Digital Impression Coping for Patient-Specific Restoration Fabrication
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for designing dental restorations are time-consuming, costly, and prone to errors due to the need for physical replication of dental anatomy, which is affected by variability in implant position and angulation.
Innovation Solution
A digital impression coping is affixed to the implant or abutment, imaged via intra-oral computed tomography, and correlated with CAD software to design patient-specific prosthetic restorations without physical replication, using radiopaque materials and imaging technologies.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional physical replication methods are used to design dental restorations, then the restoration can be fabricated, but the process becomes time-consuming and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical physical replication system (impression copings, physical models, laboratory techniques) with a digital imaging and computational system. Intra-oral scanners and CT imaging capture digital impressions directly, which are then processed by software to create accurate 3D models and design restorations, eliminating the time-consuming manual replication process while maintaining or improving precision
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates digital copies (virtual models) of the patient's dental anatomy instead of physical replicas. The digital impression coping contains encoded spatial information that is copied and processed computationally to generate the restoration design, replacing the traditional physical model-making process with efficient digital data replication and manipulation
2Manufacturing precision
If physical replication techniques are used, then dental restorations can be designed, but the process becomes costly and error-prone
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces error-prone manual physical replication techniques with automated digital imaging and computer-aided design systems. The digital workflow eliminates human errors associated with manual model making, physical measurements, and laboratory techniques, while providing more straightforward and reliable manufacturing processes through computational design
Solution Approach 2:
The digital impression coping automatically captures and encodes the spatial relationship information between the implant and surrounding anatomy. The system performs self-measurement and self-documentation of the implant position, angulation, and orientation without requiring manual intervention, thereby simplifying the manufacturing process and reducing errors
3Measurement precision
If digital imaging methods are used to capture implant position, then accuracy is improved, but the need for physical models is eliminated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a digital impression coping as an intermediary device that bridges the physical implant and the digital imaging system. This coping contains encoded spatial information and serves as a mediator that translates the physical implant position into digital data that can be accurately captured by imaging systems and processed by software, simplifying the overall system while maintaining high precision
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Provides accurate and efficient design and fabrication of dental restorations by eliminating the need for physical models, reducing time and costs while ensuring precise implant positioning and angulation.
Implementation Method 1
Digital impression copings for computed tomography and related imaging methods are made from radiopaque materials
Data Source
AI summary
Taking a digital implant or abutment level digital impression by means of intra-oral, computed tomography or other imaging method provides the restorative doctor and laboratory accurate and effective data for determining the implant position, angulation and locking feature orientation without a physical impression. Such data is correlated with a digital library to produce an output which enables design and fabrication of an accurate restorative device such as a prosthetic tooth or crown. In this way the time-consuming, costly and error prone mechanical replication of the relevant dental anatomy is obviated.