Production method for a dental aid made of a thermoplastic film or plate

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for producing a dental aid from a thermoplastic film or plate, wherein a digital three-dimensional working model is created in a computer-aided manner using a three-dimensional data set of at least one part of an upper jaw and/or lower jaw.

Claims

1. Method for producing a dental aid from a thermoplastic film or plate, the method comprising the steps of: creating a digital three-dimensional working model in a computer-aided manner using a three-dimensional data set of at least one part of an upper jaw and/or lower jaw; producing a physical working model based on the digital working model; wherein the plastic film or plate is deep drawn on the physical working model inside a deep-drawing device; and wherein the dental aid is created from the deep drawn plastic film or plate by separation along a cutting line, wherein prior to producing the physical working model, the digital working model is supplemented with an auxiliary structure automatically and/or via manual input means, wherein wherein the auxiliary structure is configured as an elevation or a depression and extends along a digital cutting line model in the working model; and wherein the digital cutting line model is created in the digital working model automatically and/or via manual input means; wherein the gingival line is determined automatically and/or manually in the digital working model, an auxiliary line is created at a fixed distance in the direction of the gingiva and parallel to the gingival line and used as a cutting line model.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the auxiliary structure is arranged on the cutting line model or adjacent to the cutting line model or at a first distance to the cutting line model.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the gingival line is determined automatically and/or manually in the digital working model and used as a cutting line model.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the gingival line is determined automatically and/or manually in the digital working model, an arcuate auxiliary line is created adjacent to the gingival line or at a distance to the gingival line and used as a cutting line model.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the auxiliary structure has a round, n-gonal or tapered cross section.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the dental aid is separated from the deep drawn plastic film or plate by means of a machining tool, wherein the tool at least to some extent ablates the auxiliary structure or at least to some extent reaches into the auxiliary structure during separation.

7. System for producing a dental aid from a thermoplastic film or plate, comprising a deep-drawing device and a computer unit, wherein the system is designed to carry out the method according to claim 1.

8. System according to claim 7, wherein the system further comprises a software program, wherein the software program is executed on the computer unit, the software program includes at least one digital tool, the digital tool is operated via at least one input means, and the digital tool is designed to supplement the auxiliary structure in the digital working model.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Design examples of the invention are illustrated in the drawing. The figures show:

(2) FIG. 1 a schematic illustration of the method according to the invention,

(3) FIG. 2 a schematic view of a digital working model,

(4) FIG. 3A,B schematic sectional views of the working model according to a variety of embodiments,

(5) FIG. 4A-C schematic views of the auxiliary structure according to a variety of embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(6) FIG. 1 shows a schematic illustration of the method according to the invention according to a first embodiment comprising Method Steps S1 to S5.

(7) In the first Method Step S1, the jaw region to be provided with a dental aid, in this case a dental splint, is recorded digitally. For this purpose, a three-dimensional data set of a lower jaw or an upper jaw or at least a part of the lower jaw or the upper jaw is produced by means of a measuring device, e.g. an intraoral camera, and stored on a suitable storage medium of a computer unit.

(8) In the second Method Step S2, a digital working model is created in a computer-aided manner from the data set produced in Method Step S1. The digital working model essentially corresponds to the three-dimensional data set and additionally comprises an auxiliary structure configured as an elevation or a depression, whereby the auxiliary structure is designed and positioned in Method Step S2 by means of the computer unit.

(9) In a third Method Step S3, a physical working model is produced based on the digital working model created in the second Method Step S2, e.g. by means of a milling and/or grinding device or using a 3D printer.

(10) In a fourth Method Step S4, a thermoplastic film or plate is deep drawn on the physical working model by means of a deep-drawing device.

(11) In a fifth method step, the deep drawn plastic film or plate is separated along the auxiliary structure by means of a tool.

(12) If the auxiliary structure is an elevation, at least one peak or crest of the elevation and the part of plastic film or plate drawn over it are removed by means of a milling or grinding tool. If the auxiliary structure is a depression, a milling or grinding tool is guided at least partially into the depression to separate the plastic film or plate along the auxiliary structure.

(13) FIG. 2 shows a schematic view of a three-dimensional data set 1 of a lower jaw. According to a second embodiment, a boundary line between the teeth 3 and the gums 4 is automatically identified as a draft version of a cutting line 2, and an auxiliary structure 5 is automatically positioned at a fixed distance A to the draft version of the cutting line 2. Together with the auxiliary structure 5, the three-dimensional data set 1 forms a digital working model 6.

(14) As shown schematically in FIG. 3A, the auxiliary structure 5 according to a first alternative embodiment is configured as an elevation 7 on the working model 6. After the deep-drawing process, the elevation 7 and the plastic film or plate 8 drawn over it are removed at least partially by means of a tool 9, for example by grinding or milling.

(15) As shown schematically in FIG. 3B, the auxiliary structure 5 according to a second alternative embodiment is configured as a depression 10 projecting into the working model 6. After the deep-drawing process, the plastic film or plate 8 is separated along the depression 10 using a tool 9 while guiding the tool 9 at least partially into the depression 10.

(16) Different embodiments of a cross section of the auxiliary structure are outlined in FIG. 4A-C, namely tapered, rounded or n-gonal.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

(17) 1 Three-dimensional data set 2 Cutting line 3 Teeth 4 Gums 5 Auxiliary structure 6 Digital working model 7 Elevation 8 Deep drawn plastic film or plate 9 Tool 10 Depression