title: Mechanical aspects of a Brånemark implant connected to a natural tooth: an in vitro study.
abstract: Mechanical in vitro tests of the Brånemark implant disclose that the screw joint which attaches the prosthetic gold cylinder and the transmucosal abutment to the fixture forms a flexible system. This inherent flexibility seems to match well the vertical mobility of a supporting tooth connected to the implant. Calculations of vertical load distribution based on measured flexibility data demonstrate that the forces are shared almost equally between tooth and implant even without taking the flexibility of the surrounding bone or the prosthesis into account. The therapy of a single Brånemark implant connected to a natural tooth should be considered without any additional element of a flexible nature. Mechanical tests and theoretical considerations, however, indicate that the transverse mobility of the connected tooth should be limited and that the attachment of the prosthesis to the tooth should be of a rigid design to avoid gold-screw loosening.
authors.affiliation: Department of Prosthetic Dentistry, University of Umeå, Sweden.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rangert
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gunne
authors.forename: D Y
authors.initials: DY
authors.lastname: Sullivan
mesh_terms: D000044:Dental Abutments; D015921:Dental Implants; D017268:Dental Prosthesis Retention; D003799:Dental Stress Analysis; D003830:Denture, Partial, Fixed; D006047:Gold Alloys; D006801:Humans; D008422:Materials Testing; D013718:Tensile Strength; D014086:Tooth Mobility
chemical_list: D015921:Dental Implants; D006047:Gold Alloys