JPH0956731A - Preparation of tooth form - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To manufacture an impression for making an artificial tooth with high precision and quality by forming a negative photo image of a tooth model in a die for making the artificial tooth with the use of data obtained by scanning the surface of the model. SOLUTION: A laser digitizing device 10 is connected to a CAD/CAM computer 20, which is then connected to a machine tool 30. The outputted laser beam is converged on a tooth model 14 with a laser camera 12 in the laser digitizing device 10. Then, the digitized data is translated through a translating device into a language readable by a machine and sent to the CAD/CAM computer 20. After that, the digital data is filtered, smoothed or normalized and edited. With this edited digital data, a three dimensional surface pattern 26 is made for the tooth. The image-formed three dimensional surface pattern 26 is displayed on a video display monitor 24 while the numerical values obtained from the edited digital data are displayed on a monitor 22.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

The present invention is a method of making a mold for making a denture,
More specifically, it relates to operator-assisted, computer-controlled tooth mold manufacturing methods. Dental molds are used in the field of dental technology to make dentures. Tooth mold fabrication involves a costly, time consuming and labor intensive process. Moreover, the skill of a professional engineer is required, and training a person in this technical field takes about two years.

Briefly, a method of manufacturing working molds or molds used in the normal manufacture of dentures involves the following steps. The process of making a silicone mold using a tooth master die. The process of making a working mold from epoxy resin using this silicone mold. The above steps are repeated until the desired number of working molds have been manufactured. Multiple working molds may be placed on one template and multiple copies of one tooth may be made from only one mold. A plurality of die silicone molds are placed on the template and an epoxy mandrel is made from the silicone molds. The mandrel is sprayed with silver to acquire a charge and electroplated with nickel. This creates a land or surface between the coupon and the groove on the coupon that has an escape path for excess molding liquid. This coupon is then attached to the aluminum frame, the mold guide posts are placed and the aluminum frame is finished with the sprue area for the inlet of the molding liquid. The coupons that can be installed are refined, hand-fitted and hand-polished. After inspection, the installed coupon is called a master mold, which is used to make a working mold. It takes about 12-14 weeks to make a master mold. Furthermore, at least 5 image reversals are required to convert the positive image from the master die into the negative image of the master mold.

Epoxy mandrels are made from a master mold for making working molds used in the normal manufacture of dentures. The work-type manufacturing process after the epoxy mandrel manufacturing process is exactly the same as the master mold manufacturing process. Spraying, electroplating, and refining. The refining process involves final manual polishing. As a result of this step, a mold is obtained with a high degree of accuracy that describes the surface properties of the denture to be manufactured. It takes about 6 weeks to make one working mold from the master mold.

In practice, two to make a single denture,
Three or more working mold parts are used. Normally, three mold parts, a front mold, a shader mold, and a rear mold are used. The frontal mold is used to create the labial side of the teeth. Shader molds are used to make tooth surface enamel blends. The back mold is used to create the back side of the tooth.

As is apparent from the above description of the conventional manufacturing method for tooth molds, the process is long, expensive and labor intensive. It has been proposed to assist computers as a powerful means of overcoming some of these shortcomings of conventional tooth mold manufacturing methods. It has been impossible for the prior art automated system to generate the surface (tooth surface) pattern of high depiction accuracy required for manufacturing a denture.

The following are examples of patent documents that describe automated methods for the creation of dental prostheses and related problems. U.S. Pat. No. 3,861,044 to Swinson. This teaches how to insert a dental inlay into a tooth. According to this method
The tooth for receiving the inlay is prepared, a photographic image signal of the prepared tooth is created, the image signal is sent to the automatically controlled machine tool, the prepared tooth area is filled with wax and wax filled. A photographic image signal of the tooth is created, and the image signal is sent to an automatically controlled machine tool, whereby the automatic machine tool is operated under the control of the image signal to create a dental inlay and The inlay is fitted.

US Pat. No. 4,324,546 to Heitlinger et al. Discloses a method and apparatus for making dentures. In the method useful for producing dentures described herein, the prepared roots of the tooth are reproduced in the working model and the final denture or false tooth is properly matched to the working model. And this method provides a step of providing electro-optical three-dimensional surface information corresponding to the residual root of the tooth, a step of converting the electro-optical information of the residual root of the tooth into a coordinate control signal by a computer, and a machine tool using the control signal It includes the step of automatically operating the to reproduce the working model of the residual roots from the material block.

White US Pat. No. 4,436.
684 describes a method of making a three-dimensional model of body internal structure and a mold cavity. The method comprises the steps of projecting radiant energy on the body part to generate a radiant energy response inside the body, and detecting the generated radiant energy response to obtain a representation of a substance in a body part defining the body structure. , A step of generating a set of three-dimensional coordinates defining a three-dimensional representation of the internal structure of the body selected based on the representation of the substance and an engraving tool for the workpiece according to the set of three-dimensional coordinates generated. Activating to form a model or mold cavity corresponding to the three-dimensional representation of the selected structure.

US Pat. No. 4, Moermann et al.
No. 575805 discloses a method and apparatus for manufacturing a custom-made implant. The method is described as facilitating the fabrication of a work piece to be placed on a light-reflecting object having a three-dimensional contour in which the work piece is aligned, and comprises the steps of: That is, the contour of the target object is non-contact topographically scanned, the pattern of the reflected light from the target object is made incident on the light sensing means, the light pattern on the light sensing means is converted into the corresponding electrical data pattern, and a set of Electrical data of the selected, save the selected electrical data, attach the work piece to the working means that responds to the sequentially input electrical data, and sequentially input the stored set of electrical data to the working means. Then, the work piece is machined into a three-dimensional shape according to the data.

US Pat. No. 461 to Duret et al.
1288 discloses a system for taking an impression of an internal site for making a denture. The system includes a non-traumatic lightwave energy source for generating a signal wave, projecting the lightwave energy to a body region to be examined and receiving a reflected wave from the region, whereby the reflected wave of the region is received. Is generated, and this analog intensity value is converted into numerical information expressing the characteristics of the relevant part by an analog-numerical value converter connected to the receiver, and this numerical value information is received to The shape and size of the part are three-dimensionally analyzed, and a three-dimensional shape corresponding to the final denture having a contour matching the part is designed. A signal processing means is connected to the means for receiving the numerical information, and the output of the numerical information is converted into a machine command signal, and the denture machine tool is directly controlled by this command signal to accurately control the part. The work piece is machined to fit.

US Pat. No. 4, Moermann et al.
615678 teaches that the implant material can be machined by a device of the type disclosed in said US Pat. No. 4,575,805.
The material is used in the case of custom manufacturing of implants for dental restorations, the combined first part and second part
Including parts. The first part is made from the raw material of the final implant and the second part is made from another material. Second
The parts are conveniently shaped and preferably have a corded surface to securely support the material in the machine tool. This code holding surface makes it possible for the machine to read information about the physical properties of the material.

US Pat. No. 466 to Duret et al.
Nos. 3720 and 4742464 disclose a method for manufacturing a denture in which various data are stored in a computer memory. That is, in this method, the shape and size of a standard tooth, the relationship between the tooth and the adjacent and occlusal teeth, data showing various characteristics for securing the denture in the prepared site, and the contour of the denture for direct implant. The data of machining instructions for molding the material from the material is stored in the memory of the computer. After preparing a site for receiving a denture in the patient's mouth, the dentist optically projects a grid at that site in the patient's mouth and creates an interference pattern that represents the overall impression of the site and its relationship to its adjacent structures. generate. The impression is converted into x, y, z data in the Cartesian coordinate system. By comparing the standard data stored in the computer with the impression represented by the interference pattern, matching data for matching with the site can be obtained. Based on these data, the material (blank) is processed to match the part. That is, the machine tool is numerically controlled by the x, y, z data representing the shape and dimensions of the artificial tooth obtained by matching with the above x, y, z coordinate data by the computer, and the target artificial tooth is totalized in the machine tool. It is made three-dimensionally.

US Pat. No. 4,766,704 to Brandestini et al. Describes a method and apparatus for machining a custom-made dental restorative portion from a blank of dental material in a single operation. According to this method, the work piece is attached to a support member that allows rotation and axial movement of the work piece. Separation discs are used for almost the entire working period. Moreover, if desired, additional tools in the form of a boring tool can be used to perform more elaborate shaping. Such disc and boring are held in a tool holder which is supported for parallel and rotational movement on one axis. The disc and boring machine are powered by a closed loop fluid supply. A tool speed sensing scheme is used for feed control and tool wear compensation purposes. The processing mechanism and associated control circuitry are housed in one common cabinet, making it a portable unit that is convenient for use in the dental office.

US Pat. No. 4,837,732 to Brandestini et al. Teaches a convenient method for obtaining data defining the three-dimensional shape of a prepared tooth and its immediate area. This method
The raw image from the scan head was displayed on the video display and the scan head was manually orientated with respect to the prepared tooth while observing the image of the teeth on the video display, generated by the scan head in the selected direction. Create a depth image and a contrast image from the data,
Then, it includes the steps of processing the depth image based on the contrast image.

While the conventional automated method described above may be adequate to produce a single denture, it provides the high precision qualities required for molds that are repeatedly used in the manufacture of multiple dentures. It cannot be produced. High precision molds are needed to form labial striations and natural markings present on the teeth. And again
Multiple contoured molds are needed to create the color mixture needed to give the denture molding material its natural appearance. However, only the present invention allowed the computer operator to interact with the machine system until a surface pattern model was acceptable. Further, only the system of the present invention used a tool path program for both the milling instructions for the die and the finish polishing instructions for the die. That is, the interaction of the computer operator and the finish polishing dictated by the tool path program contribute to the manufacture of the high precision mold of the present invention. The prior art teaches the direct manufacturing of dental prosthesis parts using programmed milling, not the indirect (computer-operator-interaction) dental prosthesis part manufacturing method.

Therefore, it is a first object of the present invention to provide a method for manufacturing a dental mold having a high precision quality required for manufacturing a denture. Another object of the present invention is to provide a method of manufacturing dentures in a minimum amount of time. Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a dental mold that does not require the skill of a specialist. Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing dentures which is not labor intensive and therefore cheaper than conventional methods. The above and other objects of the present invention and advantages and details of the method for manufacturing a dental mold according to the present invention will become more apparent by reading the following description of the embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The above-mentioned drawbacks of the conventional method of manufacturing a tooth mold are overcome by the present invention. The method of the present invention basically comprises the steps of scanning the surface of a dental model and the data obtained from the scanning to form a negative image of the dental model in a mold suitable for denture manufacture. It includes the steps used. This method scans the tooth model to obtain data on the three-dimensional surface of the tooth model, processes the data, and creates a tool path program, which is a negative image of the tooth model. The process used to control the direct fabrication of the.

Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention is the manufacture of dentures, it should be understood that other dental prostheses besides teeth can be made according to the present invention. Here, a tooth model means an actual dental prosthesis part such as an extracted mammalian tooth or an artificial or machined dental prosthesis part or a part of an extracted tooth or a manufactured tooth or any other tooth part. It is a thing. Dental prosthesis part here also means teeth, crowns, bridges, veneers or other dental restoration units and parts of units. A tooth pattern is a negative of a dental model of a dental prosthesis to be molded in a tooth mold. Furthermore, it should be understood that the dental mold is usually made as a number of tooth patterns, so that a tooth can be built up from several different layers or materials.

One important feature of the present invention is that the method of the present invention results in a mold with very high contouring accuracy. Another important feature of the present invention is that the entire process of making a tooth model can be reduced to hours instead of weeks as with conventional processes. Yet another feature of the present invention is that the dental mold can be manufactured without requiring the expertise of a dental mold technician.

Examples will be described below. One preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. In the figure, a laser digitizing device 10 is connected to a CAD / CAM computer 20, which is connected to a machine tool 30. The laser digitizing device 10 and the CAD / CAM computer 20
Connection with and CAD / CAM computer 2
The connection between 0 and the machine tool is indicated by arrows and is not shown in detail. These connections may take the form of cables or may be the manual transfer of data from machine to machine.

The laser digitizer 10 includes a laser camera 12 that focuses a laser beam on a rotating tooth model 14. The laser beam is not shown. The tooth model 14 and the model rotating means 16 are shown just below the laser camera 12. The laser digitizing device 10 further comprises a video display monitor 18. In the first step of making this tooth model, the tooth model 14 is the rotary support 1.
It is placed on 6 and rotated. Laser camera 12
Emits a laser beam which is projected onto the rotating tooth model 14 and the reflected beam from the model is received by the camera 12. The laser reflection is converted into an electrical signal, which is converted or digitized into three-dimensional surface position or contour data of the tooth model.

The accuracy of the laser beam and reading by the laser camera 12 can be somewhat improved if desired by employing the optional step of coating the dental model 14 with a non-glittering reflective material. When such a coating layer is applied, the tooth model 1
Substantially uniform contrast is provided at various locations across 4.

The digitized data is translated by a translator (not shown) into a machine readable language and sent to a CAD / CAM computer 20 for processing. Computer 20 has two video display monitors 2
2 and 24, and the hardware needed to run the program. The CAD or computer aided design portion of the computer is used to design and process the data to create a three-dimensional surface pattern or map of the dental model. The first step in the process is to subject the digital data obtained from the laser scan to a computer controlled software editing program.
This computer control software program filters, smooths and / or normalizes the digital data.

The edited digital data is used to create the three-dimensional surface pattern 26 of the tooth model.
The imaged three-dimensional surface pattern 26 can be displayed on one video display monitor 24, and the numerical value obtained from the edited digital data can be displayed on the other monitor 22. At this point, the computer operator interacts with the device before the data is further processed. That is, the operator checks whether or not the displayed surface pattern has a high depiction accuracy necessary for creating a tooth model, for example, regarding the tooth size and shape and the labial streak. If the necessary and sufficient depiction accuracy for making the tooth model is determined not to exist by visual analysis and comparison with known geometrical values such as length, width and thickness, the operator uses the keyboard. Supplementary data not previously used by the operation of 28 (data generated by the first laser digitization of the tooth model, but not yet used to create the three-dimensional surface pattern of the current tooth model) ) Can be added or the digitization can be repeated with a higher laser beam resolution (a laser beam analysis of the tooth model again, but with a higher laser beam resolution to generate new data). In each case, a new three-dimensional surface pattern is drawn. This computer operator interaction process can be repeated until an acceptable surface pattern model is created.

If the three-dimensional surface pattern is acceptable in terms of drawing accuracy, the CAM of the computer
The parts, or computer-aided manufacturing parts, are used to create a tool path program for mold making.
This tool path program is used to control the operation of the machine tool 30. The machine tool is preferably a multi-axis type. The tool path program activates the milling machine 32 and uses a suitable substrate such as steel, nickel, aluminum,
The mold 34 is milled from ceramic, plastic or other machinable material. The preferred substrate is steel. After the tooth mold is cut, preferably,
A toolpath program is used to direct the tool to finish grinding and control its work. The finish polishing process improves the surface finish and creates a suitable mold for making dentures. A final manual polishing step is added if desired. The molds or coupons made by this method can be tooth molds mounted in a mold frame and operated in a standard manner, or the entire mold can be made or multiple cavity molds can be made.

It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to using a laser beam for scanning a dental model. The energy source can be any energy source, such as an electron beam or ultrasonic waves, that allows the data to be read with sufficient resolution to produce a mold with sufficient imaging accuracy. Moreover, digital data obtained from other sources, for example from binocular photographs or optical interferometers, can also be used. The tooth model itself can be selected from any dental source that has the required precision to transfer to the tooth model. Examples of valid models are sculptures, extracted teeth, dentures, master dies, and even working tooth models. The model can be made of any suitable material capable of displaying the precise contours required. Non-limiting examples of suitable materials are waxes, ceramics, glasses, pottery, plastics, metals and the like. Metal models include elemental metals, alloys, metal / non-metal mixtures, as well as metal-coated non-metal models.

In one preferred embodiment, scanning of the dental model is performed on a rotating three-dimensional model mounted on a rotary support. Laser scanning a rotating three-dimensional model allows for immediate combining or integration of each scan point. Such an instant combination of data points speeds up data processing and thus reduces the time required for tool path programming.

As described above, the production of the dental mold for producing the denture requires a high degree of delineation accuracy as compared with the production of other dental prostheses. A well-defined mold is needed to create labial lines or mottle on the teeth, and multiple molds are needed to provide color mixing that can give the denture a natural appearance.

Mixing means here that one mold is used to produce a given proportion of the substrate part and more additional molds are used to produce the outer coating in a given proportion. By varying the combination of such multiple layers, various optical appearance categorization groups for dentures can be created. It is also possible to create different optical appearance or physical property categorization groups for dentures by changing the material from which the denture is made. Thus, the blending method can create multiple optical appearances or physical properties for dentures or other prostheses by changing the color of multiple layers.

In one preferred embodiment of the invention, a computer operator interacts with the system at a point prior to the creation of the toolpath program. That is, the computer operator examines the surface pattern of the tooth model and supplements the data from the stored data (the data generated by the first laser digitization of the tooth model, but the three-dimensional surface of the previous tooth model). Data that has not been used to create the pattern),
Alternatively, the scanning and digitization can be repeated at a higher resolution. In each case, a new three-dimensional surface pattern is created and this new pattern is investigated and analyzed for the required numerical value or visual appearance. Skilled operators are required and operations expected to be completed are required. However, the operator does not need to be particularly skilled in the manufacture of the tooth mold itself.

The invention having been generally described above, the invention will be better understood by reading the following specific examples. However, the examples are for explaining the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to these examples.

Example An aluminum bronze (alloy) master die was coated with a layer of non-glittering material to create the front mold part for the upper incisors. This coated master die is a rotating support for the Surveyor Model 2000, 3D Digitizing System, a system available from Laser Design, Inc., Minneapolis, Minn., USA. Placed on top of. The glint-free material coated on the master die was then reapplied to correct any imperfections in the coating. The master die was read at a scanning speed of 100 points / sec with a 0.002 inch gap between the master die and its neighbor. A stepover distance of 0.005 inches was used. Laser beam diameter is 0.0
The system accuracy was plus or minus 0.00075 inches. The actual scan time for the die was 4 hours. The digitized information or scanned data was collected on a 65 megabyte hard disk and transferred to a floppy disk.

This floppy disk is IGES (Inte
rnational Graphics Exchange Standard) was inserted into a translator and the digital information or scanning data from the laser was translated into a machine-readable language. The IGES translator is available from Laser Design, supra. The translated data is collected on floppy disks and is located in South Windsor, Connecticut, USA.
) Gerber System Technology Company (Gerbe)
Saber 5000 CAD / CAM system (Saber 5000 CAD) available from r Systems Technology, Inc.,
/ CAM System). The translated data is edited in this CAD / CAM system and the 3D model is displayed on one video display monitor. Numerical values from the edited digital data are displayed on the second monitor. The operator of the computer examines the surface pattern of the dental model for the size and shape of the tooth and examines the labial streaks for the high depiction accuracy required for making the tooth model. If it is determined that this initial surface pattern model has not achieved the required quality, the computer operator will draw additional surface pattern models to supplement the data (generated by the first laser digitization of the tooth model). Data, but not yet used to create the three-dimensional surface pattern of modern tooth models). This process is repeated until a surface pattern having the size and shape of the tooth model and the size and shape of the labial sting of the tooth model is obtained. The parting line of the front mold part or the point of contact with another mold part is given by the computer operator when evaluating the surface pattern of the dental model. The Saber 5000 CAD / CAM system software was then used to create the toolpath program for creating the tooth profile only when the acceptable surface pattern was rendered. Data in the form of numerical coordinates of the toolpath program were collected on a memory disk and transferred to a floppy disk.

This floppy disk is a product of Boston Digital, Inc. of Milford, Mass., USA.
machine tools available from ston Digital Corporation),
Bostmatic Model 312-1S Vertical Floor Precision Milling, Drilling, Drilling, Contouring Machine (BostoMatic Mod
el 312-1S Vertical Bed Type Precision Milling, Dri
lling, Boring and Contouring Machine). This tool path program was used to control the operation of the machine tool to create a tooth profile. Feed rate averages 6 inches / minute (speed range 4.5-10)
(Inch / min), the rotation speed was 30,000 rpm, and the size was sequentially reduced, and the product was continuously milled four times. 1/4 inch end mill (Bassett) followed by 1/8 inch end mill (Bassett), then 1/16 inch end mill (Bassett), followed by 1/3 inch end mill (TSC Carbide) . Tool path accuracy is 0.00
02 inches and the step over range was 0.001 to 0.005 inches. The machine tool was four-axis capable, but only three axes were used to make the tooth profile. The mold was cut into one block of 420 free-machining stainless steel. The resulting impressions were tested for surface finish quality by subjective visual evaluation, with a 7 × magnification trained eye, comparing the stone impression from the impressions with an aluminum bronze master die. As a result, it was found that the machine tool-made tooth profile contained approximately 95% of the surface details and finish of the master die. The tooth mold produced was a coupon (one coupon) and was mounted on a standard aluminum mold for inspection.

The remaining 5% of surface detail and finish must be complemented by finish polishing. This finish polishing was predicted here to be accomplished by a finish tool path program using a finish polishing tool. The finish polishing tool is a hardwood polishing stick and is used with diamond paste. This finish polishing step is employed to get the most complete and acceptable surface detail and finish. Finally, it is very likely that the manual polishing process will be carried out using dental handpieces (power tools), brushes (synthetic bristles) and red iron oxide.

To make the backside mold portion, the digital information from the scan of the aluminum bronze master die was processed until it could be easily loaded into the hard disk drive of the milling machine. To make a shader type part,
A Soft Babbitt master shader die (not coated with glitter) was placed on the rotating support and treated in the same manner as for the aluminum bronze master die described above. The data was processed as in the case of the aluminum bronze master die information above until it could be easily loaded into the hard disk drive of the milling machine. The data was smoothed on the screen during editing to ensure that the shader-type part fits the front-type part.

Although the present invention has been described above with reference to a specific embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. It will be apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art that various modifications may be made to the above embodiments in the practice of the present invention without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the claims.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a device embodying the present invention, including a laser digitizing device, a CAD / CAM computer, and a machine tool.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 Laser Digitizer 20 CAD / CAM Computer 30 Machine Tool 12 Laser Camera 14 Teeth Model 16 Rotating Support 18 Laser-Digitalizer Video Display Monitor 22, 24 CAD / CAM Computer Video Display Monitor 26 Teeth Model Tertiary Original surface pattern 28 Keyboard 32 Milling machine 34 Teeth

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued Front Page (72) Inventor Carlton El. Grim United States. 17356 Pennsylvania, Red Lion, Sharon Avenue North 915 (72) Inventor Andrew T. C. Riu United States. 17404 Pennsylvania, York, Weatherburn Drive 1045 (72) Inventor Jeffrey E. McGraw United States. 17007 Pennsylvania, Boiling Springs, Hilton Road 215

Claims (27)

[Claims] 1. A method for iteratively molding precision dentures, each having one molded coating, comprising scanning a tooth model and milling at least three mold parts. , Each of those mold parts is milled by performing a first pass along a first tool path with a first mill,
In the first pass, the material is milled to form a plurality of cavities in the first metal block to create a suitable multi-cavity mold part for making a composite denture, the milling of which is edited data. And the edited data is obtained by editing the reflection data using a design program, the reflection data being indicative of the surface of the tooth model. The data produced is representative of the surface of the denture and the edited data is obtained by the milling program for milling along the tool path and for each precision denture having a molded coating in the mold. A method characterized by directing repetitive molding. 2. The part is a negative of a part of a tooth model to be molded in a mold, and the program visualizes the surface contour of the tooth model, and the image of the surface contour of the model. Reading data in response to the activation. 3. A method of making a denture, each having a molded coating and a precise labial streak, providing a tooth model, scanning the tooth model, and reflecting from the tooth model. Receiving the data, translating the reflection into an electric signal, converting the electric signal into reflection data, editing the reflection data, and adding a precise labial streak using a design program. And machining one metal tooth profile part, the machining process comprising using the edited data to direct the milling of the tooth profile part to a machine tool, the milling process comprising: 1 mil first pass machining, second mil second pass machining, the first mil having a first mill end, the second mil having a second mill end, and the second The size of the mill end is Wherein to encompass mill end is smaller than, and the step of repeatedly molding the precision denture having one molded coating and precise labial streaks in the mold. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein said scanning comprises projecting a laser beam onto said tooth model. 5. The method of claim 3 wherein said scanning step further comprises the step of rotating said tooth model during the beam projection and reflection receiving steps. 6. The method of claim 3, wherein the tooth model is a three-dimensional replica of the tooth and the model comprises metal. 7. The method of claim 3, wherein the tooth model is a natural tooth. 8. The tooth model is a wax model of teeth.
The described method. 9. A data processing step, the step of rendering an edited three-dimensional surface pattern of the tooth model from the edited data, the step of evaluating the surface pattern of the tooth model, and the edited step. The method of claim 3 including the step of creating a tool path program from the data. 10. The fabrication process comprises visually analyzing a surface pattern of the tooth model and comparing it with a known geometrical value for the tooth model.
The described method. 11. The method of claim 3 wherein said machining step further comprises the step of finish polishing said tooth profile portion using said tool path program. 12. A method of making a denture, each having one molded coating and labial lines, comprises the steps of: rotating a three-dimensional replica of a tooth having three-dimensional surface sites. While scanning, while rotating the replica, the reflection from the replica is received, the reflection is translated into an electric signal, the electric signal is digitized into reflection data, and the reflection data is edited to obtain the labial streaks. Then add CAD / C
Providing the edited data in a computer using the AM program, and using the edited data to create a tool path program and machine a tooth profile, the machining process being the edited data. Milling the first, second, and third metal prosthesis mold parts to the machine tool, wherein the milling of the first metal mold part from the first metal part is the first. First by mill
Processing a first pass and a second pass with a second mill to process the first metal portion, the first mill having a first mill end and the second mill having a second mill end. Having a mill end, the second mill end having a size smaller than the first mill end, milling the second metal mold part from the second metal part, first milling with the first mill, with the second mill Second
Milling of the third metal mold part from a third metal part is performed by performing a first pass machining, a second mill. By the second
The processing of the pass is performed to form the third metal mold part. 13. The tooth replica comprises metal.
2. The method described in 2. 14. The method of claim 12, wherein the tooth replica comprises a non-glare coating. 15. The method of claim 12, wherein the dental mold comprises a metal base. 16. The method of claim 12, wherein the machining step further comprises using the toolpath program to direct mechanical finish polishing of the mold part. 17. The method of claim 1, further comprising polishing at least one of the plurality of mold sections with a finishing tool path program. 18. The method of claim 17, further comprising molding a dental prosthesis portion within the mold. 19. The method of claim 1, further comprising molding a dental prosthesis portion within the mold. 20. The method of claim 3, further comprising molding teeth within the mold. 21. The method of claim 12, further comprising molding teeth within the mold. 22. A method of manufacturing a dental mold for making a dental prosthesis, the step of machining a pattern of a dental prosthesis on a mold manufacturing material for making a mold, the machining being directed by a machining program using edited data, The edited data is provided by editing the reflection data using a design program, the reflection data being indicative of the surface of the dental model, the edited data being indicative of the surface of the denture. And the edited data includes directing the machining of the pattern by the machining program, and making repeated dentures in the mold. 23. The method of claim 22, wherein the mold making material is easily machineable and abrasable. 24. The mold making material is steel, nickel,
Aluminium, ceramic or plastic.
2. The method described in 2. 25. A method of making a denture, the step of machining a pattern of at least one denture in a mold making material to create a mold, the machining being directed by a machining program using edited data. Data is provided by editing the reflection data using a design program, the reflection data being indicative of the surface of the dental model, the edited data being indicative of the surface of the denture, Then, the edited data includes the steps of instructing the machining of a pattern by the machining program, and manufacturing repeated dentures in the mold. 26. The method of claim 25, wherein the mold making material is readily machineable and abrasable. 27. The mold making material is steel, nickel,
Aluminium, ceramic or plastic.
The method according to 5.