# US 10,765,492 B2 · Dental veneers and methods of manufacture > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,765,492 B2 - Document ID: US10765492B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/855,631 - Filed: 2017-12-27 - Published: 2018-05-17 - Granted: 2020-09-08 - Earliest claimed: 2010-07-02 - Assignees: Stephan Lampl - Applicants: Stephan Lampl - Inventors: Stephan Lampl - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10765492B2 ## CPC - A61C 5/77: Methods or devices for making crowns - A61C 5/00: Filling or capping teeth - A61C 5/20: Repairing attrition damage, e.g. facets - A61C 5/70: Tooth crowns; Making thereof - A61C 13/087: Artificial resin teeth {(A61C13/081 takes precedence; preparations A61K6/80)} - A61K 6/16: Refractive index - A61K 6/17: Particle size - A61K 6/30: Compositions for temporarily or permanently fixing teeth or palates, e.g. primers for dental adhesives - A61K 6/77: Glass - A61K 6/887: Compounds obtained by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds - A61C: DENTISTRY; APPARATUS OR METHODS FOR ORAL OR DENTAL HYGIENE (non-driven toothbrushes A46B; {tongue scrapers A61B17/24;} preparations for dentistry A61K6/00; preparations for cleaning the teeth or mouth A61K8/00, A61Q11/00) - A61K: PREPARATIONS FOR MEDICAL, DENTAL OR TOILETRY PURPOSES (devices or methods specially adapted for bringing pharmaceutical products into particular physical or administering forms A61J3/00; chemical aspects of, or use of materials for deodorisation of air, for disinfection or sterilisation, or for bandages, dressings, absorbent pads or surgical articles A61L; soap compositions C11D) ## Abstract A dental veneer made from a composite comprising at least one organic binder, preferably with methacrylate, and inorganic solid particles as fillers. Methods for manufacturing the dental veneer include curing the composite with heat and light under pressure followed by laser treating the facial surface of the veneer to form a smoother facial surface. Filler particles at the facial surface of the veneer can be melted and/or coalesced together to form a continuous glass surface, which is more natural looking and better resembles natural tooth material as compared to ceramic veneers or other composited veneers lacking surface treatment. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of manufacturing a dental veneer, comprising: shaping a composite material into a shape for attachment to a prepared tooth surface, the composite material comprising an organic binder and solid filler particles; at least partially hardening or curing the composite material; and laser treating a portion of the at least partially hardened or cured composite material to melt the solid filler particles at an exterior surface of the composite material, the solid filler particles of the exterior surface being continuously melted together to form a hardened glassy surface. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) A method according to claim 1, wherein shaping the composite material and at least partially hardening or curing the composite material comprises: providing a moldable composite material; introducing the moldable composite material into a mold at high pressure, the mold at least partially corresponding to a desired shape of the dental veneer; subjecting the molded composite material within the mold to at least one of heat or light curing. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the mold includes a glass surface corresponding to a facial surface of the dental veneer and a metal surface corresponding to a basal surface of the dental veneer. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein the method comprises both heat curing throughout the mold and light curing through the glass surface of the mold. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein light curing through the glass surface of the mold causes the composite material to undergo greater polymerization shrinkage adjacent to the glass surface as compared to adjacent to the metal surface, thereby causing solid filler particles at the facial surface of the dental veneer to be closer together than solid filler particles at the basal surface of the dental veneer. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising placing the at least partially hardened or cured composite under nitrogen gas. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein laser treating causes at least a portion of the organic binder of the composite material to be removed so that the exterior surface has a higher percentage of solid filler particles than an adjacent composite region not laser treated. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein laser treating results in the exterior surface having an appearance resembling tooth enamel. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein laser treating results in the exterior surface being translucent. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein laser treating results in the exterior surface having a refractive index simulating natural tooth enamel. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising applying glass powder to the dental veneer, wherein laser treating vitrifies the glass powder and forms a glass layer on the exterior surface. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the glass powder comprises barium and/or strontium glass. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the dental veneer has a hardness similar to that of natural teeth. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein laser treating results in the dental veneer having an L value of 59 to 69, an “a” value of −0.35 to −3.2, and a “b” value of −0.4 to −6.95. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the organic binder comprise an acrylate or methacrylate. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the solid filler particles comprise inorganic particles. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, wherein the inorganic particles comprise one or more types of glass. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, wherein the inorganic particles comprise differently sized particles having different grain sizes.