Dental tool with retentive feature

Abstract

A dental driving tool having a distal end with a drive mechanism adapted to drive a dental implant and a retention mechanism adapted to hold and carry the dental implant. The retention mechanism includes a housing having a ceramic locking member and corrosive resistant biasing member. Preferably, the housing is formed as an axial bore through the distal end, and the locking and biasing members are formed as a ball and spring, respectively.

1 . A dental tool, comprising: 
 a shaft having a distal end and a proximal end, wherein the distal end is adapted to drive a dental implant into a jawbone; and    a retention mechanism located at the distal end and including a ball and a spring biasing the ball, wherein-the retention mechanism is adapted to hold and carry the dental implant.    
   
   
       2 . The dental tool of  claim 1  wherein the ball and spring are housed in an axial bore, and the spring biases the ball against an internal cavity of the dental implant.  
   
   
       3 . The dental tool of  claim 2  wherein the ball is formed of a ceramic and the spring is formed of a corrosive resistant metal.  
   
   
       4 . The dental tool of  claim 3  wherein the ball is formed of one of ruby or silicone nitride, and the spring is formed of one of titanium or steel with a diamond or chromium coating.  
   
   
       5 . The dental tool of  claim 4  wherein the retention mechanism holds the dental implant with a force of about one ounce to about 1½ pounds.  
   
   
       6 . The dental tool of  claim 4  wherein the distal end is shaped as one of a hexagon, star, triangle, square, or octagon.  
   
   
       7 . A dental driving tool adapted to engage, carry, and drive a dental implant, the driving tool comprising: 
 an elongated shaft having proximal and distal ends;    a housing located at the distal end; and    a locking member and a biasing member located in the housing, wherein the biasing member biases the locking member against a surface of the implant to hold and carry the implant.    
   
   
       8 . The dental driving tool of  claim 7  in which the locking member is formed of a ceramic and the biasing member is formed of a corrosive resistant metal.  
   
   
       9 . The dental driving tool of  claim 8  in which the locking member is formed of ruby or silicone nitride.  
   
   
       10 . The dental driving tool of  claim 9  in which the biasing member is formed of titanium.  
   
   
       11 . The dental driving tool of  claim 10  in which the distal end has a polygonal shape adapted to engage and drive the implant into a jawbone.  
   
   
       12 . The dental driving tool of  claim 11  in which the locking member and biasing member hold the dental implant with a removal force between one ounce and 1½ pounds.  
   
   
       13 . A dental tool comprising: 
 a shaft having a distal end and a proximal end;    a drive mechanism located at the distal end, wherein the drive mechanism is adapted to drive a dental implant into a jawbone; and    a retention mechanism located at the distal end and including a housing, a locking member, and a biasing member biasing the locking member, wherein the locking member and biasing member are located in the housing and adapted to hold the dental implant.    
   
   
       14 . The dental driving tool of  claim 13  in which the locking members is formed of ceramic as one of a ball, pin, or cylinder; and the biasing members is a spring formed of a corrosive resistant material.  
   
   
       15 . The dental driving tool of  claim 14  in which the housing includes an axial bore that is perpendicular to a longitudinal axis that extends through the shaft.  
   
   
       16 . The dental driving tool of  claim 15  in which the locking member and biasing member are removable from the housing.  
   
   
       17 . The dental driving tool of  claim 16  in which the drive mechanism has a polygonal configuration that matches a polygonal configuration at a coronal end of the implant.  
   
   
       18 . The dental driving tool of  claim 15  in which the locking member slideably moves in the axial bore.  
   
   
       19 . The dental driving tool of  claim 18  in which the locking member partially protrudes from the axial bore and engages a surface of the dental implant.