Tapered endosseous dental implants with external multiple lead threads

1. An endosseous dental implant, comprising an elongated, externally-threaded body, tapered over at least part of its length, that comprises at least two external regions of multiple lead threads, including a distal region comprising double lead threads, and a proximal region comprising quadruple lead threads, wherein all of said threads have substantially the same pitch, and wherein the distance between adjacent thread peaks in said proximal region is about half the distance between adjacent thread peaks in said distal region, whereby the threads on said proximal region fit into threads formed in the jawbone of a patient by the threads on said distal region upon insertion of said implant into said jawbone, or cut into bone between said jawbone threads without cutting across said jawbone threads.

2. The dental implant of claim 1 , wherein said proximal region is shorter than said distal region.

3. The dental implant of claim 2 , wherein said proximal region is less than half the linear length of the distal region.

4. The dental implant of claim 1 or claim 2 , further comprising an internal passage in the body of said implant, said passage having an opening at the top of said implant, said passage including internal threads, internal wrench-engaging surfaces or both, said passage terminating inside said dental implant.

5. An endosseous dental implant, comprising an elongated, externally-threaded body, tapered over at least part of its length, that comprises at least two external regions of multiple lead threads, including a distal region comprising triple-lead threads, and a proximal region comprising six-lead threads, wherein all of said threads have substantially the same pitch, and wherein the distance between adjacent thread peaks in said proximal region is about half the distance between adjacent thread peaks in said distal region, whereby the threads on said proximal region fit into threads formed in the jawbone of a patient by the threads on said distal region upon insertion of said implant into said jawbone, or cut into bone between said jawbone threads without cutting across said jawbone threads.

6. The dental implant of claim 5 , wherein said proximal region is shorter than said distal region.

7. The dental implant of claim 5 , wherein said proximal region is less than half the linear length of the distal region.

8. The dental implant of claim 5 or claim 6 or claim 7 , further comprising an internal passage in the body of said implant, said passage having an opening at the top of said implant, said passage including internal threads, internal wrench-engaging surfaces or both, said passage terminating inside said dental implant.

9. The dental implant of claim 1 or claim 2 or claim 3 or claim 5 or claim 6 or claim 7 , wherein said body tapers over at least about 35% of its linear length.

10. The dental implant of claim 1 or claim 2 or claim 3 or claim 5 or claim 6 or claim 7 , wherein the troughs between adjacent peaks of the threads are at least about 0.2 mm in depth.

11. The dental implant of claim 1 or claim 2 or claim 3 or claim 5 or claim 6 or claim 7 , wherein said body includes an unthreaded portion proximal to the threaded regions on the externally-threaded regions comprising more than about 4% of the linear length of said body.

12. An endosseous dental implant, comprising an internal passage in the body of said implant, said passage having an opening at the top of said implant, said passage including internal threads, internal wrench-engaging surfaces or both, said passage terminating inside said dental implant, and an elongated, externally-threaded body that comprises at least two external regions of multiple lead threads, including a distal region comprising double lead threads, and a proximal region comprising quadruple lead threads, wherein all of said threads have substantially the same pitch, and wherein the distance between adjacent thread peaks in said proximal region is about half the distance between adjacent thread peaks in said distal region, whereby the threads on said proximal region fit into threads formed in the jawbone of a patient by the threads on said distal region upon insertion of said implant into said jawbone, or cut into bone between said jawbone threads without cutting across said jawbone threads.

13. The dental implant of claim 12 , wherein said proximal region is shorter than said distal region.

14. The dental implant of claim l 3 , wherein said proximal region is less than half the linear length of the distal region.

15. An endosseous dental implant, comprising an internal passage in the body of said implant, said passage having an opening at the top of said implant, said passage including internal threads, internal wrench-engaging surfaces or both, said passage terminating inside said dental implant, and an elongated, externally-threaded body that comprises at least two external regions of multiple lead threads, including a distal region comprising triple-lead threads, and a proximal region comprising six-lead threads, wherein all of said threads have substantially the same pitch, and wherein the distance between adjacent thread peaks in said proximal region is about half the distance between adjacent threads in said distal region, whereby the threads on said proximal region fit into threads formed in the jawbone of a patient by the threads on said distal region upon insertion of said implant into said jawbone, or cut into bone between said jawbone threads without cutting across said jawbone threads.

16. The dental implant of claim 15 , wherein said proximal region is shorter than said distal region.

17. The dental implant of claim 15 , wherein said proximal region is less than half the linear length of the distal region.