Heraeus Kulzer and digital dental prosthetics company Amann Girrbach have agreed on joint development rights to produce full digital dentures.
Pala Mix & Match denture teeth in a special blank form secured in a retaining apparatus. The tooth blocks would then be milled based on a virtual denture model. Image courtesy of Heraeus Kulzer.Amann Girrbach of Vorarlberg, Austria, has developed a fabrication method for dentures, while Heraeus Kulzer has manufactured the functional models for tooth blanks used in Amann Girrbach's method, the companies announced.
Heraeus Kulzer holds a European patent covering "method and device for producing a dental prosthesis" that protects the entire digital process for the automated production of dentures. The license agreement allows reciprocal use of the patents by both companies. It also specifies exclusive use of Heraeus Kulzer’s Pala teeth lines for the launch of the full digital denture.
"This [agreement] allows us to take an important step forward together in the production of full digital prosthetics, benefiting dental professionals and patients alike," stated Novica Savic, head of the Dental Materials Division at Heraeus Kulzer, in a press release.
