Lithium silicate glass ceramics and glasses containing specific oxides of divalent elements are described which crystallize at low temperatures and are suitable in particular as dental materials.

Endodontic instruments for use in performing root canal therapy on a tooth are disclosed. In one form, the instruments include an elongate shank having a cutting edge extending from a distal end of the shank along an axial length of the shank. The shank comprises a titanium alloy, and the shank is prepared by heat-treating the shank at a temperature above 25° C. in an atmosphere consisting essentially of a gas unreactive with the shank. In another form, the endodontic instruments have an elongate shank having a cutting edge extending from a distal end of the shank along an axial length of the shank. The shank consists essentially of a titanium alloy selected from alpha-titanium alloys, beta-titanium alloys, and alpha-beta-titanium alloys. The instruments solve the problems encountered when cleaning and enlarging a curved root canal.

The shank (12) of a disposable rotary cutting tool (10) comprises a pipe section (16) cut from a drawn metal pipe. The tool head (14) is formed from a cut-out (18a, 18b) of a drawn metal sheet or a section of a metal tube by non-cutting machining. The pipe section (16) and the tool head (14) are advantageously attached by force fitting.

A dental implant system having a first implant part, provided for introduction into a jawbone, and having a second implant part, provided for attaching a tooth replacement part, the implant parts being mechanically interconnectable via a connection pin which is integrally formed on one of the implant parts and which is insertable into a receiving duct provided in the other implant part, is to have a particularly high stability and long duration of use, even when ceramic materials are used for the implant parts. For this purpose, in a contact region to the receiving duct the connection pin is provided with a spacer formed of a material softer than the material of the connection pin, and the connection pin has a porous surface, in the surface region which is provided with the coating, to form a material fit connection to the coating.

Pre-sintered blanks based on lithium metasilicate glass ceramic are described which are suitable in particular for the preparation of dental restorations.

The invention relates to a milling block (1) for producing partial or total prostheses, comprising a prosthesis base (3) to be processed according to the shape of the jaw, on which synthetically moulded teeth (5), preferably a full set of teeth, are provided, a milling block system consisting of a first milling block for the upper set of teeth and a second milling block for the lower set of teeth, and a method for producing partial or total prostheses.

A virtual model of an intraoral cavity is provided, wherein this process is initialized by a dental clinic, and the design and manufacture of a suitable dental prosthesis for the intraoral cavity is shared between a dental lab and a service center.

A processing machine and a method of using the processing machine to process a block to form a dental prosthesis is provided. The processing machine includes a polishing jig. The polishing jig is for machining tools which makes it possible for a deteriorating machining tool to be used again without detaching the machining tool, with which the processing machine is equipped, from the processing machine. The polishing jig for machining tools comprises an attachment part to be attached to the processing machine; and a polishing face that is at least part of a surface of the polishing jig, the polishing face adapted to polish a processing part of a machining tool.

A removable cosmetic dental structure and a method of fabricating the removable cosmetic dental structure is provided. The removable cosmetic dental structure includes a removable veneer body, having a front side and a rear side, sized to cover at least a portion of a facial surface of a tooth structure. The front side of the removable veneer body is shaped to resemble a tooth surface and the rear side of the removable veneer body covers the facial surface of the tooth structure. The removable cosmetic dental structure further includes one or more magnetic layers integrated on the rear side of the removable veneer body. The magnetic layers are configured to hold the removable veneer body to the facial surface of the tooth structure.

A blank for manufacturing molded dental components includes a blank body that includes tooth repairing material. A molded dental component is manufactured by removing portions of the tooth repairing material using a tool. The blank is encoded with at least one structure as a carrier of information regarding properties of the blank body. The at least one structure is arranged such that at least one of a position, dimensions, or a type of structure can be determined by sensing or measuring the blank. In this context, the position, the dimensions, or the type of the structure are embodied such that a value acquired during a determination of the above corresponds to information about a property of the blank body.