Deposition of silver particles on an implant surface

1 . A dental implant assembly comprising:

an implant;

an abutment coupled to a top portion of the implant;

a screw for securing the abutment to the implant; and

silver nanoparticles positioned on at least one interior surface of at least one of the implant and the abutment.

2 . The implant assembly of claim 1 , wherein the implant is made of a metal selected from the group consisting of tantalum, cobalt, chromium, titanium, stainless steel, or alloys thereof.

3 . The implant assembly of claim 1 , wherein the implant is made from a material including ceramic.

4 . The implant assembly of claim 1 , wherein the silver nanoparticles are positioned on the screw.

5 . The implant assembly of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of a threaded bottom portion is roughened to form irregularities to facilitate bonding with bone.

6 . The implant assembly of claim 1 , wherein the implant includes a first non-rotational feature and the abutment includes a second non-rotational feature, wherein the first non-rotational feature is adapted to mate with the second non-rotational feature, the silver nanoparticles being located on a surface of at least one of the first and second non-rotational features.

7 . The implant assembly of claim 1 , wherein the silver nanoparticles are positioned on opposing surfaces of the implant and the abutment that define an interface.

8 . The implant assembly of claim 1 , wherein the silver nanoparticles have dimensions of about 1 nanometer to about 50 nanometers.

9 . The implant assembly of claim 1 , wherein the silver nanoparticles are applied on an exterior surface of the screw, an aperture in the abutment for receiving the screw, an aperture in the implant for receiving the screw, or a combination thereof.

10 . A method of inhibiting the growth of bacteria or microbes within a dental implant assembly to be implanted into living bone, the method comprising the acts of:

providing an implant, an abutment, and a screw, at least a portion of the implant, the abutment, or the screw having silver nanoparticles applied thereto; and

securing the implant to the abutment using the screw.

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the implant is made of a metal selected from the group consisting of tantalum, cobalt, chromium, titanium, stainless steel, or alloys thereof.

12 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the implant is made from a material including ceramic.

13 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the act of providing an implant includes roughening a threaded bottom portion of the implant to facilitate bonding with bone.

14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the implant is made of titanium and the act of roughening the implant surface comprises:

removing a native oxide layer from the implant surface; and

acid etching the resulting surface.

15 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the implant includes a first non-rotational feature and the abutment has a second non-rotational feature, at least one of the first and second non-rotational features having silver nanoparticles applied thereon.

16 . The method of claim 15 , further comprising the act of, prior to securing the implant to the abutment using the screw, mating the first non-rotational feature with the second non-rotational feature.

17 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the act of applying the silver nanoparticles includes plasma-spraying or plasma-sputtering.

18 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the silver nanoparticles are applied on opposing surfaces of the implant and the abutment, the opposing surfaces defining an interface.

19 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the silver nanoparticles are applied on an interior surface of the screw, an aperture in the abutment for receiving the screw, an aperture in the implant for receiving the screw, or a combination thereof.

20 . A method of inhibiting the growth of bacteria or microbes within a dental implant assembly, the method comprising the acts of:

providing a dental implant assembly; and

applying silver particles on at least a portion of the dental implant assembly.

21 . The method of claim 20 , wherein the implant assembly includes an implant, an abutment, and a screw.

22 . The method of claim 21 , wherein the implant is made of a metal selected from the group consisting of tantalum, cobalt, chromium, titanium, stainless steel, or alloys thereof.

23 . The method of claim 21 , wherein the implant is made from a material including ceramic.

24 . The method of claim 21 , wherein the silver particles are silver nanoparticles.

25 . The method of claim 24 , wherein the implant includes a first non-rotational feature and the abutment has a second non-rotational feature, wherein at least one of the first and second non-rotational features includes silver nanoparticles applied thereon.

26 . The method of claim 24 , wherein the silver nanoparticles are applied on opposing surfaces of the implant and the abutment, the opposing surfaces defining an interface.

27 . The method of claim 24 , wherein the silver nanoparticles are applied on an exterior surface of the screw, an aperture in the abutment for receiving the screw, an aperture in the implant for receiving the screw, or a combination thereof.

28 . The method of claim 24 , wherein the act of applying the silver nanoparticles includes plasma-spraying or plasma-sputtering.

29 . The method of claim 24 , wherein the act of applying silver nanoparticles on at least a portion of the dental implant assembly includes forming a layer of silver nanoparticles.

30 . The method of claim 24 , wherein the silver nanoparticles are applied to an exterior surface of the implant, the abutment, or a combination thereof.

31 . The method of claim 30 , wherein the exterior surface is adjacent to an interface between the implant and the abutment.