# US RE50,859 E1 · Temporary dental prosthesis for use in developing final dental prosthesis

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- Number: US RE50,859 E1
- Document ID: USRE50859E1
- Status: Granted
- Kind: E1
- Application number: 17/974,446
- Filed: 2022-10-26
- Granted: 2026-04-14
- Earliest claimed: 2012-09-14
- Assignees: Biomet 3i, LLC
- Applicants: Biomet 3i, LLC
- Inventors: Zachary B. Suttin; Stephen M. Herrington; Ross W. Towse
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/USRE50859E1

## CPC

- A61C 13/34: Making or working of models, e.g. preliminary castings, trial dentures; Dowel pins [4]
- A61B 6/032: {Transmission computed tomography [CT]}
- A61B 6/51: for dentistry
- A61C 1/084: {of implanting tools}
- A61C 8/00: Means to be fixed to the jaw-bone for consolidating natural teeth or for fixing dental prostheses thereon; Dental implants; Implanting tools (fastening of peg-teeth in the mouth A61C13/30)
- A61C 9/0053: {Optical means or methods, e.g. scanning the teeth by a laser or light beam}
- A61C 13/00: Dental prostheses; Making same (tooth crowns for capping teeth A61C5/70; dental implants A61C8/00)
- A61C 13/08: Artificial teeth; Making same (kilns for artificial teeth F27B)
- A61C: DENTISTRY; APPARATUS OR METHODS FOR ORAL OR DENTAL HYGIENE (non-driven toothbrushes A46B; {tongue scrapers A61B17/24;} preparations for dentistry A61K6/00; preparations for cleaning the teeth or mouth A61K8/00, A61Q11/00)
- A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D)

## Abstract

A method of manufacturing a permanent prosthesis for attachment to a dental implant installed in a mouth of a patient includes scanning a patient specific temporary prosthesis (PSTP) to obtain scan data. The PSTP is attached to the dental implant in the mouth of the patient. Gingival tissue surrounding the PSTP is permitted to heal in the mouth of the patient. In response to aesthetics of the healed gingival tissue surrounding the PSTP in the mouth of the patient not being acceptable, the PSTP is physically modified by (i) removing material from the PSTP, (ii) adding material to the PSTP, or (iii) both. The modified PSTP is scanned and a permanent prosthesis is fabricated as a replica of the modified PSTP using scan data generated from the scan of the modified PSTP.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of manufacturing a permanent prosthesis for attachment to a dental implant installed in a mouth of a patient, the method comprising:
fabricating a patient specific temporary prosthesis (PSTP), a supragingival portion of the PSTP having a customized anatomical tooth shape;
scanning, outside of the mouth of the patient, the PSTP to obtain scan data;
attaching the PSTP to the dental implant in the mouth of the patient;
permitting gingival tissue surrounding the PSTP to heal in the mouth of the patient for a healing time period; and
in response to gingival healing the gingival tissue surrounding the PSTP healing during the healing time period:
physically modifying the PSTP by (i) removing material from the PSTP, (ii) adding material to the PSTP, or (iii) both to form a physically modified PSTP;
scanning the physically modified PSTP to obtain modified scan data; and
manufacturing the permanent prosthesis using the obtained modified scan data such that all outer contours of the permanent prosthesis replicate all outer contours of the physically modified PSTP.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising, prior to the scanning, outside of the mouth of the patient, the PSTP to obtain scan data, attaching a scanning aid to an implant connection of the PSTP, the scanning aid including a portion with a known feature for use in identifying the location of the implant connection of the PSTP.

### Claim 3

A method of manufacturing a permanent prosthesis for attachment to a dental implant installed in a mouth of a patient, the method comprising:
fabricating a patient specific temporary prosthesis (PSTP), a supragingival portion of the PSTP having a customized anatomical tooth shape;
generating scan data from a scan of the PSTP outside the mouth of the patient; and
subsequent to the PSTP being attached to the dental implant installed in the mouth of the patient and gingival tissue surrounding the PSTP being permitted to heal in the mouth of the patient for a healing time period, generating modified scan data from a scan of a physically modified PSTP, the PSTP being physically modified PSTP formed by physically modifying the PSTP in response to gingival healing during the healing time period; and
manufacturing the permanent prosthesis, based on the physically modified PSTP such that all outer contours of the permanent prosthesis replicate all outer contours of the physically modified PSTP.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, further comprising transmitting the generated modified scan data to a milling machine and manufacturing the permanent prosthesis using the transferred transmitted modified scan data such that all outer contours of the permanent prosthesis replicate all outer contours of the physically modified PSTP.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising removing the PSTP from the mouth of the patient.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5, wherein the physically modifying occurs prior to the PSTP being removed from the mouth of the patient, after the PSTP is removed from the mouth of the patient, or both.

### Claim 7

A method of manufacturing a permanent prosthesis for attachment to a dental implant installed in a mouth of a patient, the method comprising:
fabricating a patient specific temporary prosthesis (PSTP), a supragingival portion of the PSTP having a customized anatomical tooth shape;
subsequent to generating scan data from a scan of the PSTP outside the mouth of the patient, processing the generated scan data;
subsequent to the PSTP being attached to the dental implant installed in the mouth of the patient and gingival tissue surrounding the PSTP being permitted to heal in the mouth of the patient for a healing time period and generating modified scan data from a scan of a physically modified PSTP formed by physically modifying the PSTP in response to gingival healing during the healing time period, processing the modified scan data; and
manufacturing the permanent prosthesis based on the physically modified PSTP in the modified scan data such that all outer contours of the permanent prosthesis replicate all outer contours of the physically modified PSTP.