Manufacturing method for ultra-thin dental prostheses

Abstract

A method for manufacturing an ultra-thin dental prosthesis according to one embodiment of the present invention includes the steps of: generating an intraoral image using an intraoral scanner; inputting a photograph of a patient's face, from which some of the tooth surfaces have been removed, using design software to perform a first correction on the intraoral image to correct the axis of the intraoral image; fine-correcting the intraoral image by performing a second correction on the first-corrected intraoral image using design software; producing an intraoral model by outputting the second-corrected intraoral image using a 3D printer; generating a prosthetic image using the second-corrected intraoral image; and processing the dental prosthesis using the intraoral model and the prosthetic image.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing an ultra-thin dental prosthesis, and more particularly to a method for manufacturing an ultra-thin dental prosthesis that covers or fills teeth to restore their function. [Background technology]

[0002] Teeth reshaping methods include dental prosthetics, orthodontics, and implants. In particular, dental prosthetics is a treatment for restoring tooth function by covering or filling damaged areas of teeth that have been damaged internally or externally by diseases such as caries or periodontal disease, or by sudden trauma. Such dental prosthetics include resins, inlays, onlays, crowns, and laminates.

[0003] However, when performing dental prosthetic treatment using dental prostheses such as crowns and laminates, there is a problem in that an unnecessarily large number of teeth are removed. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Korean Patent No. 10-0934643 [Patent Document 2] Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2010-0010837 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The technical problem to be achieved by the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing an ultra-thin dental prosthesis that can minimize the amount of tooth removal. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A method for manufacturing an ultra-thin dental prosthesis according to one embodiment of the present invention includes the steps of: generating an intraoral image using an intraoral scanner; inputting a photograph of a patient's face, from which some of the tooth surfaces have been removed, using design software to perform a first correction on the intraoral image to correct the axis of the intraoral image; fine-correcting the intraoral image by performing a second correction on the first-corrected intraoral image using design software; producing an intraoral model by outputting the second-corrected intraoral image using a 3D printer; generating a prosthetic image using the second-corrected intraoral image; and processing the dental prosthesis using the intraoral model and the prosthetic image.

[0007] The first correction step of the oral cavity image may include the steps of: using the design software to set a nasal alar line, a line at the corners of the mouth, and a smile line using a frontal photograph of the patient's facial features; analyzing the upper lip, the lower lip, and the amount of overjet using a lateral photograph of the patient's facial features; and correcting the axes of the oral cavity image by analyzing the symmetry of premolars and the midline of the teeth using a photograph of the patient's facial features in which the cutting edges of the removed teeth are visible.

[0008] The step of second correcting the intraoral image may include the steps of correcting the gum line by removing gums that are swollen or covering the abutment teeth in the intraoral image, setting a margin line to match the final contour line after a portion of the tooth surface has been removed, and setting an insertion path along which the dental prosthesis will be inserted into the intraoral image.

[0009] The step of generating the prosthetic image may include the steps of selecting a prosthetic shape suitable for the patient's needs and oral environment from a library of the design software, and applying and arranging the selected prosthetic shape to the oral cavity image.

[0010] The step of processing the dental prosthesis may include a step of manufacturing a primary dental prosthesis by primarily processing a prosthesis block using a milling device, and a step of manufacturing a secondary dental prosthesis by secondary processing the primary dental prosthesis using a polishing tool. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] A method for manufacturing an ultra-thin dental prosthesis according to an embodiment of the present invention generates a prosthetic image using design software and manufactures the dental prosthesis using the prosthetic image. This minimizes the amount of tooth removal, allowing for more precise and elaborate manufacture of the ultra-thin dental prosthesis, while also dramatically shortening the manufacturing time. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a flowchart of a method for manufacturing an ultra-thin dental prosthesis according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1A to 1C are diagrams illustrating a method for generating an intraoral image in a method for manufacturing an ultra-thin dental prosthesis according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] 1 is a diagram showing a frontal photograph among facial photographs in a method for manufacturing an ultra-thin dental prosthesis according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart of a method for performing a second correction of an intraoral image in a method for manufacturing an ultra-thin dental prosthesis according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] 10A to 10C are diagrams illustrating a method for correcting the gum line in a method for manufacturing an ultra-thin dental prosthesis according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] 10A to 10C are diagrams illustrating a method for setting a margin line in a method for manufacturing an ultra-thin dental prosthesis according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] 10A to 10C are diagrams illustrating a method for setting an insertion path in a method for manufacturing an ultra-thin dental prosthesis according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] 1A to 1C are diagrams illustrating a method for producing an oral cavity model in a method for producing an ultra-thin dental prosthesis according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] 10A to 10C are diagrams illustrating a method for generating a prosthetic image in a method for manufacturing an ultra-thin dental prosthesis according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] 1 is a flowchart of a method for manufacturing an ultra-thin dental prosthesis according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 11] 1 is a perspective view of a dental prosthesis manufactured by a method for manufacturing an ultra-thin dental prosthesis according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, so that those skilled in the art can easily carry out the present invention. The present invention may be embodied in various different forms and is not limited to the embodiments set forth herein.

[0014] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0015] FIG. 1 is a flowchart of a method for manufacturing an ultra-thin dental prosthesis according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a method for generating an intraoral image in the method for manufacturing an ultra-thin dental prosthesis according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, in a method for manufacturing an ultra-thin dental prosthesis according to one embodiment of the present invention, first, an oral scanner is used to scan a patient's teeth to generate oral scan data, and design software uses the generated oral scan data to generate an oral image 10 (S100). The design software can be one that can provide design tools such as CAD, but is not necessarily limited to this, and various design software can be applied.

[0017] Next, the design software receives a facial photograph P of the patient taken by a camera, analyzes the input facial photograph P, and performs a first correction on the oral cavity image 10 (S200).

[0018] This will be explained in more detail below.

[0019] In order to attach the ultra-thin dental prosthesis used in the present invention to the tooth, a portion of the surface of the patient's tooth is removed (prep). At this time, the patient's facial photograph P taken by a camera may show the shape of the tooth with the portion of the surface of the patient's tooth removed. This allows for the removal of portions that may interfere with the subsequent manufacture of the ultra-thin dental prosthesis. However, this is not necessarily limited to this, and the shape of the removed tooth can be confirmed by various methods.

[0020] First, the design software analyzes the facial photograph P of the patient taken by a camera, and performs a first correction on the oral cavity image 10 to correct the axis of the oral cavity image 10.

[0021] Here, the facial photograph P refers to a photograph relating to the appearance of the face.

[0022] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a frontal photograph among facial photographs in a method for manufacturing an ultra-thin dental prosthesis according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] As shown in Figure 3, the design software uses a frontal photograph from the patient's facial photograph P to set the nasal alar line DL, the lip corner line ML, and the smile line. Here, the nasal alar line DL is the line connecting the pupils, and the lip corner line ML is the horizontal extension of the mouth corner. The design software also uses a lateral photograph from the patient's facial photograph P to analyze the upper lip, lower lip, and overjet amount. Furthermore, the design software also uses a facial photograph P from the patient's facial photograph P that shows the cut edges of the patient's removed teeth to analyze the symmetry of the premolars (i.e., molars) and the dental midline CL. Here, the midline refers to the center line that divides the human face into left and right halves.

[0024] Since the patient's oral image 10 generated by the oral scanner is not formed in a fixed position but is collected tilted or deflected at various angles, the design software corrects the angle of the tooth axis by analyzing each line of the patient's facial photograph.

[0025] At this time, in the Set Model axis of the design software, the oral cavity image 10 is set to fit into the horseshoe-shaped frame, taking into consideration the arrangement of teeth relative to the facial features of the patient whose facial photograph P has been analyzed.

[0026] In one embodiment, the design software can generate an image displaying each line, such as a nasal line, a lip line, and a smile line, in a frontal image, and a midline in a side profile image. The design software can also generate and provide a 3D image that stereoscopically displays the frontal and side profiles and each line. Alternatively, the software can perform analysis without outputting each line, and generate and output only the final image.

[0027] In this manner, the design software can directly analyze the facial photograph or provide input and output for an operator to analyze the facial photograph.

[0028] Next, the design software performs a second correction on the oral cavity image 10 to fine-correct the oral cavity image 10 (S300).

[0029] When an oral cavity model 30 is manufactured by directly applying an oral cavity image 10 that has been scanned with an oral cavity scanner and generated by design software, if the swollen gums or receding gums due to tooth alignment return to their original state and the margin line moves toward the gums, some of the teeth may become exposed when a dental prosthesis is attached to the oral cavity model 30.

[0030] Therefore, the part of the margin line that needs to be corrected due to swelling or receding of the gums is predicted in advance, and correction work is performed to increase or decrease the gums to the part where the gums are predicted to be. By performing such fine correction work on the oral cavity image 10, it is possible to omit the commonly performed work of inserting a cord such as a thread into the gums to spread them and then scan the oral cavity image (especially the image of the oral margin), which is more efficient.

[0031] This will be explained in more detail below.

[0032] Figure 4 is a flowchart of a method for second correction of an oral cavity image in a method for manufacturing an ultra-thin dental prosthesis according to one embodiment of the present invention, Figure 5 is a diagram explaining a method for correcting the gum line in a method for manufacturing an ultra-thin dental prosthesis according to one embodiment of the present invention, Figure 6 is a diagram explaining a method for setting a margin line in a method for manufacturing an ultra-thin dental prosthesis according to one embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 7 is a diagram explaining a method for setting an insertion path in a method for manufacturing an ultra-thin dental prosthesis according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0033] To this end, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, when a tooth is removed from an oral cavity image 10, the gum line 11 is corrected by removing irritated, swollen gums or gums covering part of the removed tooth (S310).

[0034] 4 and 6, a margin line 12 is set to match the final contour line after a portion of the tooth surface has been removed (S320). At this time, if the teeth are not properly aligned or if there is insufficient tooth substance, the margin line 12 may be extended backward. The margin line 12 is a line that contacts the gums of the teeth, and setting the margin line means setting a boundary value between the teeth and the dental prosthesis that is acceptable in the design software.

[0035] 4 and 7, an insertion path IP, which is the path along which the dental prosthesis will be inserted into the intraoral image 10, is set (S330). Taking into account the relationship between the abutment tooth and the milling bur, the insertion path IP is set with an acute angle of incidence in the mid-area between the incisal, which is the cutting surface of the tooth, and the labial, which is the outer surface of the tooth. The angle of incidence may preferably be 45 degrees. Furthermore, the design software can directly set the insertion path IP with an appropriate angle of incidence, or can provide an appropriate angle of incidence so that the operator can set the insertion path IP.

[0036] When a tooth is observed at a 90-degree angle, no concave undercuts are observed in the flanks of the tooth. Therefore, when a dental prosthesis is inserted into the tooth at a 90-degree angle, the inner surface of the dental prosthesis corresponding to the undercut does not come into contact with the tooth's undercut, leaving an empty space. Furthermore, if a dental prosthesis is manufactured taking such an empty space into consideration and then inserted into the tooth, the dental prosthesis may not be inserted into the tooth due to the extra thickness, or the dental prosthesis may be damaged. Therefore, the tooth must be inserted along an insertion path with an appropriate angle of incidence. Furthermore, when correcting oral images, it is necessary to consider inserting the dental prosthesis along the insertion path.

[0037] In this manner, the design software can directly correct the oral cavity image 10 based on the input information or can provide input and output to allow an operator to correct the oral cavity image 10.

[0038] Next, the oral cavity model 30 is manufactured (S400).

[0039] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a method for producing an oral cavity model in a method for producing an ultrathin dental prosthesis according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0040] As shown in Figure 8, the oral cavity image 10 corrected by the design software is output by a 3D printer to produce an oral cavity model 30. At this time, by using the corrected oral cavity image 10, a more elaborate oral cavity model 30 can be produced.

[0041] Next, a prosthetic image is generated (S500).

[0042] FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a method for generating a prosthetic image in a method for manufacturing an ultra-thin dental prosthesis according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0043] As shown in FIG. 9, the corrected oral cavity image 10 is used to generate a prosthetic image 20.

[0044] To achieve this, the prosthetic shape that best suits the patient's needs and oral environment is selected from the design software's library. The library is a basic set of preset shapes provided by the design software, and the user can modify the tooth alignment and other details.

[0045] To select the shape of the prosthesis, the user may select the manufacturer of the prosthesis material, such as Vita, Candular, or Merz, from the first category of the design software library, and may also select the shape of the prosthesis according to the shape of the teeth from the Details category.

[0046] For example, if a patient desires dense teeth, they may choose the Physioset Oval L prosthetic shape from Vita; if they want to improve aging teeth, they may choose the Artegral AF BI prosthetic shape from Merz; and if they desire natural teeth, they may choose the Physioset Oval S prosthetic shape from Vita.

[0047] The selected prosthetic shape is applied to the oral cavity image 10 and arranged to generate the prosthetic image 20. At this time, the prosthetic image 20 is generated by comparing it with scan data of the patient's teeth before the surfaces of the teeth are removed. The prosthetic image 20 can also be corrected using the facial photograph P. That is, the design software can use the facial photograph P to make fine corrections to the outer shape of the prosthetic image 20, the position of the prosthetic image 20, the inclination of the prosthetic image 20, and the like.

[0048] FIG. 10 is a flowchart of a method for processing an ultra-thin dental prosthesis in a method for manufacturing an ultra-thin dental prosthesis according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a dental prosthesis manufactured by the method for manufacturing an ultra-thin dental prosthesis according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0049] As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, a dental prosthesis 40 is manufactured using the prosthesis image 20 and the oral cavity model 30 (S600).

[0050] The dental prosthesis 40 can be manufactured by the following method.

[0051] A prosthetic block, which is the material for the dental prosthesis 40, is prepared. The prosthetic block may be made of a reinforced ceramic or the like. Such a prosthetic block can have physical properties similar to those of teeth. A primary dental prosthesis is manufactured by primarily processing the prosthetic block using a milling device (S610).

[0052] The milling device is a device that precisely carves out a prosthetic block at various angles, and is a device that manufactures a primary dental prosthesis based on the prosthetic image 20 and oral cavity model 30 generated by the design software. Data such as the overall size, boundary values, and inner surface space size of the primary dental prosthesis to be manufactured based on the prosthetic image 20 and oral cavity model 30 can be input into the milling device.

[0053] In addition, a secondary dental prosthesis is manufactured by subjecting the primary dental prosthesis to secondary processing using a polishing tool (S620).

[0054] The manufacturing step of the secondary dental prosthesis may be performed manually by a dental technician or by a device such as a robot arm. In this case, the secondary processing step may be performed using a grinding tool such as a stone point, a stone wheel, a needle bur, or a dia bur. In this case, the secondary processing may be performed on the secondary dental prosthesis alone, or the secondary processing may be performed with the secondary dental prosthesis attached to the oral cavity model 30.

[0055] The secondary processing can involve further cutting the undercut portions of the primary dental prosthesis, cutting the contact portions that come into contact with adjacent teeth, or cutting the outer surface to adjust the thickness of the primary dental prosthesis or to form a bend that corresponds to the shape of the tooth.

[0056] Such secondary processing will be described in detail below.

[0057] The secondary dental prosthesis is manufactured by grinding the undercut portion of the inner surface of the primary dental prosthesis close to the margin using a first processing tool. The undercut portion is the portion of the inner surface of the primary dental prosthesis that comes into contact with the abutment tooth, and the undercut portion close to the margin corresponds to the excess portion left by the milling device to prevent excessive cutting of the margin. If the undercut portion close to the margin is not removed, floating will occur when the dental prosthesis is bonded to the abutment tooth, so adjustment by precise cutting is necessary.

[0058] The secondary dental prosthesis is then manufactured by grinding the inner margin of the primary dental prosthesis using a second processing tool. This margin is the portion of the inner surface of the primary dental prosthesis that contacts the gums, and corresponds to the extra space left by the milling device to prevent excessive cutting. The thickness of the margin may be set to match the final contour line removed from the tooth surface to prevent a gap from occurring between the dental prosthesis and the abutment tooth.

[0059] In addition, early contact points of the secondary dental prosthesis are removed. The early contact points are portions that first come into contact when the dental prosthesis 40 is attached to the oral cavity model 30 and prevent the dental prosthesis 40 from being inserted into the oral cavity model 30, and may be protrusions formed on the inner surface of the secondary dental prosthesis. Such early contact points may be formed in the interproximal portions of the teeth.

[0060] Here, mesial and distal include mesial and distal, where mesial is the side closer to the midline and distal is the side farther from the midline. Therefore, unless these early contact points are removed, the dental prosthesis 40 cannot be properly attached to the oral cavity model 30.

[0061] Furthermore, the thickness of the secondary dental prosthesis is primarily adjusted using a first thickness adjustment tool, the shape of the secondary dental prosthesis is modified using a shape modification tool, and the thickness of the secondary dental prosthesis is secondarily adjusted using a second thickness adjustment tool.

[0062] The processed secondary dental prosthesis is then polished (S630).

[0063] The polished secondary dental prosthesis is then glazed to reproduce the shape and luster of natural teeth, completing the dental prosthesis 40 (S640).

[0064] As described above, the method for manufacturing a dental prosthesis according to one embodiment of the present invention generates a prosthetic image using design software and manufactures the dental prosthesis using the prosthetic image, thereby providing a dental prosthesis that can be accurately applied to a treatment site where minimal tooth removal is required, thereby minimizing the amount of tooth removal.

[0065] The above describes a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to this, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims, the detailed description of the invention, and the accompanying drawings, and it is natural that these also fall within the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0066] 10: Oral cavity image 20: Prosthetic image 30: Oral cavity model 40: Dental prostheses

Claims

1. generating an image of the oral cavity using an oral cavity scanner; A step of inputting a facial photograph of a patient in which tooth surfaces have been partially removed using design software, and correcting the oral cavity image by performing a first correction on the oral cavity image to correct the axis of the oral cavity image; using design software to fine-tune the oral cavity image by performing a second correction on the first corrected oral cavity image; Using the second corrected oral cavity image, outputting the oral cavity model using a 3D printer; generating a prosthetic image using the second corrected intraoral image; and fabricating a dental prosthesis using the oral cavity model and the prosthetic image.

2. The step of first correcting the oral cavity image includes: a step of setting the nasal ala line, the lip corner line, and the smile line using the design software and a frontal photograph of the patient's face; A step of analyzing the upper lip, the lower lip, and the amount of overjet using a lateral photograph of the patient's face; and correcting the axes of the intraoral image by analyzing the symmetry of premolars and the midline of teeth using a facial photograph of the patient in which the cutting edges of the removed teeth are visible.

3. The step of second correcting the oral cavity image includes: correcting the gum line by removing any swollen gums or gums covering the abutment teeth in the intraoral image; setting a margin line to match the final contour line after a portion of the tooth surface has been removed; and setting an insertion path along which the dental prosthesis will be inserted into the intraoral image.

4. The step of generating a prosthetic image comprises: selecting a prosthetic shape from the design software library that is suited to the patient's needs and oral environment; and applying and arranging the selected prosthetic shape to the intraoral image.

5. The step of fabricating the dental prosthesis includes: manufacturing a primary dental prosthesis by primarily processing the prosthesis block using a milling device; and manufacturing a secondary dental prosthesis by processing the primary dental prosthesis using a polishing tool.

Images