A system for casting a dental model, said system comprising
- a hollow, first mold made of an elastomeric material, said first mold having a bottom wall and side walls that extend from perimeter edges of said bottom wall of said first mold to form a cavity in said first mold that has an open top;
- a first opening extending inwardly into a side wall of said first mold from an inner face of said side wall, said first opening having a perimeter that has a non-circular shape, with said first opening further having a set orientation;
- a second opening extending through an opposite side wall of said first mold, said second opening having a perimeter that has a shape that corresponds to the non-circular shape of said first opening, with said second opening being oriented to have an orientation that is substantially identical with the orientation of said first opening;
- an elongate, first pin extending from said second opening through said cavity of said first mold to said first opening;
- a leading end of said first pin has a shape and size corresponding to the shape and size of said first opening so that said leading end of said first pin fits snugly within said first opening;
- a distal end of said first pin has a shape and size corresponding to the shape and size of said second opening so that said distal end of said first pin fits snugly within said second opening when said leading end of said first pin is received in said first opening, wherein when said leading end of said first pin engages said first opening and said distal end of said first pin engages said second opening, said first pin is held firmly in place extending longitudinally through said cavity of said first mold so that said first mold can not rotate relative to said first pin, whereby dental casting material can be poured into the cavity of said first mold and around said first pin to form a first base stone in said first mold, with said first pin being embedded in said first base stone so that the leading and distal ends of said first pin projects from opposite ends of said first base stone;
- a first connector member attached integrally to and extending from said distal end of said first pin;
- a hollow, second mold made of an elastomeric material, said second mold having a bottom wall and side walls that extend from perimeter edges of said bottom wall of said second mold to form a cavity in said second mold that has an open top;
- a first opening extending inwardly into a side wall of said second mold from an inner face of said side wall of said second mold, said first opening in said side wall of said second mold having a perimeter that has a non-circular shape, with said first opening in said side wall of said second mold further having a set orientation;
- a second opening extending through an opposite side wall of said second mold, said second opening in said side wall of said second mold having a perimeter that has a shape that corresponds to the non-circular shape of said first opening in said side wall of said second mold, with said second opening in said side wall of said second mold being oriented to have an orientation that is substantially identical with the orientation of said first opening in said side wall of said second mold;
- an elongate, second pin extending from said second opening in said side wall of said second mold through said cavity of said second mold to said first opening in said side wall of said second mold;
- a leading end of said second pin has a shape and size corresponding to the shape and size of said first opening in said side wall of said second mold so that said leading end of said second pin fits snugly within said first opening in said side wall of said second mold;
- a distal end of said second pin has a shape and size corresponding to the shape and size of said second opening in said side wall of said second mold so that said distal end of said second pin fits snugly within said second opening in said side wall of said second mold when said leading end of said second pin is received in said first opening in said side wall of said second mold, wherein when said leading end of said second pin engages said first opening in said side wall of said second mold and said distal end of said second pin engages said second opening in said side wall of said second mold, said second pin is held firmly in place extending longitudinally through said cavity of said second mold so that said second mold can not rotate relative to said second pin, whereby dental casting material can be poured into the cavity of said second mold and around said second pin to form a second base stone in said second mold, with said second pin being embedded in said second base stone so that the leading and distal ends of said second pin projects from opposite ends of said second base stone;
- a second connector member attached integrally to and extending from said distal end of said second pin;
- and
- means for pivotally connecting said first connector member to said second connector member so that (1) the first and second connector members can be connected and disconnected from each other, (2) when the first and second connector members are connected with each other, longitudinal axes through the leading and distal ends of said first and second pins are oriented so as to lie in a common plane, and (3) when the first and second connector members are connected with each other, said first and second connector members can pivot about said means for pivotally connecting said first and second connector members so that said longitudinal axes of said first and second pins move in said common plane between (i) a first position in which said longitudinal axes of said first and second pins are parallel and spaced apart from each other so that said first mold is positioned directly above said second mold, with leading ends of said first and second molds lying on a line that is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axes of said first and second pins, and (ii) a second position in which said first and second pins extend in substantially opposite directions away from each other so that said first and second molds extend in substantially opposite directions away form each other.