Abstract: The present invention relates generally to mill blank constructions. According to the invention, a “smart blank” is pre-configured into a form that closely resembles a restoration being designed. The blank comprises a body adapted to be shaped by material removal into an artificial tooth part having buccal-lingual, mesial-distal and occlusal-cervical axes. In an illustrative embodiment, the body has at most one symmetric plane that is defined by a buccal-lingual-occlusal-cervical cross-section whose normal is along the mesial-distal axis. The blank also includes a holder for mounting the blank in a shaping apparatus. The smart blank provides more efficient milling and high yield.