Flared implant extender for endosseous dental implants

1. An endosseous, root-form dental implant for insertion through an opening in the mucosal tissue and into an opening in the jawbone of a patient includes a body portion having a top surface that includes a proximal opening; an internally-threaded shaft extending into said implant, from said top surface; a healing screw comprising a head portion with an undersurface joined to a shank portion having a threaded distal end portion, said head portion having a size and shape sufficient to cover a proximal opening into said internally-threaded shaft; and a flared implant extender that is of sufficient length to extend through the opening in the mucosal tissue atop the opening in the jawbone of a patient, and that is of sufficient size and shape to maintain the opening in said mucosal tissue, said extender having a proximal end and a distal end, and having an unthreaded external surface that tapers continuously inwardly from the proximal end to the distal end of said extender, said extender having a distal end portion of a size and shape sufficient to cover the top surface of said implant, said extender including an internal longitudinal passage of sufficient size and shape to permit the threaded distal end portion of said healing screw to pass through said internal longitudinal passage, said internal longitudinal passage including a proximal opening, the head portion of said healing screw having a size and shape sufficient to cover said proximal opening of the internal longitudinal passage; said internally-threaded shaft of said implant, having a threaded region sufficiently long to engage said threaded distal end portion of said healing screw with said implant extender in place atop said implant and with the undersurface of the head portion of said healing screw covering said proximal opening of the internal longitudinal passage or, if said extender is absent, covering the opening into said internally-threaded shaft of said implant.

2. The dental implant of claim 1 wherein the head portion of said healing screw is of size and shape sufficient to cover the top surface of said implant.

3. The dental implant of claim 1 or claim 2 wherein said extender includes, in its top surface, a groove or recess of a size and shape appropriate to receive the head portion of said healing screw.

4. The dental implant of claim 3 wherein said head portion lies in substantially the same plane as the top surface of said extender when said healing screw is inserted into said internal longitudinal passage of said extender.