Abstract: A process for making a ceramic inlay for filling a cavity in a tooth. A piece of metal foil is pressed into a depression in a jig, where the depression approximates the shape of the cavity; the pressed metal foil is annealed and the pressing and annealing steps are repeated until the foil has a concave depression roughly the same size and shape as the cavity. A ceramic layer is built up on the concave foil to form a ceramic inlay substantially reconstructing the tooth.

Abstract: A dental prosthetic device is provided comprising a coping adapted to be placed on at least one abutment tooth to an edentulous region. A pontic metal substructure adapted to be joined to the coping and a ceramic buildup to fill the edentulous region are also provided. Also provided are metal-porcelain dental restorations which can be made in a two-layer or three-layer structure. The first layer closely fits the contours of the abutment teeth and ceramic and the additional layer complete the restoration. One or both of the other layers may be stainless steel mesh.