Jig device for making a dental prothesis or pattern therefor

The combination of a milling machine that mills from a work piece a dental prosthesis and a jig device that holds the work piece during milling in a manner that enables first and second opposed sides of the work piece to be milled, said first and second opposed sides being parallel and planar,

• said milling machine including a planar tabletop to which the jig device is mounted in a predetermined location so the jig device and milling machine are in an exact spatial relationship to enable the milling machine to precisely mill the dental prosthesis from the work piece first milling one side of the work piece and then the other side of the work piece,
• said jig device being symmetrical about a central longitudinal line and symmetrical about a central latitudinal line and configured to be inverted and returned to the same predetermined location to mill the second side of the work piece after milling the first side of the work piece,
• said jig device including a frame structure that provides a space into which the work piece is inserted to expose the first and second opposed sides, the jig device being in said predetermined location and the first side being initially positioned for milling, and after inverting, the jig device being in said predetermined location and the second side being positioned for milling,
• said jig device and milling machine including interactive elements that engage so that the jig device can be repeatedly inverted, positioning the jig device at the same predetermined location after each inverting of the jig device.

The combination of a milling machine that mills from a work piece a dental prosthesis and a jig device that holds the work piece during milling in a manner that enables first and second opposed sides of the work piece to be milled,

• said milling machine including a cutting tool and a planar tabletop to which the jig device is detachably mounted in a predetermined location so the jig device and milling machine are in an exact spatial relationship to enable the milling machine to precisely mill the dental prosthesis from the work piece first milling one side of the work piece and then the other side of the work piece,
• said jig device configured to be inverted and returned to the same predetermined location to mill the second side of the work piece after milling the first side of the work piece,
• said jig device including a frame structure that provides a space into which the work piece is inserted to expose the first and second opposed sides, the jig device being in said predetermined location and the first side being initially positioned for milling, and after inverting, the jig device being in said predetermined location and the second side being positioned for milling,
• said jig device and milling machine including interactive elements that engage so that the jig device can be repeatedly inverted, positioning the jig device at the same predetermined location after each inverting of the jig device, and
• said milling machine (i) initially operated so the cutting tool partially cuts through the first side of the work piece, drilling away a substantial portion of material from the work piece to form a cavity therein while avoiding penetrating through the work piece with a tip of the cutting tool, and (ii) then operated to completely cut through the second side of the work piece after filling first filling the cavity with a support material to finish making the dental prosthesis.