Impression-making system for the manufacture of removable dental prostheses

Abstract

The present invention relates to an impression system for the production of dental prostheses for full-arch or single-arch edentulous individuals, which system essentially comprises an upper template (1) having a recess (1.1) capable of receiving impression material and adapting to the patient's upper jaw and / or a lower template (2) having a recess (2.1) capable of receiving impression material and adapting to the patient's lower jaw, wherein said upper template (1) or said lower template (2) has means for positioning in the patient's mouth.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] As the title suggests, the present invention is in the field of dentistry, and in particular the field related to the manufacture of removable dental prostheses.

[0002] More specifically, the system of the present invention is intended to produce dental prostheses for both totally edentulous individuals, i.e., individuals who have no natural teeth and therefore require a complete prosthesis or denture (false teeth), and unidental individuals, i.e., individuals who have natural teeth in only one jaw. [Background technology]

[0003] Removable dental prostheses, also known as dentures, are external components that function to replace missing teeth and periodontal tissues that patients lose over time.

[0004] Such prostheses with artificial teeth, on the one hand, allow both the correct chewing of food and the maintenance of oral aesthetics and the promotion of speech, and, on the other hand, allow the oral cavity to be hygienic, since they can be cleaned while placed in the oral cavity and easily removed therefrom, allowing the deepest and most comprehensive cleaning operations to be carried out.

[0005] They are also a cheaper and less invasive alternative to known non-removable dental implants, which are inserted into the patient's bone bed by means of screws and therefore require surgical intervention and time for healing, osseointegration, etc.

[0006] In the case of removable prostheses, two main types can generally be distinguished based on the number of teeth they incorporate: First, there are those in which the prosthesis does not form a full arch because the patient has their own teeth. In these cases, the so-called prosthesis is fixed using natural tooth fragments, using a more or less complex crimping system, depending on the case.

[0007] The other type of denture, on the other hand, is one that contains all the upper and lower teeth (usually 14 upper dentures and the same number for the lower dentures), and therefore rests comfortably on the corresponding gums and fits perfectly. This is the case for prostheses required by patients known as edentulous or edentulous patients.

[0008] Currently, the process of fabricating this type of prosthesis for an edentulous individual, either unilaterally or fully, is laborious for two main reasons: first, of a technical nature, complicated by the lack of reference points in the patient's mouth that would allow for correct posterior positioning and help in correctly designing the prosthesis; and second, of a logistical / temporary nature, requiring multiple visits by the patient to the clinic to collect data, design, and adjust the prosthesis in order to properly execute the process.

[0009] As an example, the traditional workflow for manufacturing a dental prosthesis for a completely edentulous person currently looks like this:

[0010] During the initial consultation, the patient first visits the clinic, where, in addition to the diagnosis, an analog impression of the patient's mouth is taken using one of the known techniques, which is then sent to a dental laboratory to create a custom tray and obtain a wax rim from the patient's bite.

[0011] The patient then returns to the clinic, where the bite alignment is captured with a custom-made tray. At that point, the tooth color is also captured, if it has not already been selected. Both the bite alignment and color are then sent back to the dental laboratory, where a specialist carves and mounts the teeth on a template (bite plate).

[0012] The template is returned to the clinic where the patient undergoes a try-in at the third visit to ensure correct occlusion, esthetics, central relation, vertical dimension and speech.

[0013] If all is well, the template is sent back to the dental laboratory where, by conventional flasking, pouring or filling, and final grinding and polishing, the prosthesis is obtained.

[0014] Finally, the patient makes a fourth visit to the clinic for delivery and final positioning of the completed prosthesis, assuming no defects or additional corrections or adjustments are required, which would require even more visits.

[0015] From the foregoing, it is clear that the process commonly used to manufacture dental prostheses for completely edentulous individuals has significant drawbacks. Apart from the obvious inconvenience to the patient due to the multiple visits to the clinic required, the process also presents disadvantages in other technical aspects, such as the preparation time required for carving and tooth assembly, the need for experienced professionals, and the increased handling of the prosthesis, which increases the risk of microbial colonization on the prosthesis surface.

[0016] However, although these drawbacks are just as important as those faced by edentulous patients, to date, many of these procedures performed in clinical practice have been carried out without any assurance of quality, relying on the expertise of the specialist taking the measurements.

[0017] Specifically, it refers to the aforementioned steps in the method where the patient comes to the clinic both for occlusion alignment and for testing to check for correct dental occlusion, esthetics, centric relation, vertical dimension, and pronunciation.

[0018] Such examinations, as has been said, are left to the expertise of the clinical specialist, who will not follow any appropriate method for checking alignment, occlusion or other parameters that he is not able to verify from his own experience and his own eyes. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0019] The system of the present invention overcomes the main drawbacks of the above-mentioned state of the art by generally reducing the number of patient visits to the clinic by half, simplifying the process and reducing the manufacturing and handling time of the prosthesis and therefore the delivery time. [Means for solving the problem]

[0020] More specifically, the technical features of the present invention as follows combine digital and manual techniques to provide the following advantages:

[0021] Optimal aesthetics, ·Quality and hygiene control of processes and materials; - Reduction of testing phases for patients, Greater clinical productivity, and Shorter rehabilitation time.

[0022] All of this therefore results in a better experience for dentists and patients, greater health safety, and finally better quality and greater repeatability.

[0023] Furthermore, both the system and method of the present invention provide clinical staff with a validation tool through which they can verify that important parameters such as centricity and vertical dimension, among others, have been taken into account in the correct way.

[0024] For this purpose, the impression-making system of the present invention for producing removable dental prostheses basically comprises at least one template having a cavity capable of accommodating impression material and capable of being attached to the patient's jaw to obtain an impression, said template comprising positioning means that make it possible to ensure parallelism with respect to the pupillary line (the line formed by the imaginary lines joining the centers of the pupils of the patient to whom the prosthesis is to be applied) and the camber plane, and to check the correct positioning of the template relative to the facial midline.

[0025] The positioning means is in particular formed by at least one tooth row, i.e. at least the upper tooth row if the template is intended to be attached to the patient's maxilla, or at least the lower tooth row if the template is intended to be attached to the patient's mandible.

[0026] In said dentition, the free edges of the same dentition can also define a plane, for example, which serves as a reference plane and, using a fox plane, can be used to check whether the template on which the dentition is located maintains said parallelism with both pupil lines and the camber plane.

[0027] Likewise, according to a possible embodiment that will be described in more detail below, the positioning means may not be formed by one row of teeth, but by two rows of teeth in occlusion.

[0028] Thus, for example, in the case of an upper template, the positioning means would be formed at least in the centrally located upper incisors, and below them in occlusal position there would be at least two (preferably centrally located) lower incisors.

[0029] In this way, the template, by having two rows of teeth, makes it possible, in addition to evaluating the aesthetic aspects as already mentioned, to register the midline of the prosthesis, i.e. to check whether the template is correctly positioned relative to the facial midline, and also to check the incisor line, i.e. at what height the lower edge of the central incisors is.

[0030] Therefore, if the positioning means consists of two rows of teeth, the positioning means is the free end of the second row (the lower row if the template is intended for attachment to the maxilla, or the upper row if the template is intended for attachment to the mandible), and this free end defines a plane that serves as a reference plane.Then, using a fox plane, it is checked whether the upper template maintains the aforementioned parallelism between the two pupil lines and the camper plane.

[0031] Furthermore, if the patient is completely edentulous and requires the use of upper and lower templates, or if the patient is monoedentulous in the lower or upper jaw, respectively, and templates are used directly on the upper and lower teeth or tooth fragments accordingly, the system of the present invention may additionally comprise a centric relation marking device that can be fitted onto one of the templates in order to register the optimal vertical dimension and define the centric relation of both templates.

[0032] The aforementioned centric relationship can be defined as the patient's rest position, i.e., a position in which the teeth are slightly apart and without contact, and is considered the starting point for mandibular movement. This position is used as the starting position because it is characterized by the absence of involvement of the patient's muscles and is therefore one of the most stable and easiest to reproduce positions.

[0033] More specifically, for the purpose of registering the optimum vertical dimension and defining the centroid of both templates, the centroid marking device includes a height-adjustable marker element.

[0034] Thus, in the example of making an impression of a fully edentulous individual, the marking process would involve once the first impression material has been applied to both templates and the height of the vertical dimension has been registered, the aforementioned centric relationship marking device would be positioned to mark, in this example, on the upper template to obtain better alignment and position registration. Specifically, this process would have the following steps:

[0035] ·Place the centric relationship marking device on the lower template in the appropriate position depending on the patient's type of occlusion. The vertical dimension is adjusted by adjusting the marking device. With the mouth at rest, register (mark) the centric relationship of the patient's mouth on the upper template.

[0036] That is, the second impression material is applied to the two templates, and when they are inserted into the patient's mouth, their positions are adjusted, checked to ensure that they are optimally positioned, and adjusted to match each other by aligning the optimally marked location with the tip of the marker element of the centric relationship marking device.

[0037] In all of the above, the impression system of the present invention achieves a significant improvement in the state of the art, not only in terms of accuracy and efficiency for the professional (dentist) or dental technician using it, but also for the patient himself, who only needs to visit the clinic twice: an initial visit for all data collection and impressions, and a second visit for the provision of the final dentures. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0038] To facilitate a better understanding of the features of the present invention in preferred examples of practical embodiments, a series of drawings are provided as an integral part of this description, which are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the invention. [Figure 1.1] FIG. 1.1 shows a bottom perspective view of an example of an upper template of an impression making system for the manufacture of a removable dental prosthesis of the present invention, in which the positioning means consists of two rows of teeth. [Figure 1.2] Figure 1.2 shows a top perspective view of an example of an upper template of an impression making system for the manufacture of a removable dental prosthesis according to the invention, in which the positioning means consists of two rows of teeth. [Figure 1.3] Figure 1.3 shows a front elevation view of an example of an upper template of an impression making system for the manufacture of a removable dental prosthesis of the present invention, in which the positioning means consists of two rows of teeth. [Figure 2.1] Figure 2.1 shows a perspective view of a possible embodiment of the invention, in which the lower template has positioning means formed by one row of teeth. [Figure 2.2] Figure 2.2 shows a perspective view of a possible embodiment of the invention, in which the lower template has positioning means formed by one row of teeth. [Figure 3.1] FIG. 3.1 shows a bottom perspective view of another example of a bottom template of an impression making system for the manufacture of a removable dental prosthesis of the present invention. [Figure 3.2] FIG. 3.2 shows a top perspective view of another example of a bottom template of an impression making system for the manufacture of a removable dental prosthesis of the present invention. [Figure 3.3] FIG. 3.3 shows a rear perspective view of another example of a bottom template of an impression making system for manufacturing a removable dental prosthesis of the present invention. [Figure 4.1] FIG. 4.1 shows a perspective view of the support means of the centric marking device of the impression making system for the manufacture of removable dental prostheses of the present invention. [Figure 4.2]FIG. 4.2 shows a perspective view of the support means of the centric marking device of the impression making system for the manufacture of removable dental prostheses of the present invention. [Figure 5.1] Figure 5.1 is a perspective view showing the marker element of the centric relationship marking device. [Figure 5.2] FIG. 5.2 is a perspective view showing the marker element of the center-related marking device and its adjustment in the support means. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 shows a rear perspective view of an embodiment of an impression making system for manufacturing a removable dental prosthesis of the present invention, showing the position of the centric relationship marking device when on the upper template, lower template, and bottom (lower) template. [Figure 7.1] Figure 7.1 shows a perspective view of a possible embodiment of the invention where the positioning means have a removable fixing mechanism that allows them to be assembled and disassembled with respect to the top and bottom templates, respectively. [Figure 7.2] Figure 7.2 shows a perspective view of a possible embodiment of the invention where the positioning means have removable fixing mechanisms that allow them to be assembled and disassembled with respect to the top and bottom templates respectively. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 shows a perspective view of another possible embodiment of a support means for a centric marking device of an impression making system for the production of a removable dental prosthesis according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0039] Considering the provided figures, in a preferred embodiment of the invention, the inventive impression-making system for the production of removable dental prostheses comprises at least one template (1, 2) having a cavity (1.1, 2.1) capable of accommodating impression material and capable of being attached to the patient's jaw to obtain an impression, said template (1.2) being provided with positioning means that make it possible to ensure its parallelism with respect to the pupillary line (the line formed by the imaginary line joining the centers of the pupils of the patient receiving the prosthesis) and the camber plane, as well as to check for symmetry, i.e. whether the template is positioned in the correct position relative to the facial midline.

[0040] The positioning means is in particular formed by at least one tooth row (3, 4), i.e. by at least the upper tooth row (3) if the template (1) is intended to be attached to the patient's maxilla, or by at least the lower tooth row (4) if the template (2) is intended to be attached to the patient's mandible.

[0041] However, according to a possible embodiment shown in Figures 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3, the positioning means can be formed by two rows of teeth (3, 4) positioned one above the other in occlusion.

[0042] Thus, for example, in the case of the upper template shown in the figure, the positioning means is formed by two rows of teeth, an upper row of teeth (3) and a lower row of teeth (4), each row of teeth being formed by four incisors and two canines, i.e. six teeth per row.

[0043] However, according to another possible embodiment of the present invention, not shown, the upper template (1) may also comprise an upper dentition (3) having at least two centrally located upper lateral incisors () and, below that, a lower dentition (4) having at least two (preferably centrally located) lower lateral incisors.

[0044] On the other hand, according to a possible embodiment, whether there is only one dentition or, as in the previous example, two dentitions, the free ends of the dentition (3, 4) can form or define a plane (5), which serves as a reference plane for checking whether the upper template (1) maintains the aforementioned parallelism with the pupillary lines and the camber plane. This is particularly shown in Figures 1.1 and 1.3. In Figure 1.1, the first plane (5) is clearly visible, and in Figure 1.3, it can be seen, visually or with the aid of a Fox plate or a simple ruler, how the horizontal line defined by the plane (5) can be compared with the pupillary lines of the patient when the upper template (1) is placed in the mouth. Logically, when two dentitions (3, 4) are incorporated, as in the previous figures, the free end is the free end of the lower dentition (4) if the template is intended for installation on the upper jaw, and conversely, the free end of the upper dentition (3) if the template is intended for installation on the lower jaw.

[0045] Furthermore, as already mentioned, according to a possible practical embodiment, in order to register the optimum vertical dimensions and define their centricity, the system of the present invention may comprise a centricity marking device (6), which comprises a marker element (7) having a tip (7') for registering the optimum position.

[0046] This centric relationship marking device (6) is likely to fit well with one of the templates (1, 2) in the following cases: when the patient is completely edentulous, requiring the use of upper (1) and lower (2) templates, or when it needs to be used directly on the upper or lower teeth or dental pieces, depending on whether the patient is monoedentulous in the lower or upper jaw, respectively.

[0047] More specifically, in the case of a fully edentulous individual, as shown in Figures 4.1, 4.2 and 6, the centric relationship marking device (6) comprises a longitudinal base (8), two anchors (9) at the ends of its lower surface, and a central hole (10) into which the marker element (7) is attached. Specifically, in the example embodiment shown in the figures, the marker element (7) includes a threaded region that cooperates with complementary threads present inside the central hole (10), allowing the marker element (7) to be positioned at different heights or depths within said central hole (10).

[0048] In this way, once the marker element (7) is positioned inside the central hole (10), the marker element can be rotated to change its initial position until its tip (7') comes to a rest or contacts the underside of the upper template (1), and the pre-registered vertical dimension will reach its rest position, defining the vertical dimension in both sets of templates.

[0049] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 5.1 and 5.2, the marker element (7) has gripping means formed by a hexagonal or similar faceted contour (7"), which can cooperate with a wrench to provide comfortable and accurate positioning.

[0050] However, in order to register the optimum vertical dimension and define the centric relationship, the centric relationship marking device (6) must be able to be placed in various positions depending on the patient's occlusion, i.e., depending on what type (type I, type II, type III) of occlusion or malocclusion they have.

[0051] For this purpose, both the upper template (1) and the lower template (2) can be provided with two guides (11) which, as described above, can be provided with adjustment means for placing the center-related marking device (6) in the appropriate position.

[0052] Specifically, as can be seen in the example embodiment shown in Figures 3.2 and 3.3, where the adjustment means are located on the lower template 2, said adjustment means are formed by a plurality of recesses 12 in the form of circular holes, to which anchors 9 at the ends of the base 8 of the center-relation marking device 6 can be attached. However, in another embodiment of the invention not shown, the recesses 12 may be formed by elongated holes, or according to another possible, more versatile embodiment, not shown, said adjustment means may be formed by slot-like openings. In the case of slots, there is no need to be limited to a specific number of recesses, and the anchors 9 can be positioned anywhere along the recesses.

[0053] In this way, the recess (12) defines different positions corresponding to different types of mouths depending on the type of bite.

[0054] Furthermore, both the number and the separation of the recesses (12) are determined by the dimensions of the templates (1, 2), which are calculated by the applicant to cover 80-90% of the most common opening sizes, and five sizes of templates are sufficient, which will also affect the aforementioned means of adjustment for the center-related marking device (6), since it is expected that the smallest size template of a set or series of five will not match the largest size template of said series of five in terms of the number and separation of the recesses (12).

[0055] On the other hand, since the upper surface of the guide (11) described above forms a horizontal plane, once it is placed in the patient's mouth, the correct position relative to both pupillary lines can be confirmed by checking the parallelism.

[0056] In this way, once the marker element 7 is positioned inside the central hole 10, the marker element 7 may be rotated and repositioned from its initial position until its tip 7' contacts or abuts against the underside of the upper template 1 if the marker element 7 is placed on the lower template 2 or directly on the mandible, or against the upper surface of the lower template 2 if the marker element 7 is placed on the upper template 1 or directly on the maxilla, and from that point on, continue threading until it reaches the vertical dimension previously registered in the rest position.

[0057] On the other hand, according to these possible embodiments, both the upper template (1) and the lower template (2) comprise a marking platform (13) (preferably with a smooth surface and occupying a large central area), see Figures 1.1 and 5 or 2, on which the tip (7') of the marker element (7) of the centricity marking device (6) will rest. The tip (7') can also be made of a material (such as graphite) that can be used to mark the platform (13) in order to indicate the optimal location where the centricity should be registered on the platform (13).

[0058] More specifically, the method for registering or marking the centric relationship requires the patient to perform anterior-posterior jaw movements with the mouth relaxed. The jaw is then returned to its original position and moved laterally on both sides. This causes the tip (7') of the marker element (7) to draw or mark an arrowhead on the aforementioned marking platform (13), thereby defining the optimal position for vertical dimension and occlusal alignment. The position is then marked on the platform (13) with an optional element, such as an adhesive pointer (not shown), to ensure that the position is not lost when handling the templates (1, 2).

[0059] Meanwhile, as can be seen in the embodiment shown in the figures, both the upper template (1) and the lower template (2) are provided with a plurality of through holes (14) for draining excess impression material during the impression making process and allowing attachment to the template. Furthermore, in both cases, the upper template (1) and the lower template (2) have undercuts (15) in their anterior region that can be applied to the user's frenulum.

[0060] Finally, in the example implemented in Figures 7.1 and 7.2, a possible embodiment of the invention is shown in which the system comprises removable fixing means (16) for connecting the templates (1, 2) and their respective positioning means.

[0061] That is to say, in particular, that said removable fastening means (16) are formed by a tongue-and-groove system in which the templates (1, 2) constitute the female part and the positioning means, i.e. the row or rows of teeth (3, 4), have the male part, although other possible embodiments are not excluded, including cases in which the male part is located on the templates (1, 2) and the female part on the positioning means, or even cases in which removable joint systems other than tongue-and-groove are used.

[0062] More specifically, returning to the illustrated example, the removable fastening means is configured in its male part by a cylindrical portion that depends or hangs from a rib parallel to one of its generatrices. Complementarily, the female part is formed by a cylindrical channel in its lower part and a longitudinal channel in its upper part. Thus, once the cylindrical male part is slid in, it cannot be pulled upwards and removed, as it cannot slip out of the longitudinal channel of the female part. It remains trapped inside until another sliding motion is performed in the opposite direction.

[0063] However, according to another embodiment not shown in the figures, the dentition (3, 4) may be positioned on the template (1, 2) with a certain degree of freedom with respect to its own template or with respect to the patient's existing teeth, and for such degrees of freedom the system used may be of the ball-joint type or similar, allowing relative movement between both parts.

[0064] Finally, page 8 shows an example of a centric relationship marking device (6') for a single-jawed patient, which, as already mentioned, can be attached directly to the upper or lower teeth or dental pieces, depending on whether the patient is single-jawed in the lower or upper jaw, respectively.

[0065] Thus, in this case, the center-related marking device (6) also comprises an elongate base (8'), not shown, which has two anchors (9') at the end of its lower surface and a threaded central hole (10') which holds the marker elements (7) at different heights or depths within the central hole (10') as previously described.

[0066] However, in this example embodiment, the anchor (9') is formed by arch portions that constitute two housings in which the patient's tooth fragments are located, which provide a basis for placing the aforementioned centric relationship marking device (6).

Claims

1. at least one template (1, 2) having recesses (1.1, 2.1) capable of receiving impression material and being attached to the jaw of a patient, and - positioning means for positioning at least said templates (1, 2) in the patient's mouth, 10. An impression-making system for producing removable dental prostheses, characterized in that said positioning means are formed by at least one row of teeth (3, 4).

2. 2. An impression-making system for manufacturing a dental prosthesis according to claim 1, comprising an upper template (1) and a lower template (2).

3. 3. An impression-making system for the manufacture of removable dental prostheses according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the positioning means are formed by two rows of teeth, an upper row of teeth (3) and a lower row of teeth (4), in occlusion.

4. 4. An impression-making system for the manufacture of removable dental prostheses according to claim 3, characterized in that the upper dentition (3) consists of at least two teeth and the lower dentition (4) consists of at least two teeth.

5. 5. An impression making system for the production of removable dental prostheses according to claim 4, characterized in that the upper dentition (3) is formed by four upper lateral incisors and the lower dentition (4) is formed by at least two lower lateral incisors, which are centrally located.

6. An impression-making system for the production of removable dental prostheses according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the free ends of the dentition (3, 4) define a flat surface (5).

7. An impression-making system for the production of removable dental prostheses according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that it comprises removable fixing means (16) for connecting the templates (1, 2) to the positioning means.

8. 8. An impression-making system for the manufacture of removable dental prostheses according to claim 7, characterized in that the removable fixing means (16) are formed by a tongue-and-groove system, the templates (1, 2) include female parts and the positioning means have male parts.

9. 8. An impression making system for the production of removable dental prostheses according to claim 7, characterized in that the removable fixing means (16) are formed by a system allowing a relative movement between the templates (1, 2) and the positioning means.

10. 10. An impression making system for the manufacture of removable dental prostheses according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that it comprises a centric-relation marking device (6) and includes a height-adjustable marker element (7) having a tip (7') for recording the optimum position in the vertical dimension.

11. 11. An impression making system for the manufacture of removable dental prostheses according to claim 10, characterized in that the upper template (1) and / or the lower template (2) are provided with two guides (11) and further with adjustment means for positioning the centric relation marking device (6).

12. 12. An impression making system for the manufacture of removable dental prostheses according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that the centric relation marking device (6) comprises a longitudinal base (8) having, at the ends of its lower surface, two anchors (9) that can be coupled to adjustment means of the template (1, 2).

13. An impression-making system for the production of removable dental prostheses according to any one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that the adjustment means of the guide (11) are formed by a plurality of recesses (12).

14. An impression-making system for the production of removable dental prostheses according to any of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that the adjustment means of the guide (11) are formed by grooves.

15. 15. An impression-making system for the manufacture of removable dental prostheses according to any one of claims 10 to 14, characterized in that the marker element (7) comprises a threaded region that cooperates with a complementary thread present inside a central hole (10) of the centric relationship marker device (6).

16. 14. An impression making system for the production of removable dental prostheses according to claim 11 or 13, characterized in that the guide (11) forms a surface on its upper surface.

17. 17. An impression-making system for the manufacture of removable dental prostheses according to any one of claims 10 to 16, characterized in that the upper template (1) and / or the lower template (2) comprise a marking platform (13), which occupies a large central area.

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