Abstract: Disclosed are example embodiments of a milling bur specifically designed to mill a dental prosthesis from a full-sintered zirconia blank. The milling bur comprises a milling tip configured to have a factor of safety of at least 2 by having a first coverage-percentage of grinding particles covering a surface area of the tip of the milling bur. The factor of safety is a number of time the milling bur can fully mill a dental prosthesis from a fully-sintered zirconia blank.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for increasing the rate of casting ceramic bodies from a slurry or suspension. Methods and apparatus are successfully used for casting ceramic bodies from micron-sized zirconia ceramic at an accelerated rate. Methods described herein may also be used for casting ceramic bodies from nano-sized zirconia ceramic. The casting apparatus may be configured for use in a plurality of operational modes. Ceramic bodies produced by the methods and apparatus are suitable for use in dental applications.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method, system, and instructions can include receiving a reconstructed volume of an object; determining an air density and a material density from the reconstructed volume of the object; subdividing the reconstructed volume into one or more blocks, each block comprising one or more voxels; determining one or more contrast blocks within the reconstructed volume; and determining a reconstruction quality based on the number of contrast blocks in the reconstructed volume.

Abstract: Antimicrobial polymer composite materials are disclosed that are suitable for making oral devices used in dental applications, such as denture bases. Acrylic resin composite materials comprising antimicrobial polymers and antimicrobial fillers provide reduction in common oral microorganisms after long-term aging, with reduced release rate of antimicrobial agents from the composite material. Antimicrobial polymers are prepared from compositions comprising acrylate and/or methacrylate monomers and polymerizable quaternary ammonium silicon-containing compounds.

Abstract: Translucency of a yttria-stabilized zirconia ceramic is improved to achieve even higher translucency than what is currently offered on the market, without greatly altering its mechanical properties. The enhancement is done by incorporating magnesium-containing dopants into the microstructure of yttria-stabilized zirconia ceramic dental ceramics.

Abstract: A method for making a ceramic body comprised of a ceramic material having an inhibitory effect on bacterial growth is provided. A dental prosthesis may be made of a ceramic material that comprises a molybdenum-containing component on a portion of the prosthesis that contacts the gingival surface of a patient. In one method, a porous zirconia ceramic structure is shaped in the form of a dental prosthesis, and then infiltrated with a molybdenum-containing composition, before sintering to densify the ceramic structure.

Abstract: A system and method can determine one or more CT scanner calibration parameters from a plurality of calibration object projections in a plurality of radiographs.

Abstract: A method is provided for shaping a custom anterior dental restoration from a preform, wherein the preform comprises a preform body and a preform stem. A method is further disclosed for generating one or more nesting positions for the restoration design within the geometry of the preform body relative to the position of the preform stem. A method is further disclosed for generating machining instructions based on the selected nesting position to optimize machining for chair-side applications.

Abstract: A system and method include performing digital block-out of one or more digital preparation teeth.

Abstract: Computer-implemented method and system automatically detects an out-of-view CT scan by receiving a voxel density file, determining a threshold iso-value of density between air density and a material density of one or more scanned objects in the voxel density file, and evaluating, using the threshold iso-value of density, one or more horizontal slices of the voxel density file to determine whether at least a portion of the one or more scanned objects is out of view.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method and system of determining a material surface from a volumetric density file includes generating a density frequency distribution of a volumetric density file of a dental impression and determining an iso-value of density between air and a particular material in the density frequency distribution. A computer-implemented method and system of creating a digital model from a CT scan of a physical dental impression includes selecting an iso-value of density for a digital volumetric density file having one or more voxels, generating one or more digital surface points in virtual 3D space for each of one or more voxels, and selecting a subset of digital surface points from the one or more digital surface points. A computer-implemented method and system of optimizing a digital surface includes moving one or more digital surface points to satisfy a criteria of optimum digital surface selection.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method and system of automatically detecting and removing extraneous material from a digital dental impression includes detecting one or more dental features in a digital dental impression, filtering the one or more dental features, digitally joining the one or more dental features, and determining one or more regions of interest from the joined one or more digital dental features.

Abstract: A system and method include digitally determining a virtual insertion path of a digital dental restoration,

Abstract: A computer-implemented method of processing a digital dental impression includes determining one or more first digital surface regions visible from a first side of the digital dental impression along an occlusion axis and one or more second digital surface regions visible from a second side of the digital dental impression along the occlusion axis, segmenting the digital dental impression into one or more digital segments and determining the one or more digital segments as a first digital segment or a second digital segment based on the majority of digital surface regions in the one or more digital segments.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method of designing a dental restoration at a display includes providing a virtual three dimensional representation of at least a portion of the patient's dental situation. The method includes displaying a library arch form in an alignment with the virtual three dimensional representation of the portion of the patient's dentition. The library arch form includes a pair of two virtual library teeth packing to each other. The method also includes in response to a parametric change of one of the two virtual library teeth, moving the other virtual library tooth to keep packing to the changed virtual library tooth.

Abstract: A method for enhancing optical properties of sintered, zirconia ceramic bodies and zirconia ceramic dental restorations is provided. The porous or pre-sintered stage of a ceramic body is treated with an yttrium-containing composition and sintered, resulting in sintered ceramic bodies having enhanced optical properties. The enhanced optical properties may be substantially permanent, remaining for the useful life of the sintered ceramic body.

Abstract: A system and method can determine one or more CT scanner calibration parameters from a plurality of calibration object projections in a plurality of radiographs.

Abstract: A method is provided for shaping a custom anterior dental restoration from a preform, wherein the preform comprises a preform body and a preform stem. A method is further disclosed for generating one or more nesting positions for the restoration design within the geometry of the preform body relative to the position of the preform stem. A method is further disclosed for generating machining instructions based on the selected nesting position to optimize machining for chair-side applications.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for scanning a dental impression to obtain a digital model of a patient's dentition as an input to computer aided design (CAD) and computer aided manufacturing (CAM) methods for producing dental prostheses.