DENTAL IMPLANT HAVING IMPROVED STABILITY
A dental implant system employs an improved abutment screw with acceptable biocompatibility, corrosion, strength, and preload characteristics. In particular, embodiments provide a dental implant system having an artificial implant and an abutment which are fastened with a screw formed from stainless steel, such as surgical grade 316L stainless steel. In some embodiments, the stainless steel screw is coated with a malleable material, such as gold, silver, or polytetraflouroethylene, to improve screw preload. Alternatively, the stainless steel screw may be coated with a harder material, such as diamond like carbon (DLC), amorphous diamond, crystalline diamond, or a combination thereof, which provides a low coefficient of friction providing improved preload properties.
1 . A dental implant system comprising a first component and a second component, the first and second dental components being fastened together by a screw having a stainless steel body and a coating on the stainless steel body.
2 . The dental implant system of claim 1 , wherein the first component is an artificial implant and the second component is an abutment.
3 . The dental implant system of claim 1 , wherein the stainless steel is surgical grade 316L stainless steel.
4 . The dental implant system of claim 1 , wherein the coating is substantially pure gold.
5 . The dental implant system of claim 1 , wherein the coating includes at least one of: silver, carbon, and polytetraflouroethylene.
6 . The dental implant system of claim 1 , wherein the coating includes at least one of: diamond like carbon (DLC), amorphous diamond, and crystalline diamond.
7 . The dental implant system of claim 1 , wherein the coating has a thickness in the range of from about 0.5 μm to about 1 μm.
8 . The dental implant system of claim 1 , wherein the coating is applied to an intermediate layer of titanium on the stainless steel body.
9 . A screw for a dental implant system comprising a stainless steel body and a coating on the stainless steel body.
10 . The screw of claim 9 , wherein the stainless steel is surgical grade 316L stainless steel.
11 . The screw of claim 9 , wherein the coating is substantially pure gold.
12 . The screw of claim 9 , wherein the coating includes at least one of: silver, carbon, and polytetraflouroethylene.
13 . The screw of claim 9 , wherein the coating includes at least one of: diamond like carbon (DLC), amorphous diamond, and crystalline diamond.
14 . The screw of claim 9 , wherein the coating has a thickness in the range of from about 0.5 μm to about 1 μm.
15 . The screw of claim 9 , wherein the coating is applied to an intermediate layer of titanium on the stainless steel body.
16 . A method of increasing the preloading of a screw used to assemble components of a dental implant system, the method comprising:
placing a first component having an internal passageway in contact with a second component having an internally threaded portion;
passing a screw through the internal passageway of the first component and engaging the internally threaded portion of the second component, the screw having a stainless steel body and a coating on the stainless steel body; and
tightening the screw to preload the screw.
17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the step of tightening the screw comprises tightening the screw to a preselected torque.
18 . The dental implant system of claim 16 , wherein the first component is an artificial implant and the second component is an abutment.
19 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the stainless steel is surgical grade 316L stainless steel.
20 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the coating is substantially pure gold.
21 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the coating includes at least one of: silver, carbon, and polytetraflouroethylene.
22 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the coating includes at least one of: diamond like carbon (DLC), amorphous diamond, and crystalline diamond.
23 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the coating is applied to an intermediate layer of titanium on the stainless steel body.