Patent ID: 7491059

Claim:
A method for producing a dental restoration adapted to connect to a natural or artificial tooth structure, the dental restoration having at least one connecting piece which secures to at least one other connecting piece on the natural or artificial tooth structure, the connecting pieces being releasably interconnectable with one another, the method comprising: mounting a first interconnecting element ( 14 , 16 ) on an anchor tooth of a dental patient, the first interconnecting element being secured on an outer side of the anchor tooth ( 12 ) and on an outer distal or medial side thereof; inserting a selected one of a place holder ( 44 ) and a second interconnecting element ( 26 , 28 ) onto the first interconnecting element ( 14 , 16 ); filling a free play space between the respective selected one of the place holder and the second interconnecting element, on the one hand, and gum of the dental patient, on the other hand, with a filling mass ( 46 ); taking an impression of the respective natural or artificial tooth structure ( 12 ) and the mass filled free play space by means of an impression mass ( 48 ); making a hard stone model from the impression; creating a wax model of the dental restoration using the hard stone model, the wax model having a cavity which corresponds to the filing mass and the selected one of the place holder ( 44 ) and the second interconnecting element ( 26 , 28 ); embedding the wax model in mold material; vaporizing the wax to leave a mold cavity in the mold material; and heating ceramic material to a softened state; pressing the softened ceramic material into the mold cavity to produce a partial dental restoration; securing a positive coupling piece in the cavity which corresponds to the selected one of the place holder ( 44 ) and the second interconnecting element ( 26 , 28 ) to produce a dental restoration.