Method and apparatus for preparing a ceramic dental restoration in one appointment

• US 9,597,265 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2013
• Issued: 03/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: James R Glidewell Dental Ceramics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: James R Glidewell Dental Ceramics Incorporated
• Inventors: Carden, Robin A., Selberis, Michael J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sample, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jordan, Nicholas W
• Application Number:
  US13/900,805
• Publication Number:
  US 20130316305A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,398 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 13/0001 In-situ dentures; Trial or temporary dentures
• 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 13/083 Porcelain or ceramic teeth A61C13/081 takes precedence; preparations A61K6/80
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 5/77 Methods or devices for making crowns
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 9/0053 Optical means or methods, e.g. scanning the teeth by a laser or light beam
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 6/76 comprising silicon-containing compounds
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 6/818 comprising zirconium oxide
• CPC Class Codes: B23C 3/00 Milling particular work; Special milling operations; Machines therefor milling gear-teeth B23F, heat assisted machining B23P25/00
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/3244 Zirconium oxides, zirconates, hafnium oxides, hafnates, or oxide-forming salts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/612 Machining
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/48 based on zirconium or hafnium oxides, zirconates, zircon or hafnates
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/6261 Milling

Abstract

Methods and apparatus that permit a dentist to provide a patient with a monolithic ceramic dental restoration (e.g., crown, bridge, or the like) in one office visit. In some embodiments, a dentist is provided with a kit containing one or more near net shape (NNS) millable blanks of various shapes and shades, chair-side software, and a chair-side milling machine to convert a selected millable blank into a finished, fully contoured restoration in about one hour or less. Each such millable blank may be, for example, a dental ceramic (e.g., fully sintered zirconia, fully crystallized lithium silicate, fully crystallized lithium disilicate, or the like) NNS component. In some embodiments, the NNS component includes an integral mandrel at a precise location and orientation to minimize the amount of milling time.

Claims

1. A near net shape (NNS) machinable block for fabricating a dental restoration, comprising:

a machinable fully sintered zirconia ceramic material solid body having an external surface defining an occlusal surface area, a margin surface area, side surface areas between the occlusal surface area and the margin surface area, and an internal void surface area; and

a mandrel attached to the solid body;

wherein the external surface side surface areas consist essentially of non-planar surfaces;

wherein the solid body is machinable into a monolithic ceramic dental restoration;

wherein the solid body has a cubic volume fraction of between about 0.35 to about 0.95; and

wherein the internal void surface area defines an internal void having an internal void volume.

2. The near net shape (NNS) machinable block of claim 1, wherein the solid body has a cubic volume fraction of between about 0.45 to about 0.90.

3. The near net shape (NNS) machinable block of claim 1, wherein the solid body has a cubic volume fraction of between about 0.50 to about 0.85.

4. The near net shape (NNS) machinable block of claim 1, wherein the solid body has a cubic volume fraction of between about 0.50 to about 0.80.

5. The near net shape (NNS) machinable block of claim 1, wherein the internal void volume has a cubic volume fraction of between about 0.05 to about 0.25.

6. The near net shape (NNS) machinable block of claim 1, wherein the internal void volume has a cubic volume fraction of between about 0.05 to about 0.20.

7. The near net shape (NNS) machinable block of claim 1, wherein the internal void volume has a cubic volume fraction of between about 0.05 to about 0.15.

8. The near net shape (NNS) machinable block of claim 1 wherein the mandrel is integrally formed with the solid body and comprises fully sintered zirconia.

9. A machinable block comprising:

a machinable, fully crystallized or fully sintered zirconia ceramic material solid body having an external surface defining an occlusal surface area, a margin surface area, side surface areas between the occlusal surface area and the margin surface area, and an internal void surface area, wherein the external surface side surface areas consist essentially of non-planar surface areas; and

a mandrel attached to the solid body;

wherein the solid body is machinable into a fully contoured crown,

wherein the solid body comprises a composite premolar body shape or a composite molar body shape and has a cubic volume fraction of between about 0.50 to about 0.80; and

wherein the internal void surface area defines an internal void having an internal void volume, with the internal void volume having a cubic volume fraction of between about .05 and about 0.30.

10. The machinable block of claim 9, wherein the internal void volume has a cubic volume fraction of between about 0.05 to about 0.25.

11. The machinable block of claim 9, wherein the internal void volume has a cubic volume fraction of between about 0.05 to about 0.15.

12. The machinable block of claim 9, wherein the mandrel is integrally formed with the solid body, and the mandrel comprises fully sintered zirconia.

13. A kit comprising a plurality of dental components for fabricating dental restorations comprising:

a plurality of sizes of machinable blocks, each block comprising;

a machinable, fully sintered zirconia ceramic material solid body having

an external surface defining an occlusal surface area,

a margin surface area,

side surface areas between the occlusal surface area and the margin surface area, and an internal void surface area,

wherein the external surface side surface areas consist essentially of non-planar surface areas; and

wherein the solid body is machinable into a fully contoured crown; and

wherein the plurality of machinable blocks comprises more than one different shape to accommodate more than one different tooth type, and each machinable block solid body has a cubic volume fraction between about 0.50 to about 0.80.

14. The kit of claim 13 wherein the plurality of machinable blocks comprises a solid body having a composite premolar body shape.

15. The kit of claim 13 wherein the plurality of machinable blocks comprises a solid body having a composite molar body shape.

16. The kit of claim 13 wherein the plurality of machinable blocks comprises up to 10 different composite body shapes.

17. The kit of claim 13 wherein the plurality of machinable blocks comprises from 1 shade to 16 shade selections.

18. A kit for fabricating dental restorations comprising:

a plurality of machinable blocks, each machinable block comprising

a machinable, fully sintered zirconia ceramic material solid body having

an external surface defining an occlusal surface area, a margin surface area, side surface areas between the occlusal surface area and the margin surface area, and an internal void surface area,

wherein the external surface side surface areas consist essentially of non-planar side surface areas; and

wherein the machinable solid body has a cubic volume fraction of between about 0.35 to about 0.95 and is machinable into a zirconia ceramic dental restoration; and

,

wherein the plurality of machinable blocks comprises a plurality of shade selections.

19. The kit of claim 18 wherein the plurality of machinable blocks comprises a plurality of different composite shapes to accommodate more than one tooth type.

20. The kit of 18, wherein the machinable block further comprises a sintered zirconia mandrel.