Patent ID: 8231825

Claim:
A method of producing a dental product, the method comprising the steps of: providing a blank made from a green body of ceramic material, performing a machining operation on the blank, and subsequently sintering the blank to its final density in a sintering operation performed at a temperature in the range of 1300° C. to 1650° C., and wherein the blank that is provided has a bend strength in the range of 53-74 MPa, and wherein during the machining operation, the blank is machined into a bridge structure and a support body that is linked to the bridge structure by several retaining sections that extend from the support body to the bridge structure, the blank machined to a shape where the bridge structure forms an arch and at least some of the retaining sections are shaped as spokes that extend from a common hub in the support body to the bridge structure, and during the sintering of the blank to its final density, the several retaining sections hold the bridge structure connected to the support body.