Dental Abutment with Visual Grinding Warning System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Dental abutments often require grinding to fit prosthetic elements, making it difficult for dentists to determine when further grinding would compromise stability, leading to potential breakage under load.
Innovation Solution
A ceramic abutment with a visually or acoustically distinguishable core and cover layer, using specific color pigments and materials to provide a warning system indicating when grinding would compromise stability, ensuring the core's minimum diameter is maintained for stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the abutment is ground to ensure proper fit of prosthetic elements, then the fit quality is improved, but the abutment thickness decreases and stability is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The abutment is segmented into two visually distinguishable parts: a core portion and a cover layer. The core represents the minimum stable structure, while the cover layer is the removable portion. This segmentation allows the dentist to visually monitor grinding progress and stop before compromising the core stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The core and cover layer are given different colors or color nuances to create a visual warning system. As the dentist grinds the abutment, the color change provides immediate visual feedback indicating when the cover layer is being removed and when the core is approaching, preventing over-grinding that would compromise stability.
2Loss of time
If the cover layer thickness is minimized to reduce grinding time, then the patient visit duration is reduced, but the risk of over-grinding and stability loss increases
Solution Approach 1:
The visual distinction between core and cover layer through color differences provides real-time feedback during grinding, allowing the dentist to efficiently remove the cover layer without excessive caution while maintaining safety margins.
Solution Approach 2:
The abutment provides its own warning system through the visual color difference, eliminating the need for additional measurement tools or complex procedures. The dentist can self-monitor the grinding progress by observing the color transition.
Data Source
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AI summary
The abutment (5) has a neck part (10), a cone part (15), a core (75) and a covering layer (70), where the core and the covering layer are visually and/or acoustically different from each other. An intermediate layer is arranged between the core and the covering layer. The neck part has a vertically running plane surface, which serves for securing rotation of a prosthodontics element to be attached on the abutment. An inlet extends over the abutment, and is designed in the form of an axial passage. An independent claim is also included for a method for producing an abutment.