Common Placement Support for Artificial Teeth

Abstract

Disclosed is a method for manufacturing a denture including a denture base and at least two artificial teeth arranged in the denture base, wherein the method includes the steps of obtaining the denture base; manufacturing the at least two artificial teeth with a common placement support connected to the at least two artificial teeth for keeping the at least two artificial teeth in a desired relative arrangement, arranging the at least two artificial teeth on the denture base with the common placement support connected to the at least artificial teeth, attaching the at least two artificial teeth on the denture base, and removing the common placement support. This further ensures proper placement of the artificial teeth in the denture base of a denture.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a denture comprising a denture base and at least two artificial teeth arranged in the denture base, wherein the method comprises the steps of: obtaining the denture base, manufacturing the at least two artificial teeth with a common placement support connected to the at least two artificial teeth for keeping the at least two artificial teeth in a desired relative arrangement and where the common placement support and the at least two artificial teeth are manufactured as one unit, arranging the at least two artificial teeth on the denture base with the common placement support connected to the at least artificial teeth, and attaching the at least two artificial teeth on the denture base.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprises the step of removing the common placement support.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the common placement support and the at least two artificial teeth are manufactured by a subtractive manufacturing method.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the common placement support and the at least two artificial teeth are manufactured by an additive manufacturing method.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the common placement support is connected to the occlusal surfaces of the at least two artificial teeth.

6. A method for digitally planning the manufacturing of at least two digital artificial teeth provided in a digitally designed denture comprising a digital denture base and the least two digital artificial teeth, wherein the method comprises the steps of: obtaining the digitally designed denture comprising the digital denture base and the at least two digital artificial teeth arranged in the digital denture base in a desired relative arrangement between the at least two digital artificial teeth, digitally planning the manufacturing of at least two artificial teeth, represented by the at least two digital artificial teeth, so that they are attached to a common placement support for maintaining the at least two artificial teeth in the desired relative arrangement.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein a digital common placement support representing the common placement support and the at least two digital artificial teeth are digitally designed as one unit.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein the digital common placement support and the at least two digital artificial teeth are prepared to be manufactured by a subtractive manufacturing method.

9. The method according to claim 6, wherein the digital common placement support and the at least two digital artificial teeth are prepared to be manufactured by an additive manufacturing method.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the digital common placement support is connected to the occlusal surfaces of the at least two digital artificial teeth.

11. A denture assembly comprising a denture base and at least two artificial teeth with a common placement support connected to the at least two artificial teeth for keeping the at least two artificial teeth in a desired relative arrangement.

12. A denture assembly according to claim 11, wherein the at least two artificial teeth and the common placement support is formed as one unit.

13. A denture assembly according to claim 11, wherein the common placement support extends from the proximal ends of the at least two artificial teeth, which is placed in the artificial gingiva, and halfway towards the distal end of the artificial tooth, which is facing away from the artificial gingiva.

14. A denture assembly according to claim 11, wherein the common placement support is visibly hidden when the at least two artificial teeth are arranged in the artificial gingiva.

15. A denture assembly according to claim 11, wherein the artificial gingiva comprises one single continuous recess for receiving the proximal ends of the at least two artificial teeth and the common placement support.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0037] The above and/or additional objects, features and advantages of the present invention, will be further elucidated by the following illustrative and non-limiting detailed description of embodiments of the present invention, with reference to the appended drawings, wherein:

[0038] FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a denture comprising a denture base and artificial teeth with a common placement support as disclosed herein,

[0039] FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment of a denture comprising a denture base and artificial teeth with a common placement support as disclosed herein,

[0040] FIG. 3 shows a further embodiment of artificial teeth with common placement supports as disclosed herein,

[0041] FIG. 4 shows another embodiment of artificial teeth with a common placement support as disclosed herein,

[0042] FIG. 5 shows a schematic view of an embodiment of a system for executing the method for digital planning as disclosed herein, and

[0043] FIG. 6 shows a further embodiment of artificial teeth with a common placement support as disclosed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0044] In the following description, reference is made to the accompanying figures, which show by way of illustration how the invention may be practiced.

[0045] FIG. 1 shows the parts of a denture to yet assembled comprising a denture base 1, a set of 3D printed artificial teeth 2 connected to a common placement support 3.

[0046] The common placement support 3 is a result of the 3D printing process. Previously the common placement support 3 was removed right after manufacturing of the teeth, but by manufacturing the teeth in the desired relative arrangement the common placement support 3 is kept in order to keep the teeth in their arrangement during handling.

[0047] Accordingly, the teeth are placed in the recesses 4 in the denture base 1 and subsequently attached to the denture base 1, e.g. by gluing, with the common placement support connected to the teeth. This ensure optimal positioning of the teeth in the denture base and thereby achieving the occlusion of the final denture. When the glue has cured the common placement support can be removed.

[0048] In some situations, it is desired to have anterior teeth with improved esthetics, while the posterior teeth can have a simple finish as long as they are functional. FIG. 2 shows a denture base 200 wherein four anterior teeth 201 have been placed. The four anterior teeth have been placed separately and have a high esthetic finishing. The posterior teeth 202 have been printed and are all connected in a desired relative arrangement (determined during the digital design of the denture) via a common placement support 203.

[0049] The dental technician can easily place and glue the posterior teeth 202 in the respective recesses 204 in denture base 200 knowing that the correct arrangement and thereby occlusion is ensured. When the glue has cured the dental technician removes the common placement support.

[0050] FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrates how the common placement support is attached to the occlusal surfaces of the printed teeth. In alternative embodiments it may be advantageous to attach the common placement support to the lingual surface of the artificial teeth.

[0051] In one such embodiment as illustrated in FIG. 3 the artificial teeth 300 are separated into three groups 301, 302 and 303. The artificial teeth have been 3D printed and the respective printing sprues and support structures have been kept as common placement supports 304, 305 and 306.

[0052] As can be seen, the planning of the 3D printing is done so that the common placement supports are connected to the lingual side of the artificial teeth.

[0053] Similarly, in the embodiment in FIG. 4, there is provided a set of artificial teeth 400. This set of artificial teeth have been designed with a common placement support 401 connected to the lingual surface of the artificial teeth. In the embodiment in FIG. 4 the common placement support was designed in the digital design software (CAD) together with the artificial teeth and manufactured by milling.

[0054] Although some embodiments have been described and shown in detail, the invention is not restricted to them, but may also be embodied in other ways within the scope of the subject matter defined in the following claims. In particular, it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilised and structural and functional modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0055] In device claims enumerating several means, several of these means can be embodied by one and the same item of hardware. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims or described in different embodiments does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage.

[0056] The digital features and steps of the methods described above and in the following may be implemented in software and carried out on a data processing system or other processing means caused by the execution of computer-executable instructions. The instructions may be program code means loaded in a memory, such as a RAM, from a storage medium or from another computer via a computer network. Alternatively, the described features may be implemented by hardwired circuitry instead of software or in combination with software.

[0057] FIG. 5 shows a schematic of a system suitable for digitally planning the manufacturing of the at least two digital artificial teeth as disclosed herein. The system 550 comprises a computer device 551 comprising a computer readable medium 552 and a processor 553. The system further comprises a visual display unit 556, a computer keyboard 554 and a computer mouse 555 for entering data and activating virtual buttons visualized on the visual unit 556. The visual display unit 556 can be a computer screen. The computer device 551 is capable of receiving a digital 3D representation of patient's jaw/oral cavity from a scanning device 557, such as the TRIOS intra-oral scanner manufactured by 3shape TRIOS, or capable of receiving scan data from such a scanning device and forming a digital 3D representation of the patient's jaw/oral cavity based on such scan data. The received or formed digital 3D representation can be stored in the computer readable medium 552 and provided to the processor 553. The processor 553 is configured for performing the steps of the method digitally planning disclosed herein.

[0058] The system comprises a unit 558 for transmitting the at least two digital artificial teeth to e.g. a computer aided manufacturing (CAM) device 559, such as a milling machine or a 3D printer as disclosed.

[0059] Yet a further embodiment of a denture assembly 600 comprising a denture base 601 and artificial teeth 602 is shown in FIG. 6. The artificial teeth are provided as one unit via a common placement support 603 that connects all the artificial teeth. This ensures the relative position of the artificial teeth and facilitates easy placement of the teeth in the denture base 601.

[0060] The common placement support is provided such that it is visibly hidden when the artificial teeth are placed in the denture base 601. This is provided by designing the common placement support so that it is below the gingiva edge of the recess 604 when the artificial teeth are placed in the denture base.

[0061] Furthermore, to receive both the artificial teeth and the common placement support a single continuous recess 604 is formed in the artificial gingiva.