Custom Anatomical Healing Cap for Gingival Preservation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional healing caps in dental surgery fail to preserve the natural aesthetic and functional characteristics of gingival tissue after tooth extraction, leading to loss of desirable aesthetic features like the gingival cuff, interdental papilla, and buccal prominence during the healing process.
Innovation Solution
The development of customizable sculptable anatomical healing caps and associated casting jigs that allow practitioners to manufacture anatomically matched healing caps with asymmetrical cross-sections and irregular surfaces, which can be customized to fit individual tooth positions, preserving the emergence profile and supporting the gingival tissue.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional healing caps are used, then the healing process can proceed, but the natural aesthetic characteristics of gingival tissue (gingival cuff, interdental papilla, buccal prominence) are lost
Solution Approach 1:
The healing cap is designed with different regional zones (gingival cuff region, interdental papilla region, buccal prominence region) that replicate the specific anatomical characteristics of natural gingival tissue. Each zone has tailored geometry and surface properties to maintain local tissue architecture during healing, rather than using a uniform design.
Solution Approach 2:
The healing cap employs asymmetrical geometry to match the non-uniform natural anatomy of gingival tissue. The cap features varying heights, contours, and cross-sectional shapes that correspond to the asymmetrical arrangement of gingival attachments, interdental spaces, and buccal contours in the oral cavity.
2Shape
If custom anatomical healing caps are manufactured, then aesthetic preservation is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The casting jig is divided into multiple modular components including a body portion, a healing cap portion, and an implant portion. Each module can be independently designed, manufactured, and assembled. The jig body contains cavities that define the anatomical shape, while separate components allow for customization without redesigning the entire system.
Solution Approach 2:
The casting jig is pre-configured with cavities and features that automatically form the desired anatomical characteristics of the healing cap during the casting process. The preliminary design of the jig's cavity geometry ensures that the healed cap acquires the correct asymmetrical shape and surface features without requiring post-manufacturing adjustments.
3Productivity
If commercial healing caps are used, then immediate availability is ensured, but costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables dental practitioners to manufacture their own custom anatomical healing caps using the provided casting jig and standard dental casting materials. This self-service capability eliminates the need to purchase expensive pre-fabricated commercial healing caps while allowing immediate production of customized caps in the dental office setting.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods for taking a scan of a patient's oral cavity for use in fabricating a dental prosthesis. Such methods may include providing a healing cap configured to be received within a subgingival void of a given tooth position, taking a first scan of the healing cap, wherein the first scan is taken outside of a patient's oral cavity, seating the healing cap, taking a second scan, which is an intraoral scan of the healing cap and surrounding surfaces once the healing cap is seated, taken inside the patient's oral cavity; and integrating the first scan of the healing cap with the intraoral second scan of the healing cap and the surrounding surfaces into an overall oral cavity scan. A third scan, (e.g., 3D cone beam scan), can also be taken, which is overlaid or otherwise integrated with the first and second scans, for use in fabrication of a dental prosthesis.