Nanophase dental prosthetics and method

Abstract

Dental prosthetics, including implants, crowns and bridges, made from nanophase materials. The nanophase materials are generally manufactured by evaporating a metal or other solid substrate by heating it to a temperature at or above its boiling point in a vacuum to form a vapor. The vapor is then condensed back to a solid state through contact with a cold gas. In a first method, the nanophase material is heated until it is in a fluid state, then it is poured into a mold and cooled to form all or part of a dental prosthetic. In a second method, the nanophase material is placed into the mold in a powdered form, then heated so that the grains form a solid mass. Nanophase crowns and bridges should generally be formed in one piece, but the upper surface of a nanophase prosthetic will usually be covered with porcelain or another non-nanophase material.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.