Temporary Dental Prosthesis Scanning for Gingival Emergence Profile
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing dental restoration methods require pre-defined scan bodies for developing final prostheses, leading to increased treatment complexity and compromised aesthetic outcomes due to discrepancies between the gingival emergence profile of healing abutments and final prostheses.
Innovation Solution
A patient-specific temporary prosthesis (PSTP) is fabricated and scanned to generate scan data, allowing for the gingival tissue to heal around it, with subsequent modifications if necessary, enabling the creation of a permanent prosthesis without pre-defined scan bodies.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If pre-defined scan bodies are used for developing final prostheses, then scanning and data acquisition can be performed, but treatment complexity increases and aesthetic outcomes are compromised due to discrepancies between gingival emergence profile of healing abutments and final prostheses
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the pre-defined scan body from the treatment protocol entirely. Instead, the temporary prosthesis itself serves as the scanning reference object. This extraction eliminates the need for separate scan bodies and their associated attachment steps, directly reducing treatment complexity while maintaining scan data acquisition capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the function of the temporary prosthesis with the function of a scan body. The temporary prosthesis simultaneously serves as both the gingival healing component and the scanning reference object. This consolidation eliminates the need for separate components and reduces the number of treatment steps required
2Reliability
If standard round healing abutments are used, then the gingival tissue can heal around them, but the gingival emergence profile does not match the final prosthesis contour requiring additional visits and compromising aesthetics
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by giving the temporary prosthesis a non-uniform, tooth-specific contour that matches the intended final prosthesis shape. Different regions of the temporary prosthesis have different geometries tailored to guide the gingival tissue into the specific emergence profile required for that particular tooth position, rather than using a uniform round shape
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary shaping of the gingival emergence profile during the healing phase using the contoured temporary prosthesis. By establishing the correct gingival contour in advance, before the final prosthesis is delivered, the need for additional corrective visits is eliminated and aesthetic outcomes are improved
3Device complexity
If patient-specific temporary prosthesis is fabricated and scanned, then treatment complexity is reduced and restorative flexibility is enhanced, but additional fabrication steps are required
Solution Approach 1:
The patient-specific temporary prosthesis serves multiple functions including acting as its own scan body, guiding gingival healing, and providing the scanning reference. This self-service capability eliminates the need for separate scan bodies and reduces the number of components that need to be manufactured and managed, offsetting the custom fabrication requirement
Data Source
AI summary
A method of manufacturing a permanent prosthesis for attachment to a dental implant installed in a mouth of a patient includes scanning a patient specific temporary prosthesis (PSTP) to obtain scan data. The PSTP is attached to the dental implant in the mouth of the patient. Gingival tissue surrounding the PSTP is permitted to heal in the mouth of the patient. In response to aesthetics of the healed gingival tissue surrounding the PSTP in the mouth of the patient not being acceptable, the PSTP is physically modified by (i) removing material from the PSTP, (ii) adding material to the PSTP, or (iii) both. The modified PSTP is scanned and a permanent prosthesis is fabricated as a replica of the modified PSTP using scan data generated from the scan of the modified PSTP.