Dentistry – Method or material for testing – treating – restoring – or... – Crown
Patent
1993-02-11
1994-05-24
Mancene, Gene
Dentistry
Method or material for testing, treating, restoring, or...
Crown
433218, A61C 510, A61C 508
Patent
active
053143353
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS
This is a United States national filing of PCT application AU91/0300, filed Jul. 5, 1991, based upon Australian application PK 1780, filed Aug. 16, 1990.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to the construction of dental prostheses. A wide variety of crowns, inlays, facings and similar structures can be produced in accordance with the invention.
PRIOR ART
When replacing a portion of a damaged tooth, for example by the use of a dental crown, either one of two practices are common. The dental crown can be produced wholly from porcelain having an outer shape moulded to approximately the desired tooth shape and an inner cavity which is inserted over and cemented to the tooth preparation which is ground from the natural tooth. Alternatively, a porcelain cap is formed by painting a porcelain mixture over a metal core, such as foil or mesh, which has been formed so as to be cemented to the tooth preparation, and firing the cap to harden the porcelain and bond the porcelain to the core. While the second mentioned alternative is superior from a functional point of view as it can bear some mastication force, it is inferior from an aesthetic point of view.
DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION
The present invention, in one broad form, can be described as a dental prosthesis (defined herein as a crown, inlay, facing or the like) comprising an outer body functionable as a tooth, or part thereof, formed separately from and being fused or bonded to an initially partially flexible, textured insert which can be cemented to a tooth remnant.
By textured, it is meant that the interface between the insert and the body has a texture to provide a positive mechanical interlock.
It is preferred that the insert is stainless steel mesh, or other corrosion resistant tensile material mesh. The mesh supports the porcelain as well as provides a strong mechanical interlocking of the porcelain to the mesh by way of the oxide bonding material.
In one preferred embodiment the body is porcelain cast to approximately a desired tooth shape and is bonded to the mesh by baked porcelain. In an alternative preferred embodiment the body is porcelain formed about the mesh by baking to approximate a desired tooth shape.
The completed prosthesis device may be bonded to a prepared tooth remnant using dental cement, filling material or adhesive.
The prosthesis may be in a number of forms including a full crown, an inlay, a cosmetic facing, or an integral tip and facing.
In another broad form the invention can be described as a method of manufacturing a dental prosthesis comprising:
shaping a textured corrosion resistant flexible insert to a general cup shape so as to fit over an outer surface of a prepared tooth remnant, forming a dental outer body and bonding the body to the insert.
Preferably, in one alternative, the forming and bonding of the body occur as one step. In another alternative the body is semi-formed before inserting the insert and then finally fired causing bonding of the body to the insert.
The body may be a heat fusible porcelain.
The insert may be stainless steel mesh.
In one procedure, the tooth remnant is prepared and a mould taken in rubber, or the like. The mesh is then custom shaped in a dental laboratory to suit the mould before inserting the mesh into the body for final firing. The custom crown, or the like, is then a substantially perfect fit to the prepared remnant.
In an alternative procedure, a dental surgery is supplied with a range of sizes of fully formed crowns, or the like, from which an appropriate size is selected to suit the remaining teeth. The mesh will be sized according to the tooth size so as to ensure adequate strength, and the tooth remnant is prepared to be just slightly smaller than the mesh. Dental filling material, or the like, is placed in the cavity defined by the mesh and the crown, or the like is pressed into place on the remnant and held still for the curing period.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
By way of example only, various embodiments of the invention w
REFERENCES:
patent: 2105398 (1938-01-01), Barrett et al.
patent: 2194790 (1940-03-01), Gluck
patent: 4392829 (1983-07-01), Tanaka
patent: 4459112 (1984-07-01), Shoher et al.
patent: 4834656 (1989-05-01), Loudon
patent: 4846718 (1989-07-01), Rieger
The American Text Book of Prosthetic Dentistry, Ed C. R. Turner, published by Henry Kempton 4th Ed., 1913, pp. 703-715, See particularly FIG. 703.
Guide to Dental Materials & Devices, 8th Ed 1976-1978, published by American Dental Association, p. 116, last paragraph.
Lucchesi Nicholas D.
Mancene Gene
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