COMPUTER MACHINED DENTAL TOOTH SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20070190492A1
• Filed: 04/24/2007
• Published: 08/16/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bankruptcy Estate Of Voxelogix Corporation
• Original Assignee: Dental Implant Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Schmitt, Stephen
• Granted Patent: US 8,043,091 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 433/213
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 13/0004 Computer-assisted sizing or machining of dental prostheses
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 9/0046 Data acquisition means or methods
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 50/00 Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 80/00 Products made by additive manufacturing

Abstract

A method and system for making a dental prosthetic includes, for example, arranging a first virtual tooth image relative to a second virtual tooth image on a virtual denture set and locating a first actual prosthetic tooth relative to a second actual prosthetic tooth in a manner corresponding to the arranged first and second virtual images. The method also may include performing at least one Boolean operation to remove a portion of the first virtual tooth image and the second virtual tooth image and machining the first actual prosthetic tooth and the second actual prosthetic tooth to remove a portion correspond to material removed by the Boolean operation performed on the first and second virtual tooth images.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing a dental prosthetic, comprising:

arranging a first virtual tooth image relative to a second virtual tooth image on a virtual denture set;

locating a first actual prosthetic tooth relative to a second actual prosthetic tooth in a manner corresponding to the arranged first and second virtual images;

performing at least one Boolean operation to remove a portion of the first virtual tooth image and the second virtual tooth image; and

machining the first actual prosthetic tooth and the second actual prosthetic tooth to remove a portion correspond to material removed by the Boolean operation performed on the first and second virtual tooth images.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising:

generating a virtual positioning block having indentations shaped to fit the first and second virtual teeth images; and

manufacturing an actual positioning block corresponding to the virtual positioning block.

3. The method of claim 2, including placing the first and second actual prosthetic teeth in the indentations in the actual positioning block and wherein machining the first and second prosthetic teeth is performed with the first and second actual prosthetic teeth in the indentations.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the generating a virtual positioning block includes creating the virtual block over the first and second virtual teeth images and removing the shape of the first and second virtual teeth from the virtual block.

5. The method of claim 1, including generating a virtual image of a dental cast of a portion of a patient'"'"'s inner mouth.

6. The method of claim 5, including creating one of a record base and a wax rim based on the virtual image of the dental cast.

7. The method of claim 6, including one of:

machining the one of the record base and the wax rim; and

digital layer manufacturing the one of the record base and the wax rim.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein machining the first and second actual prosthetic teeth includes:

generating programming data for operating a tool cutting machine to cut shapes corresponding to the virtual material removed by the Boolean operation; and

transferring the programming data to the tool cutting machine.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second virtual tooth images are computer generated 3-D models.

10. The method of claim 1, comprising:

receiving information relating to alignment of the first and second actual prosthetic teeth relative to a patient'"'"'s opposing dental elements; and

generating virtual images of the patient'"'"'s opposing dental elements;

recording the information relating to the alignment to determine virtual interferences between the first virtual tooth image and opposing virtual dental elements; and

removing at least a portion of the virtual interferences using Boolean operations.

11. The method of claim 1, including scanning the first and the second actual prosthetic teeth to generate the first virtual tooth image and second virtual tooth image, respectively.

12. A method of manufacturing a dental prosthetic, comprising:

preparing a first try-in prosthetic having actual prosthetic teeth for a patient, the first try-in prosthetic being one of an upper dental prosthetic and a lower dental prosthetic;

receiving information relating to alignment of the first try-in prosthetic within a patient'"'"'s mouth relative to dental elements of the opposing arch;

recording the information relating to the alignment as virtual images;

determining virtual interferences between the first try-in prosthetic and the dental elements of the opposing arch; and

machining the actual prosthetic teeth to remove interferences.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first try-in is formed in wax, and further including:

removing the wax from the actual prosthetic teeth; and

fixing the actual prosthetic teeth relative to each other with a binding material.

14. The method of claim 13, including machining the fixed prosthetic teeth to remove processing error introduced when performing one of said removing the wax and fixing the actual prosthetic teeth.

15. A method of manufacturing a dental prosthetic, comprising:

generating a virtual dental cast corresponding to an actual dental cast of a portion of a patient'"'"'s inner mouth;

generating a virtual record base and a virtual rim;

virtually locating a virtual tooth image at desired location relative to at least one of the virtual dental cast, the virtual rim, and the virtual record base;

locating an actual prosthetic tooth corresponding to the virtual tooth image on a corresponding location on the actual dental cast.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein generating a virtual dental cast includes scanning the actual dental cast.

17. The method of claim 15, further including:

creating an actual record base and an actual rim using one of an NC mill and a digital layer manufacturing system, including;

generating programming data for operating the one of an NC mill and a digital layer manufacturing system, and

transferring the programming data to the one of an NC mill and a digital layer manufacturing system.

18. A method of manufacturing a dental prosthetic, comprising:

generating a virtual image of a rim configured to fit an alveolar ridge of a patient;

selecting a virtual tooth image of at least one tooth from a memory storing a plurality of virtual tooth images, the virtual tooth image corresponding to an actual prosthetic tooth;

arranging the virtual tooth image at a desired location on the image of the rim;

performing a Boolean operation to remove a portion of the virtual tooth image;

creating a virtual positioning block overlapping the virtual tooth image;

removing the virtual tooth image from the virtual positioning block to generate a virtual indentation in the virtual positioning block matching the virtual tooth;

machining an actual positioning block to have an actual indentation corresponding to the virtual indentation;

placing the actual prosthetic tooth into the indentation in the actual positioning block;

generating first programming data for operating a tool cutting machine to cut a shape corresponding to the portion of the virtual tooth image removed by the Boolean operation;

transferring the first programming data to the tool cutting machine;

machining the actual prosthetic tooth to remove material corresponding to the portion removed from the virtual tooth image by the Boolean operation;

preparing a first try-in prosthetic including the actual prosthetic tooth for the patient, the first try-in prosthetic being one of an upper dental prosthetic and a lower dental prosthetic;

receiving information relating to alignment of the first try-in prosthetic within the patient'"'"'s mouth;

recording the information relating to the alignment as virtual images;

determining virtual interferences between the first try-in prosthetic and patient'"'"'s opposing dental elements;

removing at least a part of the virtual interferences in the virtual image by a Boolean operation;

generating second programming data for operating a tool cutting machine to cut shapes corresponding to the virtual interferences removed by the Boolean operation;

transferring the second programming data to the tool cutting machine; and

machining the actual prosthetic tooth to match the virtual tooth image and remove the real interferences.

19. A method of manufacturing an immediate denture, comprising:

generating a virtual image of a dental cast, the virtual image including the teeth of the dental cast;

virtually removing the teeth from the virtual image to create a virtual alveolar ridge;

selecting a virtual tooth image from a memory storing a plurality of tooth images, the virtual tooth image corresponding to an actual prosthetic tooth;

arranging the virtual tooth image at a desired location on the virtual image of the virtual alveolar ridge;

using a Boolean operation to remove a portion of the virtual tooth image;

generating programming data for operating a tool cutting machine to cut shapes corresponding to the portion of the virtual tooth image removed by the Boolean operation;

transferring the programming data to the tool cutting machine; and

machining the actual prosthetic tooth to remove material to match the virtual tooth image.

20. A method of treating a dental patient, comprising:

scanning the patient'"'"'s head with a CT scanner to generate a virtual head image of the patient'"'"'s head;

removing the patients virtual teeth from the virtual head image;

selecting a virtual tooth image from a memory storing a plurality of tooth images, the virtual tooth image corresponding to an actual prosthetic tooth;

arranging the virtual tooth image at a desired location on the virtual head image; and

displaying the virtual tooth image in the virtual head image.