Patent ID: 8712733

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for adjusting dental prostheses based on soft tissue, comprising: receiving a 3D scan of soft tissue of a patient, said 3D scan of the soft tissue of the patient comprising at least an emergence portion, said emergence portion of the 3D scan of the soft tissue extending from an area associated with an implant attached to said patient, to an area where a dental prosthesis attached to said implant would emerge from said soft tissue; receiving emergence limit information for an emergence surface of a 3D model of the dental prosthesis; receiving desired offset information for the emergence surface of the 3D model of the dental prosthesis, wherein the offset information comprises a distance between the emergence surface of the 3D model of the dental prosthesis and the emergence portion of the 3D scan of the soft tissue; determining a shape of the emergence surface of the 3D model of the dental prosthesis based on the emergence portion of the 3D scan of the soft tissue, the emergence limit information, and the offset information, wherein said shape is automatically determined by one or more computing devices based on the emergence portion of the 3D scan of the soft tissue, the emergence limit information, and the offset information; further modifying the emergence surface of the 3D model by manipulating manipulators of the 3D model of the dental prosthesis, wherein the manipulators are magnetized, such that an operator may change the emergence surface of the 3D model while still maintaining said distance between the emergence surface of the 3D model of the dental prosthesis and the 3D scan of the soft tissue, unless a manipulator of said manipulators is moved beyond a predetermined threshold monetization distance, in which case the manipulator moves freely and the emergence surface is manipulated freely; and producing manufacturing data related to the dental prosthesis.