SURGICAL GUIDE WITH TAPERED HOLES
A drill guide uses a hole in a layer to guide a drill along an axial trajectory while permitting off-axis excursions of the drill during use. A number of such drill guides at varying heights from a target surface may be used sequentially or concurrently to enforce the axial trajectory in three dimensions during a surgical operation. A drill guide may include a hole in a layer that establishes a single point along the axial trajectory, or the drill guide may include multiple layers in a single device to establish two or more points along the trajectory while allowing off-axis insertion of a drill into the guide. The drill guide may be cuttable to accommodate intraoperative changes to the axial trajectory. In embodiments, a window or the like may be provided to permit a surgeon to view drill depth, drill orientation, the surgical site and the like during a procedure.
1 . A device comprising:
a surgical guide for guiding a tool in a dental procedure, the surgical guide including a hole in a layer, the hole positioned to align the tool to an axial trajectory at a first point along the axial trajectory, and the hole including a tapered wall that provides a diameter that varies along an axis of the hole, wherein the diameter ranges between a narrowest section and a widest section; and
a support to secure the surgical guide in relation to a location where the axial trajectory meets a target surface of a surgical site.
2 . The device of claim 1 further comprising a second hole in a second layer vertically spaced apart from the first layer, the second hole positioned to align the tool to the axial trajectory at a second point along the axial trajectory.
3 . The device of claim 1 wherein the target surface includes one or more of gingiva and a jawbone.
4 . The device of claim 1 wherein the surgical site includes a dental implant site.
5 . The device of claim 1 wherein the hole is shaped and sized to align an object to the axial trajectory including one or more of a drill, a surgical drill, a rotary tool, and a surgical hand tool.
6 . The device of claim 1 wherein the layer is vertically spaced apart from the target surface in an area surrounding the hole when the device is placed for use at the surgical site.
7 . The device of claim 1 wherein the layer includes one or more visible alignment marks to assist a user in locating a center of the hole.
8 . The device of claim 1 further comprising a window for at least one of physical access to the surgical site and visual inspection of the target surface when the device is placed for use.
9 . The device of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of holes in the layer for a plurality of axial trajectories.
10 . The device of claim 1 wherein the surgical guide and the support are formed of a clear material.
11 . The device of claim 1 wherein the layer has a thickness less than the diameter of the hole at the widest section.
12 . The device of claim 1 wherein the layer has a thickness less than the diameter of the hole at the narrowest section.
13 . The device of claim 1 wherein the layer has a thickness greater than the diameter of the hole at the narrowest section.
14 . The device of claim 1 wherein the layer has a thickness greater than the diameter of the hole at the widest section.
15 . The device of claim 1 wherein the diameter of the hole at the widest section is at least ten percent greater than the diameter of the hole at the narrowest section.
16 . The device of claim 1 wherein the diameter of the hole at the widest section is at least twenty-five percent greater than the diameter of the hole at the narrowest section.
17 . The device of claim 1 wherein the widest section is on a top of the layer and the narrowest section is on a bottom of the layer.
18 . The device of claim 1 wherein the narrowest section is at a surface of the layer proximal to the location where the axial trajectory meets the target surface of the surgical site.
19 . The device of claim 1 wherein the narrowest section is at a surface of the layer distal to the location where the axial trajectory meets the target surface of the surgical site.
20 . The device of claim 1 wherein the narrowest section is between a top surface and a bottom surface of the layer.