DIGITALLY-MACHINED SMC DENTAL ARTICLES

• US 20100268363A1
• Filed: 11/20/2008
• Published: 10/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Original Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Inventors: Mitra, Sumita B., Karim, Naimul
• Application Number:
  US12/742,114
• Publication Number:
  US 20100268363A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/98
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 13/0004 Computer-assisted sizing or machining of dental prostheses
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 13/0022 Blanks or green, unfinished dental restoration parts
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 13/087 Artificial resin teeth A61C13/081 takes precedence; preparations A61K6/80
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 5/77 Methods or devices for making crowns

Abstract

A dental article is fabricated from an SMC material using three-dimensional data captured from natural dentition to guide a computer-controlled milling machine. The three-dimensional data may include scans of an original tooth structure and a prepared tooth surface to characterize all surfaces of a dental article, or certain features may be created within a computer-assisted design environment taking account of occlusion, proximal contacts, and the like. In addition the model applied to a computer-controlled milling machine may account for shrinkage of the SMC material during any post-milling curing steps in order to ensure an accurate fit to the prepared tooth surface.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing a dental mill blank comprising a self-supporting, malleable, curable (SMC) material;

scanning dentition to obtain a scan result;

processing the scan result to obtain a three-dimensional digital model for controlling a digitally-controlled milling machine;

fabricating a dental article from the dental mill blank using the three-dimensional digital model and the digitally-controlled milling machine; and

curing the dental article to provide a cured dental article.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising adjusting the three-dimensional digital model to compensate for shrinkage to the dental article during curing.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein adjusting the three-dimensional digital model includes compensating for monolithic shrinkage.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising securing the cured dental article to a prepared tooth surface.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising securing the dental article to a prepared tooth surface before curing the dental article.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising adjusting one or more proximal contacts of the dental article before curing the dental article.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein scanning dentition includes scanning a tooth surface before preparation of the surface for the dental article.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising creating at least one surface of the three-dimensional digital model using the scan of the tooth surface.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein scanning dentition includes scanning a prepared tooth surface.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising creating at least one surface of the three-dimensional digital model using the scan of the prepared tooth surface.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising manually reshaping the dental article to obtain a desired exterior surface for the dental article.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising placing the cured dental article into an articulating model and adjusting an occlusal fit of the cured dental article.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising placing the dental article into an articulating model and adjusting an occlusal fit of the dental article before curing.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the SMC material includes a resin system with a crystalline component, a filler system, and an initiator system.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the SMC material includes:

a resin system comprising at least one ethylenically unsaturated component and a crystalline component;

greater than 60 wt-% of a filler system; and

an initiator system;

wherein the SMC material exhibits sufficient malleability at a temperature of about 15°

C. to 38°

C.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the SMC material includes a polymerizable compound and an organogelator.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the organogelator is a polymerizable organogelator.

18. The method of claim 1 further comprising partially curing the dental article to provide a partially cured dental article and manually reshaping the partially cured dental article to obtain a desired exterior shape.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein the dental article includes a restoration.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the restoration includes a dental article selected from the group consisting of a bridge, a crown, an inlay, and an onlay.