Abstract:
The invention is an expandable dental implant for receiving and supporting a dental prosthesis immediately after implantation. The expandable dental implant, securable within a bore formed into bone of a patient's jaw, includes an elongated, hollow, tubular barrel having both an attachment end and an insertion end. The barrel includes projecting fins that press into and engage cancellous bone section surrounding the barrel, and has only a threaded interior surface for receiving a threaded expander screw. The barrel is pierced about its insertion end by a plurality of radial slits spaced circumferentially around the barrel. The interior surface of the barrel at the insertion end is formed with a smaller diameter than the diameter of the interior surface of the barrel at the attachment end. The expander screw and the interior surface of the barrel are shaped so advancement of the expander screw along the barrel toward the insertion end causes an end surface of the expander screw to collide with the interior surface of the barrel, and to expand the insertion end outward into the surrounding bone.