Method and scannable component for preparing dental prosthesis

Abstract

A method for preparing a dental prosthesis is disclosed. The method includes acquiring a first set of data representative of a first dental prosthesis disposed on a set of dental implants. The method comprises obtaining a second set of data representing the first dental prosthesis comprising one or more scannable members disposed on a proximal surface of the first dental prosthesis. The method includes generating a model of the second dental prosthesis based on the first set of data and the second set of data.

Description

[0001] The present disclosure belongs to the field of restorative dentistry. The present disclosure relates to a method for preparing a dental prosthesis and a related scannable component. Background Art

[0002] Edontia, or tooth loss, is a worldwide public health problem. Edontia may occur as a result of biological disease processes such as caries / cavities, periodontal disease, trauma, and oral cancer. Edontia is associated with a variety of comorbidities that may have a significant impact on the individual. With the increase in life expectancy, the condition is likely to continue to have a high prevalence in the future. Full-arch implant prostheses have been widely used in restorative dentistry to restore the smile of edentulous and / or semi-edentulous patients.

[0003] Digital technology has been introduced into restorative dentistry to provide accurate digital implant impressions. During fixed implant restorations and before prototyping the prosthesis, a full dental arch impression can be performed using digital scanning. That is, multiple intraoral scans can be performed to determine the three-dimensional implant position and contour of the first dental prosthesis. However, superimposing multiple data sets generated by multiple scans to generate a model of the first dental prosthesis presents significant challenges. This is attributed to the lack of stable intraoral landmarks when performing the scans. Certain techniques have been described in an effort to overcome this obstacle, including the use of self-adhesive fiducial markers, scan posts, and / or surgical anchors.

[0004] However, the proposed techniques are cumbersome and laborious. They require extensive intraoral scanning and intervention of the patient, as fiducial markers and / or surgical staples need to be placed, multiple scans need to be performed, and a good digital image of the patient's mouth needs to be acquired, and finally the fiducial markers and / or surgical staples need to be removed and the first dental prosthesis inserted. The self-adhesive fiducial markers are simply placed onto the unanchored soft tissue; therefore, they may move between scans, resulting in an unusable / inaccurate image, forcing the dentist to retake scans, and increasing the time the patient spends in the dentist's chair. Due to the reflective surface of the surgical staples, the scanner does not easily recognize the surgical staples, thereby increasing the number of scans required to acquire a usable image. This can be time consuming and unpleasant for edentulous and / or semi-edentulous patients.

[0005] Other methods for performing intraoral scanning to generate a model of the jaw of an edentulous patient are also known. For example, Marini et al. (J. Prosthodontics, 2021, 0, 1) describe a method in which a scanning body including a long scannable screw mounted on a scanning column is used to perform a first soft tissue scan, and the scanning column is configured to receive the screw. After the first scan is completed, the long scannable screw and the scanning column are removed. Then, a temporary abutment is installed, and then a temporary denture is installed and fixed to the temporary abutment with a long scannable screw, and a second scan is performed with the temporary denture. After the second scan has been performed, the scannable screw is removed and replaced with a conventional prosthetic screw, and the patient can then leave with the temporary prosthesis. Each removal and insertion of a device (such as a scanning body, a temporary abutment, and a prosthetic screw) requires intraoral intervention of the patient, which can be time-consuming, unpleasant to the patient, and may damage the patient's unhealed soft tissue surface, requiring a longer healing time before providing a second dental prosthesis.

[0006] WO 2022 / 135979 A1 also discloses a device for digitally scanning a dental prosthetic implant, comprising a plurality of scanning bodies, each of which is surrounded by a threaded ring; each threaded ring engages a portion of a connecting thread; and each scanning body can be associated with a prosthesis or an oral cavity. The scanning method comprises the following steps: removing the prosthesis from the oral cavity, associating the scanning body with the prosthesis outside the oral cavity, associating the scanning bodies with each other through the threaded ring and the connecting thread; performing a digital scan of the entire unit outside the oral cavity or screwing the scanning body to each implant inserted into the bone, associating the scanning bodies with each other through the threaded ring and the connecting thread, and performing a scan in the oral cavity. The scanning method requires attaching the scanning body to each implant inserted into the patient's bone. Since each removal and insertion of a device (such as a scanning body, a prosthesis, and a prosthetic screw) requires intraoral intervention of the patient, this method may be time-consuming, unpleasant to the patient, and may cause damage to the patient's soft tissue surface that has not yet healed.

[0007] Therefore, there is a need for a method and apparatus for preparing dental prostheses that can mitigate, alleviate or solve existing disadvantages, such as providing a less time-consuming and more accurate method for preparing dental prostheses while increasing patient comfort and reducing the time the patient spends in the dental chair.

[0008] A method for preparing a dental prosthesis is disclosed. The method includes: acquiring a first set of data representing a first dental prosthesis arranged on a set of dental implants. The method includes: acquiring a second set of data representing the first dental prosthesis including one or more scannable components arranged on a proximal surface of the first dental prosthesis. The method includes: generating a model of a second dental prosthesis based on the first set of data and the second set of data.

[0009] A scannable member for determining a position of a dental implant is disclosed, the scannable member comprising a body and a base, the base being configured to cooperate with an implant receiving portion of an abutment for securing a dental prosthesis to the dental implant.

[0010] The advantage of the present disclosure is that the accuracy and speed of the scanning method can be improved, the steps required to design the final prosthesis can be reduced, and the time spent by the patient in the chair can be reduced. By acquiring only a first set of data about a first dental prosthesis on a dental implant without using any scannable components arranged on the dental prosthesis, and then removing the dental prosthesis from the dental implant, and acquiring a second set of data about the first dental prosthesis having one or more scannable components arranged on the proximal surface of the first dental prosthesis, any attachment of the scannable components and the acquisition of data related to the scannable components can be performed without the patient sitting in the chair. By arranging the scannable components on the proximal surface of the dental implant (such as being arranged on an implant receiving portion for fixing the dental implant to the abutment of the dental implant), the scannable components are arranged in the position and direction of the dental implant, and the second set of data can give a correct representation of the geographical coordinates of the dental implant and provide angle information about the dental implant. This information and coordinates can be used to create a model of the first dental prosthesis, and ultimately create a model of the final prosthesis. Therefore, additional fiducial markers, scanning columns and / or surgical anchors are no longer required, and the patient's soft tissue is subjected to less pressure, thereby providing faster soft tissue healing. This can reduce the number of intraoral interventions required to prepare the dental prosthesis.

[0011] In addition, scanners (such as scanning devices) used to perform scans may sometimes have problems scanning soft tissue when scanning edentulous and / or semi-edentulous patients, and image stitching errors may occur during scanning. The present disclosure can overcome this problem because the scanner can be guided by the morphology of the teeth of the first dental prosthesis, and therefore can stitch images faster with higher accuracy and less deviation. Since the scanner can be guided by the morphology of the teeth, a second set of data including a scanning member arranged on the proximal surface of the dental prosthesis can be acquired at the chairside (such as outside the patient's body). The first set of data and the second set of data can then be superimposed to produce an accurate representation of the morphology of the patient's oral cavity, the position of the dental implant, and the morphology of the dental prosthesis with minimal patient interaction. Therefore, additional scanning and / or additional post-processing of the scanned images can be reduced or no longer required, which further reduces the time required to prepare a model of the first dental prosthesis, and therefore reduces the time to prepare the final dental prosthesis.

[0012] In addition, using the first dental prosthesis to generate the model can better prepare and adapt the second dental prosthesis. The first dental prosthesis can be used to evaluate the aesthetics and phonetics of the dental prosthesis. In the case where the first dental prosthesis does not adapt well to the patient's tissue or the required aesthetic or occlusal modifications are small, these problems can be solved directly on the first dental prosthesis at the chairside (such as outside the mouth), and the modified first dental prosthesis can then be rescanned as a reference for making the second dental prosthesis. The time efficiency of this method is economically advantageous for all parties involved (such as patients, dentists, dental clinicians and clinical laboratories). BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] The above and other features and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art through the following detailed description of examples thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0014] Figure 1 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary method of preparing a dental prosthesis according to the present disclosure,

[0015] FIG. 2A to FIG. 2C An exemplary method for obtaining a second set of data according to one or more exemplary methods of the present disclosure is shown,

[0016] FIG. 3A to FIG. 3B shows an exemplary scannable member according to one or more second examples of the present disclosure,

[0017] Figure 4 shows an exemplary scannable component according to one or more examples of the present disclosure,

[0018] FIG. 5A to FIG. 5B shows a scannable member configured to be clamped onto an abutment according to one or more examples of the present disclosure,

[0019] Figure 6 shows a body of a scannable member according to one or more examples of the present disclosure, the body being configured to be releasably secured to a base of the scannable member,

[0020] FIG. 7A to FIG. 7C shows a scannable component according to one or more examples of the present disclosure,

[0021] FIG. 8A to FIG. 8C shows a scannable component according to one or more examples of the present disclosure,

[0022] Fig. 9 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary scanner according to the present disclosure, and

[0023] Fig.10 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary computer-controlled manufacturing tool according to the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] Various examples and details are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings when relevant. It should be noted that the drawings may be drawn to scale or not to scale, and that elements of similar structure or function are represented by similar reference numerals throughout the drawings. It should also be noted that the drawings are intended only to facilitate the description of the examples. They are not intended to be an exhaustive description of the present disclosure or a limitation on the scope of the present disclosure. In addition, the illustrated examples do not need to have all the aspects or advantages shown. The aspects or advantages described in conjunction with a specific example are not necessarily limited to that example, and may be practiced in any other example even if not shown as such or if not so explicitly described.

[0025] The present disclosure provides a method that improves the quality of the model and the comfort of the patient in the process. A method for preparing a dental prosthesis is disclosed. The method can be performed by a dental prosthesis manufacturing system. The dental prosthesis manufacturing system may include a scanner (such as an intraoral scanner) and a computer-controlled manufacturing tool (such as a 3D printer, a lathe and / or a casting machine). The scanner may include a memory circuit, a processor circuit, an imaging circuit and an interface. The computer-controlled manufacturing tool may include a memory circuit, a processor circuit and an interface. The method includes: acquiring a first set of data representing a first dental prosthesis arranged on a set of dental implants. The first dental prosthesis may be a temporary prosthesis. The temporary prosthesis may be considered as a temporary prosthesis configured to be arranged on the dental implant only for a limited period of time, such as until a second dental prosthesis has been produced. A dental implant is a medical device surgically implanted into the jaw of an edentulous and / or semi-edentulous person to restore the person's chewing ability or appearance. An edentulous person may be considered as a person who lacks all teeth in this article, and a semi-edentulous person may be considered as a person who lacks one or more teeth in this article. Dental implants provide support for artificial teeth such as prostheses, crowns, bridges, and / or dentures.

[0026] In one or more exemplary methods, a first set of data may be acquired from a scanner. In one or more exemplary methods, acquiring the first set of data may include: scanning a first dental prosthesis arranged on a set of dental implants using a scanner. In one or more exemplary methods, the scanning may include: scanning one or more of a facial surface of the first dental prosthesis, a lingual surface of the first dental prosthesis, an occlusal surface of a first surface, and a jaw of an edentulous person. The first set of data may include information related to the first dental prosthesis, which may be provided to computer-aided design (CAD) and / or computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) software. Scanning the first dental prosthesis may include: performing a first scan of the first dental prosthesis. In one or more exemplary methods, the first scan is an intraoral scan, such as a scan performed in the patient's mouth. The first scan may be a three-dimensional (3D) scan. The first set of data may indicate one or more of: dental prosthesis reference coordinates (such as reference coordinates of one or more teeth of the first dental prosthesis), and the morphology of the jaws of the edentulous and / or semi-edentulous patient (such as the morphology of the maxilla and / or mandible of the edentulous and / or semi-edentulous patient), and, if possible, the soft tissue of the edentulous and / or semi-edentulous patient.

[0027] In one or more exemplary methods, the first dental prosthesis may include a set of abutments (such as a set of temporary abutments and / or final abutments) for fixing the first dental prosthesis to a set of dental implants. The abutments herein are parts, such as connectors, configured to fix the dental prosthesis to a set of dental implants (such as fixed to one or more dental implants). The abutments may be arranged between the dental prosthesis and the dental implant, and fix the dental prosthesis and the dental implant. The abutments may include an implant receiving portion for receiving the dental implant and / or a prosthesis receiving portion for receiving the dental prosthesis. The implant receiving portion and the prosthesis receiving portion may be arranged on opposite ends of the abutments, such as being arranged on opposite longitudinal ends of the abutments. The temporary abutments may be considered as abutments configured to fix the first dental prosthesis to the dental implants. Temporary can be considered as abutments configured to fix the first prosthesis to the dental implants only within a limited period of time, until the second prosthesis is ready to be installed in the patient's jaw. In other words, the temporary abutments are not configured to be permanently fixed to the dental implants. When the first dental prosthesis is in place, the temporary abutment can be configured to remain in the oral cavity of the edentulous and / or semi-edentulous patient. Each abutment in the group of abutments can be attached or embedded in the first dental prosthesis, such as by bonding or gluing (e.g., using a temporary cement or temporary glue) the abutment to the first dental prosthesis. Each abutment in the group of abutments can be arranged to extend from the proximal surface of the first dental prosthesis to the distal surface of the first dental prosthesis. The proximal surface of the first dental prosthesis can be regarded as a dental prosthesis configured to face the gums and / or jaws of the edentulous and / or semi-edentulous patient in this article. The distal surface of the first dental prosthesis can be regarded as a dental prosthesis configured to deviate from the gums and / or jaws of the edentulous and / or semi-edentulous patient in this article, and the dental prosthesis is configured to be attached to the edentulous and / or semi-edentulous patient. In one or more exemplary methods, each abutment in the group of abutments can include an implant receiving portion for receiving a corresponding dental implant in a group of dental implants. The implant receiving portion of the abutment can be configured to cooperate with the dental implant and fix the dental prosthesis in which the abutment is embedded. The abutment is a connecting device between a dental implant and an artificial tooth (such as a crown, a bridge or a denture). The abutment connects the artificial tooth to the implant and therefore includes an implant receiving portion located on the first end of the abutment and a tooth receiving portion (such as a denture receiving portion) located on the second end of the abutment. Typically, the scannable component is configured to be mounted to the denture receiving portion of the abutment to allow scanning of the denture when the denture is mounted to the implant via the implant receiving portion of the abutment. The group of abutments may include one or more abutments.

[0028] The first dental prosthesis may be a temporary prosthesis.The first dental prosthesis may also be an existing prosthesis which needs to be repaired, replaced (eg due to wear) or adjusted (eg changing from a removable prosthesis to a permanently fixed prosthesis).

[0029] A temporary prosthesis can be considered as a temporary prosthesis that is configured to be arranged on a dental implant only for a limited period of time, such as until a second dental prosthesis (such as a final prosthesis) has been produced. A dental prosthesis is a dental appliance that replaces one or more missing teeth or covers a tooth defect. In other words, a dental prosthesis can be a set of replacement teeth. A first dental prosthesis (such as a temporary prosthesis) can be used temporarily by a patient until a final prosthesis (such as a permanent prosthesis) that provides better fit and increased comfort than a temporary prosthesis is produced. A first dental prosthesis (such as a temporary prosthesis) is configured to be worn for a limited time, such as for bridging the gap from removing the patient's actual teeth until the second dental prosthesis (such as a final prosthesis) is completed. The final prosthesis has better durability and is configured to be worn for several years. The first dental prosthesis and / or the second dental prosthesis can be one or more of an implant, a crown, a bridge, and a denture.

[0030] The first dental prosthesis can be arranged on a group of dental implants through a group of abutments. The implant receiving portion of each abutment can be arranged on the corresponding dental implant. Each of the abutments can be configured to be fixed to the corresponding dental implant by being configured to receive a screw. For example, the abutment can include a through hole (such as a lumen) for receiving a screw. The screw can be a prosthetic screw configured to fix the first dental prosthesis to the dental implant without interfering with the patient wearing the first dental prosthesis. The prosthetic screw can be configured to be completely contained in the abutment so that when the abutment is fixed to the dental implant using the screw, the prosthetic screw does not extend beyond the abutment.

[0031] The method includes: acquiring a second set of data representing a first dental prosthesis including one or more scannable components arranged on a proximal surface of the first dental prosthesis. The one or more scannable components can be arranged on an implant receiving portion of a corresponding abutment. By acquiring a second set of data representing one or more scannable components arranged on an implant receiving portion of a corresponding abutment, the scannable components can indicate spatial data of a group of dental implants, and the dental implants are configured to be mounted to the group of dental implants. Spatial data can be considered in this article as any type of data that directly or indirectly references a specific position of a part of a dental prosthesis relative to other parts. In one or more exemplary methods, the spatial data includes data referencing the position of implants relative to each other, data of angles of different implants and implant channels (such as screw channels of implants) relative to each other, and data mapping the soft tissue of edentulous and / or semi-edentulous patients.

[0032] In one or more exemplary methods, the method includes removing a first dental prosthesis from a set of dental implants, such as from a patient's mouth.

[0033] In one or more exemplary methods, acquiring a second set of data includes: arranging a plurality of scannable members on a proximal surface of a first dental prosthesis. In one or more exemplary methods, arranging the plurality of scannable members on the proximal surface includes: arranging each of the plurality of scannable members on an implant receiving portion of a corresponding abutment. In one or more examples, the scannable member may include a first mating surface configured to mate with an implant receiving portion of the abutment. In contrast to known scannable members configured to be mounted to a denture receiving portion of an abutment, a scannable member according to the present disclosure is configured to mate with an implant receiving portion of an abutment, thereby allowing the scannable member to be mounted to a proximal end of the abutment, such as to an implant receiving portion of the abutment. This allows the scannable member to be arranged on a side of the denture that is configured to face the implant and / or gums and / or jaw of an edentulous and / or semi-edentulous patient. By configuring the scannable member to cooperate with the implant receiving portion of the abutment, the scannable member can be mounted to a side of the denture configured to face the implant, and thus used to indicate the position and alignment of one or more implants during acquisition of a second set of data representing a first dental prosthesis according to the present disclosure. This can simplify the alignment of the first set of data with the second set of data for creating a model of the second dental prosthesis. The first mating surface can be a flat surface, or can include a first thread, such as an internal thread or an external thread, which is configured to be screwed into a corresponding second thread in or on the implant receiving portion of the abutment. The second mating surface can be a second thread. In one or more exemplary methods, the first mating surface and the second mating surface are flat surfaces. In one or more examples, the scannable member can be hollow and can include an internal thread that is configured to receive a screw inserted through the screw channel of the abutment.

[0034] In one or more exemplary methods, each of the scannable members can be arranged on a corresponding abutment of the plurality of abutments by clamping the scannable member to the abutment, such as to an implant receiving portion of the abutment.

[0035] In one or more exemplary methods, acquiring the second set of data includes: scanning the first dental prosthesis using a plurality of scannable components. In one or more exemplary methods, scanning includes: scanning the facial surface of the first dental prosthesis, the lingual surface of the first dental prosthesis, the proximal surface of the first dental prosthesis, and one or more of the scannable components. In one or more exemplary methods, the second set of data can be acquired using a scanner (such as a scanning device). The scanner can be configured to acquire the second set of data indicating the first dental prosthesis arranged on a plurality of abutments, the plurality of abutments including corresponding scannable components, for example using imaging circuits and / or memory circuits.

[0036] The second set of data may include data indicating a plurality of scannable components, such as a set of data points indicating a plurality of scannable components, to obtain implant reference coordinates and / or the landscape of the first dental prosthesis, thereby providing an accurate model for the second dental prosthesis. The second set of data may indicate one or more dental implant reference coordinates and the morphology of the first dental prosthesis, such as the morphology of the maxillary and / or mandibular dental prosthesis. By arranging a plurality of scannable components on the implant receiving portion of the corresponding abutment in the abutment group, the scannable components will be arranged in the position of the dental implant and extend in the direction of the dental implant, and the first dental implant is configured to be arranged to the dental implant. Therefore, the second set of data may indicate the reference coordinates of one or more dental implants, and the first dental prosthesis and / or the second dental prosthesis are configured to be arranged to the one or more dental implants. In addition, all the data points collected will help design the final prosthesis and eliminate any misalignment or problems noted when scanning the temporary denture, thereby providing the patient with a high-quality final prosthesis without the need for additional intraoral or extraoral scanning. The second set of data can be acquired using a scanner (such as a scanning device). The scanner can be configured to acquire a second set of data, for example using imaging circuits and / or memory circuits, the second set of data indicating a first dental prosthesis comprising one or more scannable components arranged on a proximal surface of the first dental prosthesis, such as arranged on an implant receiving portion of a set of abutment teeth of the first dental prosthesis.

[0037] The method includes: generating a model (such as a digital model) of a second dental prosthesis (such as a final prosthesis) based on a first set of data and a second set of data. In one or more exemplary methods, generating the model includes: aligning the first set of data with the second set of data. In one or more exemplary methods, the alignment includes: identifying one or more reference areas of the facial and / or lingual surface of the first dental prosthesis in the first set of data and the second set of data. The reference area can be one or more of the following: the area of ​​the teeth of the dental prosthesis, the contour of one or more teeth of the dental prosthesis, the area between two teeth of the dental prosthesis, and the soft tissue around one or more teeth. In one or more exemplary methods, the alignment includes: aligning one or more identified reference areas in the first set of data with one or more identified reference areas in the second set of data. In one or more exemplary methods, the alignment includes: identifying one or more reference areas of the facial and / or lingual surface of the first dental prosthesis in the first set of data, and aligning the one or more reference areas with the corresponding one or more reference areas of the second set of data. For example, the reference area of ​​the second set of data can be one or more of: the area of ​​a tooth of a dental prosthesis, the outline of one or more teeth of a dental prosthesis, the area including one or more scan bodies fixed to the dental prosthesis, and the area of ​​soft tissue present on the dental prosthesis.

[0038] In one or more exemplary methods, the model of the final prosthesis can be generated using computer-aided design (CAD) software. The CAD software can be embodied in the form of an executable logic routine (e.g., a line of code, a software program, etc.), which is stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium (e.g., a memory circuit of a scanner) and executed by a processor circuit of the scanner. In one or more exemplary methods, generating the model includes: identifying one or more reference areas of the facial and / or lingual surface of the first dental prosthesis in the first set of data and the second set of data. In one or more exemplary methods, generating the model includes: aligning one or more identified reference areas in the first set of data with one or more identified reference areas in the second set of data. In other words, generating the model can include: superimposing corresponding reference areas from the first set of data and the second set of data. The model of the final prosthesis can include information required to produce a high-precision dental prosthesis that is particularly suitable for the intraoral morphology of edentulous and / or semi-edentulous patients, such as information about the position of dental implants and / or first dental prostheses (such as temporary prostheses), and if possible, information about the soft tissue of edentulous and / or semi-edentulous patients. Therefore, a final prosthesis that accurately matches the intraoral morphology of the patient can be provided (and subsequently attached to a dental implant) without having to perform multiple trial wears to test and adjust the matching of the dental prosthesis. Therefore, the risk of having to remake a dental prosthesis, for example due to poor matching, can be reduced. In addition, since the matching of the dental prosthesis can be more accurate, the wearing comfort of edentulous and / or semi-edentulous patients can be increased. In one or more exemplary methods, the scanner can be configured to generate a model of a second dental prosthesis, such as being configured to, for example, use a processor circuit to execute CAD software for generating a final model based on the first set of data and / or the second set of data. In one or more exemplary methods, the scanner is configured to superimpose one or more corresponding reference areas of the facial and / or lingual surfaces of the first dental prosthesis in the first set of data and the second set of data to align the first set of data with the second set of data.

[0039] In one or more exemplary methods, the method includes: producing a second dental prosthesis based on the generated model of the second dental prosthesis. The second dental prosthesis can be produced by one or more techniques known to those skilled in the art, such as milling, casting, additive manufacturing (such as 3D printing), turning and casting. In one or more exemplary methods, producing the second dental prosthesis includes: sending manufacturing instructions for manufacturing the second dental prosthesis to a computer-controlled manufacturing tool, such as a 3D printer, a lathe and / or a casting machine, for example via an interface of a scanner. The manufacturing instructions may include data indicating the model of the second dental prosthesis. The computer-controlled manufacturing tool may be configured to receive manufacturing data from the scanner, for example via an interface of the computer-controlled manufacturing tool, and store the manufacturing instructions in, for example, a memory circuit of the computer-controlled manufacturing tool. The computer-controlled manufacturing tool may be configured in one or more exemplary methods to execute manufacturing instructions for producing (such as manufacturing) the second dental prosthesis, for example, by a processor circuit of the computer-controlled manufacturing tool.

[0040] A scannable member for determining the position of a dental implant is disclosed. The scannable member includes a body and a base, the base being configured to cooperate with an abutment, such as an implant receiving portion of the abutment, for securing a dental prosthesis to the dental implant. The implant receiving portion of the abutment may be configured to cooperate with the dental implant and secure the dental prosthesis in which the abutment is embedded.

[0041] The scannable member (such as the body and / or base of the scannable member, respectively) may include a top surface, a base surface, and a side surface. The side surface may connect the top surface and the base surface. The base surface may be a bottom surface, such as a surface facing the dental implant when the scannable member is arranged to the dental prosthesis via the abutment. When the scannable member is arranged to the dental prosthesis via the abutment, the top surface may be a surface facing away from the dental prosthesis.

[0042] In one or more exemplary scannable components, the base of the scannable component is releasably connected to the body of the scannable component. In one or more exemplary scannable components, the base is configured to be clamped to the body of the scannable component. Thus, multiple bases and / or bodies can be combined to produce different scannable components representing the dental implant used. In one or more exemplary scannable components, the base has a first end with a conical shape. For example, this may occur when the mating surface of the dental implant has a conical shape.

[0043] In one or more exemplary scannable members, the body of the scannable member may include a first protrusion, which may also be referred to as a clamping protrusion, such as a base clamping protrusion or a base connecting protrusion, which is configured to engage with the base of the scannable member. The first protrusion may be configured to be inserted into a cavity, such as a through hole in the base of the scannable member. The first protrusion may be arranged on the base of the scannable member and may extend in the longitudinal direction and / or radial direction of the end surface of the body of the scannable member. The first protrusion may be hollow or solid. The size and shape of the first protrusion may be selected so that the first protrusion is supported by one or more side walls of the through hole of the base of the scannable member, such as radial support. For example, the first protrusion may have an outer diameter equal to the inner diameter of the through hole of the base of the scannable member. In one or more exemplary scannable members, the protrusion may be arranged on the base of the scannable member, and the cavity may be arranged on the body of the scannable member. In one or more exemplary scannable members, the base may include a groove, such as a body clamping groove or a body connecting groove, which is used to receive a base clamping protrusion. By inserting the body into the base until the base clamping protrusion engages the body clamping groove, the body can be releasably connected to the base. In one or more exemplary scannable members, the base of the scannable member may include an insert arranged inside the base, and / or inside the base, and / or on the inner surface of the base. The substrate may be configured to engage with the body of the scannable member. The insert may be a substrate, such as a substrate made of a polymer. The substrate may include a groove for receiving a first protrusion (such as a base clamping protrusion) of the body. The base clamping protrusion may be hollow or solid. The size and shape of the base clamping protrusion may be selected so that the base clamping protrusion is supported by one or more side walls of the base. The base clamping protrusion may, for example, have an outer diameter equal to the inner diameter of the base.

[0044] In one or more exemplary scannable members, the scannable member may include a tool receiving portion, such as a screw channel, disposed on the top surface of the body of the scannable member. The tool receiving portion may be configured to receive a tool, such as a screwdriver, for facilitating the connection of the scannable member to the abutment, such as for inserting the scannable member into the cavity of the abutment. The tool receiving portion may have a star shape, such as a plum blossom shape, a hexagonal shape, a Philips shape, a groove socket shape, a wing shape (such as a tri-wing shape), a square shape, and / or a fishing claw shape.

[0045] In one or more exemplary scannable members, the body of the scannable member includes a plurality of thin sheets, or wings, extensions, tabs, etc., configured to engage with the base of the scannable member, or vice versa. The body of the scannable member may, for example, include two, three, four or five thin sheets. A plurality of thin sheets may extend in a longitudinal direction and / or a radial direction from the end surface of the body of the scannable member. A plurality of thin sheets may be configured to be inserted into a cavity, such as a through hole in the base of the scannable member. A plurality of thin sheets may be configured to, when inserted into the cavity of the scannable member, apply a force in a radial direction of the base of the scannable member for fixing the body of the scannable member to the base of the scannable member. A plurality of thin sheets may be evenly distributed on the end surface of the body of the scannable member. A plurality of thin sheets may be unevenly distributed on the end surface of the body of the scannable member. In one or more exemplary scannable members, each of a plurality of thin sheets may be arranged on a first protrusion of the body of the scannable member. In one or more exemplary scannable members, a plurality of sheets may be disposed on a base of the scannable member, and a cavity may be disposed on a body of the scannable member.

[0046] In one or more exemplary scannable members, the scannable member has a substantially cylindrical shape. Substantially cylindrical can be considered as the main shape of the scannable member being cylindrical, but may include one or more cutouts, such as slots or extended sections. The scannable member may have the same length as the length of the dental implant, such as an extension in the longitudinal direction of the scannable member. Thus, data points representing the actual size (such as the actual length) of the dental implant can be obtained by performing a scan on one or more scannable members arranged on the proximal surface of the first dental prosthesis.

[0047] In one or more other exemplary scannable members, the scannable member has a substantially conical shape. In one or more exemplary scannable members, the body of the scannable member can have a conical shape, such as can taper toward the top surface of the body. In other words, the body can be wider toward the base end than toward the top surface of the body.

[0048] In one or more exemplary scannable members, the body of the scannable member includes a position indicator. The position indicator can be configured to be detectable by a scanner, such as by an intraoral scanner. The position indicator can be a surface different from an adjacent surface. In one or more exemplary scannable members, the position indicator has an inclined surface. In one or more exemplary scannable members, the inclined surface extends from the top surface of the scannable member to the side surface of the scannable member. The inclined surface can be a planar surface, such as a facet. The planar surface can extend from the end surface of the scannable member to the side surface of the scannable member at a first angle to the longitudinal axis of the scannable member. By adding the position indicator to the scannable member, the shape of the scannable member can be presented as asymmetric, which can increase the detectability of the scannable member by the scanner. The scanner can be configured to sense and / or detect the angle on the position indicator, and the angle can be used as a coordinate to align the scanned data set. The side surface of the scannable member can be an envelope surface of the scannable member, such as an envelope surface of a cylindrical scannable member. The position indicator can be a planar surface of the scannable member, such as a facet. In one or more exemplary scannable members, the planar surface is inclined relative to the side surface, such as having a normal axis arranged at a first angle to the longitudinal axis (such as the longitudinal center axis) of the scannable member. The first angle can be greater than 0° and less than 90°, so that the planar surface is not parallel to the top surface and is not parallel to the side surface. In one or more exemplary scannable members, the position indicator is a cutout outside the body of the scannable member. In one or more exemplary scannable members, the surface of the position indicator (such as a first surface, such as a planar surface of a positioning indicator) is parallel to (such as substantially parallel to) the longitudinal axis of the scannable member. In one or more exemplary scannable members, the position indicator may include a second surface (such as a second planar surface) that can be arranged to be substantially perpendicular to the first surface of the position indicator, such as substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the scannable member.

[0049] In one or more exemplary scannable components, the scannable component is configured to be arranged on an abutment, such as an abutment known to those skilled in the art, such as a temporary abutment or a final abutment. The scannable component can be a component designed to provide accurate scanning results. In other words, the scannable component can be configured to be detected by a scanner, such as by a scanning device (e.g., an intraoral scanner or a dental scanning stick), and enables the scanning device to match the parameters of the digital scannable component with the physical scannable component with high accuracy. The parameter can be one or more of the height, width, length, and shape of the scannable component.

[0050] The scannable component according to one or more examples disclosed herein has the following advantages: the scannable component can be easily positioned, removed and repositioned on the abutment. In addition, by configuring the scannable component to cooperate with the implant receiving portion of the abutment, the scannable component can be arranged in a position and direction corresponding to the position and direction of one or more dental implants relative to the first dental prosthesis, and the first dental prosthesis is configured to be arranged to the one or more dental implants. Thus, an accurate model of a first dental prosthesis and a dental implant can be provided, and the first dental prosthesis is configured to be arranged to the dental implant without arranging a set of scannable components in the oral cavity of an edentulous and / or semi-edentulous patient. The dental implant can be a dental implant implanted in the oral cavity (such as a jawbone) of an edentulous and / or semi-edentulous patient. The scannable in this article can be regarded as being detectable by a scanner (such as an intraoral scanner) for generating a data set for CAD modeling of the scannable component and / or a temporary abutment.

[0051] In one or more exemplary scannable members, the surface of the scannable member (such as the surface of the base and / or body of the scannable member) can be processed to reduce the reflectivity of the surface, such as the light reflectivity of the surface. The surface of the scannable member can be processed, for example, by etching (such as using an etching method). Therefore, in one or more exemplary scannable members, the scannable member includes an etched surface. The surface of the scannable member can be etched to increase the roughness of the surface. By increasing the roughness of the scannable member, the scannability of the scannable member can be increased because the treated surface can be less reflective than the untreated surface. Therefore, the reflected light from the scanner can be reduced, which may have a negative impact on the scanning result in other aspects and may hinder the scanner from providing an accurate image of the scanned object. Scannability can be regarded as the degree to which the scannable member can be detected by the scanner. A device with poor scannability may not be detected by the scanner, or may provide poor scanning results, such as poor image quality, by, for example, introducing interference into the scanner during scanning. A device with good scannability may be easily detected by the scanner or may provide good scanning results, such as good image quality.

[0052] In one or more exemplary scannable members, the scannable member can be made of metal, metal alloy, composite material and / or polymer. In one or more exemplary scannable members, the scannable member can be made of, for example, polyetheretherketone (PEEK) or polyvinyl alcohol (PVA).

[0053] In one or more exemplary scannable members, the scannable member may be made of a metal or a metal alloy, for example, the temporary abutment and / or the scannable member may be made of titanium and / or a titanium alloy. In one or more exemplary temporary abutments, the titanium may be surface treated to increase the roughness of the surface. The advantage of treating the surface of the scannable member is that the roughness of the surface is increased, so the reflectivity of the surface can be made less, which can increase the scannability. By increasing the roughness of the surface, the reflected light from the scanner can be reduced, which may otherwise have a negative impact on the scan results and may prevent the scanner from providing an accurate image of the scanned object. If the metal surface is smooth, the scanner may not be able to create an accurate image of the scanned object because the light from the scanner may be reflected back to the scanner on the metal surface, which may blur the scan results. Non-metallic materials (such as composite materials and / or polymers) have the advantage of less and / or no surface reflection, and therefore the scannability of the temporary abutment and / or the scannable member can be improved because less light is reflected back to the scanner.

[0054] The scannable member may have an outer diameter in the range of 4.0 mm to 5.2 mm, such as in the range of 4.2 mm to 5.0 mm, such as in the range of 4.4 mm to 4.8 mm. The scannable member may have a length in the range of 20.0 mm to 8.0 mm, such as in the range of 19.7 mm to 8.9 mm, such as an extension in the longitudinal direction of the scannable member. In another embodiment, the scannable member may be a one-piece scannable member, or a two-piece scannable member. In another embodiment, the one-piece scannable member may be connected to another scannable member. In another embodiment, the first scannable member may have a length in the range of 14 mm to 7 mm, such as in the range of 12.9 mm to 8.9 mm, such as an extension in the longitudinal direction of the scannable member. In another embodiment, the two-piece scannable member may have a length in the range of 20 mm to 8 mm, such as in the range of 19.7 mm to 8.9 mm, such as an extension in the longitudinal direction of the scannable member.

[0055] In one or more exemplary scannable members, the scannable member may include a first protrusion configured to engage with the abutment, which may also be referred to as a clamping protrusion. The first protrusion may be configured to be inserted into a cavity, such as a through hole in an implant receiving portion of the abutment. The first protrusion may be arranged on a base of the scannable member (such as a base section) and may extend in the longitudinal direction of the scannable member. The first protrusion may be hollow or solid. The size and shape of the first protrusion may be selected so that the first protrusion is supported by one or more side walls of the cavity of the abutment (such as a through hole), such as radial support. The first protrusion may, for example, have an outer diameter equal to the inner diameter of the through hole. In one or more exemplary scannable members, the scannable member may include a plurality of protrusions configured to engage with the abutment, such as a first protrusion and a second protrusion. In other words, the scannable member may include one or more protrusions configured to engage with the abutment, such as one or more clamping protrusions. The second protrusion may have the same or similar properties as the first protrusion, such as size and shape. One or more protrusions, such as the first protrusion and / or the second protrusion, may extend in a radial direction around at least a portion of the circumference of the base of the scannable member. In other words, the protrusions may be radial protrusions.

[0056] In one or more exemplary scannable members, the base of the scannable member includes a plurality of thin sheets or wings configured to engage with the abutment. The scannable member may, for example, include two, three, four or five thin sheets. A plurality of thin sheets may extend in the longitudinal direction from the base of the scannable member. A plurality of thin sheets may be configured to be inserted into a cavity, such as a through hole of an implant receiving portion of an abutment. A plurality of thin sheets may be configured to, when inserted into the cavity of a temporary abutment, apply force in the radial direction of the abutment to fix the scannable member to the abutment. A plurality of thin sheets may be evenly distributed on the base of the scannable member. In one or more exemplary scannable members, each of a plurality of thin sheets may be arranged on a first protrusion of the scannable member.

[0057] In one or more exemplary scannable members, the scannable member may be configured to form a shape match with the abutment, such as forming a mechanical match. For example, the abutment may include one or more notches arranged on the surface of the cavity. One or more notches may be configured to receive one or more protrusions arranged in the radially outward direction of the scannable member (such as on a sheet of the scannable member). Therefore, the scannable member can be clamped to the abutment by inserting the scannable member into the temporary abutment until the protrusion of the scannable member engages with the notch of the temporary abutment. Correspondingly, in one or more exemplary scannable members, the scannable member may include a notch, and the abutment may include a protrusion. The protrusions and notches engaged with each other may further provide tactile feedback indicating that the scannable member is correctly seated on the abutment to the user of the scannable member (such as a dentist attaching the scannable member to the temporary abutment). This can ensure that the scannable member is correctly seated on the abutment, and is therefore located at a position corresponding to the actual position and direction of the dental implant. This ensures that the position of the scannable member is the same in each scan, and therefore images from multiple scans can be properly aligned to create the model.

[0058] In one or more exemplary scannable members, the base of the scannable member may include a magnet, such as a first magnet, which is configured to magnetically connect the scannable member to the abutment. In one or more exemplary scannable abutments, the abutment may be made of a magnetic material that attracts the magnet of the scannable member. In one or more examples, the temporary abutment may include a magnet, such as a second magnet, which has a magnetic pole opposite to the magnet arranged on the scannable member, thereby attracting and fixing the scannable member to the abutment. Therefore, the scannable member can be configured to be magnetically clamped to the abutment, such as magnetically attracting and fixing the scannable member to the abutment. The first magnet and / or the second magnet engaged with the magnetic material can give a user of the scannable member (e.g., a dentist) tactile feedback indicating that the scannable member is correctly seated on the abutment.

[0059] In one or more exemplary scannable members, the scannable member is configured to be screwed onto the abutment. In one or more examples, the scannable member (such as a base and / or body of the scannable member) may include a through hole configured to receive a screw for fixing the scannable member to the abutment.

[0060] In one or more examples, the scannable member may include threads for screwing the scannable member into the abutment. The scannable member may, for example, include external threads, and the abutment may include internal threads configured to receive the external threads of the scannable member. Correspondingly, in one or more examples, the scannable member may include internal threads, and the abutment may include external threads configured to receive the internal threads of the scannable member.

[0061] Hereinafter, the scheme according to the present disclosure will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings are schematic and simplified for clarity, and they only show details that are helpful for understanding the present disclosure, while other details have been omitted. Throughout the specification, the same figure numerals are used for the same or corresponding parts.

[0062] Figure 1 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary method 100 for preparing a dental prosthesis according to the present disclosure.

[0063] The method 100 comprises acquiring S103 a first set of data representing a first dental prosthesis arranged on a set of dental implants.

[0064] In one or more exemplary methods, acquiring S103 the first set of data includes: scanning S103A a first dental prosthesis arranged on a set of dental implants of an edentulous person. In one or more exemplary methods, scanning S103A includes: scanning one or more of a facial surface of the first dental prosthesis, a lingual surface of the first dental prosthesis, an occlusal surface of a first surface, and a jaw of the edentulous person. The first set of data can be acquired using a scanner (such as an oral scanner or a scanning wand). The first set of data can be acquired without arranging any scannable component on the first dental prosthesis or dental implant.

[0065] The first set of data can be acquired by performing a first scan on a first dental prosthesis arranged on a set of dental implants. The scanner can scan the first dental prosthesis to generate information related to the first dental prosthesis, such as information indicating: one or more implant reference coordinates (such as reference coordinates of one or more teeth of the first dental prosthesis), and the morphology of the jaws of the edentulous and / or semi-edentulous patient (such as the morphology of the maxilla and / or mandible of the edentulous and / or semi-edentulous patient), and if possible, the soft tissue of the edentulous and / or semi-edentulous patient.

[0066] The first scan may be performed using the first dental prosthesis, such as on a temporary dental prosthesis disposed in the patient's mouth.In one or more exemplary methods, the first scan may provide information about the patient's soft tissue.

[0067] The first dental prosthesis may be arranged on the dental implant using a set of abutments.

[0068] The method 100 comprises: acquiring S107 a second set of data representing a first dental prosthesis including one or more scannable components arranged on a proximal surface of the first dental prosthesis. The one or more scannable components may be arranged on an implant receiving portion of a corresponding abutment. By acquiring a second set of data representing the one or more scannable components arranged on the implant receiving portion of the corresponding abutment, the scannable components may indicate spatial data of a set of dental implants, the dental implant being configured to be mounted to the set of dental implants.

[0069] In one or more exemplary methods, acquiring S107 a second set of data includes arranging S107A one or more scannable members, such as a plurality of scannable members, on a proximal surface of the first dental prosthesis.

[0070] In one or more exemplary methods, arranging S107A one or more scannable members (such as a plurality of scannable members) on the proximal surface includes: arranging S107AA each of the one or more scannable members to the implant receiving portion of the corresponding abutment. In other words, the first scannable member of the one or more scannable members can be arranged to the implant receiving portion of the first abutment. Optionally, the second scannable member, the third scannable member and the fourth scannable member can be arranged in the second abutment, the third abutment and the fourth abutment, respectively. For example, this may be the case when the first dental prosthesis includes a set of abutments for fixing the first dental prosthesis to a set of dental implants, and each abutment in the set of abutments includes an implant receiving portion for receiving a corresponding dental implant in the set of dental implants.

[0071] In one or more exemplary methods, acquiring S107 a second set of data includes: scanning S107B a first dental prosthesis using one or more scannable components (such as a plurality of scannable components). Scanning S107B may also be referred to as performing a second scan on the first dental prosthesis using one or more scannable components (such as a plurality of scannable components). FIG. 2A to FIG. 2CAn exemplary method for acquiring S107 second set of data is described in more detail. A set of scannable components 10 may be arranged on the proximal surface 51 of the first dental prosthesis 50. The set of scannable components may include one or more scannable components 10. The set of scannable components 10 may be arranged on the proximal end of the abutment 20, such as on the implant receiving portion 21 of the abutment 20. The proximal end of the abutment 20 may be considered herein as an end of the abutment 20 configured to face the implant and / or gums and / or jaw of the edentulous and / or semi-edentulous patient. The second scan may be performed using a scanner 40 (such as an intraoral scanner). The second scan is performed outside the oral cavity, such as outside the oral cavity of the patient. The scanner 40 may scan the first dental prosthesis 50 and the set of scannable components 10 to generate a second set of data. The second set of data may indicate one or more implant reference coordinates and the morphology of the first dental prosthesis 50, such as the morphology of the maxillary and / or mandibular first dental prosthesis 50. The second scan may be performed using the first dental prosthesis 50 disposed on the working surface, such as using the distal surface 52 of the first dental prosthesis 50 facing the working surface, thereby allowing the scanner 40 to scan (such as capture) the proximal surface 51 of the first dental prosthesis 50 including the set of scannable members 10. Thus, the first dental prosthesis 50 may be removed from one or more dental implants to allow the one or more scannable members 10 to be disposed on one or more implant receiving portions 21 of the set of abutments 20 in place of the dental implants. For example, the scanner may be configured to use imaging circuitry and / or memory circuitry to acquire a second set of data representing the first dental prosthesis 50 including the one or more scannable members 10 disposed on the proximal surface 51 of the first dental prosthesis 50. In one or more exemplary methods, each of the one or more scannable members 10 may be disposed on a corresponding abutment 20 of the plurality of abutments 20 by clamping the scannable member 10 to the abutment 20 (such as to the implant receiving portion 21 of the abutment 20). The second set of data may include data indicating a plurality of scannable members 10, such as a set of data points indicating a plurality of scannable members 10, thereby obtaining implant reference coordinates, and / or data indicating a first dental implant, such as a landscape of a first dental prosthesis, thereby providing an accurate model for a second dental prosthesis. The second set of data may indicate one or more dental implant reference coordinates and a morphology of a first dental prosthesis, such as a morphology of a maxillary and / or mandibular first dental prosthesis. By arranging a plurality of scannable members 10 onto the implant receiving portion 21 of a corresponding abutment 20 in the set of abutments 20, the scannable member 10 will be arranged at the position of the dental implant and extend in the direction of the dental implant, and the first dental prosthesis 50 is configured to be arranged to the dental implant. Therefore, the second set of data may indicate the reference coordinates of one or more dental implants, and the first dental prosthesis 50 and / or the second dental prosthesis are configured to be arranged to the one or more dental implants.

[0072] Method 100 includes: generating S109 a model of a second dental prosthesis, such as a digital model, based on a first set of data and a second set of data. In one or more exemplary methods, generating S109 the model includes: aligning S109A the first set of data with the second set of data. In one or more exemplary methods, aligning S109A includes: identifying S109AA one or more reference areas of the facial and / or lingual surface of the first dental prosthesis in the first set of data and the second set of data. The reference area can be one or more of the following: the area of ​​the teeth of the dental prosthesis, the contour of one or more teeth of the dental prosthesis, and the area between two teeth of the dental prosthesis. In one or more exemplary methods, aligning S109A includes: aligning S109AB one or more identified reference areas in the first set of data with one or more identified reference areas in the second set of data. In other words, the identified reference areas in the first set of data are aligned with the identified reference areas in the second set of data so that the identified reference areas in the first set of data and the second set of data overlap. In other words, generating the model can include: superimposing the corresponding identified reference areas of the first set of data and the second set of data. In one or more exemplary methods, the model may be generated using CAD software, such as CAD software stored on a memory of the scanner and executed by processor circuitry of the scanner.

[0073] In one or more exemplary methods, the method comprises: producing S111 a second dental prosthesis, such as a final prosthesis, based on the model of the second dental prosthesis. The second dental prosthesis can be produced using CAM software based on the model created by the CAD software. Producing S111 the second dental prosthesis may include one or more of milling, additive manufacturing (such as 3D printing), turning, and casting. The CAM software may be stored on a memory and may be executed by a processor of a computer-controlled manufacturing tool of a dental prosthesis manufacturing system.

[0074] FIG. 3A to FIG. 3B An exemplary scannable member 10 (such as a dental implant) for determining the position of a dental implant according to the present disclosure is shown. FIG. 2A to FIG. 2C ). The scannable member 10 is configured to be arranged on the proximal end of the abutment 20 for fixing the dental prosthesis to the dental implant. The scannable member 10 includes a body 11 and a base 12. The base 12 is configured to cooperate with the implant receiving portion 25A of the abutment 20. FIG. 3A to FIG. 3BThe exemplary scannable member of the scannable member 10 comprises a cylindrical shape. In other words, the body 11 of the scannable member 10 can have a cylindrical shape. In one or more exemplary scannable members, the body 11 of the scannable member comprises a position indicator 15. The position indicator 15 can be configured to be detectable by a scanner, such as by an intraoral scanner. The position indicator 15 can be a surface different from an adjacent surface. In one or more exemplary scannable members 10, the position indicator 15 has an inclined surface. In one or more exemplary scannable members 10, the inclined surface extends from the top surface 11A of the scannable member to the side surface 13 of the scannable member 10. The position indicator can be a planar surface (such as a facet) of the scannable member that is inclined relative to the side surface 13, such as having a normal axis arranged at a first angle to the longitudinal axis (such as the longitudinal center axis) of the scannable member 10. The planar surface can extend from the top surface 11A of the scannable member 10 to the side surface 13 of the scannable member 10 at a first angle to the longitudinal axis of the scannable member 10. The first angle may be greater than 0° and less than 90°, such that the planar surface is neither parallel to the top surface 11A nor parallel to the side surface 13 .

[0075] exist FIG. 3A to FIG. 3B In the exemplary scannable member 10 shown, the body 11 of the scannable member 10 is integrated to (e.g., integral with) the base 12 of the scannable member 10. In one or more exemplary scannable members, the body 11 of the scannable member 10 may be separated from the base 12 of the scannable member 10 and may be configured to be clamped or screwed onto the base 12 of the scannable member 10. The abutment 20 has a proximal section 21, such as a base section, including a proximal end 21A, a middle section 22, and a distal end 23. The middle section 22 may be arranged between the distal end 23 and the proximal section 21. The middle section 22 of the exemplary abutment 20 may have a cylindrical shape. The proximal section 21 of the abutment 20 is configured to be arranged on a dental implant. The abutment 20 may be configured to be fixed to a dental prosthesis for fixing the dental prosthesis to a dental implant. The abutment 20 may be fixed to the dental prosthesis by gluing and / or cementing the abutment 20 to the dental prosthesis. In order to ensure that the dental prosthesis is securely fixed to the abutment 20, the middle section 22 of the abutment 20 may include one or more longitudinal fixing devices 24 for preventing the dental prosthesis from sliding along the abutment 20 in the longitudinal direction of the abutment 20. The longitudinal fixing devices 24 may be recesses and / or protrusions, such as grooves or ridges, arranged on the outer surface of the middle section. When the first dental prosthesis is adhered to the abutment 20, such as by gluing and / or bonding to a temporary abutment, an adhesive (such as glue and / or adhesive) may engage with the longitudinal fixing devices and thereby prevent the first dental prosthesis from moving in the longitudinal direction, such as along the length of the abutment 20, such as along a longitudinal axis extending from the center of the proximal end 21A of the abutment 20 to the distal end 23 of the abutment 20. Figure 3A In the exemplary abutment 20 shown, the longitudinal fixture 24 is a groove arranged around the circumference of the middle section 22 of the abutment 20. The scannable member 10 may be arranged at the proximal section 21 of the abutment 20.

[0076] Figure 3B A cross-sectional view of an exemplary scannable member 10 configured to cooperate with abutment 20 is shown. Figure 3B As can be seen in the figure, the exemplary abutment 20 is hollow, such as including a through hole 25. The through hole 25 may extend from the distal end 11 of the scannable member 10 to the proximal end 21A of the abutment 20. The through hole 25 may be configured to receive a screw for fixing the abutment 20 to a dental implant. The through hole 25 may have: a first section 25A having a first diameter, a second section 25B having a second diameter, and a third section 25C having a third diameter. The first section 25A of the through hole 25 may be arranged at the proximal section 21 of the abutment 20 and may be configured to receive a dental implant. The first section 25A is also referred to herein as an implant receiving portion, such as a receiving portion for receiving a dental implant. In one or more exemplary abutments 20, the first section 25A of the through hole 25 has a conical shape, such as a diameter that increases toward the proximal end 21A of the abutment 20. In one or more exemplary scannable members, the base 12 of the scannable member 10 has a conical shape, such as a conical shape having a diameter that decreases toward a first end 12A of the base 12. Therefore, the base 12 can have a shape corresponding to the first section 25A of the abutment 20. The third section 25C of the through hole 25 can extend from the distal end 23 of the abutment 20 to the middle section 22 of the abutment 20. The third section 25C can be configured to receive a screw and a screwdriver for tightening the screw. The second section 25B of the through hole 25 can be arranged between the first section 25A and the third section 25C of the through hole 25. The second section 25B of the through hole 25 can have a smaller diameter than the first section 25A and the third section 25C of the through hole, so that the contact surface 26 for the screw inserted into the third section 25C of the through hole 25 is formed by the material around the second section 25B of the through hole 25. When the screw is tightened into the dental implant, the screw exerts a force on the contact surface 26 , thereby securing the abutment 20 to the dental implant or the scannable member 10 .

[0077] The base 12 of the scannable member 10 is configured to cooperate with the proximal end of the abutment 20. An exemplary base 12 of the scannable member 10 may be configured to cooperate with the abutment 20 by clamping or screwing the base 12 of the scannable member 10 to the abutment 20. The scannable member 10 may be inserted into an implant receiving portion, such as into a first section 25A of a through hole 25 of the abutment 20. The base 12 of the scannable member 10 may be fixed to the abutment 20 by a screw and / or a shape-matching manner, such as by a first protrusion and / or a plurality of thin sheets engaged with the interior of the through hole 25. In one or more exemplary abutments, the inner surface of the through hole 25 includes a thread configured to engage with a screw for fixing the scannable member 10 to the abutment 20 and / or to a thread arranged on the scannable member 10. For example, the scannable member 10 may include an external thread, and the abutment 20 may include an internal thread configured to receive the external thread of the scannable member 10. Correspondingly, in one or more exemplary abutments 20 , the scannable member 10 may include internal threads, and the abutment 20 may include external threads configured to receive the internal threads of the scannable member 10 .

[0078] In one or more exemplary scannable members 10, the scannable member 10 includes a magnet configured to engage with a magnet disposed on the abutment 20 for securing the scannable member 10 to the abutment 20. The magnet of the abutment 20 may have a magnetic pole opposite to that of the magnet disposed on the scannable member 10, thereby attracting and securing the scannable member 10 to the abutment 20.

[0079] The scannable member 10 may be made of a metal or a metal alloy, such as, for example, titanium or a titanium alloy. In one or more exemplary abutments, the titanium may be surface treated to increase the roughness. Increasing the roughness of the material may make the scannable member 10 scannable, and / or may increase the scannability of the scannable member 10. By surface treating the scannable member 10, the metal surface may be made less reflective. The surface of the scannable member 10 may be treated to reduce the reflectivity of the surface, such as the light reflectivity of the surface. The surface of the scannable member 10 may be treated, for example, by etching, such as using an etching method. Thus, in one or more exemplary scannable members, the scannable member 10 includes an etched surface. Thus, reflected light from the scanner, which may otherwise have a negative impact on the scan results and may prevent the scanner from providing an accurate image of the scanned object, may be reduced. If the metal surface is smooth, the scanner may not be able to create an accurate image of the scanned object because the light from the scanner may be reflected on the metal surface.

[0080] Figure 4 An exemplary scannable member 10 for determining the position of a dental implant according to the present disclosure is shown. Figure 4An exemplary scannable member 10 and FIG. 3A to FIG. 3B The exemplary scannable member 10 of the present invention differs in that the base 12 of the scannable member 10 is releasably connected to the body 11 of the scannable member 10. The base 12 of the scannable member 10 can be configured to be clamped and / or screwed onto the body 11 of the scannable member 10. Thus, multiple bases 12 and / or bodies 11 can be combined to produce different scannable members 10 representing the dental implants used. The base 12 of the scannable member can include a first end 12A configured to cooperate with an implant receiving portion of a first dental prosthesis and a second end 12B configured to cooperate with the body 11 of the scannable member 10 (such as with the base end 11B of the body 11 of the scannable member 10). The body 11 of the scannable member can include a top end 11A and a base end 11B, the base end being configured to cooperate with the base 12 of the scannable member 10 (such as the second end 12B of the base 12). In one or more exemplary scannable members 10, the base 12, such as the first end 12A of the base 12, has a conical shape. This may occur, for example, when the mating surface of a dental implant has a conical shape. Figure 4 The exemplary scannable member of the embodiment has a cylindrical shape. In other words, the body 11 of the scannable member 10 can have a cylindrical shape. However, in one or more other exemplary scannable members 10, the body 11 of the scannable member can have a conical shape, such as can taper toward the top surface 11A of the body 11. In other words, the body 11 can be wider toward the base end 11B than toward the top surface 11A of the body 11.

[0081] FIG. 5A to FIG. 5B A scannable member 10 for determining the position of a dental implant according to one or more examples of the present disclosure is shown, the scannable member being configured to be clamped onto an abutment. FIG. 5A to FIG. 5B The scannable member shown includes a plurality of protrusions, such as a first protrusion 16A and a second protrusion 16B, which are configured to engage with an abutment. The first protrusion 16A and the second protrusion 16B may be referred to herein as clamping protrusions. The first protrusion 16A and the second protrusion 16B are configured to be inserted into a cavity, such as a through hole in an implant receiving portion of an abutment. The first protrusion 16A and the second protrusion 16B are arranged on the base 12 of the scannable member 10, such as on a base section. The size and shape of the plurality of protrusions may be selected so that the protrusions are supported by one or more side walls of the through hole of the abutment, such as radially supported. The first protrusion 16A and the second protrusion 16B may have an outer diameter equal to the inner diameter of the through hole. Figure 5A and Figure 5BIn the exemplary scannable member 10 shown, multiple protrusions (such as the first protrusion 16A and the second protrusion 16B) are formed into thin sheets or wings. Multiple protrusions (such as the first protrusion 16A and the second protrusion 16B) extend in a radial direction around at least a portion of the circumference of the base 12 of the scannable member 10. In other words, the protrusions can be radial protrusions. The multiple protrusions 16A, 16B can be configured to apply a force in a radial direction of the base 12 of the scannable member 10 when inserted into a cavity of an abutment, such as when inserted into a through hole in an implant receiving portion of the abutment, for fixing the scannable member 10 to the abutment. The multiple protrusions (such as the first protrusion 16A and the second protrusion 16B) can be rigid or flexible. The base 12 can be integrated with the scannable member, or can be in a manner similar to that of the base 12 of the scannable member 10. Figure 4 The same manner as discussed above can be releasably connected to the body 11 of the scannable member 10. By having the base 12 releasably connected to the body 11, multiple bases 12 and / or bodies 11 can be combined to produce different scannable members 10 representing (such as configured to be connected to) the dental implant used.

[0082] Figure 5B A scannable member 10 is shown having a base 12 releasably connected to a body 11. The base 12 may include a first end 12A configured to mate with an implant receiving portion of a first dental prosthesis and a second end 12B configured to mate with the body 11 of the scannable member 10, such as with a base end 11B of the body 11 of the scannable member 10. Figure 5B The exemplary base 12 in the embodiment includes an insert 14, which is arranged in a cavity of the base 12 (such as on an inner surface) and is configured to engage with the body 11 of the scannable member 10. The cavity can be arranged on the second end 12B of the base 12 and can be configured to receive the body 11, such as the base end 11B of the body 11. The insert 14 can be a substrate, such as a substrate made of a polymer, including a groove for receiving the base clamping protrusion of the body. Figure 5B As can be seen in the figure, the scannable member may include a tool receiving portion 17, such as a screw channel, arranged on the top surface 11A of the body 11 of the scannable member. The tool receiving portion may be configured to receive a tool, such as a screwdriver, for facilitating the connection of the scannable member with the abutment, such as for inserting the scannable member 10 into the cavity of the abutment. The tool receiving portion may have a star shape, such as a plum blossom shape, a hexagonal shape, a Philips shape, a groove socket shape, a wing shape (such as a tri-wing shape), a square shape, and / or a fishing claw shape.

[0083] Figure 6 The main body 11 of the scannable member 10 according to one or more examples of the present disclosure is shown. The main body 11 is configured to be used with a base, such as FIG. 5A to FIG. 5B The main body 11 is configured to be connected to a base (such as FIG. 5A to FIG. 5B The base 12) can be releasably connected. Figure 6 The exemplary scannable member of the present invention includes a base clamping protrusion 19 configured to engage with the base. The base clamping protrusion 19 is arranged on the base end 11B of the body 11 of the scannable member 10. The base clamping protrusion 19 extends in the radial direction of the body 11. The base clamping protrusion 19 can be arranged around at least a portion of the circumference of the body 11. In one or more exemplary bodies, such as in Figure 6 In the exemplary body 11 shown, the base clamping protrusion 19 can be formed as a collar extending around the entire circumference of the body 11 at the base end 11A of the body 11. The base can include a corresponding groove for receiving the base clamping protrusion 19, such as a body clamping groove. The body 11 can be releasably connected to the base by inserting the body 11 into the base until the base clamping protrusion 19 engages the body clamping groove. The base clamping protrusion 19 can be hollow or solid. The size and shape of the base clamping protrusion 19 can be selected so that the base clamping protrusion 19 is supported by one or more side walls of the base 12. The base clamping protrusion 19 can, for example, have an outer diameter equal to the inner diameter of the base 12.

[0084] FIG. 7A to FIG. 7C An exemplary scannable member 110 according to the present disclosure is shown. The scannable member 110 includes an exemplary body 111, an exemplary base 112, and a position indicator 15. Fig. 7A is a top view looking in the direction of the first end 112A of the base of the scannable member 110 . Figure 7B is a first side view of scannable member 10 as seen in a direction perpendicular to position indicator 15 . Figure 7C is a second side view of scannable member 110 as seen in the direction of position indicator 15. In one or more examples, position indicator 15 can be a cutout in body 111 such that a surface of position indicator 15 is parallel to longitudinal axis 8 of scannable member 110. Exemplary scannable member 110 can be configured for use with a 4.6 mm diameter platform for dental implants. FIG. 7A to FIG. 7C An exemplary scannable member of may have an outer diameter in the range of 4.0 mm to 5.0 mm, such as in the range of 4.2 mm to 4.7 mm, such as in the range of 4.45 mm to 4.55 mm, such as in the range of 4.49 mm to 4.51 mm (such as 4.5 mm). Such as the outer diameter of the body 111. FIG. 7A to FIG. 7CThe exemplary body 111 may have a length L in the range of 7 mm to 9 mm, such as in the range of 7.2 mm to 8.8 mm, such as in the range of 7.5 mm to 8.5 mm, such as in the range of 7.8 mm to 8.2 mm, such as in the range of 7.9 mm to 8.1 mm, such as in the range of 7.995 mm to 8.005 mm. body The positioning indicator 15 disposed in the body 111 may have a length L from the top end 11A. PI , the length is in the range of 4.8 mm to 5.2 mm, such as in the range of 4.9 mm to 5.1 mm, such as 4.97 mm to 5.03 mm. The width W of the body 111 at the widest part of the body 111 from the positioning indicator 15 in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the positioning indicator PI The base 12 may have a length L in the range of 1.8 mm to 2.0 mm, such as in the range of 1.85 mm to 1.95 mm. base The base 112 may include a first section 107 and a second section 109. The second section 109 extends between a second end 112B of the base 112 and the first section 107. The first section 107 extends between a first end 112A of the base 112 and the second section 109. FIG. 7A to FIG. 7C In the exemplary base 112 shown, the second section 109 has a substantially cylindrical shape, such as having a circumferential surface substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis 8 of the scannable member 110. The first section 107 has an inclined circumferential surface, which is inclined at an angle α in the range of 20 degrees to 24 degrees, such as in the range of 21 degrees to 23 degrees, such as in the range of 21.66 degrees to 22.34 degrees. 1 The base 112 may be inclined relative to the longitudinal axis 8. Thus, the base 112 may have a conical shape. The base 112 of the exemplary scannable member 110 may have an outer width W in the range of 3.8 mm to 4.2 mm, such as in the range of 3.9 mm to 4.1 mm, such as in the range of 3.98 mm to 4.02 mm. base_outer The base 112 of the exemplary scannable member 110 may have an outer width W in the range of 3.1 mm to 3.5 mm, such as in the range of 3.2 mm to 3.4 mm, such as in the range of 3.28 mm to 3.32 mm. base_inThe base 112 of the exemplary scannable member 110 may further include a threaded hole 106 disposed on the first end 112A of the base 112 for receiving a screw for fixing the scannable member 110 to the abutment. The threaded hole 106 is disposed on the first end 12A of the base 112. The threaded hole 106 may have a length L in the range of 2.9 mm to 3.1 mm, such as in the range of 2.95 mm to 3.05 mm. th , such as an extension along the longitudinal axis 8 of the scannable member. The threads of the threaded hole 106 may have a diameter M1.4. The scannable member 110 may have an overall length L in the range of 9.5 mm to 10.3 mm, such as in the range of 9.7 mm to 10.1 mm, such as in the range of 9.8 mm to 10 mm (such as 9.9 mm). tot .

[0085] FIG. 8A to FIG. 8C An exemplary scannable member 210 according to the present disclosure is shown. The scannable member 210 includes an exemplary body 211, an exemplary base 212, and a position indicator 15. Fig. 8A is a top view seen in the direction of the first end 212A of the base 212 of the scannable member 10 . Figure 8B is a first side view of scannable member 210 as seen in a direction perpendicular to position indicator 15 . Figure 8C is a second side view of the scannable member 210 as seen in the direction of the position indicator 15. The exemplary scannable member 210 may be configured for use with a 4.8 mm diameter platform for a dental implant. The body 211 of the exemplary scannable member 210 corresponds to FIG. 7A to FIG. 7C In other words, the size of the body 211 is L body , W PI and L PI Can correspond to FIG. 7A to FIG. 7C 1. The body may include a collar 213 disposed at a base end 211B of the body 211. The collar may provide a seating surface for the scannable member in the longitudinal direction. When the scannable member 210 is properly seated in the abutment, the collar 213 may abut the surface of the abutment. The collar 213 may have a diameter in the range of 4.75 mm to 4.85 mm, such as in the range of 4.78 mm to 4.82 mm. The collar 213 may have a length L in the range of 0.4 mm to 0.6 mm, such as in the range of 0.45 mm to 0.55 mm, such as 0.5 mm. collarHowever, base 212 differs from base 211 in that first section 207 and second section 209 of base 212 are both inclined, such as being arranged at a corresponding angle α to the longitudinal axis 8 of scannable member 210. 2 and α 3 The first section 207 is arranged at an angle α to the longitudinal axis 8. 2 , where the angle α 2 In the range of 40 to 50 degrees, such as in the range of 42 to 48 degrees, such as in the range of 44 to 46 degrees, such as 45 degrees. Thus, the base 212 may have a conical shape. The first section 207 may have a length L in the range of 0.4 mm to 0.6 mm, such as 0.5 mm. fs , such as an extension along the longitudinal axis 8. The second section 209 may have a length L in the range of 2.0 mm to 2.3 mm, such as in the range of 2.1 mm to 2.2 mm, such as in the range of 2.14 mm to 2.16 mm. ss , such as along the extension of the longitudinal axis 8. The second section 209 is arranged at an angle α to the longitudinal axis 8. 3 , where the angle α 3 In the range of 20 to 23 degrees, such as in the range of 21 to 22 degrees, such as in the range of 21.4 to 21.6 degrees. The base 212 has an outer diameter in the range of 3.8 to 4.2 mm, such as in the range of 3.9 to 4.1 mm (such as 4 mm) at its widest section. The widest section is herein at the second end 12B of the base 212. The base 212 has an inner diameter in the range of 3.8 mm to 4.2 mm, such as in the range of 3.9 mm to 4.1 mm (such as 4 mm) at its narrowest section. The narrowest section is herein at the first end 212A of the base 212. The scannable member 210 may have an overall length L in the range of 9.8 mm to 10.5 mm, such as in the range of 10 mm to 10.3 mm, such as 10.15 mm. tot The base 212 of the exemplary scannable member 210 may further include a threaded hole 206 arranged to receive a screw for securing the scannable member to the abutment. The threaded hole 206 is arranged on the first end 212A of the base 212. The threaded hole 206 may have a length L in the range of 2.1 mm to 2.3 mm, such as in the range of 2.15 mm to 2.25 mm (such as 2.2 mm). th , such as along the extension of the longitudinal axis 8 of the scannable member. The thread of the threaded hole 116 may have a diameter of M1.4.

[0086] Fig. 9 A block diagram of an exemplary scanner 400 (such as an intraoral scanner) according to the disclosure is shown. The scanner 400 includes a memory circuit 401, a processor circuit 402, an imaging circuit 403, and an interface 404. The interface 404 can be a wired or wireless interface. The scanner 400 can be configured to perform Figure 1 In other words, the scanner 400 can be configured to prepare a dental prosthesis.

[0087] The scanner 400 is configured to perform a first scan of a plurality of abutments including respective scannable members disposed on respective dental implants.

[0088] The scanner 400 is configured to acquire a first set of data representing a first dental prosthesis arranged on a set of dental implants.

[0089] The scanner 400 is configured to acquire a second set of data representing a first dental prosthesis including one or more scannable components arranged on a proximal surface of the first dental prosthesis.

[0090] The scanner 400 is configured to generate a model of a second dental prosthesis based on the first set of data and the second set of data.

[0091] In one or more exemplary scanners, the interface 404 is configured for wired or wireless communication with a computer running CAD software or with a computer-controlled manufacturing tool used to produce a second dental prosthesis, such as a final dental prosthesis.

[0092] The scanner 400 is configured to send information allowing the computer-controlled manufacturing tool to produce the second dental prosthesis, such as manufacturing instructions for manufacturing the second dental prosthesis, to the computer-controlled manufacturing tool, for example via the interface 404. The manufacturing instructions may include data indicating a model of the second dental prosthesis.

[0093] Processor circuit 402 is optionally configured to perform Figure 1 The operations of the scanner 400 may be embodied in the form of executable logic routines (e.g., lines of code, software programs, etc.) stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium (e.g., memory circuit 401) and executed by the processor circuit 402 and / or the imaging circuit 403.

[0094] Furthermore, the operation of the scanner 400 can be considered as a method that the scanner 400 is configured to perform. In addition, although the functions and operations described can be implemented in software, such functions can also be performed via dedicated hardware or firmware, or some combination of hardware, firmware and / or software.

[0095] The memory circuit 401 may be one or more of a buffer, a flash memory, a hard drive, a removable medium, a volatile memory, a non-volatile memory, a random access memory (RAM), or other suitable devices. In a typical arrangement, the memory circuit 401 may include a non-volatile memory for long-term data storage and a volatile memory used as a system memory for the processor circuit 402. The memory circuit 401 may exchange data with the processor circuit 402 via a data bus. Control lines and an address bus may also exist between the memory circuit 401 and the processor circuit 402 ( Fig. 9 Memory circuit 401 is considered a non-transitory computer-readable medium.

[0096] The memory circuit 401 may be configured to store the first scan data, the second scan data, a model of the second dental prosthesis and / or manufacturing instructions in a portion of the memory.

[0097] Fig.10 A block diagram of an exemplary computer-controlled manufacturing tool 500 (such as a 3D printer, lathe, and / or casting machine) according to the disclosure is shown. The computer-controlled manufacturing tool 500 includes a memory circuit 501, a processor circuit 502, and an interface 503. The interface 503 can be a wired or wireless interface. The computer-controlled manufacturing tool 500 can be configured to perform Figure 1 In other words, the computer-controlled manufacturing tool 500 can be configured to prepare a dental prosthesis.

[0098] The computer-controlled manufacturing tool 500 is configured to produce a second dental prosthesis based on the model of the second dental prosthesis.

[0099] In one or more exemplary scanners, the interface 503 is configured for wired or wireless communication with a computer running CAD software or with a scanner, such as the scanner 400 according to the present disclosure.

[0100] The computer controlled manufacturing tool 500 is configured to receive information allowing the computer controlled manufacturing tool 500 to produce the second dental prosthesis, such as manufacturing instructions for manufacturing the second dental prosthesis, from the scanner 400, for example via the interface 503. The manufacturing instructions may comprise data indicating a model of the second dental prosthesis.

[0101] Furthermore, the operations of the computer-controlled manufacturing tool 500 may be considered as methods that the computer-controlled manufacturing tool 500 is configured to perform. Furthermore, although the functions and operations described may be implemented in software, such functions may also be performed via dedicated hardware or firmware, or some combination of hardware, firmware, and / or software.

[0102] The memory circuit 501 may be one or more of a buffer, a flash memory, a hard drive, a removable medium, a volatile memory, a non-volatile memory, a random access memory (RAM), or other suitable devices. In a typical arrangement, the memory circuit 501 may include a non-volatile memory for long-term data storage and a volatile memory used as a system memory for the processor circuit 502. The memory circuit 501 may exchange data with the processor circuit 502 via a data bus. Control lines and an address bus may also exist between the memory circuit 501 and the processor circuit 502 ( Fig.10 Memory circuit 501 is considered a non-transitory computer-readable medium.

[0103] The memory circuit 501 may be configured to store a model and / or manufacturing instructions for a second dental prosthesis in a portion of the memory.

[0104] Examples of methods and products (methods and scannable components) according to the disclosure are set forth in the following items:

[0105] Item 1. A method for preparing a dental prosthesis, wherein a first dental prosthesis comprises a set of abutments for fixing the first dental prosthesis to a set of dental implants, each abutment in the set of abutments comprising an implant receiving portion for receiving a corresponding dental implant in the set of dental implants, the implant receiving portion comprising:

[0106] - acquiring (S103) a first set of data representing a first dental prosthesis arranged on a set of dental implants,

[0107] - acquiring (S107) a second set of data representing the first dental prosthesis comprising one or more scannable members arranged on a proximal surface of the first dental prosthesis, wherein acquiring the second set of data comprises: arranging (S107A) the one or more scannable members on the proximal surface by arranging each of the one or more scannable members to an implant receiving portion of a corresponding abutment, and

[0108] - Generating (S109) a model of a second dental prosthesis based on the first set of data and the second set of data.

[0109] Item 2. The method according to Item 1, wherein acquiring (S103) a first set of data comprises: scanning (S103A) a first dental prosthesis arranged on a set of dental implants of an edentulous person.

[0110] Item 3. The method according to Item 2, wherein the scanning (S103A) comprises: scanning one or more of a facial surface of the first dental prosthesis, a lingual surface of the first dental prosthesis, an occlusal surface of the first surface, and a jaw of an edentulous person.

[0111] Item 4. The method according to any of the preceding items, wherein acquiring (S107) the second set of data comprises: arranging (S107A) a plurality of scannable members on a proximal surface of the first dental prosthesis.

[0112] Item 5. A method according to Item 4, wherein the first dental prosthesis includes a set of abutments for fixing the first dental prosthesis to a set of dental implants, each abutment in the set of abutments includes an implant receiving portion for receiving a corresponding dental implant in the set of dental implants, and wherein arranging (S107A) a plurality of scannable components on the proximal surface includes: arranging (S107AA) each of the plurality of scannable components to the implant receiving portion of the corresponding abutment.

[0113] Item 6. The method according to any one of the preceding items, wherein acquiring (S107) the second set of data comprises: scanning (S107B) the first dental prosthesis using a plurality of scannable components.

[0114] Item 7. The method according to Item 6, wherein the scanning (S107B) comprises: scanning a facial surface of the first dental prosthesis, a lingual surface of the first dental prosthesis, a proximal surface of the first dental prosthesis, and one or more of the scannable components.

[0115] Item 8. A method according to any one of the preceding items, wherein generating (S109) the model comprises: aligning the first set of data with the second set of data (S109A).

[0116] Item 9. The method according to Item 8, wherein aligning (S109A) comprises:

[0117] - identifying (S109AA) one or more reference regions of the facial and / or lingual surface of the first dental prosthesis in the first data set and in the second data set, and

[0118] - Aligning one or more identified reference regions in the first set of data with one or more identified reference regions in the second set of data (S109AB).

[0119] Item 10. The method according to any one of the preceding items, wherein the method comprises:

[0120] - Producing (S111) a second dental prosthesis based on the generated model of the second dental prosthesis.

[0121] Item 11. A method according to any of the preceding items, wherein the model of the second dental prosthesis is generated using computer-aided design (CAD) software.

[0122] Item 12. A scannable member for determining a position of a dental implant, the scannable member comprising a body and a base, the base being configured to cooperate with an implant receiving portion of an abutment for securing a dental prosthesis to the dental implant.

[0123] Item 13. The scannable member of Item 12, wherein the base is releasably connected to the body of the scannable member.

[0124] Item 14. The scannable member of Item 13, wherein the base is configured to clamp to a body of the scannable member.

[0125] Item 15. A scannable member according to item 13 or 14, wherein the base includes an insert disposed within the interior of the base, the base being configured to engage with the body of the scannable member.

[0126] Item 16. A scannable member according to items 14 and 15, wherein the body of the scannable member includes a first protrusion configured to engage with the base of the scannable member, wherein the insert is a base including a groove for receiving the first protrusion of the body.

[0127] Item 17. The scannable member of any one of Items 12 to 16, wherein the base has a conical shape.

[0128] Item 18. A scannable member according to any one of Items 12 to 17, wherein the scannable member comprises a cylindrical shape.

[0129] Item 19. A scannable member according to any one of Items 12 to 18, wherein the body of the scannable member includes a position indicator.

[0130] Item 20. The scannable member of Item 19, wherein the position indicator is a cutout outside the body of the scannable member.

[0131] Item 21. The scannable component of Item 19 or 20, wherein the position indicator has an inclined surface.

[0132] Item 22. The scannable member of Item 21, wherein the inclined surface extends from a top surface of the scannable member to a side surface of the scannable member.

[0133] Item 23. The scannable member of Item 19 or 20, wherein the position indicator has a surface parallel to the longitudinal axis of the scannable member.

[0134] The use of the terms "first", "second", "third", and "fourth", "primary", "secondary", "tertiary", etc. does not imply any specific order, but is included to identify individual elements. In addition, the use of the terms "first", "second", "third", and "fourth", "primary", "secondary", "tertiary", etc. does not imply any order or importance, but rather the use of the terms "first", "second", "third", and "fourth", "primary", "secondary", "tertiary", etc., distinguishes one element from another. Note that the words "first", "second", "third", and "fourth", "primary", "secondary", "tertiary", etc., are used here and elsewhere for labeling purposes only and are not intended to represent any particular spatial or temporal ordering. In addition, the labeling of a first element does not imply the presence of a second element, and vice versa.

[0135] Understandably, Figures 1 to 10 Includes features or operations shown in solid lines and some circuits, components, features or operations shown in dotted lines. The operations included in the solid lines are features or operations included in the most extensive examples. The features or operations included in the dotted lines are examples that can be included in the features or operations of the solid line examples, or are parts of the features or operations of the solid line examples, or are other features or operations that can be adopted in addition to the features or operations of the solid line examples. It should be understood that these operations do not need to be performed in the order presented. In addition, it should be understood that not all operations need to be performed. The example operations can be performed in any order and in any combination. It should be understood that these operations do not need to be performed in the order presented. The features or operations included in the dotted lines can be considered optional.

[0136] Other operations not described herein may be incorporated into the example operations. For example, one or more additional operations may be performed before, after, simultaneously with, or between any described operations.

[0137] Certain features discussed above as separate implementations may also be implemented in combination as a single implementation. Conversely, features described as a single implementation may also be implemented in multiple implementations, either individually or in any suitable subcombination. Furthermore, although features may be described above as functioning in certain combinations, in some cases one or more features from a claimed combination may be deleted from that combination, and the combination may be claimed as any subcombination or variation of any subcombination.

[0138] It should be noted that the word "comprising" does not necessarily exclude the presence of other elements or steps than those listed.

[0139] It should be noted that the word "a" or "an" preceding an element does not exclude the presence of a plurality of such elements.

[0140] It should also be noted that any reference signs do not limit the scope of the claims, that examples may be implemented at least partially by means of both hardware and software, and that several "tools", "units" or "means" may be represented by the same piece of hardware.

[0141] The degree language used herein (such as the terms "approximately," "about," "roughly," and "substantially" as used herein) indicates a value, quantity, or characteristic that is close to a stated value, quantity, or characteristic, and still performs a desired function or achieves a desired result. For example, the terms "approximately," "about," "roughly," and "substantially" may refer to a quantity that is within 10% of or less than or equal to the stated quantity, within 5% of or less than or equal to the stated quantity, within 1% of or less than or equal to the stated quantity, within 0.1% of or less than or equal to the stated quantity, and within 0.01% of or less than or equal to the stated quantity. If the stated quantity is 0 (e.g., none, nothing), the ranges listed above may be specific ranges and not within a specific % of the value.

[0142] Although features have been shown and described, it should be understood that they are not intended to limit the claimed disclosure, and it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the claimed invention. Therefore, this specification and drawings should be considered illustrative rather than restrictive. The claimed disclosure is intended to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents.

Claims

1. A method for preparing a dental prosthesis, wherein: The first dental prosthesis comprises a set of abutments for fixing the first dental prosthesis to a set of dental implants, each abutment of the set of abutments comprising an implant receiving portion for receiving a respective dental implant of the set of dental implants, the method comprising: - acquiring (S103) a first set of data representing a first dental prosthesis arranged on a set of dental implants, - acquiring (S107) a second set of data representing the first dental prosthesis comprising one or more scannable members arranged on a proximal surface of the first dental prosthesis, wherein acquiring the second set of data comprises: arranging (S107A) the one or more scannable members on the proximal surface by arranging each of the one or more scannable members to the implant receiving portion of the corresponding abutment, and - Generating (S109) a model of a second dental prosthesis based on said first set of data and said second set of data.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: Acquiring (S103) the first set of data comprises scanning (S103A) the first dental prosthesis arranged on the set of dental implants of the edentulous person.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein: The scanning (S103A) includes scanning one or more of the facial surface of the first dental prosthesis, the lingual surface of the first dental prosthesis, the occlusal surface of the first surface, and the jaw of the edentulous person.

4. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: Acquiring (S107) the second set of data comprises arranging (S107A) a plurality of scannable members on the proximal surface of the first dental prosthesis.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein: The first dental prosthesis comprises a set of abutments for fixing the first dental prosthesis to the set of dental implants, each abutment in the set of abutments comprising an implant receiving portion for receiving a corresponding dental implant in the set of dental implants, and wherein arranging (S107A) the plurality of scannable components on the proximal surface comprises: arranging (S107AA) each of the plurality of scannable components to the implant receiving portion of the corresponding abutment.

6. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: Acquiring (S107) the second set of data comprises: scanning (S107B) the first dental prosthesis using the plurality of scannable members.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein: Scanning (S107B) includes scanning one or more of the facial surface of the first dental prosthesis, the lingual surface of the first dental prosthesis, the proximal surface of the first dental prosthesis, and the scannable member.

8. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: Generating (S109) the model includes aligning (S109A) the first set of data with the second set of data.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein: Alignment (S109A) includes: - identifying (S109AA) one or more reference regions of the facial and / or lingual surface of said first dental prosthesis in the first data set and in the second data set, and - Aligning one or more identified reference regions in the first set of data with one or more identified reference regions in the second set of data (S109AB).

10. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The method comprises: - producing (S111) said second dental prosthesis based on the generated model of said second dental prosthesis.

11. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The model of the second dental prosthesis is generated using computer-aided design (CAD) software.

12. A scannable member for determining a position of a dental implant, the scannable member comprising a body and a base, the base being configured to cooperate with an implant receiving portion of an abutment for securing a dental prosthesis to the dental implant.

13. The scannable member according to claim 12, wherein: The base is releasably connected to the body of the scannable member.

14. The scannable member of claim 13, wherein: The base is configured to clamp to the body of the scannable member.

15. A scannable member according to claim 13 or 14, wherein: The base includes an insert disposed within the interior of the base, the base being configured to engage with the body of the scannable member.

16. A scannable member according to claim 14 or 15, wherein: The body of the scannable member comprises a first protrusion configured to engage with the base of the scannable member, wherein the insert is a substrate comprising a slot for receiving the first protrusion of the body.

17. A scannable member according to any one of claims 12 to 16, wherein: The base has a conical shape.

18. A scannable member according to any one of claims 12 to 17, wherein: The scannable member comprises a cylindrical shape.

19. A scannable member according to any one of claims 12 to 18, wherein: The body of the scannable member includes a position indicator.

20. The scannable member of claim 19, wherein: The position indicator is a cutout outside the body of the scannable member.

21. A scannable member according to claim 19 or 20, wherein: The position indicator has an inclined surface.

22. A scannable member according to claim 21, wherein: The inclined surface extends from a top surface of the scannable member to a side surface of the scannable member.

23. A scannable member according to claim 19 or 20, wherein: The position indicator has a surface parallel to the longitudinal axis of the scannable member.

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