Dentistry – Prosthodontics – Tooth construction
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-08
2001-01-16
Lucchesi, Nicholas D. (Department: 3732)
Dentistry
Prosthodontics
Tooth construction
Reexamination Certificate
active
06174168
ABSTRACT:
The invention relates to prosthetic teeth and the fabrication of mold parts to make prosthetic teeth. The invention provides multiple part dental tooth molds and prosthetic teeth with an enamel layer having zones of uniform thickness. Prosthetic teeth in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention are readily articulable within sets and proportionally consistent within families. Prosthetic teeth in accordance with the invention are useful for making full and/or partial dentures, and as crowns, implant teeth and shade guides having prosthetic teeth thereon.
Tooth molds are used in the dental industry for the manufacture of artificial teeth. Refining steps include a final finish-polish step, which provides a mold of high-definition of the surface properties of the artificial tooth to be produced by molding tooth making material therein.
Dehoff et al in U.S. Pat. No. 5,452,219 (Case 1619) disclose a method for making a tooth mold. Erdle in Australia 124,083 disclose ceramic articles and material and method for coloring or shading the same. Saffir in U.S. Pat. No. 2,380,568 disclose artificial tooth. Kelly in U.S. Pat. No. 2,514,075 disclose artificial tooth. Erdle in U.S. Pat. No. 2,517,100 disclose method of forming ceramic articles and producing different colors or shades along different potions of the article. Budish in U.S. Pat. No. 2,643,455 disclose artificial teeth. Rydin in U.S. Pat. No. 2,677,150 disclose method in producing artificial teeth. Slack, Jr. in U.S. Pat. No. 2,678,470 disclose polymerizing method. Saffir in U.S. Pat. No. 3,126,429 disclose method of casting teeth having different colored layers. Connan in U.S. Pat. No. 3,218,711 disclose artificial teeth. Swinson in U.S. Pat. No. 3,861,044 teaches a method of fitting a tooth with a dental inlay. Heitlinger et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 4,324,546 disclose an apparatus and method for the manufacture of dentures. Tanaka in U.S. Pat. No. 4,392,829 disclose metal porcelain dental restoration and method of making. Faunce in U.S. Pat. No. 4,433,959 disclose composite laminate dental veneer containing color systems. White in U.S. Pat. No. 4,436,684 describes methods of making three dimension models and mold cavities of internal body structure.
Tanaka in U.S. Pat. No. 4,481,227 disclose method of coloring bakable porcelain dental restorations. Moermann et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 4,575,805 disclose a method and a apparatus for the fabrication of custom-shaped implants.
Duret et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 4,611,288 describe a system for taking an impression of a body region for the production of a prosthesis.
Moermann et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 4,615,678 teach a blank from which an implant can be machined by an apparatus of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,575,805. Miller in U.S. Pat. No. 4,617,159 disclose method of molding a dental shade sample. Amdur et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 4,645,454 disclose porcelain products and methods. Blair et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 4,650,418 disclose dental restoration shading. Duret et al. in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,663,720 and 4,742,464 disclose a method of making a dental prosthesis. Watanabe et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 4,681,633 disclose high strength calcium phosphate glass ceramic materials. Corbett in U.S. Pat. No. 4,722,689 disclose coated temporary dental crowns. Brandestini et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 4,766,704 describe a method and apparatus for machining a custom-shaped dental restorative part from a blank of dental material in a single operation. Brandestini et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 4,837,732 teach a method of facilitating acquisition of data defining the three-dimensional shape of prepared teeth and their immediate vicinity.
Rotsaert in U.S. Pat. No. 4,970,032 disclose processes for the manufacture of artificial teeth and crowns. Grossman et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,089,306 disclose glazing dental constructs. Hasegawa et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,127,834 disclose artificial teeth and method for making them. Rotsaert in U.S. Pat. No. 5,151,044 disclose blanks for the manufacture of artificial teeth and crowns. Emmons in U.S. Pat. No. 5,308,243 disclose method and compositions for producing life-like dental porcelain restorations and dental porcelain restorations so produced. Oden in U.S. Pat. No. 5,342,201 disclose method of manufacturing ceramic artificial tooth restorations.
It is an object of the invention to provide artificial teeth with an enamel layer having zones of constant thickness.
It is an object of the invention to provide a family of prosthetic teeth, including a first tooth in a first set of teeth having a first overall labial length, and a first back length, and a second tooth in a second set of teeth having a second overall labial length, and a second back length, wherein the ratio of the first to the second overall labial length is substantially equal to the ratio of the first to the second back length.
It is an object of the invention to provide a prosthetic tooth including a tooth body having two generally symmetrical curved grooves between three curved ridges on the labial face of the body at the incisal end of the body, wherein the grooves are deepest at the incisal end and extend substantially from the incisal edge to at least about 15 percent of the overall tooth length.
It is an object of the invention to provide an image of at least a portion of at least one upper tooth and at least one lower tooth, each said tooth being from the same side of the same set of teeth, modifying initial data corresponding to the image to form modified data, molding modified prosthetic teeth in molds made using the modified data, whereby, during articulation the modified prosthetic teeth contact along a larger proportion of tooth surface than prosthetic teeth made in molds using the initial data.
Set of teeth as used herein refers to teeth to be used for the same individual, such as is a single denture whether full or partial.
Family of teeth as used herein refers to sets of teeth of different sizes and/or shades but having common shapes.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A prosthetic tooth having an enamel layer which has a zone of substantially constant thickness. This tooth is molded using a dental tooth mold part prepared by imaging a dental pattern of a prosthetic tooth shade layer and/or shader mold part outer surface, and forming the dental pattern in a mold by program directed milling.
The invention provides a family of prosthetic teeth, including a first tooth in a first set of teeth has a first overall labial length, and a first back length, and a second tooth in a second set of teeth has a second overall labial length, and a second back length. The ratio of the first overall labial length to the second overall labial length is substantially equal to the ratio of the first back length to the second back length. Preferably the first tooth has a first shade length and the second tooth has a second shade length and the ratio of the first shade length to the first overall labial length is substantially equal to the ratio of the second shade length to the second overall labial length.
The invention provides a prosthetic tooth including a tooth body having two generally symmetrical curved grooves between three curved ridges on the labial face of the body at the incisal end of the body. The grooves are deepest at the incisal end and extend substantially from the incisal edge to at least about 15 percent of the overall tooth length.
The invention provides a method of making readily articulable prosthetic teeth by displaying an image of at least a portion of at least one upper tooth and at least one lower tooth from the same side of the same set of teeth, then modifying initial data corresponding to the image to form modified data, molding readily articulable prosthetic teeth in molds made using the modified data, whereby, during articulation the readily articulable prosthetic teeth contact along a larger proportion of tooth surface than prosthetic teeth made in molds using the initial data.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3218711 (1965-11-01), Connan
patent: 3395454 (1968-08-01), Frush
patent: 3449832 (1969-06-01),
Dehoff Barry
McGraw Jeffrey
McNulty James
Reynolds Vickie
Shue Roger
Bieber James B.
Dentsply Research & Development Corp
Lovercheck Dale R.
Lucchesi Nicholas D.
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