Method of fabricating a dental prosthesis

A method of fabricating a dental prosthesis, at least the major portion of which is a metallic element configured for wearing in contact with a finite area within the oral cavity of a patient, said method comprising the steps:

• (a) fabricating a rough cast prosthesis by the steps:
• (a-1) pouring an upper and a lower dental cast in impressions taken in the oral cavity of a patient, one of said dental casts including the finite area in contact with which said prosthesis is to be worn;
• (a-2) mounting said dental casts in a dental articulator and hand forming a wax pattern over the finite area on said dental cast to the desired configuration of said rough cast prosthesis;
• (a-3) removing said wax pattern from said dental cast and investing said wax pattern in a pliable refractory material, and, after the refractory material has solidified, elevating the ambient temperature surrounding said refractory material to evaporate said wax pattern to leave a cavity mold in said refractory material;
• (a-4) casting a rough prosthesis in said cavity mold by injecting a high temperature molten metal which is allowed to solidify into said rough cast prosthesis which is then removed from said cavity mold;
• (b) forming an accurate metallic electrode by electroforming a metal into an impression taken in the oral cavity of said patient, said electrode to be configured to the finite area in the oral cavity of said patient in contact with which said prosthesis is to be worn;
• and,
• (c) in an electric discharge machine, mounting said rough cast prosthesis and said electrode in linear spaced alignment with said electrode in alignment with the corresponding finite area of said rough prosthesis, and finish machining said finite area of said rough prosthesis to the configuration of said electrode by electric discharge machining.