System for the Construction of a Dental Prosthesis

Abstract

Method and system for the construction of a total dental prosthesis, wherein the shapes of the upper and lower jaw bases taken in the plastic material are digitized and stored as a digital prosthesis model in a data-processing device, and the upper and lower jaw prosthesis bases are produced from dental materials according to the digital prosthesis model by ablative or constructive methods.

1 . A system for the construction of a total dental prosthesis, comprising
 an upper, lower or set of upper and lower standard front dental arch(es) ( 40 ),   one or more standard impression tray(s) ( 2 ,  4 ) or individualized impression tray(s) ( 12 ,  14 ) for taking shapes of the upper and/or lower jaw bases with plastic material,   a fastening means for fastening the upper, lower or set of upper and lower standard front dental arch(es) to the one or more standard or individualized impression trays,   a scanner for scanning an impression of the upper, lower or upper and lower jaw bases,   a memory for storing the scanned impression as a digital prosthesis model, and   a manufacturing apparatus for producing the upper and/or lower jaw prosthesis bases from dental materials according to the digital prosthesis model.   
     
     
         2 . The system for the construction of a total dental prosthesis according to  claim 1 , further comprising
 a bite fork ( 22 ) for acquiring the position of an occlusal plane by alignment parallel to a bipupillar line and a Camper plane when taking the shapes of the upper and lower jaw bases, and   wherein the memory is further configured for storing the digitized position of the occlusal plane relative to the upper and lower jaw bases,   wherein the manufacturing apparatus produces the upper and lower jaw prosthesis bases by ablative or constructive methods under the control of a data-processing device.   
     
     
         3 . The system for the construction of a total dental prosthesis according to  claim 2 ,
 wherein the scanner is configured to digitize and store impressions of the upper and lower jaw bases in order to form a starting point for the digital prosthesis model to provide scanned data.   
     
     
         4 . The system for the construction of a total dental prosthesis according to  claim 3 , comprising
 a database which contains digital standard front dental arch shape data ( 41 ) for all standard front dental arches,   wherein the data-processing device is configured to retrieve the standard front dental arch shape data, and   wherein the data-processing device is configured to integrate the retrieved standard front dental arch shape data with the scanned data of impressions to provide a digital prosthesis model.   
     
     
         5 . A system according to  claim 4 ,
 wherein the data-processing device is configured to retrieve a matching antagonist standard front dental arch from the database in the form of digital antagonist standard front dental arch shape data ( 42 ) and combine it with the data of the digital prosthesis model, in such a way that an optimal match with the selected standard front dental arch is achieved.   
     
     
         6 . A system according to  claim 5 ,
 wherein the data-processing device is configured, after integration of the standard front dental arch shape data ( 41 ) and optionally antagonist standard front dental arch shape data ( 42 ) into the digital prosthesis model, to offer one or more premolar tooth rows matching the selected standard front dental arch for selection and,   after selection, wherein the data-processing device is configured to retrieve premolar tooth row shape data ( 44 ) and enter the premolar tooth row shape data ( 44 ) into the digital prosthesis model.   
     
     
         7 . A system according to  claim 6 ,
 wherein the data-processing device is configured to generate a graphical representation of the digital prosthesis model on a display and to provide a digital wax knife as a program function, in order to allow a user to design the gum and the prosthesis base surfaces with the digital wax knife in the graphical representation of the digital prosthesis model, and to transfer the configurations carried out into the digital prosthesis model.   
     
     
         8 . A system according to  claim 7 ,
 wherein the data-processing device is configured to provide a multiplicity of predetermined surface textures for selection, and to make the surface textures applicable to selected regions of the surfaces of the digital prosthesis model and transfer them into the digital prosthesis model.   
     
     
         9 . A system according to  claim 8   wherein the data-processing device is configured to retrieve at least one gingiva parameter for specification, to which at least one of the following gingiva parameters belongs: gingival frame of the tooth lengths of the installed teeth, minimum wall thickness of upper and lower jaw bases, surface texture parameters of the palate surface and geometrical parameters of the transition region from the prosthesis body to the tooth,   wherein the data-processing device is configured to transfer entered gingiva parameters into the digital prosthesis model.   
     
     
         10 . A system according to  claim 9 ,
 wherein the data-processing device is configured to call up at least one tooth cavity parameter for specification, to which a width of an adhesive gap between an inner wall of the tooth cavity and an inserted tooth base and the position and number of spacers on the inner wall of the tooth cavity for defined positioning of the base of the inserted tooth with a uniformly wide adhesive gap relative to the inner surfaces of the tooth cavity belong, and to transfer the specified tooth cavity parameters for all tooth cavities into the digital prosthesis model.   
     
     
         11 . A system according to  claim 10 ,
 wherein the data-processing device is configured, when, during the calculation of the cavities for prefabricated plastic teeth, it is established that the remaining wall thickness of the prosthesis base below the cavity would fall below a predetermined minimum wall thickness, to store the length to which the plastic tooth is to be reduced in order to comply with the predetermined minimum wall thickness below the cavity, to adapt the cavity to the reduced length of the plastic tooth and to store it in the digital prosthesis model, and to control a milling device in such a way that the prefabricated plastic tooth is shortened to the stored reduced length of the plastic tooth.   
     
     
         12 . A system according to  claim 11 ,
 wherein the data-processing device is configured to provide a selection menu for artificial teeth made of different materials, in which a material selection from dental materials is possible for each tooth position, the data-processing device being configured to take the selected material type into account during the calculation of the cavities in the prosthesis bases, in order in each case to obtain an optimally dimensioned adhesive gap for the respective material type.   
     
     
         13 . A system according to  claim 12 ,
 wherein the bite fork ( 22 ) has an inner bite arch ( 24 ) and an outer arch ( 26 ) applied thereon using articulations, the articulations being provided with scales ( 30 ) so that, after turning the outer arch into alignment parallel to the Camper plane and parallel to the bipupillar line, the resulting deviation of the parallelism of the inner bite arch from that of the aligned outer arch can be read from the scales on the articulations.