Dentistry – Prosthodontics – Preliminary casting – model – or trial denture
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-22
2001-07-17
Manahan, Todd E. (Department: 3732)
Dentistry
Prosthodontics
Preliminary casting, model, or trial denture
C433S223000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06261098
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to an arrangement and method for recreating all or part of a model of a dental product, or instrument for a dental product, from information implemented in or supplied to manufacturing equipment, preferably in the form of CAD equipment. In this equipment, the model/model part with associated implant and/or tooth remnant(s) in a jaw bone can be simulated, and the simulated model/model part can be completely or partially divided into the implant and/or tooth remnant parts. For recreating the model/model part, information can be extracted from the manufacturing equipment.
The invention can, for example, be applied to an arrangement or method which uses an original model of tooth remnant parts in conjunction with production systems for a dental construction, for example in the form of a dental bridge, moulds for casting, pressing, etc. In one embodiment, the arrangement can be of the type in which the system comprises a reading apparatus which reads a tooth remnant representation in the original model and works preferably in the polar coordinates system with a reading axis inclined in relation to the respective reading surface. In addition, a levelling function can also be included so that it is possible, on each reading of the tooth remnant part representation in the original model, to read all the outer surface areas of the respective representation. In addition, the system uses CAD equipment which, with the aid of position information obtained from the reading and levelling functions, is arranged to display a reproduction or simulation of all or part of the original model. In interaction with a user, it is possible, on the said reproduction or simulation, on the one hand to produce the said construction/product or to divide the construction up into construction parts and identify the contact surfaces of the construction parts in terms of position and direction according to dental rules, and, on the other hand, to produce replicas of the individual construction parts.
STATE OF THE ART
In the production of dental bridges, casting moulds and press moulds, etc., for dental constructions, it is already known to read and produce the dental construction or product in question in construction parts which are sectioned and welded together according to the system of dental rules. It is also known to scan individual tooth remnant elements in an original model of the tooth remnant constellation in question. With levelling equipment it is in this case possible to transform the individual element (the tooth remnant representation) to a centre, for example a centre of rotation, around which the scanning is based. In the CAD equipment, tooth remnant representations of the original model can be recreated in a three-dimensional environment, and in interaction with one or more users (computer equipment, databases, etc.) a construction in question, for example a dental bridge, can be created in the computer environment. Each tooth part representation can be re-transformed in the computer environment about the said centre axis (axis of rotation), in which case, in a preferred embodiment, the manufacture of the individual element can be undertaken in accordance with the reading principle, i.e. the reading system (the reading needle and bearing member for the tooth remnant element) can move in the corresponding system according to which the machining is carried out. It should be noted here that reading and machining in the polar coordinates system can afford advantages in the form of considerable accuracy of the construction produced, despite the relatively small amount of reading information, which means, inter alia, that the reading and machining times are relatively short. However, the invention provides the possibility of scanning and machining in different coordinate systems.
It is also known to bring the construction parts thus manufactured together in welding equipment and, in this equipment, to laser-weld the construction parts via established contact surfaces.
It is also known that a dentist or dental technician can order a dental product via a telecommunications and/or computer connection. The product has in this case been tested in the original model for determining the correct fit, appearance, etc., after which any readjustments have been made.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION TECHNICAL PROBLEM
There is a need to be able to reduce the manufacturing times for different dental constructions or products or instruments for the constructions/products. It is known that dental bridges in particular can represent complex designs, which also require extremely high manufacturing precision (tolerances of about 0.01 mm). In cases where the manufacturing system and the original model are at different locations, the products or the original model have to be sent between the locations, which causes delays due to the postal service or other transport. The invention solves this problem, among others.
Hitherto, the manufacturing parts for dental bridges, especially complicated ones, have been long and have required great manual skill. It is expedient to be able to transfer or centralize areas of this skill to places and locations where there is expertise in machine handling. This paves the way for accelerated handling, while retaining high precision results. The invention is intended to solve this set of problems, among others.
The invention is based on the insight of manufacturing dental bridges by sectioning or dividing up the dental bridge construction generated in the computer equipment. There are special technical requirements that contact surfaces between construction parts must be indicated in the computer equipment and maintained through the manufacture of the construction parts and on transfer to the welding equipment. It is not already known to be able to create, for example, a whole dental bridge in a single unit. The invention also solves this problem.
In accordance with the invention, a levelling function is to be used for transforming starting positions and starting inclinations to reading and machining positions and reading and machining inclinations. It is important that an effective technical connection can be obtained between the reading, machining and levelling functions. The invention solves this problem too.
In the present invention, use is also made, in one embodiment, of the recognition that levelling panels afford the possibility of inputting information in a three-dimensional CAD environment. In this case, a position-fixing member (identification member) is used. The read-off data, the position-fixing members and information on the position of the member in the structure are sufficient for structure data to be transformed to a defined position in the three-dimensional reproduction. When all the necessary structures (representations) have been presented at their respective places in the CAD environment, construction work can begin. In accordance with the above, the said construction work can constitute the construction of a bridge on a number of prepared teeth, distancing pieces adapted to fixtures, etc. The dental constructions are, in accordance with the above, built up by forming individual parts which are then joined together to form a more complex structure, which means that the cross-sections which are later to be joined together are set out and dimensioned in accordance with current dental rules. The cross-section is given a position and a direction. The milling can take place with a centre of rotation which is identical to the centre of rotation upon reading. To achieve a very good final result, it is important that the abovementioned principles can be complied with in the novel arrangement and method associated with the invention. The invention solves this problem too.
SOLUTION
In accordance with the concept of the invention, a model will be recreated using the data of the original model input to the manufacturing equipment. That which can principally be regarded as characterizing an arrangement according to the invention is that t
Connolly Bove Lodge & Hutz
Manahan Todd #E.
Nobel Biocare AB
LandOfFree
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