Field of the Invention

5 This invention relates to a dental device and in particular to a dental device used to manipulate the positioning of one or more teeth.

Background of the invention 0 Dental implants are known and frequently used tools in the field of dentistry. Typical dental implants comprise a base implanted into the jaw of a patient and an abutment attached to said base. A crown is the attached to the abutment to create a visually appealing and secure replacement for a lost or damaged tooth. It is often desirable to move teeth adjacent to an implant such that a space may be created for a crown of a size and shape that maximises the visual appearance of the implant. This5 may be due to, for example, migration of the adjacent teeth due to a missing tooth, wherein the adjacent teeth would ideally be moved to their original positions such that the eventual crown better replicates the patients original appearance prior to losing said tooth. Known methods to move teeth to facilitate placement of a crown comprise orthodontic braces. Such a method relies on anchorage to existing teeth or to miniature orthodontic implants which are separate from the implant used to0 receive a crown.

It is desirable to provide a dental device which efficiently facilitates adjustment, movement, or repositioning of teeth adjacent to the site of an implant with minimal additional procedures and equipment.

Summary of the Invention 5

According to the invention there is provided a dental device comprising an implantable portion which is implantable into the jawbone of a patient, and a tooth engagement means directly or indirectly attachable to the implantable portion, wherein the tooth engagement means is sized and/or dimensioned to exert a force on one or more adjacent teeth when the tooth engagement means is0 attached to the implantable portion.

Preferably, an intermediate portion is provided between the tooth engagement means and the implantable portion. 5 Ideally, the tooth engagement means exerts a destabilising force on the one or more adjacent teeth.

Advantageously, the implanted portion provides a stable base from which the tooth engagement means may apply a force to one or more adjacent teeth such that said teeth are encouraged to destabilise in order that the positioning of said teeth may be adjusted. Ideally, the tooth engagement means comprises one or more protrusions. preferably, the one or more protrusions is sized and/or dimensioned and/or positioned to exert a force on the one or more adjacent teeth.

Preferably, the tooth engagement means is removably attachable, directly or indirectly, to the implantable portion.

Ideally, the tooth engagement means may be provided in various sizes and/or geometries such that the force exerted thereby on one or more adjacent teeth can be varied depending on the size and/or geometry of a selected tooth engagement means.

Advantageously, different sized tooth engagement means may be utilised to accommodate different patient anatomies, or could be changed over the course of a treatment to gradually encourage further movement the one or more teeth, for example by starting with a smaller tooth engagement means or a tooth engagement means with smaller protrusions and replacing with gradually larger versions until the desired tooth movement/positioning is achieved.

Alternatively, the tooth engagement means is an adjustable tooth engagement means such that the extent of force applied to the one or more adjacent teeth may be adjusted if required.

Preferably, the protrusions are sized and dimensioned to contact one or more adjacent teeth and apply a force thereto when the tooth engagement means is directly or indirectly attached to the implantable portion.

Alternatively, or in combination, the geometry of the tooth engagement means is such that in use it projects, slopes, or otherwise tends towards one or more adjacent teeth to contact said one or more adjacent teeth and apply a force thereto.

Ideally, the intermediate portion is removably attachable to the implantable portion at a first end.

Preferably, the intermediate portion is removably attachable to the tooth engagement means at a second end.

Ideally, the intermediate portion and implantable portion comprise a threaded screw type engagement therebetween.

Preferably, the intermediate portion and tooth engagement means comprise a threaded screw type engagement therebetween. Preferably, the intermediate portion comprises an abutment similar to that typically used to receive a crown in a dental implant.

Ideally, once the desired movement of the one or more teeth is achieved, the tooth engagement means can be removed from the abutment and the remaining implantable portion and abutment may be used to receive a crown.

Ideally, the tooth engagement means comprises a ring which his locatable around the intermediate portion.

Preferably, the ring comprises a ring body portion and at least one ring protrusion thereon.

Ideally, the ring or the at least one ring protrusion thereof is sized and/or dimensioned to exert a force on the one or more adjacent teeth.

Ideally, the at least one ring protrusion is, in use, alignable with a corresponding at least one tooth such that when the ring is in place on the intermediate portion the at least one ring protrusion applies a force to said corresponding at least one tooth.

Preferably, the intermediate portion comprises a circumferential recess sized and/or dimensioned such that the ring body portion is received therein.

Ideally, the ring is manufactured from silicon, Polyether ether ketone (PEEK), or any other suitable material.

Preferably, the ring and/or the protrusion(s) thereof may be of varying sizes such that a size may be chosen which will exert a desired force on the at least one adjacent tooth.

Advantageously, different sized rings or protrusions thereof may be utilised to accommodate different patient anatomies, or rings could be changed over the course of a treatment to gradually encourage further movement the one or more teeth, for example by starting with a smaller ring or a ring with smaller protrusions and replacing with gradually larger rings until the desired tooth movement/positioning is achieved.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a tooth engagement means for use with a dental implant apparatus, the tooth engagement means being directly or indirectly attachable to an implantable portion of the dental implant apparatus, wherein the tooth engagement means is sized and/or dimensioned to exert a force on one or more adjacent teeth once attached to the implantable portion. According to a third aspect of the invention there is provided a method of manipulating the positioning of at least one tooth comprising the steps of implanting an implantable portion into the jaw of a patient adjacent to the at least one tooth, directly or indirectly attaching a tooth engagement means to the implantable portion, the tooth engagement means being sized and/or dimensioned to exert a force on one or more adjacent teeth once attached.

Preferably, the method further comprising the step of attaching the tooth engagement means to the implantable portion via an intermediate portion.

Optionally, the method further comprising the step of replacing the tooth engagement means with a differently sized and/or dimensioned tooth engagement means such that the force applied to the one or more adjacent teeth may be adjusted accordingly.

Brief description of the drawings

An embodiment of the invention is now described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a dental device;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a dental device showing contact with an adjacent tooth; Figure 3 is a perspective view of detail A of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a dental implant; and

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the dental implant of Figure 4 showing engagement with an adjacent tooth.

Detailed Description of the drawings

The present teaching will now be described with reference to an exemplary dental device. It will be understood that the exemplary dental device is provided to assist in an understanding of the present teaching and are not to be construed as limiting in any fashion. Furthermore, elements or components that are described with reference to any one Figure may be interchanged with those of other Figures or other equivalent elements without departing from the spirit of the present teaching.

Figure 1 illustrates a dental device 10 comprising an implantable portion 11 which is implantable into the jawbone of a patient, and a tooth engagement portion 12 attachable to the implantable portion 11 via an intermediate portion 14. The tooth engagement portion 12 is sized and/or dimensioned to exert a force on one or more adjacent teeth 13 when the tooth engagement portion 12 is attached to the implantable portion 11 . In use, the tooth engagement portion 12 exerts a destabilising force on the one or more adjacent teeth. The implanted portion 11 provides a stable base to which the intermediate portion 14 is attached, and resultantly from which the tooth engagement portion 12 may apply a force to one or more adjacent teeth 13. The applied force is such that said teeth 13 are encouraged to destabilise in order that the positioning thereof may be adjusted. Advantageously, the spacing for an eventual crown may be optimised prior to installation. Preferably, the implantable portion 11 and intermediate portion 14 comprise typical implant portions 11 and abutment portions 14 which are utilised in known dental implantation, wherein the abutment portion is attached to the implant portion and the attached abutment portion thereafter receives a crown. Advantageously, the dental device of the present invention may utilise the infrastructure of a typical dental implant to also preform the task of destabilising/moving/repositioning one or more tooth adjacent to the implanted tooth.

The tooth engagement portion 12 comprises one or more protrusions 15 sized and/or dimensioned and/or positioned to exert a force on the one or more adjacent tooth. In the embodiment of figures 1 to 3, the protrusion 15 is formed on the body 16 of the tooth engagement portion 12 and extends, in use, towards and into contact with an adjacent tooth 13. In the embodiments of the drawings, the tooth engagement portion 12 is configured to exert a force on only one adjacent tooth 13, however it should be understood that an implant may have two adjacent teeth and as such, if required, the tooth engagement portion 12 could comprise a protrusion on each side thereof which could respectively engage with and exert a force on the teeth either side of the implant simultaneously. Moreover, where two protrusions are present, the protrusions may be the same size, or could be different sizes, depending on the anatomy/geometry of the respective adjacent teeth and the requirements for movement of said adjacent teeth.

Tooth engagement portions 12 may be provided in various sizes and/or geometries such that the force exerted thereby on one or more adjacent teeth 13 can be varied depending on the size and/or geometry of the tooth engagement portion 12. Advantageously, different sized tooth engagement portions 12 may be utilised to accommodate different patient anatomies, or could be changed over the course of a treatment to gradually encourage further movement the one or more teeth 13, for example by starting with a smaller tooth engagement means 12 or a tooth engagement means with smaller protrustions15 and replacing with gradually larger versions until the desired tooth movement/positioning is achieved. Whilst the embodiments of the drawings illustrate a fixed geometry tooth engagement portion 12, the tooth engagement portion 12 could be adjustable such that the extent of force applied to the one or more adjacent teeth 13 may be adjusted if required. This could be, for example, achieved by incorporating a worm gear and drive mechanism, or other mechanically actuated mechanism which would be known to the skilled person, into the tooth engagement portion such that a physician could rotate a screw on the top of the tooth engagement portion which would in turn extend or retract one or more protrusions therefrom. The protrusions 15 are sized and dimensioned to contact the one or more adjacent teeth 13 and apply a force thereto when the tooth engagement portion 12 is attached to the implantable portion via the intermediate portion 14. Again, various tooth engagement portions 12 may be interchangeably utilised which have varying sizes of protrusion 15 to accommodate different patient anatomies, or could be changed over the course of a treatment to gradually encourage further movement the one or more teeth 13. Alternatively, or in combination with the above described protrusion, the geometry of the tooth engagement portion 12 is such that in use it projects, slopes, or otherwise tends towards one or more adjacent teeth 13 to contact said one or more adjacent teeth 13 and apply a force thereto.

The intermediate portion 14 is removably attachable to the implantable portion 11 at a first end 21 and removably attachable to the tooth engagement portion 12 at a second end 22 distal the first end 21. In preferred embodiments, the intermediate portion 14 and implantable portion 11 comprises a threaded screw type engagement therebetween and likewise the intermediate portion 14 and tooth engagement portion 12 comprise a threaded screw type engagement therebetween. However, it should be understood that these engagements could be achieved by any means known to the skilled person. Moreover, the engagement between the intermediate portion 14 and implantable portion 11 may be more permanent as the intermediate portion 14 may stay in place and receive a crown once the tooth engagement portion 12 is removed.

As discussed above, the intermediate portion 14 comprises an abutment 14 similar to that typically used to receive a crown in a dental implant. Once the desired movement of the one or more teeth 13 is achieved, the tooth engagement portion 12 can be removed from the abutment 14 and the remaining implantable portion 11 and abutment may be used to receive a crown.

In the embodiment of Figures 4 and 5, the tooth engagement portion 12 of the device 100 comprises a ring 112 which his locatable around the intermediate portion 14. The ring 112 comprises a ring body portion 117 and at least one ring protrusion 118 thereon. The ring 112 or the at least one ring protrusion 118 thereof is sized and/or dimensioned to exert a force on the one or more adjacent teeth 13. The at least one ring protrusion 118 is, in use, alignable with a corresponding at least one tooth 13 such that when the ring 112 is in place on the intermediate portion 14 the at least one ring protrusion 118 applies a force to said corresponding at least one tooth. The intermediate portion 14 may comprise a circumferential recess 119 sized and/or dimensioned such that the ring body 117portion is received therein. As shown in figure 5, whilst the ring body portion 117 is substantially received in the recess 119 of the intermediate portion 14, the ring protrusion 118 may extent beyond the outermost portion 120 of the intermediate portion 14 such that said ring protrusion 118 may contact the adjacent tooth 13. In some embodiments, not shown in the drawings, the ring may not comprise a ring protrusion 118 in which case the thickness of the ring 112 is such that it contacts and exerts a force on an adjacent tooth 13 without the requirement of a protrusion 118. The ring is manufactured from silicon, Polyether ether ketone (PEEK), or any other suitable material known to the skilled person. As described above in relation to the embodiment of Figures 1-3, the embodiments of Figures 4 and 5 may be such that the ring 112 and/or the protrusion(s) 118 thereof may be of varying sizes such that a size may be chosen which will exert a desired force on the at least one adjacent tooth 13. Advantageously, different sized rings 112 and/or ring protrusion 118 may be utilised to accommodate different patient anatomies, or could be changed over the course of a treatment to gradually encourage further movement the one or more teeth 13, for example by starting with a smaller ring 112 or a ring 112 with smaller ring protrusions 118 and replacing with gradually larger versions until the desired tooth movement/positioning is achieved. In addition, the embodiment of figures 4 and 5 may be adjustable. For example, a mechanical arrangement may be provided on the intermediate portion 14 which acts to encourage the ring 112 or protrusion(s) 118 thereof towards the adjacent tooth 13. However various methods of adjustment could be readily employed by the skilled person.

In each of the embodiments discussed above, when the intermediate portion 14 is attached to the implantable portion 11 , a fixed amount of space exists between the intermediate portion 14 and the adjacent tooth 13. The amount of force applied by the tooth engagement portion 12 on the adjacent tooth 13 will be determined by the distance which the protrusion 15, or any other furthest projecting portion of the tooth engagement portion 12, projects from the intermediate portion into this fixed space in the direction of the adjacent tooth 13.

The above described dental device 10 may be used in a method of manipulating the positioning of at least one tooth 13 comprising the steps of implanting an implantable portion 11 into the jaw of a patient adjacent to the at least one tooth 13 and attaching a tooth engagement portion 12 to the implantable portion 11 via an intermediate portion 11 . The tooth engagement portion 12 being sized and/or dimensioned to exert a force on one or more adjacent teeth 13 once attached. Optionally, the method further comprises the step of replacing the tooth engagement portion 12 with a differently sized and/or dimensioned tooth engagement portion 12 such that the force applied to the one or more adjacent teeth may be adjusted accordingly.

In use, a dental physician may implant an implantable portion 11 into the jaw of a patient and, after sufficient setting of the implantable portion 11 , attach an abutment 14 thereto. The physician would then attach a tooth engagement portion 12 to the abutment 14, and utilise the strong base provided by the implantable portion 11 and the abutment to 14 exert pressure on an adjacent tooth 13. The tooth engagement portion 12 extends from the abutment 14 and at least partially towards an adjacent tooth when use. After the tooth engagement portion has been in place for sufficient time such that the adjacent tooth 13 has moved a desired amount, the tooth engagement portion 12 may be removed. At this stage, a crown may be attached to the abutment which completes the implant process. Alternatively, if further movement of the adjacent tooth is required before placement of a crown, an additional typically larger tooth engagement portion 12 may be attached for an additional time period to further move the adjacent tooth 13.

The invention is not limited to the embodiment(s) described herein but can be amended or modified without departing from the scope of the present invention.