Patent ID: 8685294

Claim:
A method of producing a dental ceramic structure using a muffle having two sections which define a cavity corresponding to a negative shape of the structure, comprising the steps of: obtaining a positive mold of a section of a mouth of a patient that is to be provided with a dental ceramic structure; scanning the positive mold to obtain data corresponding to the structure, and storing the data in a computer; processing the data in the computer using CAD software to obtain CAD data; milling or processing using machining based on the CAD data to form first and second sections of the muffle to define a mold cavity corresponding to a negative shape of the structure; assembling the first and second sections of the muffle to create the mold cavity, and using the CAD data to calculate volume of the mold cavity; placing a support structure inside said mold cavity; injecting into the mold cavity the calculated volume of ceramic material through at least one sprue; hardening the ceramic material to form the dental ceramic structure that includes the support structure, and subsequently removing the dental ceramic structure and support structure from the mold cavity; and removing sprue or flash material from the dental ceramic structure that includes the support structure, using machining based on the CAD data.