Method of fabricating precise cast or noncast implant-retained dental restorations using electrical discharge machining

A method of fabricating an anatomically correct dental restoration for installation on a plurality of implants mounted at predetermined locations in the alveolar bone of a patient, said restoration having a plurality of cavities coinciding with said implants for securely mounting said restoration to said implants, said method comprising the following steps:

• (a) fabricating a rough cast restoration from a pattern having the desired configuration of said restoration;
• (b) fabricating a first accurate electrode conforming to the configuration of said implants;
• and,
• (c) in an electric discharge machine, mounting said rough cast restoration and said first electrode in axial and radial alignment with said first electrode in alignment with the corresponding cavities of said rough restoration, and finish machining said cavities of said rough restoration to the configuration of said first electrode by electric discharge machining.

A method of fabricating an anatomically correct dental restoration for installation on a plurality of metallic abutments secured to a plurality of implants mounted at predetermined locations in the alveolar bone of a patient, each said abutment secured to a corresponding implant, said restoration having cavities coinciding with said abutments for securely mounting said restoration to said abutments, said method comprising the following steps:

• (a) fabricating a rough cast restoration from a pattern having the desired configuration of said restoration, said rough restoration comprising solidified molten metal cast to a plurality of prefabricated metallic components, each said component having a cavity coinciding with a corresponding abutment for securely mounting said components to said abutments;
• (b) fabricating a first accurate electrode conforming to the configuration of said abutments;
• and,
• (c) in an electric discharge machine, mounting said rough cast restoration in radial and axial alignment with said first electrode, with said first electrode in alignment with said cavities of said rough restoration, and finish machining said cavities of said rough restoration to the configuration of said first electrode by electric discharge machining.

A method of fabricating an anatomically correct dental restoration configured to be worn in contact with a finite area of tissue in the mouth of a patient and securely mounted to an implant placed at a predetermined location in the alveolar bone of said patient, said method comprising the following steps:

• (a) fabricating a first accurate electrode conforming to the configuration of said implant,
• (b) fabricating a second accurate metallic electrode configured to a negative replica of the desired occlusal area of said restoration;
• (c) fabricating a third accurate metallic electrode configured to said finite area of tissue;
• (d) employing the electrodes in an electric discharge machining process to form the dental restoration from a solid matrix body.

A method of fabricating an anatomically correct dental restoration configured to be worn in contact with a finite area of tissue in the mouth of a patient and mounted to a plurality of implants placed at predetermined locations in the alveolar bone of said patient, said method comprising the following steps:

• (a) fabricating a first accurate electrode conforming to the configuration of said implants;
• (b) fabricating a second accurate metallic electrode configured to a negative replica of the desired occlusal area of said restoration;
• (c) fabricating a third accurate metallic electrode configured to said finite area of tissue;
• and,
• (d) employing the electrodes in an electric discharge machining process to form the dental restoration from a solid matrix body.