METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PREPARING A CERAMIC DENTAL RESTORATION IN ONE APPOINTMENT

摘要

Methods and apparatus that permit a dentist to provide a patient with a monolithic ceramic dental restoration (e.g., crown, bridge, or the like) in one office visit. In some embodiments, a dentist is provided with a kit containing one or more near net shape (NNS) millable blanks of various shapes and shades, chair-side software, and a chair-side milling machine to convert a selected millable blank into a finished, fully contoured restoration in about one hour or less. Each such millable blank may be, for example, a dental ceramic (e.g., fully sintered zirconia, fully crystallized lithium silicate, fully crystallized lithium disilicate, or the like) NNS component. In some embodiments, the NNS component includes an integral mandrel at a precise location and orientation to minimize the amount of milling time.