Patent ID: 7731497

Claim:
Method of manufacturing a dental prosthesis to be implanted in a jaw of a patient, comprising the steps of: producing, from an impression of the jaw of the patient, a radiological guide, provided with at least one artificial radiological tooth and radiological references, processing, with a computer, radiological images in two dimensions representing the radiological guide in position on the jaw, so as to form, from the two-dimensional images, a three-dimensional image, inserting per tooth, a virtual implant in a surgically appropriate position in the two- and three-dimensional images of the jaw inserting, per tooth, a virtual guide cylinder oriented coaxially with the virtual implant in the two- and three-dimensional images of the radiological guide, producing, from two- and three-dimensional data collected and calculated by the computer during the steps of image processing and of inserting the virtual implant and virtual guide cylinder, a surgical guide by first drilling, in each artificial tooth supported by the radiological guide, a first hole appropriate for receiving a guide cylinder disposed and oriented like the corresponding virtual guide cylinder of the images in two and three dimensions, and by placing in each first drilled hole such a guide cylinder provided with at least one external reference, placing the surgical guide on a pattern obtained from the impression, drilling, through each guide cylinder, a second hole through this pattern, placing, in each second hole, an implant analogue by sliding into the guide cylinder an analogue holder that carries the implant analogue, as far as a depth corresponding to that of the virtual implant on the images in two and three dimensions, and by matching, by rotation, at least a second external reference provided on the analogue holder with the first external reference of the guide cylinder, the implant analogue having dimensions corresponding to those of the virtual implant, selected for insertion in the images in two and three dimensions, which corresponds to a real implant to be placed in the jaw of the patient, and the implant analogue holder being identical to an implant holder selected for the implantation of the said real implant to be placed, fixing the implant analogue in its hole, as placed, and after removing each analogue holder and the surgical guide, making a definitive dental prosthesis adapted to the pattern provided with the implant analogue or analogues, this prosthesis thus being able to be fixed to the selected implants after they are implanted in the jaw in a manner that is guided by the surgical guide and identical to that used for the placing of the implant analogues in the pattern.