IMPLANT GUIDE SYSTEM

Technical Field

This invention relates to the implant guide system used in dentistry and general medicine for the placement of the implants into the correct places with the correct angles, and the correct depth; that provides a tubeless usage facility for all implants and that is obtained either by stereolithography or moulding.

Prior Art

A pre study is conducted before the application of the implants to the patients is performed with the computer based surgical and medical three-dimensional modelling methods. The implants provide a better speech and chewing function in comparison with the traditional dental bridges and the prostheses. After the application, a natural appearance suitable for the patient is achieved. In the known art; the planning of the implants is made with the help of a software. For transferring the said planning into the operation, the guides are produced in the machines that use rapid prototyping. Metal tubes are placed on the guides and the said tubes show the correct location and the correct angle of the implants. During the operation, either by lifting up the mucosa or not, the implants are placed in such a way to be the closest to the ideal. The sensitive depth control of the implants is provided by the drill system.

In another embodiment known in the art, after CAD (Computer Aided Design) the required planning for the patient is made through the implant simulation software. The said planning is conveyed to the operation with the help of the guides that have been produced with the rapid prototyping method. The guides are placed on

the jaw once and than fixated. In the guide that has been fixated, there is a tube, which is suitable for the widest drill. Firstly, the application is made with the smallest drill head and then the diameter of the drill head is enlarged and the suitable hole for replacing the implant is thereby opened.

In an application known as prior art, the planning of the implant is made by the dental simulation software. An exact model of the jaw or the mucosa of the patient is produced with the stereolithography method. In these models, a pin is established for each plant with the different diameter. On the pin models, separate tubes are placed for each different drill diameter. On the models where the tubes are placed, plastics or acrylic are formed by vacuum pressing method.

In order to place the implants appropriately, a guide is produced for each drill diameter. For example: when the required drill diameters for an implant with the diameter of 4.1 mm are 2.2 mm, 2.8 mm, 3.5 mm, one guide for each different diameter is produced. So, the deviation from the planning is minimized. The guides are produced as tooth supported if the patient has teeth, otherwise could be produced as bone supported or mucosa supported. During the operation, the dentist places the guides either by making an incision or not, and completes the operation as close as possible to the planning.

In the international patent application number WO9403120, which is one of the administrations known in the art, an electro mechanical device is installed into the mouth for a appropriate drill system, and the procedure of drill is performed with the help of the said device. Since the said device is electro mechanical, the use of it is expensive and painstaking. Its dental hand piece is provided on it. The dentist cannot use his own dental hand piece. At the same time it is a product of mass production and is not tailor made for the patient.

In the German Patent Application number DEl 9605394, which is another application known in the art, an apparatus is placed on the hole that is drilled in the jaw. With the support and guidance of this apparatus, other holes are drilled parallel to this hole. With this method it is only possible to drill parallel holes. However in some cases, the implants are placed with different angles from each other. Since the apparatus subject to the invention is a product of mass production, it is required to make adjustments for each implant one by one, or it is required to extend it or shorten it.

In the international patent application number WO0134055, which is another application known in the art, the systems in which the support is provided on the side was identified. Bases avoiding the drill to go deeper than planned was used.

In the tube systems of the known art, there is also the height of the tube (5 mm) in addition to the mucosa thickness on top of the bone surface. When the height of the tube is kept shorter, the ability of the system to avoid the angle deviations is decreased. This situation constitutes a problem especially towards the back of the mouth where the patient has got difficulties to open the mouth wider. Due to the problem of height which is caused by the tube system; when there is a requirement to place long implants, the lengths of the standard drills are not sufficient. The drill rotating within the tubes could cause to the abrasion of some metal pieces in the tubes due to friction. These metal pieces could fall into the tissue of the bone and could cause the loss of success of the osseo-integration (the surrounding of the implant by bone completely, the implant to be integrated chemically within the mouth). During the process of drilling, the tubes weaken the serum formation to a certain extent; and this in turn increases the risk of bone burning. In the tube system, the control of depth could not be provided by standard drill brands. It is required to produce specific drill sets for providing the depth control which is an economic burden for the dentists and makes it compulsory for them to learn a new system. In the existing systems, in addition to

the routine of the surgery, it is required to install and reinstall the guides or the assisting guide apparatus; which makes the surgery more difficult or prolongs the time spent for the surgery. The ex-oral implants that are approximately 5 mm high in the tube system, cannot be placed due to the height of the tubes. In the tube system, due to difficulties caused by the skirts of the guide, and by holding the guide stable, it is more often required to make greater incisions in comparison with the procedures without the use of guides. In the tube system, since the guide covers the surface of the operation, it blocks the vision of the anatomic formation that had been worked on. In the present systems, the guide is in contact with the bone and the soft tissues that are worked on and that are defenceless to any kind of outer effects during the surgery. This situation decreases the safety of the operation. The guiding that has been performed for implants that are very close to each other or that are very close to the teeth with the existing system is sometimes becoming impossible due to factors such as the solidity of the materials that have been used in the system, the diameter of the tubes, and due to the obstacles of placing the tubes to the areas with the lower material thickness.

Brief Description of Invention

The object of the invention is the realisation of an implant guide without the inclusion of a tube.

Another object of this invention is the realisation of the implant guide system providing the placement of the implant in the correct location, with the correct angles and into the correct depth without the use of the tubes.

Yet another object of this invention is the realisation of the implant guide system produced with stereolithography or the moulding method.

A further object of this invention is the realisation of an implant guide system that could be used with all of the existing implant types.

Detailed Description of Invention

The method provided for attaining the objects of the invention and the mechanism to work in accordance with the said method are shown in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is the blown up view of the implant guide system.

Figure 2 is the perspective view of the planning of the implant.

Figure 3 is the perspective view of the planning from inside the jaw.

Figure 4 is the perspective view of the planning that has been carried on to the lingual or vestibule conditions.

Figure 5 is the perspective view of the implant guide system that has been designed in the medium of Computer Aided Design (CAD).

Figure 6 is the perspective view of the base section that has been added to the pins.

Figure 7 is the perspective view of the standard dental hand piece.

Figure 8 is the perspective view of the cap.

Figure 9 is the perspective view of the cap that has been locked to the dental hand piece.

Figure 10 is the perspective view of the connection element that provides the contact between the dental hand piece and the guide.

Figure 11 is the front perspective view of the dental hand piece and the connection element that have been placed onto the guide pin.

Figure 12 is the side perspective view of the dental hand piece and the connection element that have been placed onto the guide pin.

Figure 13 is the view of the base that avoids the deeper movement of the drill and the structure of the hole.

Figure 14 is the view of the guiding system used in the placing of more than one implants.

Figure 15 is the perspective view of the implant guide system.

Figure 16 is the perspective view of the implant guide system that has reached the targeted depth.

Figure 17 is the view of the application of the second guide system.

The pieces in the figures have been numbered one by one and the corresponding definitions to these numbers have been provided as below:

1- The implant guide system

2- The guide pin

3- The dental hand piece

4- The cap

5- The connection element

6- The base

7- The guide hole

8- The 81 ^st side surface

9- The drill

The implant guide system (1) according to the invention comprises the dental hand piece (3), a locking cap (4), at least one guide pin (2) that is a single piece with the cap (4), a connection element (5) providing the contact between the guide pin (2) and the dental hand piece (3), and at least one each base (6) that has been designed in the medium of a computer aided design (CAD). It has got the guide holes (7) to the number of the implants that the guide pins (2) will go into on the base (6).

At the tip of the dental hand piece (3) there is a drill (9) or a laser cathode. With the help of the laser coming of the laser cathode, the incision is made. During the operation of the said drill (9) or the laser cathode; the guide pin (2) will enter into the hole (7) that has been placed on the base (6) and keep the drill (9) or the laser in the suitable position and angle and provides the drilling of the hole accordingly.

In the application of the implant guide system (1) that is the subject of the invention, first of all the implant planning is made with the three-dimensional implant simulation software. During the planning, firstly the holes where the implant is to be placed is defined and afterwards the mould is formed in the shape that it could be conveyed to the base (6). After that the said planning is transferred to the virtual three-dimensional Computer Aided Design medium.

The cap (4) that has been included in the implant guide system (1) that is the subject of the invention is settled at an exact position on the standard dental hand piece (3) and it is locked. During the operation of the dental hand piece (3), the cap (4) is not displaced and could be used as a single piece. The cap (4) is produced individually for each of the patients and each of the dental hand pieces

(3) with the stereolithography method. The said cap (4) has got a drill (9) on top the dental hand piece (3) at the bottom or where the laser will come out. The cap

(4) has got a horizontal groove and a perforated semi sphere at the tip of it. The

said hole is at the bottom of the semi sphere. The semi sphere that has been placed at the tip of the cap (4) is connected to the guide pin (2) with a connection element (5). The hole and the guide pin (2) placed onto the middle of the connection element (5) has got asymmetrical geometric shapes such as ellipse or triangle. For this reason, the rotation of the dental hand piece (3) and the deviation of the same from the planned operational point are avoided and the drill (9) or the laser could make entry only through the desired point. The connection piece (5) is also produced by the stereolithography method.

The base (6) that has been prepared by the Computer Aided Design (CAD) is obtained in perfect harmony with the patient individually. An impression is taken by determining the holes where the implant is going to be placed and in accordance with the impressions the most suitable base (6) for the structure of the teeth is formed. On the base (6) there is the hole of the guide (7) where the guide pin (2) is going to be placed. The pin (2) is placed into the hole (7) and after that the drill (9) or the laser on the dental hand piece (3) creates a cavity where the implant is going to be placed.

The base (6) underneath the guide pin (2) avoids the drill (9) or the laser to go deeper than planned. The side surfaces (8) located on the sides of the hole (7) corresponds exactly with the side surface (81) of the connection element (5) which has been united with a pin (2). As the drill (9) or the laser proceeds inside the bone, the guide pin (2) also moves in a parallel line to it inside the hole (7) downwards. However the side surface (8) on the sides of the hole (7) avoids the uncontrolled movements in depth of the drill (9) or the laser. The hole (7), the cap (4) and the base (6) that is a part of the implant guide system (1) are all produced with the stereolithography method.

The guide method is utilised by multiplying the base (6) section in the same way, in cases where more than one implant is to be placed. The guide pin (2) contacts with the side surface (8) of the hole (7) and provides the control of location, angle and depth. The dental hand piece (3) is used in a similar way for the other direction piece and accordingly it becomes possible to place the desired number of implants to the desired locations with the desired angles and into the desired depths.

Tubes are not included in the implant guide system (1) that is the subject of the invention. For this reason, there are no heights created due to the tubes. At the back regions the standard short drills (9) are used quite easily. The absence of the tubes provides the use of the standard implant drills (9) or the implant laser systems to be used up to the planned depth of the implant and provides the opportunity for the guide pin (2) to guide throughout the said process. The fact that the system (1) is tubeless and that under no circumstances it gets into contact with the drills (9) / laser; eliminates the danger of the pieces falling into the cavity of the implant. In addition since the surgical area is open, the serum providing could be undertaken very easily.

In one of the embodiments of the implant guide system (1) that is the subject of the invention, all kinds of implant brands can work with all kinds of drill (9) / laser systems. In the system (1), the base (6) is positioned and placed one time and there is no requirement for the removal of the same throughout the implant operation. The tubeless guide system (1) provides the opportunity for the placement of implants that have a depth of 1 mm. Since the base (6) is positioned to an area other than the location of the implant; an incision will be performed only on the required line. This requirement is as the diameter of the drill (9). Since the operation area surface is empty, the anatomic formations where works have been undertaken, could be seen clearly and in any situation where a complication arises an immediate intervention is made possible. Since the guide system (1) has

no contact with the critical and open areas during the operation, the risks of system-arisen complications are minimized exceptionally. Including the implants that are in contact with each other throughout all of the surfaces could be placed with the help of the system (1) that is the subject of the invention.

Within the framework of the basic principles that have been explained herewith, it is possible to develop various applications. The implant guide system that is the subject of the invention (1) cannot be limited to the examples that have been provided for the better acknowledgement of the subject. The invention is basically as it has been explained within the claims.