Patent ID: 6968247

Claim:
A method for producing a dental product, including a dental restoration, comprising the steps of: receiving a requisition data packet at a stock removal workshop having at least one stock removal machine operable to remove stock material from a blank such that there remains a dental product having a desired geometry requisitioned by a selected one of a dental practice and a dental laboratory, the requisition data packet having a data format characterizing a geometry of at least one of a casting representing the dental product and a model representing the dental product, wherein the geometry characterizing data has been generated by a geometry following operation which generates data points characterizing the geometry of the respective one of the casting and the model, the geometry following operation including a selected one of scanning the respective one of the casting and the model and non-scanning following of the geometry of the respective one of the casting and the model, and wherein a geometry following operation on the dental product occurs while the dental product is still retained in its stock removal position at the stock removal machine; converting the requisition data of the requisition data packet into control data for controlling at least one stock removal machine operation; transmitting the control data to a stock removal machine; producing the dental product having a finish geometry for eventual transmission thereof, following a monitoring of the dental product to insure that it is of a quality conforming to the selected one of the dental practice and the dental laboratory; and conducting a quality control activity on the produced dental product including producing a finished product data packet relating to the dental product in the data format of the requisition data following the production of the dental product and performing a data comparison between the requisition data and the finished product data packet and undertaking a selected one of further monitoring the quality of the dental product via at least one of the activities of a.) verifying the conformation of the dental product to at least one of the respective one of the casting and the model, b.) customizing the dental product via color conformation thereof with respect to its ultimate location, and c.) transmitting the dental product to the dental practice that will place the dental product in its ultimate location thereof for the purpose of determining the suitability of the dental product with respect to compatibility with surrounding structure after placement, and appearance, and not performing any of the further quality monitoring activities a.), b.) and c.).