Interlocking Dental Restoration Molds for Precise Isolation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current dental restoration methods face challenges such as contamination risks due to inadequate isolation techniques, uncertainty in layering protocols for restorative materials, and difficulties in creating precise occlusal surface geometry, leading to time-consuming processes and suboptimal results.
Innovation Solution
Custom dental tools with patient-specific, interlocking mold bodies that provide precise fit and clamping, allowing for improved isolation, controlled material placement, and efficient restoration formation through 3D modeling and manufacturing techniques.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional isolation techniques (cotton rolls) are used, then the procedure is simpler to perform, but contamination risk increases and restoration longevity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The mold is divided into multiple segments including a facial mold body and a lingual mold body that can be separately positioned and secured. This segmentation allows for precise isolation of the restoration site while maintaining ease of application, resolving the contradiction between reliable isolation and operational simplicity.
2Manufacturing precision
If geometric guidance is provided on prepared tooth, then occlusal surface geometry precision improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Geometric guidance features such as occlusal guide planes and interproximal guide surfaces are pre-formed on the mold bodies before clinical application. This preliminary incorporation of geometric guidance eliminates the need for complex intraoperative adjustments while ensuring precise occlusal surface geometry, thus improving manufacturing precision without significantly increasing device complexity.
3Manufacturing precision
If custom interlocking mold bodies are used, then material placement control improves, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The mold is segmented into facial and lingual portions that interlock through complementary features. This segmentation enables precise control over material placement by defining specific mold cavity boundaries, while the modular nature of the segments allows for simplified manufacturing through separate fabrication and assembly, thus maintaining ease of manufacture.
4Productivity
If bulk fill materials are used for deep cavities, then filling speed increases, but layering control and shade accuracy decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The mold cavity is designed to accommodate bulk fill materials for the majority of the deep cavity portion, enabling rapid filling. The precise geometric guidance and controlled mold cavity boundaries allow for subsequent controlled placement of additional material layers if needed, thus achieving both high productivity through bulk fill and maintained manufacturing precision for shade layering when required.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a custom tool for forming a dental restoration in a mouth of a patient including an occlusal plane. The custom tool comprising a facial mold body for a patient-specific, customized fit with the facial side of at least one tooth of the patient, wherein the facial mold body includes a restorative portion and a first engagement portion extending away from the restorative portion, a lingual mold body for a patient-specific, customized fit with the lingual side of the tooth of the patient, wherein the lingual mold body includes a restorative portion and a first engagement portion extending away from the restorative portion. The first engagement portion of the facial mold body interlocks with the first engagement portion of the lingual mold body. The facial mold body and lingual mold body are configured to combine with the tooth of the patient to form a mold cavity encompassing missing tooth structure of at least one tooth to be restored. The first engagement portion of the facial mold body and the first engagement portion of the lingual mold body extend generally perpendicular to the occlusal plane, and wherein either (i) the first engagement portions are sized and shaped to be adjacent the posterior teeth of the patient, and the restorative portions are sized and shaped to mate with the anterior teeth; or (ii) the first engagement portions are sized and shaped to be adjacent the anterior teeth of the patient, and the restorative portions are sized and shaped to mate with the posterior teeth.