Dental implantation system and method

Abstract

Drilling of an implant shaft is carried out with a handpiece tool whose location and angular orientation with respect to a radiographic working guide is updated in real time with respect to the radiographic working guide and anatomical structures of the patient, free of viewing obstructions. Prior to the drilling, the radiographic working guide is fitted to a particular patient. Real-time imaging support is provided on a display of a computer, wherein the radiographic workpiece guide includes a plurality of fiducial markers that define a substantially planar reference surface of the radiographic workpiece guide. The radiographic workpiece guide also includes an alignment structure located a predetermined distance from a pilot hole proximate the work site. The image is updated based on an initial radiographic scan and updated position information from the handpiece tool as to location and angular orientation of the handpiece tool relative to the workpiece guide.

1 - 12 . (canceled) 
     
     
         13 . A radiographic workpiece guide comprising:
 a dental arch portion that conforms substantially to a dental arch of a particular patient;   a reference surface of the dental arch portion positioned substantially over an implant site encompassed by the dental arch portion; and   at least three non-collinear radioopaque fiducial markers on the reference surface.   
     
     
         14 . The radiographic workpiece guide of  claim 13 , further comprising an alignment structure located, when the radiographic workpiece guide is engaged with the dental arch of the particular patient, on the dental arch portion a predetermined distance from the centerline of a desired implant shaft. 
     
     
         15 . A method, comprising:
 fabricating a radiographic workpiece guide of a configuration to engage a dental arch of a particular patient and encompass an implant site, the radiographic workpiece guide including a reference surface substantially over the implant site; and   placing at least three non-collinear radioopaque fiducial markers on the reference surface.   
     
     
         16 . A method, comprising:
 engaging a radiographic workpiece guide with the dental arch of a particular patient, the radiographic workpiece guide of a configuration to engage a dental arch of the patient and encompass an implant site, the radiographic workpiece guide including a reference surface substantially over the implant site and at least three non-collinear radioopaque fiducial markers on the reference surface;   obtaining a radiographic image of the workpiece guide and the patient's dental arch, the radiographic image depicting the fiducial markers;   determining from the radiographic image the location of a desired implant shaft for placing an implant at the implant site; and   correlating the location of the desired implant shaft with the locations of the fiducial markers.   
     
     
         17 - 20 . (canceled)