CONTROL GUIDE FOR CHECKING PLACEMENT OF AT LEAST TWO DENTAL ELEMENTS

Abstract

A computer-implemented method includes obtaining a digital 3D representation of a patient's jaw comprising a first and second target location, providing a digital first dental element and a digital second element, respectively being digital 3D representations of a first dental element for placement on the first target location and a second dental element for placement on the second target location, arranging the digital first dental element on the digital representation of the first target location and the digital second dental element on the digital representation of the second target location, determining contact surfaces of the first and second dental element based on an insertion direction of the digital control guide design, and generating a digital control guide design comprising a digital 3D representation of the gum facing surface of the control guide based on a part of the contact surfaces of both the at least first and second dental element.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for providing a digital control guide design of a control guide for ensuring the position and orientation of at least two dental elements arranged on at least respective first and second target location, wherein the method comprises obtaining a digital 3D representation of at least a part of a patient's jaw comprising at least a first and second target location, providing a digital first dental element and a digital second element, respectively being digital 3D representations of a at least a first dental element for placement on the first target location and a second dental element for placement on the second target location, arranging the digital first dental element on the digital representation of the first target location and the digital second dental element on the digital representation of the second target location, determining contact surfaces of the at least first and second dental element based on an insertion direction of the digital control guide design, generating a digital control guide design comprising a digital 3D representation of the gum facing surface of the control guide based on at least a part of the contact surfaces of both the at least first and second dental element.

2. A computer-implemented method according to claim 1, wherein the contact surfaces are determined by an orthographic projection of the at least digital first and second dental element along the insertion direction.

3. A computer-implement method according to claim 1, wherein the 3D representation of the gum facing surface is based on all of the contact surfaces of the digital first and second dental element.

4. A computer-implemented method for providing a digital control guide design of a control guide according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the digital dental elements represents a screw retained dental element comprising a screw hole and wherein a through going hole is designed in the digital control guide design that extends coaxially with the screw hole represented in the digital dental element.

5. A combination of a control guide designed according to the computer-implemented method according to claim 1 and a at least one dental element, wherein the dental element comprises an implant screw hole for attaching the dental element to an implant and a superstructure screw for attaching the dental element to a superstructure, such as a restoration or a dental bar.

6. A computer-implemented method according to claim 5, wherein the dental element is a multi-unit abutment.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] 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:

[0026] FIGS. 1A and 1B show a control guide designed using the method disclosed herein in a respective pre-placing and post-placing arrangement, and

[0027] FIG. 2 shows a schematic view of an embodiment of a system for executing the method disclosed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] In the following description, reference is made to the accompanying figures, which show by way of illustration how the invention may be practiced.

[0029] FIG. 1 shows a control guide 1 for controlling the placement of three multi-unit abutments 2, 3, 4 placed at respective first, second and third target locations 5, 6, 7 where a first, second and third implant 8, 9, 10 are placed respectively.

[0030] The control guide 1 is formed with first, second and third gum facing surfaces 11, 12, 13 which during designing has been derived from respective visible surfaces 14, 15, 16 of the respective abutments when arranged at the target locations and viewed along the insertion direction I.sub.CG of the control guide design 1.

[0031] As can be seen the first, second and third implant 8, 9, 10 has each been placed with separate oriented implant directions I.sub.8, I.sub.9, I.sub.10 respectively. Accordingly, it is not possible to use one single placement guide wherein the abutments are placed, since they need to be placed from different angles. However, by placing the abutments manually in approximate correct position, the control guide can then be placed on top and the placement can be verified as shown in FIG. 1b. If there are slight deviations the control guide itself may guide the abutments into place and with larger deviations it may be necessary to remove the control guide and adjust the abutment where after the control guide can be used again to control the placement. Typically, the correction necessary will be rotational, since the general placement is dictated by the implant and therefore it is for non-hexed abutment (ie. abutments that can rotate in the implant) that the advantage of the control guide as disclosed herein is most distinct.

[0032] When correct placement has been determined as shown in FIG. 1b, the abutments 2, 3, 4 can be secured to the implant via implant screws (not shown) inserted in screw bores 14, 15, 16. In order to gain access to the screw bores while the control guide 1 is placed on the abutment there are provided through going holes 17, 18, 19 in the control guide, which align with the respective screw bores.

[0033] FIG. 2 shows a schematic of a system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The system 950 comprises a computer device 951 comprising a computer readable medium 952 and a processor 953. The system further comprises a visual display unit 956, a computer keyboard 954 and a computer mouse 955 for entering data and activating virtual buttons visualized on the visual display unit 956. The visual display unit 956 can be a computer screen. The computer device 951 is capable of receiving a digital 3D representation of the patient's jaw from a scanning device 957, 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 based on such scan data. The received or formed digital 3D representation can be stored in the computer readable medium 952 and provided to the processor 953. The processor 953 is configured for performing the steps of the method according to any of the embodiments disclosed.

[0034] The system comprises a unit 958 for transmitting the digital control guide design to e.g. a computer aided manufacturing (CAM) device 959 for manufacturing the control guide or to another computer system e.g. located at a milling center where the control guide is manufactured. The unit for transmitting the virtual 3D model can be a wired or a wireless connection.

[0035] 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.

[0036] 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.

[0037] A claim may refer to any of the preceding claims, and “any” is understood to mean “any one or more” of the preceding claims.

[0038] It should be emphasized that the term “comprises/comprising” when used in this specification is taken to specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps or components but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, components or groups thereof.

[0039] The features of the method 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.