Prefabricated components for dental appliances

• US 6,186,790 B1
• Filed: 11/12/1998
• Issued: 02/13/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Pentron Clinical Technologies, LLC (Danaher Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Jeneric/Pentron Incorporated (Danaher Corporation)
• Inventors: Karmaker, Ajit, Prasad, Arun, Schulman, Martin L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lewis, Ralph A.
• Application Number:
  US09/190,806
• Time in Patent Office: 824 Days
• Field of Search: 433/180, 433/181, 433/190, 433/215, 433/224
• US Class Current: 433/215
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 13/0003 Making bridge-work, inlays, implants or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 13/0022 Blanks or green, unfinished dental restoration parts
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 5/30 Securing inlays, onlays or crowns

Abstract

Ready-to-use preshaped, prefabricated cured structural components are prepared in a variety of shapes and sizes to be used in the fabrication of dental appliances. Preferably the structural components are fabricated of a fiber-reinforced composite material comprising fibers impregnated with a polymeric matrix. The polymeric matrix is partially or fully cured to the point of sufficient hardness to provide a ready-to-use structural component for use in the fabrication of dental appliances such as orthodontic retainers, bridges, space maintainers, tooth replacement appliances, splints, crowns, partial crowns, dentures, posts, teeth, jackets, inlays, onlays, facings, veneers, facets, implants, abutments, cylinders, and connectors.

Claims

1. A ready-to-use pontic for use in the fabrication of a dental appliance system wherein the pontic comprises one or more pontic sections and one or more sets of interpoximal extensions extending through and out of the pontic sections and comprising:

a prefabricated preshaped cured fiber-reinforced composite material comprising a polymeric matrix which is formed from a resin, a filler component, and a reinforcing fiber component;

wherein the fiber-reinforced composite material comprises fibers distributed uniformly in the resin and wherein all the fibers are thoroughly wetted by the resin; and

wherein the fiber reinforced composite material is shaped and cured to a hardness for use in the dental appliance system.

2. The pontic of claim 1 wherein the fiber-reinforced composite is structurally shaped for immediate use in dental appliance systems.

3. The pontic of claim 1 wherein the component is modified by machining, cutting or carving.

4. The pontic of claim 1 wherein the shape of the cross-section of the interproximal extensions is selected from the group consisting of a square, rectangle, triangle, rhomboid, ovoid, and cylinder.

5. The component of claim 1 wherein the pontic is either curved or straight.

6. The pontic of claim 1 wherein the fiber-reinforced composite material has undergone full polymerization.

7. The pontic of claim 1 wherein the dental appliance system is selected from the group consisting of orthodontic retainers, bridges, space maintainers, tooth replacement appliances, splints, crowns, partial crowns, dentures, posts, teeth, jackets, inlays, onlays, facings, veneers, facets, implants, cylinders, abutments and connectors.

8. The pontic of claim 1 further including a coating thereon.

9. The pontic of claim 1 wherein the fiber-reinforced composite material further includes one or more layers of composite material.

10. The pontic of claim 1 further including a constituent selected from the group of woven fabric, nonwoven fabric and mixtures thereof.

11. The pontic of claim 10 wherein the fabric is preimpregnated with a polymeric material.

12. A dental restoration which comprises the component of claim 1.

13. The dental restoration of claim 12 selected from the group consisting of orthodontic retainers, bridges, space maintainers, tooth replacement appliances, splints, crowns, partial crowns, dentures, posts, teeth, jackets, inlays, onlays, facings, veneers, facets, implants, abutments, cylinders, and connectors.

14. An implant system comprising one or more sections manufactured from the components of claim 1.

15. A kit for the fabrication of a dental appliance comprising:

one or more ready-to-use components wherein the one or more ready-to-use components comprises a prefabricated preshaped cured fiber-reinforced composite material comprising a polymeric matrix, a filler component, and a reinforcing fiber component;

wherein the one or more ready-to-use components comprise pontics;

wherein the pontics comprise one or more pontic sections and one or more sets of interpoximal extensions extending through and out of the pontic sections and comprising a prefabricated preshaped cured fiber-reinforced composite material comprising a polymeric matrix which is formed by a resin, a filler component, and a reinforcing fiber component;

wherein the fiber-reinforced composite material comprises fibers distributed uniformly in the resin and wherein all the fibers are thoroughly wetted by the resin; and

wherein the fiber reinforced composite material is shaped and cured to a hardness for use in the dental appliance system.

16. The kit of claim 15 wherein the components further comprise bars.

17. The kit of claim 16 wherein the bars and pontics are of a variety of different shades.

18. The kit of claim 15 wherein the components further comprise blocks.

19. The kit of claim 18 wherein the blocks are of a variety of different dimensions and different cross-sectional configurations.

20. The kit of claim 18 wherein the blocks are of a variety of different shades.

21. The kit of claim 15 wherein the pontics are single unit and multiple unit pontics.

22. The kit of claim 15 wherein the bars and pontics are of a variety of different dimensions and different cross-sectional configurations.

23. The kit of claim 15 further comprising composite material, fiber-reinforced composite material and filler material.

24. A dental restoration comprising:

a pontic for use in the fabrication of a dental appliance system wherein the pontic comprises one or more pontic sections and one or more sets of interpoximal extensions extending through and out of the pontic sections and comprising a prefabricated preshaped cured fiber-reinforced composite material comprising a polymeric matrix which is formed by a resin, a filler component, and a reinforcing fiber component;

wherein the fiber-reinforced composite material comprises fibers distributed uniformly in the resin and wherein all the fibers are thoroughly wetted by the resin.

25. The dental restoration of claim 24 wherein the pontic is modified prior to the incorporation into the dental restoration.

26. A blank for the manufacture of a dental restoration comprising:

a prefabricated preshaped cured fiber-reinforced composite material comprising a polymeric matrix which is formed by a resin, a filler component, and a reinforcing fiber component, wherein the fiber-reinforced composite material comprises fibers distributed uniformly in the resin and wherein all the fibers are thoroughly wetted by the resin; and

wherein the fiber-reinforced composite material is shaped and cured for use in a CAD/CAM system.

27. An implant system comprising one or more sections manufactured from the blanks of claim 26.

28. The implant system of claim 27 wherein sections comprise abutments, cylinders, and frameworks.

29. A dental restoration manufactured from the blank of claim 26.

30. A ready-to-use component for use in a CAD/CAM system comprising:

a prefabricated preshaped cured fiber-reinforced composite material comprising a polymeric matrix which is formed by a resin, a filler component, and a reinforcing fiber component whereby the fibers are impregnated with the polymeric matrix and filler component, and wherein the fiber-reinforced composite material comprises fibers distributed uniformly in the resin and wherein all the fibers are thoroughly wetted by the resin, and thereafter formed into shapes under pressure; and

wherein the fiber-reinforced composite material is shaped and cured for use in the CAD/CAM system.

31. A method of making a dental restoration comprising:

putting a ready-to-use structural component onto a dental cast, the structural component comprising a prefabricated preshaped cured fiber-reinforced composite material comprising a polymeric matrix which is formed by a resin, a filler component, and a reinforcing fiber component, wherein the fiber-reinforced composite material comprises fibers distributed uniformly in the resin, wherein all the fibers are thoroughly wetted by the resin, and wherein the fiber-reinforced composite material is shaped and cured to a hardness for use in the dental restoration;

adding one or more layers of composite material thereon; and

curing the one or more layers of composite material.

32. The method of claim 31 wherein the structural component is modified by machining, cutting or carving prior to the step of adding one or more layers of material thereon.

33. A method of making a dental restoration comprising:

fabricating a fiber-reinforced composite material into a shaped component wherein the fiber-reinforced composite material comprises a polymeric matrix which is formed by a resin, a filler component, and a reinforcing fiber component, wherein the fiber-reinforced composite material comprises fibers distributed uniformly in the resin, wherein all the fibers are thoroughly wetted by the resin, and whereby the fibers are impregnated with the polymeric matrix and filler component and formed into shapes under pressure;

curing the shaped component to provide a prefabricated, shaped, cured component; and

milling the component under the control of a CAD/CAM system to provide a dental appliance.