A dental prosthesis includes a dental implant into a patient’s bone, an abutment screw mounted on the implant, and a crown mounted atop the abutment. The abutment screw has the potential to break at the neck such that the screw head is removed but the threaded portion remains; removing a remnant of broken abutment screw from within a dental implant can be clinically challenging. Existing techniques of removal pose the risk of further damage to the broken screw fragment or the internal dental implant threads, further complicating the removal and heightening the risk of infection.
Description
Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have developed a system and method for extracting a broken fragment of a dental abutment screw from a dental implant. By positioning an extraction tool in a patient’s mouth such that a thermoplastic adhesive in the distal portion of the extraction tool is adjacent to a broken fragment of the abutment screw, clinicians can apply heat to the thermoplastic adhesive to melt the adhesive to the surface of the broken fragment, allowing simple unscrewing after cooling and bonding. This lessens the risk of accidental damage to other parts of the implant or further fragmenting the screw, reducing patient treatment time and easing the demand on the clinician.
Applications
· Removal of broken abutment screw fragment
Advantages
· Faster removal
· Does not damage implant
· Safer for both patients and dentists
Invention Readiness
Prototype
IP Status
https://patents.google.com/patent/US10537410B2
