Abstract: A custom dental component and scan body for supporting the soft tissue surrounding an implant that is installed in at least a portion of a patient's jaw bone during the dental restoration process. The custom dental component includes a custom subgingival emergence profile so as to support and train the surrounding soft tissue. The custom dental component, while remaining connected with the implant, is scanned or an impression is obtained. A three-dimensional digital model of the patient's detention is produced from the scan or impression. A dental design software is used to view the three-dimensional digital model. A digitally-designed custom dental component is imported in the three-dimensional digital model and aligned with the custom dental component to obtain the implant's position.

Abstract: Taking an intraoral scan of a patient's mouth with existing implants, creating a digital model of the patient's mouth, digitally designing a denture bar based on the digital mouth model, fabricating a physical bar based on the digital bar model, delivering the physical bar into the patient's mouth, capturing records of the patient's mouth and installed physical bar, producing a physical denture and joining it to the physical bar, and delivering the physical denture and bar into the patient's mouth, all in no more than three dental office visits. The step of digitally designing a denture bar typically includes selecting a cement gap for the abutments based on errors in the digital mouth model resulting from the intraoral scan, as well as designing lateral cement ports into the digital bar model. And the step of fabricating a physical bar typically includes using additive manufacturing such as 3D printing.

Abstract: A dental model including an implant analog and surrounding modeled dentition is disclosed, and also systems and methods for application of such a dental model in implant dentistry. The implant analog models an actual dental implant in the mouth of a patient and the modeled surrounding dentition models actual dentition surrounding the actual dental implant in the mouth of the patient. In example forms, the implant analog and modeled dentition comprise an integrally formed monolithic body generated from a digital intra-oral scan of the patient.

Abstract: An apparatus for material characterization including a probe for applying a force to a defined section of biologic tissue. The apparatus also includes a sensor to record the force applied onto the biologic tissue by the probe. And, the apparatus includes a data transmission interface to transmit the recorded force to a data processor.