Dental system for developing custom prostheses through scanning of coded members

1. A method for developing a patient-specific prosthesis to be coupled to an implant installed in a mouth of a patient, the method comprising:

scanning a scanning member that is attached to the implant to obtain scan data, the scanning member having a top surface with a first code thereon, the first code being indicative of a first size of the scanning member and an orientation of a non-rotational fitting of the scanning member;

from the scan data, creating a virtual three-dimensional model of the mouth, the virtual three-dimensional model including a virtual scanning member with a first virtual code thereon, the first virtual code corresponding to the first code on the scanning member attached to the implant in the mouth of the patient;

obtaining, from the virtual three-dimensional model, the first virtual code associated with the virtual scanning member;

based on a scanning-member library, determining the first size of the scanning member from the first virtual code, wherein the scanning-member library correlates the first virtual code indicative of the first size that corresponds to the first code, wherein the scanning-member library includes a second virtual code different from the first virtual code, the second virtual code indicative of a second size that corresponds to a second code different from the first code, wherein the second size is the same as the first size;

based on the first virtual code, determining the orientation of the non-rotational fitting of the scanning member;

replacing the virtual scanning member in the virtual three-dimensional model with a virtual proxy abutment to create a modified virtual three-dimensional model, the virtual proxy abutment having known characteristics for determining a location and an orientation for the patient-specific prosthesis to be attached to the implant;

designing, by use of the virtual proxy abutment, the patient-specific prosthesis to be coupled to the implant in the mouth of the patient; and

fabricating the patient-specific prosthesis to be coupled to the implant in the mouth of the patient.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the designing includes accessing a proxy-abutment database that relates a virtual proxy code to the known characteristics.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the virtual proxy code is located at an upper surface of the virtual proxy abutment.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the virtual proxy abutment is used for multiple sizes of scanning members.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the multiple sizes corresponds to scanning members having different heights.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the virtual proxy abutment has a virtual proxy code that is indicative of that particular virtual proxy abutment.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the virtual proxy abutment is a different size than the scanning member.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the scanning member is a healing abutment.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the scanning member is a component of a temporary prosthesis.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the replacing further comprises replacing the virtual scanning member in the virtual three-dimensional model with a virtual gingival aperture in addition to the virtual proxy abutment to create the modified virtual three-dimensional model, the virtual gingival aperture corresponding to a size of at least a portion of the scanning member.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the designing further comprises designing by use of the virtual gingival aperture in addition to the use of the virtual proxy abutment.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the at least a portion of the scanning member is a subgingival portion of the scanning member.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the virtual gingival aperture includes virtual gingival contours that correspond with outer contours of the scanning member.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein the virtual proxy abutment is a narrow virtual proxy abutment including a shaft and a head, the shaft being contiguous with the virtual gingival aperture in the modified virtual three-dimensional model.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the narrow virtual proxy abutment is sized and positioned within the modified virtual three-dimensional model such that the virtual gingival aperture remains visible.

16. The method of claim 10 , wherein the virtual proxy abutment is a floating virtual proxy abutment, the floating virtual proxy abutment being virtually detached from the rest of the depicted elements in the modified virtual three-dimensional model.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the floating virtual proxy abutment is sized and positioned within the modified virtual three-dimensional model such that the virtual gingival aperture remains visible.

18. The method of claim 10 , wherein the replacing further includes replacing the virtual scanning member with a window including information associated with the implant installed in the mouth, the window being virtually detached from the rest of the depicted elements in the modified virtual three-dimensional model.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the information included in the window is alphanumeric data.

20. The method of claim 18 , wherein the information includes an implant connection type, an implant table diameter, or both.