Improvements in the Manufacture of Artificial Teeth.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 31st Aug., 1897-Accepted, 13th Nov., 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Artificial Teeth.
I, HERBERT ENOS DENNETT, of No. 106 Huntington Avenue, in the City of
Boston, State of Massachusetts, United States of America, Dentist, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained from the following
statement:
This invention has relation to artificial teeth, and to the art of producing the
same, the object being to produce teeth that shall simulate human teeth so closely
that it shall be impossible to distinguish between them.
In the drawings forming a part of this Specification,
Figure 1 represents in front elevation, an artificial tooth, it being of the shape
of a front tooth or upper incisor.
Figure 2 is a transverse section on line x-x, Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a vertical section on line yy, Figure 4.
Figure 4 is a vertical section on line z-z, Figure 1.
Figure 5 is a cross section of a tooth with the artificial pulp on the inside.
Figure 6 is a vertical section of a tooth with the artificial pulp formed in the
tooth by coloring matter scattered in small particles through the contor. of it.
Figures 7 and 8 show in perspective the moulds for forming a tooth in accordance
with my invention.
The tooth may be formed in any of the well known ways, but for the purposes
of illustration I have shown an apparatus for, and will describe one way of,
moulding it.
The body, preferably translucent, of the tooth is formed of porcelain, glass or
other suitable material, and is designated by a. This body takes the place of the
dentine in a living tooth, and is covered with enamel b. Those parts are white
or slightly tinted, and are the same as those now in use.
With the tooth thus formed, I add an artificial pulp c, or nerve so called, which
may be formed in the interior of the tooth, as in Figures 2 and 6, or on the inner
face, as in Figure 5. The pulp may be of any material, as porcelain, glass, and the
like and is tinted slightly with coloring matter so that it may be very faintly
seen through the translucent enamel and body portion. If desired, the artificial
pulp may be tinted with gold dust, gold filings and the like, so as to present the
desired appearance, or it may be colored in any, other way.
As another process, referring to Figures 7 and 8, I employ two mould boxes dd',
they being for one tooth, for simplicity of illustration, but if desired, they may be
formed so as to mould any number of teeth at once. They may be formed of any
material and in any shape desired.
In mould box d, I first place a layer of enamel, while in a plastic state, and
then place upon it a small portion of plastic material for forming the body, so as
not to entirely fill the cavity in the mould.
In the cavity in the other box d', I place a thin layer of plastic enamel and then

page_text: fill up the cavity with the plastic body portion of the tooth, heaping it up until
there is sufficient to fill the balance of the cavity left in the box d.
Then with an instrument, I form an indentation in the plastic mass in box d¹
(which is to form the front portion of the tooth) of a shape to suit the operator,
and lay in it a small mass of plastic colored porcelain, glass or other material,
which is to represent the pulp.
Then the two mould-boxes are fitted and pressed together, and are heated for a
short period of time, until the mass becomes sufficiently hardened for its removal
therefrom. Then the teeth may be trimmed and burned or baked in a suitable
oven, and finished as desired, the pins having been put in the usual manner, if
desired.
The plastic porcelain, or other material, to form the body portion of the tooth
and the pulp may be placed in the moulds in many different ways, so as to produce,
different teeth, as for instance, one like that in Figure 5, or in any other way to
suit the particular fancy of the dentist or manufacturer, or to suit a particular
requirement. In Figure 6, I have shown a tooth in which the pulp is not formed
of a solid core as in Figure 2 and 5, but is formed by scattering gold dust over the
center of the plastic mass in box d¹ before the tooth is finally moulded. Formed
in this way, the pulp shows faintly through the enamel and artificial dentine,
although it is not formed of a solid mass.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is: :-
An artificial tooth formed of a translucent body with a portion tinted to repre-
sent the pulp, as herein shown' and described.
Dated this 31st day of August 1807
HASELTINE LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.