| 摘要 |
An endosteal tooth in one form is made of an electrically conductive material and is provided with an implant (e.g., lower) socket portion and a removably mounted crown (e.g., upper) portion which houses therein a source of electrical current for the implant socket portion. By supplying electrical current or voltage to the implant socket portion, which is embedded in bone in the region of the implantation, the growth of bone is induced and the prevention of infection provided. The rate of growth of the bone and the type of bone growth can be controlled by the amount of current supplied to the implant socket portion. In one embodiment of the invention, the source of electrical current is housed in the crown portion of the tooth which is replaced with a final crown after the growth of bone has been completed. In another form of the invention, the source of electrical current is supplied externally of the tooth. According to different procedures of the invention, current or voltage can be supplied by battery, thermocouple junction or by immersing contacting metals in body fluids.
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