Patent ID: 7018207

Claim:
A method of developing a dental prosthesis, comprising: taking an impression in a mouth at a site where a dental implant is located; removing said impression from said mouth; installing an implant analog in said impression at said site where said dental implant was located, said implant analog including a groove; adding a modeling material into said impression at a region where said implant analog is located, a portion of said modeling material residing within said groove; allowing said modeling material to harden into a resilient, soft tissue model that includes a rib defined by said portion of said modeling material; developing a stone model from said impression that replicates said site, said groove of said implant analog being exposed outside of said stone model; crafting a core of said dental prosthesis on said implant analog including the steps of removing said soft tissue model from said stone model and accurately reinstalling said soft tissue model onto said stone model with said rib engaging said groove; and adding a tooth replicating material to said core.