a male part (15) and a female part (16) capable of being assembled with clearance in several directions. The invention is characterised in that the implant (5) has a longitudinal threaded hole (10), emerging it its top surface; said male part (15), with a cylindrical shape, has a peripheral groove (20) providing it with a "bobbin" shape and comprises at its axis means (21, 45) for mounting it on the implant (5) by screwing or cross-screwing; and said female part (16) has two curved branches (32), which are less high than said groove (20) and which are shaped to retain the male part (12) between them, with lateral clearance relative thereto, when they are engaged in said groove (20), said branches (32) being capable of elastic deformation in a direction spacing them apart, such that they can be engaged in said groove (20) after being deformed then, after elastic return, being maintained in said groove.

Description

The present invention relates to a system for mounting a

  dental prosthesis on at least one implant.

  It is well known to place dental prostheses by means of implants inserted in the jaw bone. The disadvantage of using an implant for each tooth is that it is expensive and cannot be used in some cases. It is then necessary to resort to the installation of a prosthesis comprising several teeth, this prosthesis being intended to be mounted on a

  limited number of implants attached to the jaw.

  Such a prosthesis can be of the "fixed" type, that is to say without the possibility of movement relative to the jaw, or of the "flexible" type, that is to say with slight possibilities of movement of the prosthesis with respect to the jaw, the latter type of prosthesis being able to be preferred to make it possible to reduce or dissipate the forces exerted on the

  prosthesis by movements of the jaw.

  A known mounting system of this type includes implants connected to each other by metal bars and jumpers secured to the prosthesis, these jumpers being intended to be engaged on these bars with friction but with the possibility of

movement in the vertical direction.

  The bars must be implanted at a relatively high height, necessary for their installation and for proper hygiene of the space between them and the gum, which has the disadvantage of limiting the movement of the prosthesis made possible by the riders . The latter have the drawback of allowing a possibility of movement of the prosthesis only in the vertical direction, while the

  forces which must be absorbed are exerted essentially laterally.

  In addition, the adjustment of the range of motion of the prosthesis is

difficult to achieve.

  Another known system includes mounting assemblies connected to each implant. Each of these assemblies consists of a more or less spherical head fixed to each implant and of a socket embedded in the material constituting the prosthesis, this socket having flexible lateral walls which allow it to be snapped onto the head in the manner of a "press button". However, this system only allows

  very small movements of the prosthesis.

  Yet another system, called "O-ring", includes mounting assemblies each of which is formed of a more or less spherical head, fixed to each implant or to a metal bar connecting the implants, and of an annular annealed part. in the material constituting the prosthesis, in which is placed a ring of resilient material. The different rings of resilient material certainly allow satisfactory multidirectional travel of the prosthesis but have the disadvantages of having a resistance limited in time and of being particularly difficult to interchange when they are worn. In addition, the placement of said spherical heads on the bars connecting the implants

  leads to a harmful increase in the height of the system.

  For all of these known techniques, there are drawbacks consisting, in general, in the difficulty of interchanging the female parts of the mounting assemblies when these female parts are worn, and in limiting or losing possible travel movement of the prosthesis when the different mounting assemblies are distant from each other, resulting in the exertion of forces overhanging the implants, which can have harmful consequences on the longevity of the anchoring of

these implants.

  The present invention aims to remedy these drawbacks by providing a mounting system which allows both possibilities of movement of the prosthesis in all directions, obtaining a limited height and size, low wear of the female parts, a possibility of easy adjustment of the movement of the prosthesis relative to the jaw, and a possibility of placing either each mounting assembly on an implant or several of these assemblies attached to bars

connecting the implants.

  The system that the invention relates to comprises, in a manner known per se: at least one implant fixed to the jaw, and - at least one assembly for mounting the prosthesis on this implant, formed of a male part and a part female, the male part having means for its mounting on the implant and means for its assembly to the female part and the female part having means for its attachment to the prosthesis and means for its assembly to the male part, this assembly being such that mobility of the prosthesis

  relative to the jaw is allowed in several directions.

  According to the invention, the implant has a longitudinal threaded hole opening into its upper face; - Said male part, of cylindrical shape, has a peripheral groove giving it the shape of a "coil" and comprises at its axis means allowing its mounting on the implant by screwing or screwing, and - said female part has two curved branches, which have a height less than that of said groove and which are shaped so as to be able to retain the male part between them, with lateral clearance relative to the latter, when they are engaged in this groove, these branches being suitable to be elastically deformed in the direction of their spacing, so that they can be engaged in said groove following this

  deformation then, after elastic return, be retained in this groove.

  The two curved branches of the female part thus make it possible to ensure the assembly of this female part to the male part, with a possibility of clearance in height of this female part relative to the male part, resulting from the fact that the height of these branches is less than the height of said groove; these branches also allow a possibility of lateral movement and pivoting of the

  female part with respect to the male part, resulting from the above play.

  The adjustment of these lateral and pivoting deflections is easy to achieve by deforming said branches in a non-elastic manner

  in order to separate them or bring them more or less close to each other.

  In addition, the wear of these branches is very limited, which

  gives the system a long service life.

  The coil shape of the male part makes it possible to define a central zone of this male part having sufficient dimensions to allow the arrangement of said means intended for the

  mounting the male part on the implant.

  The invention thus provides a system allowing the prosthesis to be truly "implanto-muco-supported", that is to say assembled to the

  jaw but movable in the six directions of space in relation to it.

  The mucosal receptors can be used to the maximum. The height of the supra-implant structure is low, namely less than or equal to 2 mm above the gum, which allows easier hygiene than with existing systems. The mounting of the system, both in

  laboratory than on the practitioner's chair, is easy.

  The system may advantageously comprise, for at least one mounting assembly, several male parts, the bases of which

  have different heights.

  The male part with the most adequate height base can thus be put in place according to the particular height of the patient's gingival mucosa and the ideal position that the throat

this male part must have.

  Advantageously, the lower part of each male part and the upper part of each implant have positioning means of low height to allow this male part to be positioned on the implant, during the positioning of the mounting assembly on the prosthesis. . These means may in particular be constituted by a stud of low height, arranged at the lower face of the male part, and by a cavity of shape corresponding to the stud, arranged in

  the upper face of the implant, in which the stud can be engaged.

  Depending on the type of implant, the stud can be arranged at the upper face of the implant while the cavity is arranged in the face

lower part of the male part.

  Each male or female part advantageously comprises at least one shaped means for holding the curved branches of the corresponding female part in an adequate position in said

  groove during the positioning of this female part on the prosthesis.

  Preferably, in this case, each male part is provided with a tear-off sleeve, placed in said groove, suitable for holding the curved branches of the female part in an adequate position, and with a pad wedged at the end. upper part of the male part, forming a spacer between the prosthesis and this upper end, suitable for allowing the preservation of the clearance necessary for vertical mobility

of the prosthesis.

  This sleeve is then torn off and this pellet is removed to subsequently allow the mobility of the prosthesis by deflection

  branches inside the throat.

  A similar sleeve or spacer can also be adapted to

the female part.

  Each male part may be integral with a threaded rod intended to be screwed into the tapped hole of the corresponding implant, in which case this male part comprises a support grip surface for

  an instrument allowing its screwing.

  Alternatively, each male part can have an axial hole in which a screw intended to be screwed into the

threaded implant hole.

  The system according to this second possibility makes it possible to use a bar laterally connecting at least two male parts to one another, if such bars are necessary to ensure the stability of the prosthesis. This possibility of connecting these male parts to these bars laterally makes it possible to keep a reduced height to the system, making

  possible large deflections of the prosthesis.

  For its proper understanding, the invention is again described below with reference to the appended schematic drawing representing, by way of nonlimiting example, a preferred embodiment of the system for mounting a dental prosthesis on at least one

implant, which it concerns.

  Figure 1 is a perspective view of various elements that includes this system, as well as the prosthesis and the jaw intended to receive this prosthesis; Figure 2 is a view of a mounting assembly that includes this system, in section along line 11-11 of Figure 1 and on an enlarged scale, after placement of the prosthesis on the jaw; Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view of various elements that comprise the system; Figure 4 is an axial sectional view, similar to Figure 2, of a variant of an element of the system, during the establishment of this system on the prosthesis; Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 1 of a system comprising a prosthesis stabilization bar, and Figure 6 is a partial view of this system, in section

similar to figure 2.

  FIG. 1 represents a dental prosthesis 1 intended to be mounted on the lower jaw 2 of a patient by means of the

assembly according to the invention.

  As shown more particularly in Figures 1 to 3, this system comprises, in the example shown: - three implants 5 fixed to the jaw bone 2, and - three assemblies 7 for mounting the prosthesis 1 on these

implants 5.

  Each implant 5 is fixed to the jaw 2 and has a hole

  longitudinal thread 10, opening into its upper face.

  Each of the assemblies 7 comprises at least two male parts 15, the bases 15a of which have different heights and a female part 16. The part 15, the base 15a of which turns out to have the height best suited to the specific height of the gingival mucosa 11 of the patient i15 is intended to be assembled to part 16 to allow the mounting of prosthesis 1 with mobility of the latter relative to the

  jaw 2 in several directions.

  The male part 15 has a cylindrical shape and comprises a peripheral groove 20 giving it the shape of a "coil". An axial hole 21 crosses it right through and a circular recess 22 is

  fitted in its upper face, coaxial with hole 21.

  As shown in the figures, the male part 15 is intended to be mounted on the implant 5. For this purpose, the holes 10 and 21 are intended to come opposite one another and to receive a screw 25 of which the threaded body is

  screwed into the hole 10 and the head of which is housed in the recess 22.

  The female part 16 has a body 30 pierced with holes 31 and two curved branches 32. These branches 32 define a circular recess with a diameter greater than that of the part 15 at the level of the groove 20 and have a height much less than that of this groove 20. The body 30 is intended to be fixed to the prosthesis 1 by means of a resin, and the branches 32 are intended to be engaged in the groove 20, as shown in FIG. 2. For this purpose, the female part 16 is made of a metallic material having elastic flexibility and the arms 32 are capable of being elastically deformed in the direction of their separation, so that they can be engaged in the groove 20 following this deformation then, after elastic return, to be retained in this

throat 20.

  A lateral movement, in height and in pivoting of the female part 16 relative to the male part 15, is thus made possible, with extremely limited wear of these arms 32, while retaining a reduced height of the mounting assemblies 7, lower or equal to 2 mm above the gum, which makes possible large

  movements of prosthesis 1, in particular vertical.

  The adjustment of these lateral and pivoting deflections is easy to carry out by deforming the branches 32 in order to spread them apart or to

  bring more or less one of the other.

  Each set 7 further comprises sleeves 40 of deformable synthetic material, each male part 15 of which is provided during its manufacture, as well as a pad 41 comprising a hexagonal pin 42 suitable for being engaged with gentle friction in a hexagonal cavity present in the upper zone of the part 15. In the case of the system shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, this cavity is that which includes

  the screw 25 for its rotation operation.

  Each of these sleeves 40 has an internal diameter corresponding to the internal diameter of each part 15 at the level of the groove 20, and has a height equal to that of this groove 20, so that it is immobile in the latter. The sleeve 40 is also split over its entire height and has an upper circular recess 42

  whose height corresponds to the height of the branches 32.

  These sleeves 40 make it possible to position the female parts 16 in the upper region of the groove 20 during the positioning of the parts 16 on the prosthesis 1, as shown in FIG. 4, while the pads 41 form spacers between the prosthesis 1 and the upper end of the male part 15, suitable for allowing the adequate positioning of these female parts 16 with a view to preserving the play

  necessary for the vertical mobility of the prosthesis 1.

  Once the female parts 16 are fixed to the prosthesis 1, the sleeves 40 are torn off and the pellets 41 are removed, to allow the vertical mobility of the prosthesis 1 by deflection of the

  branches 32 inside the groove 20.

  In the variant shown in FIG. 4, each male part 15 is integral with a threaded rod 45 intended to be screwed into the hole 10. The part 15 for this purpose comprises a portion 46 of hexagonal shape forming a grip surface. support for a screwing instrument, and the upper zone of part 15 includes a hexagonal cavity for the

receipt of the post 42.

  The system shown in Figures 5 and 6 is similar to that shown in Figures 1 to 3, so that the elements described above which are found in this system are designated by the same references

digital.

  In this case, the assemblies 7 are connected to each other by a bar 50 for stabilizing the prosthesis 1. As appears from the

  FIG. 6, each male part 15 is laterally secured to the bar 50.

  In addition, the lower part of each male part 15 has i15 a circular stud 55 of low height, projecting from its lower face coaxially with the hole 21, and the upper part of each implant 5 has a corresponding recess in which can be engaged this stud 55. These stud 55 and recess constitute means for positioning each male part 15 on each implant 5 over time

  fixing the parts 16 to the prosthesis 1.

Claims (8)

  1 - System for mounting a dental prosthesis on at least one implant, comprising: - at least one implant (5) fixed to the jaw (2), and - at least one assembly (7) for mounting the prosthesis (1 ) on this implant (5), formed of a male part (15) and a female part (16), the male part (15) having means (21, 45) for mounting it on the implant (5 ) and means (20) for its assembly to the female part (16) and the female part (16) having means (30,31) for its attachment to the prosthesis (1) and means (32) for its assembly to the male part (15), this assembly being such that mobility of the prosthesis (1) relative to the jaw (2) is permitted in several directions, system characterized in that - the implant (5) has a longitudinal tapped hole (10), opening in its upper face; - Said male part (15), of cylindrical shape, has a peripheral groove (20) giving it the shape of a "coil" and comprises at its axis means (21, 45) allowing its mounting on the implant (5) by screwing or screwing, and said female part (16) has two curved branches (32), which have a height less than that of said groove (20) and which are shaped to be able to retain the male part (15) between them, with lateral clearance with respect thereto, when they are engaged in this groove (20), these branches (32) being able to be elastically deformed in the direction of their spacing, so that they can be engaged in said groove (20) following this deformation then, after elastic return, to be retained in this gorge.   2 - System according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises, for at least one assembly (7) mounting, several parts   males (15) whose bases (15a) have different heights.   3 - System according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the lower part of each male part (15) and the upper part of each implant (5) have positioning means (55) of low height to allow position this male part (15) on the implant (5) during the positioning of the assembly   mounting (7) on the prosthesis (1).   4- System according to claim 3, characterized in that the positioning means are constituted by a stud (55) of low height, arranged at the lower face of the male part (15), and by a cavity of corresponding shape the stud (55), arranged in the upper face of the implant (5), in which the stud (55) can be   engaged, or vice versa depending on the type of implant.   - System according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized   in that each male (15) or female (16) part comprises at least one shaped means for holding the curved branches (32) of the corresponding female part (16) in an adequate position in said groove (20) during setting place of this female part (16) on the prosthesis (1).  6 - System according to claim 5, characterized in that each male part (15) is provided with a tear-off sleeve (40), placed in said groove (20), suitable for holding the curved branches (32) of the female part (16) in a suitable position during the positioning of this female part (16) on the prosthesis (1), and of a pad wedged at the upper end of the male part (15), forming a spacer between the prosthesis (1) and this upper end, suitable for allowing the preservation of the clearance necessary for the vertical mobility of the prosthesis (1).   7 - System according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized   in that each male part (15) is integral with a threaded rod (45) intended to be screwed into the tapped hole (10) of the corresponding implant (5), and in that it comprises a surface (46 ) of taking   support for an instrument allowing its screwing.   8 - System according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized   in that each male part (15) has an axial hole (21) in which can be engaged a screw (25) intended to be screwed into the tapped hole (10) of the implant (5).   9 - System according to claim 8, characterized in that it comprises a bar (50) laterally connecting at least two male parts (15) to each other.