Patent ID: 7747418

Claim:
A method for producing a Dental-Bar Model to be fitted on a patient's upper (or lower) gingival surface comprising the steps of a) retrieving a first set of data points representing the gingival surface of patient's upper (or lower) with healing abutments; b) constructing a triangular mesh model for the patient's gingiva (Gingiva Model) based on the first set of data points; c) computing a second set of data points representing positions and orientations of the healing abutments based on the first set of data points; d) constructing a triangular mesh model for a dental-bar connector (Connector Model) based on the second set of data points; e) constructing a triangular mesh model for the bar cylinders (Cylinder Model) based on the second set of data points; f) comparing and overlaying the Gingiva Model, the Connector Model, and the Cylinder Model to construct the Dental-Bar Model, based on which a physical dental bar can be fabricated; wherein step f) further comprises: f1) converting the triangular mesh Gingiva Model into a set of dexel data for the gingiva; f2) the triangular mesh Connector Model into a set of dexel data for the connecting bar; f3) converting the triangular mesh Cylinder Model into a set of dexel data for the cylinder; f4) subtracting the set of dexel data for the gingival from the set of dexel data for the connecting bar to yield a set of dexel data for a modified connecting bar; f5) combining the set of dexel data for the bar cylinders with the set of dexel data for the modified connecting bar to yield a set of Drexel data for the dental bar; and f6) converting the set of dexel data for the bar to the triangular mesh model for the dental bar.