DENTAL RESTORATION, METHOD OF PRODUCING IT, COMPUTER PROGRAM AND METHOD OF RESTORING A TOOTH

Abstract

A computer implemented method of producing a dental restoration is disclosed that includes obtaining data of an outer shape of a gingiva former, obtaining scan data of the gingiva former mounted to the implant structure, determining the orientation of the gingiva former relative to a jaw, and creating the restoration with an emergence profile formed in correspondence with the outer shape of the gingiva former and the determined orientation of the gingiva former. A dental restoration is also disclosed that includes an occlusal end, an apical end opposite to the occlusal end, an emergence profile extending from the apical end towards the occlusal end and a channel extending from the apical end to the occlusal end. A computer program is disclosed that includes computer readable commands causing a computing device to implement the method noted above, and a correlated method of restoring a tooth with a dental restoration.

Claims

1-41. (canceled)

42. A computer implemented method of producing a dental restoration comprising: obtaining an outer shape of a gingiva former suiting to a gingiva channel extending from an oral cavity of a patient to an implant structure fixed to a jaw of the patient; obtaining a position of the gingiva former mounted to the implant structure; determining the orientation of the gingiva former relative to the jaw based on the obtained position; and creating the restoration with an emergence profile formed in correspondence to the obtained outer shape of the gingiva former and the determined orientation of the gingiva former, wherein creating the restoration comprises designing the outer shape of the emergence profile with a smooth geometry having at least one rounded section.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein the smooth geometry of the emergence profile has at least one non-straight section, and/or consists of at least one straight section and the at least one rounded section, or of the at least one rounded section only, and/or excludes an undercut.

44. The method of claim 42, wherein the at least one rounded section has a radius larger than 0.3 millimeter or larger than 0.5 millimeter.

45. The method of claim 42, wherein creating the restoration comprises providing restoration design data appropriate to be loaded to an automatic restoration manufacturing apparatus, wherein the automatic restoration manufacturing apparatus preferably comprises a dental milling machine or a 3D-printer.

46. The method of claim 42, wherein creating the restoration comprises providing a graphical representation of the restoration.

47. The method according of claim 42, wherein the restoration is created with a channel extending through the restoration.

48. The method of claim 42, wherein determining the orientation of the gingiva former comprises determining a trajectory and a rotational position relative to the jaw.

49. The method of claim 42, wherein obtaining the outer shape of the gingiva former comprises obtaining gingiva former data including data about the outer shape of the gingiva former.

50. The method of claim 42, comprising storing gingiva former data about a plurality of different gingiva formers and providing the gingiva former data about the plurality of gingiva formers in a digital library.

51. The method of claim 42, wherein obtaining the outer shape of the gingiva former comprises creating an analogue impression of the gingiva former.

52. The method of claim 42, wherein obtaining the position of the gingiva former mounted to the implant structure comprises obtaining scan data of the gingiva former.

53. The method of claim 42, wherein obtaining the position of the gingiva former mounted to the implant structure comprises evaluating an index of the implant structure.

54. The method of claim 42, wherein obtaining the position of the gingiva former mounted to the implant structure comprises creating an analogue impression of the implant structure and the jaw in a region around the implant structure.

55. A dental restoration produced by the method according to claim 1 comprising: an occlusal end; an apical end opposite to the occlusal end; an emergence profile extending from the apical end towards the occlusal end; and a channel extending from the apical end to the occlusal end, wherein the emergence profile has an outer shape suiting to a gingiva channel extending from an oral cavity of a patient to an implant structure fixed to a jaw of the patient, wherein the outer shape of the emergence profile has a smooth geometry, and wherein the smooth geometry of the emergence profile has at least one rounded section.

56. The dental restoration of claim 55, wherein the apical end is equipped with a mating formation suiting to a corresponding formation of the implant structure such that the dental restoration is positionable in at least one distinct orientation on the implant structure when the mating formation of the apical end and the corresponding formation of the implant structure interact.

57. The dental restoration of claim 55, wherein the smooth geometry of the emergence profile has at least one non-straight section, and/or consists of at least one straight section and the at least one rounded section, or of the at least one rounded section only, and/or excludes an undercut.

58. The dental restoration of claim 55, wherein the at least one rounded section has a radius larger than 0.3 millimeter or larger than 0.5 millimeter.

59. A method of restoring a tooth with a dental restoration comprising: fixing an implant structure to a jaw of a patient; choosing a gingiva former with an outer shape suiting to a gingiva channel extending from an oral cavity of the patient to the fixed implant structure; placing the gingiva former on the fixed implant structure; scanning the gingiva former; determining the orientation of the gingiva former relative to the jaw based on information about the scanned gingiva former; producing the restoration with an emergence profile formed in correspondence with the outer shape of the chosen gingiva former and with the determined orientation of the gingiva former; removing the gingiva former from the fixed implant structure; and mounting the restoration on the fixed implant structure, wherein the outer shape of the gingiva former has a smooth geometry, and wherein the smooth geometry of the gingiva former has at least one rounded section.

60. The method of claim 59, wherein scanning the gingiva former comprises mounting a scan body with landmarks on the gingiva former and scanning the landmarks of the scan body when being mounted on the gingiva former.

61. The method of claim 59, wherein the gingiva former is equipped with landmarks accessible from the oral cavity of the patient and scanning the gingiva former comprises scanning the landmarks of the gingiva former.

62. The method of claim 59, wherein choosing the gingiva former comprises providing a set of gingiva formers having different outer shapes and selecting the gingiva former of the set of gingiva formers suiting to the gingiva channel.

63. The method of claim 59, wherein the gingiva former has an axial bore and placing the gingiva former on the fixed implant structure comprises forwarding a screw through the axial bore of the gingiva former into the implant structure.

64. The method of claim 59, wherein the smooth geometry of the gingiva former has at least one non-straight section, and/or excludes an undercut.

65. The method of claim 59, wherein the at least one rounded section has a radius larger than 0.3 millimeter or larger than 0.5 millimeter and/or wherein the smooth geometry of the gingiva former consists of at least one straight section and the at least one rounded section, or of the at least one rounded section only.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0082] A dental restoration according to the invention produced by the computer implemented method according to the invention, as well as steps of the methods according to the invention are described in more detail hereinbelow by way of an exemplary embodiment and with reference to the attached drawings, in which:

[0083] FIG. 1 shows a first gingiva former embodied according to the present invention to have an outer shape suiting a gingiva channel, wherein the gingiva former has been placed on an implant structure which is fixed to the jaw of a patient, in particular displaying a scan body with landmarks mounted on the gingiva former, the gingiva former being secured to the implant structure by way of a screw;

[0084] FIG. 2 shows a second gingiva former according to the present invention, also provided with a scan body analogously to the case of FIG. 1, wherein an outer shape of the gingiva former is shown in relation to a gingiva channel of a soft tissue structure of the jaw of a patient;

[0085] FIG. 3 shows a dental restoration according to the present invention, comprising an emergence profile extending from an apical end towards an occlusal end which complies with the shape of a gingiva channel imparted by a specifically selected gingiva former, analogous to the gingiva formers shown in FIG. 1 or 2;

[0086] FIG. 4 shows a lateral view of a graphical representation of a dental restoration, created by way of a CAD computer executable program adapted to implement the method of producing a dental restoration according to the present invention, highlighting an emergence profile which is formed in correspondence with the outer shape of a best-fitting gingiva former selected from a library;

[0087] FIG. 5 shows a top view of the graphical representation of the dental restoration of FIG. 4, wherein the emergence profile is further appreciable in a section cut, overlay view and, additionally, an orientation of the dental restoration is marked with respect to the jaw of a patient; and

[0088] FIG. 6 shows a view from top of a graphical representation of a dental restoration according to the present invention, as visible from a lingual side, wherein the dental restoration takes the form of screw-retained bridge.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0089] In the following description certain terms are used for reasons of convenience and are not intended to limit the invention. The terms “right”, “left”, “up”, “down”, “under” and “above” refer to directions in the figures. The terminology comprises the explicitly mentioned terms as well as their derivations and terms with a similar meaning. Also, spatially relative terms, such as “beneath”, “below”, “lower”, “above”, “upper”, “proximal”, “distal”, and the like, may be used to describe one element's or feature's relationship to another element or feature as illustrated in the figures. These spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different positions and orientations of the devices in use or operation in addition to the position and orientation shown in the figures. For example, if a device in the figures is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be “above” or “over” the other elements or features. Thus, the exemplary term “below” can encompass both positions and orientations of above and below. The devices may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations), and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly. Likewise, descriptions of movement along and around various axes include various special device positions and orientations.

[0090] Technical terms such as apical as opposed to occlusal or coronal, and lingual as opposed to buccal are used as commonly known in the art of dentistry.

[0091] To avoid repetition in the figures and the descriptions of the various aspects and illustrative embodiments, it should be understood that many features are common to many aspects and embodiments. Omission of an aspect from a description or figure does not imply that the aspect is missing from embodiments that incorporate that aspect. Instead, the aspect may have been omitted for clarity and to avoid prolix description. In this context, the following applies to the rest of this description: If, in order to clarify the drawings, a figure contains reference signs which are not explained in the directly associated part of the description, then it is referred to previous or following description sections. Further, for reason of lucidity, if in a drawing not all features of a part are provided with reference signs it is referred to other drawings showing the same part. Like numbers in two or more figures represent the same or similar elements.

[0092] With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, a first embodiment and a second embodiment of gingiva formers 2 are shown which, according to the present invention, can be selected by an operator on a dedicated dental CAD software from anatomy-specific libraries to have an outer shape 3 suiting a gingiva channel 4 in correspondence of a missing tooth to be replaced by a crown as a restoration 1. Data of the outer shape 3 of the gingiva former can therefore be obtained once the best-fitting gingiva former 2 is selected, for instance following input from an operator or in a completely automated way. In both FIGS. 1 and 2, it is shown that the gingiva former 2 is placed on an implant 51 as implant structure 5 which is fixed to a jaw of a patient and that a scan body 13 with landmarks is mounted on the gingiva former 2. In FIG. 1, the gingiva former 2 is section cut to fully show a screw 24 for fixation to the implant structure 5. In FIG. 2, only an apical end of the screw 24 engaging with a matching thread in the implant structure 5 is shown.

[0093] As mentioned above, the gingiva former 2 and the scan body 13 are affixed to the underlying component, respectively the implant structure 5 and the gingiva former 2 itself, in a definite, indexed position thanks to anti-rotational locking features as mating structure of the connection therebetween.

[0094] In FIGS. 1 and 2, these anti-rotational, locking features take the form of notches 23 into which corresponding protrusions 14 of the scan body 13 engage so that the scan body 13 is supported in a known, definite, indexed position relative to the underlying gingiva former 2. On the other hand, the implant 51 is provided with own anti-rotational, locking features 53, for instance in the form of hex-shaped or an octagon shaped notches, which are designed to match corresponding protrusions 22 of the gingiva former 2, so that the gingiva former 2 is supported in a known, definite, indexed position relative to the underlying implant 51.

[0095] The above described system of double-indexing ensures that, ultimately, the scan body 13 is in a known spatial relationship with the respect to the underlying inserted implant 51, via the gingiva former 2 which is held in a fixed relationship with both the scan body 13 and the implant 51. This guarantees that the positions of the implant 51 and of the gingiva former 2 are registered in a way that an ensuing restoration, designed based on the available position information, is correctly oriented in the jaw 7 of a patient, taking into due account adjacent teeth, antagonist teeth and/or soft tissue.

[0096] In order to reversely compute the overall spatial orientation of the gingiva former 2 or, equivalently, given the above described configuration, of the inserted implant 51, the scan body 13 can be provided with landmarks 13a, 13b, 13c, which, illuminated during the scanning operation, can provide information for the automatic calculation of a multiplicity of relevant geometrical characteristics. The landmarks can take the shape of an inclined side surface 13b, a plateau 13a, and lateral surfaces 13c. Based on the scanning of these landmarks, possibly in correlation with the scanning of further landmarks on the gingiva former 2, for instance, information about a trajectory, or axis, X-X, as well as a rotational position Y-Y relative to the jaw 7 can be derived. Knowing the measure of the components selectively employed, that is of the scan body 13 and the gingiva former 2, and deriving the height of the plateau 13a over the gingiva former base surface 2a, for instance, the height of the gingiva former 2 within the jaw 7 is known - with respect to soft tissue, to adjacent teeth and to the occlusal surfaces of the antagonist teeth. The insertion depth of the implant structure 5 can be also consequently derived. The scanning of lateral surfaces 13c can be of aid for tracing the trajectory, or axis, X-X of the gingiva former 2 and, accordingly, of the underlying implant 51.

[0097] The gingiva former 2 itself can be equipped with scannable landmarks 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d accessible from the oral cavity of the patient, either when a scan body 13 is mounted on top or when the scan body 13 has been removed. Therefore, the gingiva former 2 can itself function as a scan body, either in cooperation with a further dedicated scan body 13 or on its own. Any specifically configured surface of the gingiva former 2 can function as landmark, as represented in FIGS. 1 and 2. Therefore the landmarks can take the form of aptly designed cusps, plateaus, inclined surfaces, notches etc.

[0098] Once the overall orientation of the gingiva former 2 relative to the jaw 7 is known, a restoration can be designed which has both an emergence profile 8 formed in correspondence with the outer shape of the gingiva former 3 as well as the orientation of the gingiva former 2 as above determined by way of scanning. Advantageously, the restoration 1 can be shaped optimally to comply with the gingiva channel 4 and to be correctly positioned in the context of the overall dental arch, for optimal aesthetical and functional results.

[0099] In FIG. 3, a specific embodiment of a dental restoration 1 according to the present invention is shown. The restoration 1 is created with a channel 11 extending therethrough, from an occlusal end O to an apical end A thereof. The restoration 1 incorporates an emergence profile 8, at least partially surrounded by the soft tissue structure 9, or gingiva, which is formed in correspondence to the outer shape 3 of the previously selected gingiva former 2. The restoration 1 designed in conformity with the present invention possesses substantially the same emergence profile 8 as the emergence profile created by the selected gingiva former 2 during its temporary placement onto the implant structure 5 for the conditioning of the soft tissue 9 surrounding the gingiva channel 4.

[0100] The apical end A of the dental restoration 1 is equipped with a mating formation 12 suiting to a corresponding formation 53 of the implant structure 5, such that the dental restoration 1 is positionable in at least one distinct orientation on the implant structure 5 when the mating formation 12 of the apical end A and the corresponding formation 53 of the implant structure 5 interact, inter-engaging. As already mentioned, the at least one distinct orientation can be a plural indexed orientation, for instance if the formation 53 of the implant structure 5 is a hex or an octagon.

[0101] The formation of the implant structure 5 corresponding to the mating formation 12 can take the form of the above-mentioned anti-rotational, locking features 53 directly incorporated by the implant 51 or, as shown in FIG. 3, such formation can take the form of connection features incorporated by an intermediate base abutment 52, providing support to the restoration 1 and affixed to the implant 51.

[0102] In FIG. 3, the base abutment 52, and, as a consequence, the restoration 1 are secured to the implant 51 by way of a basal screw 54.

[0103] FIGS. 4 and 5 show graphical representations 100 of a restoration 1 produced according to the computer implemented method of the present invention. In particular, it can be appreciated how the designed emergence profile 8 has a smooth geometry which does not comprise sharply angled sections and has non-straight sections. In particular, the non-straight sections are rounded sections having radii larger than 0.5 mm. Particularly the overlay, section-cut view of FIG. 5 shows how the emergence profile 8 of the restoration 1 ideally follows the soft tissue structure 9 where emerging from the gingiva channel 4. The outer geometry does excludes any undercut. Additionally, in FIG. 5 an orientation of the dental restoration 1 is marked with respect to the jaw 7 of a patient.

[0104] FIG. 6 shows a view from top of a graphical representation 100 of a dental restoration 1 according to the present invention, seen from a lingual side. In this specific case, the dental restoration 1 takes the form of screw-retained bridge.

[0105] This description and the accompanying drawings that illustrate aspects and embodiments of the present invention should not be taken as limiting the claims defining the protected invention. In other words, while the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, such illustration and description are to be considered illustrative or exemplary and not restrictive. Various mechanical, compositional, structural, electrical, and operational changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of this description and the claims. In some instances, well-known circuits, structures and techniques have not been shown in detail in order not to obscure the invention. Thus, it will be understood that changes and modifications may be made by those of ordinary skill within the scope and spirit of the following claims. In particular, the present invention covers further embodiments with any combination of features from different embodiments described above and below.

[0106] For example, it is possible to operate the invention in embodiments in which: [0107] the restoration and particularly its emergence profile is analogously designed and analogously created or manufactured; [0108] the restoration and particularly its emergence profile is analogously designed and digitally created or manufactured; [0109] the restoration and particularly its emergence profile is digitally designed and analogously created or manufactured; and [0110] the restoration and particularly its emergence profile is digitally designed and digitally created or manufactured.

[0111] The disclosure also covers all further features shown in the Figs. individually although they may not have been described in the afore or following description. Also, single alternatives of the embodiments described in the figures and the description and single alternatives of features thereof can be disclaimed from the subject matter of the invention or from disclosed subject matter. The disclosure comprises subject matter consisting of the features defined in the claims or the exemplary embodiments as well as subject matter comprising said features.

[0112] Furthermore, in the claims the word “comprising” does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite article “a” or “an” does not exclude a plurality. A single unit or step may fulfil the functions of several features recited in the claims. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage. The terms “essentially”, “about”, “approximately” and the like in connection with an attribute or a value particularly also define exactly the attribute or exactly the value, respectively. The term “about” in the context of a given numerate value or range refers to a value or range that is, e.g., within 20%, within 10%, within 5%, or within 2% of the given value or range. Components described as coupled or connected may be electrically or mechanically directly coupled, or they may be indirectly coupled via one or more intermediate components. Any reference signs in the claims should not be construed as limiting the scope.

[0113] A computer program may be stored/distributed on a suitable medium, such as an optical storage medium or a solid-state medium supplied together with or as part of other hardware, but may also be distributed in other forms, such as via the Internet or other wired or wireless telecommunication systems. In particular, e.g., a computer program can be a computer program product stored on a computer readable medium which computer program product can have computer executable program code adapted to be executed to implement a specific method such as the method according to the invention. Furthermore, a computer program can also be a data structure product or a signal for embodying a specific method such as the method according to the invention.