Dentistry – Prosthodontics – Preliminary casting – model – or trial denture
Reexamination Certificate
1999-02-23
2001-05-01
Lewis, Ralph A. (Department: 3732)
Dentistry
Prosthodontics
Preliminary casting, model, or trial denture
C264S018000, C433S167000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06224375
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a method of making dental prostheses, and prosthetics made thereby. More specifically, the invention relates to a method of making dentures and dentures made by such methods. Most specifically, the invention relates to a method of making a new denture by making a copy of an existing denture and modifying that copy, as necessary, to make a new denture.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Various forms of dental prosthetics, such as so-called “false teeth” have been around of hundreds of years. Many American school children learn that President George Washington wore 18th century dentures which were often ill fitting and which are displayed today at his Mount Vernon home in Alexandria, Va.
Twentieth century examples of dental prosthetics, such as dentures and individual prosthetic teeth are known from the following United States Patents:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,201,657 to Koukos
U.S. Pat. No. 4,500,291 to Davis et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,899,521 to Nudell
U.S. Pat. No. 3,251,910 to Barnhart
U.S. Pat. No. 3,431,330 to Cornell
U.S. Pat. No. 4,024,637 to Colpitts
U.S. Pat. No. 4,431,420 to Adair
U.S. Pat. No. 4,470,815 to Hazar
U.S. Pat. No. 4,681,543 to Monroy
U.S. Pat. No. 4,521,193 to Cialone
U.S. Pat. No. 5,304,063 to Ginsburg
U.S. Pat. No. 5,403,186 to Ginsburg
U.S. Pat. No. 5,711,668 to Huestis
However, even the most recent known methods of forming dental prostheses and dentures manufactured thereby have significant drawbacks.
Such drawbacks include, in the case of dentures, for example, that a patient must return as many as six (6) to eight (8) times for follow-up appointments in order to have the dentist reshape and reconfigure the denture so that it seats properly in the patient's mouth and feels correct to the patient. Thus, not only are such dentures poor replacements for the patient's existing worn (“old”) dentures which must be replaced, but such replacement (“new”) dentures often do not feel “right” to the patient.
The multiple return visits to the dentist office are not only annoying to the paying customer, the patient, but also cost the dentist time and money, reduce patient confidence in the dentist, and, occasionally, one losses the patient's patronage.
Other drawbacks of improperly fitting dentures, for example, include patient discomfort, patient dissatisfaction, improperly fitting dentures which tend to move in the patient's mouth and become dislodged, thus impairing the patient's speech and necessitating the use of denture adhesives to compensate for the poor fit, and even a refusal of the patient to wear the ill-fitting dentures.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the invention to overcome the drawbacks of the prior art methods and devices.
Another object of the invention is to improve the accuracy and fit of dental prosthetics
A further object of the invention is to fabricate new dental prosthetics based on existing or worn dental prosthetics.
A still further object of the invention is to produce modified and corrected new dental prosthetics based on existing or worn dental prosthetics.
A still further object of the invention is to reduce the amount of time required for fabricating new dental prosthetics.
A related object of the invention is to reduce the amount of “chair time” for patients in a dentist's office, for reducing the time required of the patient as well as of the dentist.
Yet another object of the invention is to fabricate dental prosthetics, such as dentures, in two (2) visits to a dentist's office, as opposed to the six (6) or more visits often required by prior art methods.
Yet another object of the invention is to eliminate mounting of models of the dentures on an articulator, for example, in the dentist's office, so that such mounting can be performed more accurately in a laboratory.
A further object of the invention is to eliminate errors which arise during the articulation of models of dental prosthetics, such as often arise during the so-called “pour and mount” method of making dentures.
A yet still further object of the invention is to provide a method of making dental prosthetics which allows the doctor to check and/or implement any corrections to the new dental prosthetics to be made during a patient's first visits to the dentist's office.
Another object of the invention is to provide for a method and dental prosthetic made thereby which allow the technicians associated with the method to have a visual image of the existing denture (as modified/corrected) so that a better dental prosthetic can be made than could be made by prior art methods.
A further object of the invention is to provide for a method of making dental prosthetics which eliminates the requirement for written and numerical information as a guide to construction of a new dental prosthetic, such as written placement information pertaining to the locations of pre-cast prosthetic teeth on the new denture.
Another object of the invention is to minimize the amount of time a patient must wait between his or her initial office visit and the delivery of a completed dental prosthetic, such as a denture.
A yet still further object of the invention is to eliminate the possibility of errors in the new dental prosthetic because of a lack of skills by a dental assistant.
Another object of the invention is to transfer desirable data from the patient's mouth and jaw and/or from an existing dental prosthetic, such as a worn denture to a new denture so that a proper fit and a desirable “feel” is achieved for the patient, while modifying/correcting any undesirable aspects of the existing denture as determined by the dentist.
Another object of the invention is to slow the resorption of bone in the patient's mouth by providing a denture which fits better (e.g., more accurately) than known dentures.
Yet another object of the invention is to eliminate the prior art technique of using gauges to measure the location of teeth to yield a list of numbers by which a lab technician would place prosthetic teeth in a new denture.
A further object of the invention is to eliminate the possibility that an existing dental prosthetic, such as a denture, is broken during the process of using the existing denture as a basis for making a new denture.
Yet another object of the invention is to make a copy of an existing denture during a first office visits so that such copy can be placed in the patient's mouth for an initial fitting during the first office visit.
A still further object of the invention is to modify a copy of the existing denture on a first office visit, such as by placement of a copy of the existing denture in the patient's mouth during the first office visit.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a method of making a copy of an existing denture during a first office visit that may be shipped to a central location, such as a lab, for conversion into a new denture.
Another object of the invention is to provide a method of making dental prosthetics which avoids fluid pour resin methods which have been known to cause allergic reactions in some patients.
Another object of the invention is to embody all the patient's physical “records” (i.e., the required data such as vertical location, the bite, the position of the teeth) in a physical model as opposed to written records.
Another object of the invention is to provide a method of producing dental prosthetics, such as dentures, which may be used for providing complete upper and lower dentures simultaneously, providing upper dentures alone for patients having natural lower teeth, as well as providing partial dentures.
A yet still further object of the invention is to reduce the number of technicians required to produce dental prosthetics.
Another object of the invention is to reduce the dentist's apprehension associated with shipping off prior art written specifications (i.e., a prescription for a new denture) without having had an opportunity to give the patient a physical fitting (“try-in”) of the mo
Diasti Adam
Philip, Jr. Graham K.
Lewis Ralph A.
Shlesinger & Arkwright & Garvey LLP
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