Imaging method for fabricating dental devices
US5823778A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 9, 1997 |
| Grant date | Oct 20, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 9, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG16H20/40
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A method for fabricating a dental restoration is described which comprises the steps of obtaining a dental impression of a patient using dental impression material, filling the cavity defining the impression with a filler material distinguishable from the dental material defining the impression and allowing the materials to harden to a solid block, successively removing from the block thin layers and imaging each then remaining surface of the block after each successive layer is removed to define a contour of the filler material for each layer removed, each contour corresponding to a contour of the teeth, gums and palate of the patient at a corresponding known depth of the block, generating a three dimensional computer model of the teeth, gums and palate of the patient using the contours, and converting the model to a stereolithography file for producing a castable pattern of the model or machining a restoration corresponding to the model.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.