Methods, apparatuses, computer programs, and systems for creating a custom dental prosthesis using a cad/cam system

Abstract

Preparation of a dental prosthesis that includes a gingiva part having retention holes for seating of manufactured teeth, with the retention holes being enlarged relative to the manufactured teeth. A size and geometry of each of the enlarged retention holes are determined based on a size and geometry of the corresponding manufactured tooth. Wax in the enlarged retention holes permits adjustments in positioning of the manufactured teeth, and a helper structure preserves this positioning when the wax is removed and a curable gingiva material is filled into the retention holes.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application is a divisional application of application Ser. No. 14 / 701,956 filed May 1, 2015, the entire content of which is hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present disclosure relates generally to dental restorations, in particular, to the use of a CAD / CAM system to produce a dental prosthesis.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]Restoring or repairing one or more of a patient's teeth often involves the preparation and attachment of a dental prosthesis, such as a denture. Dentures are constructed to replace missing teeth and are supported by the surrounding soft and hard tissues of the oral cavity. Dentures are generally removable and can comprise either partial or complete dentures. Partial dentures are prepared for patients who are missing some of their teeth on a particular arch (i.e., the maxillary (upper) or mandibular (lower) arch), while complete dentures are prepared for patients ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The patent text describes a method for creating a custom dental prosthesis using a computer-aided design / computer-assisted manufacturing system. The dental prosthesis is easily adaptable to a dental patient's oral cavity and can compensate for errors in the transmission of the features of the patient's oral cavity and the accurate positioning of denture teeth. This improves the aesthetics, stability, and ease of production of the final dental prosthesis. The method also reduces the complicated steps of preparing and finishing the prosthesis base and removes the issue of bubbles in the cast base. Overall, this technology is useful for preparing a well-fitting dental prosthesis for a toothless dental patient.

Problems solved by technology

An ill-fitting dental prosthesis, on the other hand, can increase the patient's risk of infection or disease, and cause shifting in the prepared prosthesis.

For example, during casting and curing of a final denture, errors, such as transference errors, can occur when transferring the features of the patient's oral cavity and / or the accurate positioning of denture teeth to the final cast denture.

Such transference errors occur due to the imprecision of the production process.

In addition, a final cast denture may result in bubbles within the casting that reduce the aesthetics and the stability of the final dental prosthesis.

Moreover, in certain situations, an entirely new dental prosthesis may be required to be recast in the case of an ill-fitting prosthesis that cannot be readily adapted for the patient's mouth by the dentist and / or technician.

Images