DEVICE FOR THE RESIN PRESSING AND FINALIZATION OF FULLY OR PARTIALLY REMOVABLE DENTAL PROSTHESES, AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING IT

Abstract

A device is provided for resin pressing and finalization of removable dental prostheses. The device has a single body which is substantially shaped like a tray and reproduces an entire impression of a prosthesis. The device includes a plurality of artificial teeth embedded in a prosthetic body.

Claims

1-7. (canceled)

8. A device for resin pressing and finalization of removable dental prostheses, comprising a single body which is substantially shaped like a tray and reproduces an entire impression of a prosthesis, said prosthesis comprising a plurality of artificial teeth embedded in a prosthetic body.

9. The device according to claim 8, wherein said single body is internally shaped complementarily to an assembly which is constituted by: an anatomical base, which reproduces an edentulous surface of a patient, said plurality of artificial teeth of said prosthesis which are mounted on said base, and has, in a configuration for use, a distance Z from an interface region between said artificial teeth and said base which is substantially equal to a size of said prosthetic body of said prosthesis at said interface region.

10. The device according to claim 9, wherein said single body is shaped to be complementary to said assembly and to enclose: said prosthesis entirely, and said anatomical base at least partially.

11. The device according to claim 8, wherein said body has a bottom which duplicates said plurality of artificial teeth of said prosthesis and one or more through inlets/holes in said bottom.

12. The device according to claim 8, wherein the device is made of light-curing resin.

13. The device according to claim 8, wherein the device is provided by 3D printing.

14. A method for providing a device according to claim 8, which comprises the steps of: taking photographs of face and mouth of a patient, transferring these photographs using software to form a digital model of the face of the patient and of edentulous surfaces, photographically analyzing physiognomic characteristics of the face of the patient, using a photographic database containing a library of artificial teeth, selecting, positioning and viewing, in 2D format, dental shapes that are most suited to a type of face being considered, importing in 3D digital format, from a predefined database, the dental shapes selected and viewed previously in 2D format, arranging said dental shapes on the digital model of the edentulous surfaces obtained from the photographs, thus obtaining a dental composition that is anatomically and functionally correct for the specific patient, in so doing producing a digital prototype, digitally modeling a prosthetic body of a prosthesis, designing peripheral limits thereof and portions for joining to artificial teeth that were positioned beforehand on the digital prototype, thus obtaining an overall digital model of the prosthesis which is coupled to the edentulous surfaces obtained from STL files of models or of arches deriving from scans/photographs, drawing said device, faithfully tracing the overall digital model obtained in the preceding step, exporting the STL file of the drawing of the device, obtained in the preceding step, in a CAD/CAM environment for production by 3D printing, and providing said device by 3D printing.

Description

[0058] Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become better apparent from the detailed description that follows of a preferred, but not exclusive, embodiment, of the device for the resin pressing and finalization of fully or partially removable dental prostheses, and of the method for providing it, according to the invention, which are illustrated, by way of non-limiting example, in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0059] FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of a device for the resin pressing and finalization of fully or partially removable dental prostheses according to the invention;

[0060] FIGS. 2 to 4 are side views, of which FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view, each view showing a step of providing a dental prosthesis, using the device of FIG. 1.

[0061] With reference to the figures, a device for the resin pressing and finalization of fully or partially removable dental prostheses, according to the invention, is generally designated by the reference numeral 10.

[0062] The device 10 has a single body 11 which is substantially shaped like a tray and reproduces the entire impression 12 of the prosthesis 15 (partly shown in FIGS. 3 and 4), the latter comprising a plurality of artificial teeth 13 embedded in a prosthetic body (not shown in the figures).

[0063] The term entire impression of the prosthesis in the present description is used to mean that the impression is defined: [0064] by the morphology of the artificial teeth 13 of the prosthesis 15, which are already arranged in their final configuration, [0065] by the morphology of the prosthetic body, which is modeled anatomically in order to reproduce the shape of the gingival necks and of the covering of the gingival vestibule of the patient being fitted.

[0066] In particular, the body 11 is internally shaped complementarily to an assembly 16 which is constituted by: [0067] an anatomical base 14, shown on its own in FIG. 2, which reproduces an edentulous surface of the patient being fitted, [0068] the plurality of teeth 13 of the prosthesis 15, which are mounted on the base 14, [0069] and has, in the configuration for use, a distance Z from the interface region between the teeth 13 and the base 14 which is substantially equal to the size of the prosthetic body of the prosthesis 15 at that region.

[0070] With reference to FIG. 4, advantageously, the body 11 is shaped to be complementary to the assembly 16 and to enclose: [0071] the prosthesis 15 entirely, [0072] the base 14 at least partially.

[0073] The body 11 has a bottom 17 which duplicates the plurality of teeth 13 of the prosthesis 15 and one or more through inlets/holes 18 in the bottom 17.

[0074] These inlets/holes 18 are adapted to allow the injection and/or the casting of resins in order to provide the prosthetic body, not shown in the figures, once the device 10 is in the configuration for use, shown in FIG. 4, coupled to the assembly 16.

[0075] In practice, the inlets/holes 18 make the resin pressing/finalization of the prosthesis 15 possible.

[0076] Advantageously, the casting or injection of acrylic resin occurs with the device 10 coupled to the assembly 16 in the overturned configuration and not the configuration shown in FIG. 4, i.e. with the bottom 17 of the body 11 directed upward.

[0077] Another of the peculiarities of the invention consists in that the device 10 is made of light-curing resin, using 3D printing.

[0078] Another peculiarity of the invention consists of the method for providing the device 10.

[0079] This method for providing the device 10 consists in the following steps: [0080] taking photographs of the face and mouth of the patient, [0081] transferring these photographs using software to form a digital model of the face of the patient and of the edentulous surfaces, [0082] photographically analyzing the physiognomic characteristics of the face of the patient, [0083] using a photographic database containing a library of artificial teeth, selecting, positioning and viewing, in 2D format, the dental shapes that are most suited to the type of face being considered, [0084] importing in 3D digital format, from a predefined database, the dental shapes selected and viewed previously in 2D format, arranging them on the digital model of the edentulous surfaces obtained from the photographs, thus obtaining a dental composition that is anatomically and functionally correct for the specific patient, in so doing producing a digital prototype, [0085] digitally modeling the prosthetic body of the prosthesis 15, designing its peripheral limits and the portions for joining to the artificial teeth that were positioned beforehand on the digital prototype, thus obtaining an overall digital model of the prosthesis 15 which is coupled to the edentulous surfaces obtained from STL files of the models or of the arches deriving from scans/photographs, [0086] drawing the device 10, faithfully tracing the overall digital model obtained in the preceding step, [0087] exporting the STL file of the drawing of the device 10, obtained in the preceding step, in a CAD/CAM environment for production by 3D printing, [0088] providing the device 10 by 3D printing.

[0089] It should be noted that such method makes it possible to obtain a device for the resin pressing and finalization of an individual dental prosthesis that is specific to a certain patient and uniquely dedicated to that patient.

[0090] This makes it possible to reduce to the minimum the clinical sittings at the dental surgery, in that the modeling of the prosthesis is done almost exclusively digitally.

[0091] In practice it has been found that the invention fully achieves the intended aim and objects by providing a device for the resin pressing and finalization of fully or partially removable dental prostheses that enables the resin pressing and finalization of prostheses via the injection or casting of resins, such as special acrylic resins for permanent use in the oral cavity and for use with commercial dedicated artificial teeth.

[0092] According to the invention a device for the resin pressing and finalization of fully or partially removable dental prostheses, and a method for providing it, are provided which make it possible to reproduce both the impression of the morphology of the artificial teeth, defined by previously-selected dental shapes, and also the impression of the morphology of the anatomically-modeled prosthetic body in order to reproduce the shape of the gingival necks and the shape of the entire gingival vestibule of the mouth of the patient.

[0093] In addition, according to the invention a method has been developed for providing a device for the resin pressing and finalization of fully or partially removable dental prostheses that is adaptable solely to the patient being fitted, and with which it is possible to obtain a total or partial prostheses while reducing to the minimum the number of clinical sittings at the dental surgery.

[0094] The invention thus conceived is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the appended claims. Moreover, all the details may be substituted by other, technically equivalent elements.

[0095] In practice the materials employed, provided they are compatible with the specific use, and the contingent dimensions and shapes, may be any according to requirements and to the state of the art.

[0096] The disclosures in Italian Patent Application No. 102021000027419 from which this application claims priority are incorporated herein by reference.

[0097] Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, those reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly, such reference signs do not have any limiting effect on the interpretation of each element identified by way of example by such reference signs.