Dental photography device and method for taking photographs of teeth

Abstract

One aspect of the present application provides a method for taking photographs of teeth, the method including: a patient establishing a connection between a dental imaging device and a computer, allowing the computer to receive photographs taken by the dental imaging device in real time, the dental imaging device and the computer being two separate devices, the dental imaging device including a camera and a mouth opener arranged at opposite ends of a shielding cylinder, and the computer including a display; a patient placing the mouth opener of the dental imaging device into the patient's mouth; and a patient moving the dental imaging device based on the photographs taken by the dental imaging device and guidance information displayed on the display of the computer until the dental imaging device takes photographs of the teeth that satisfy a requirement, the guidance information being calculated based on photographs of the patient's teeth previously taken by the dental imaging device.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] TECHNICAL FIELD This application relates generally to dental imaging devices and methods for taking photographs of teeth. [Background technology]

[0002] During orthodontic treatment, patients usually need to visit the clinic regularly, and dental professionals can determine whether the orthodontic treatment has achieved the intended results by observing the patient's teeth. If the actual treatment results deviate significantly from the orthodontic treatment plan, dental professionals may need to adjust the subsequent treatment plan accordingly.

[0003] After orthodontic treatment is completed, the position and / or arrangement of the patient's teeth may change for certain reasons, resulting in deviation from the position and / or arrangement of the teeth achieved through orthodontic treatment. In order to detect and correct such deviations in a timely manner, dental professionals must regularly examine the patient's teeth.

[0004] In order to reduce the number of times patients need to visit the dentist, devices that allow patients to take their own photos of their teeth have been introduced. In this way, patients can take their own photos of their teeth at any place and any time for examination by a dental professional, which effectively reduces the number of times patients need to visit the dentist and provides convenience to patients.

[0005] US Patent Publication No. US2018 / 0303579A1 discloses a dental photography device including a shielding cylinder, which has a mouth opener at one end for pulling lips and cheeks to expose teeth, and a device for fixing a smartphone to photograph teeth at the other end. However, since the smartphone is fixed to the dental photography device during photography, i.e., it is outside the patient's mouth, it is difficult for the patient to see the guidance displayed on the smartphone screen for correctly photographing teeth, and it is also inconvenient to perform related operations on the mobile phone screen, making it very inconvenient for the patient to photograph teeth that meet their requirements.

[0006] Therefore, there is a need to provide a new dental imaging device and method for taking photographs of teeth. Summary of the Invention

[0007] One aspect of the present application provides a method for taking photographs of teeth, the method including: a step of a patient establishing a connection between a dental imaging device and a computer, allowing the computer to receive photographs taken by the dental imaging device in real time, wherein the dental imaging device and the computer are two separate devices, the dental imaging device including a camera and a mouth opener arranged at opposite ends of a shielding cylinder, and the computer including a display; a step of the patient placing the mouth opener of the dental imaging device into their mouth; and a step of the patient moving the dental imaging device based on the photographs taken by the dental imaging device and guidance information displayed on the display of the computer until the dental imaging device takes photographs of the teeth that satisfy a requirement, the guidance information being calculated based on photographs of the patient's teeth previously taken by the dental imaging device.

[0008] In some embodiments, the dental imaging device and the computer are connected via a WiFi network or Bluetooth®.

[0009] In some embodiments, the computer is positioned so that the patient can easily observe what is displayed on the display while the photographs of the teeth are being taken.

[0010] In some embodiments, the guidance information is calculated by the computer.

[0011] In some embodiments, the method for taking a photograph of the teeth further includes a step in which the patient adjusts the position and posture of the mouth opener and / or the relative position of the upper and lower jaws based on prompt information for starting to take the first photograph generated by the computer and displayed on the display, and a step in which the patient operates the computer to notify the computer to start taking the first photograph.

[0012] In some embodiments, the computer is one of a smartphone, a tablet computer, a portable computer, a personal computer, smart glasses, and a smart television.

[0013] In some embodiments, the dental imaging device includes a housing, the housing defining a chamber and a work surface, the work surface being a portion of a surface formed to surround the chamber, a first hole formed in the work surface, the camera fixedly mounted within the chamber, the shielding cylinder extending from an edge of the work surface, and the mouth opener extending from an end of the shielding cylinder.

[0014] In some embodiments, when the mouth opening device is closed, the work surface and the shielding cylinder form a closed cavity.

[0015] In some embodiments, the chamber is a closed chamber.

[0016] In some embodiments, the dental imaging device further includes N illumination light sources mounted within the chamber, and N second holes are formed on the work surface in one-to-one correspondence with the N illumination light sources, such that the N illumination light sources provide illumination for image capture by the camera through the N second holes, where N is a natural number greater than or equal to 1.

[0017] In some embodiments, N is a natural number greater than 1, and the N second holes are uniformly distributed around the camera.

[0018] In some embodiments, a controller for controlling the camera of the dental imaging device is mounted within the chamber and configured to transmit photographs taken by the camera to the computer in real time.

[0019] A further aspect of the present application provides a dental photographing device including a shielding cylinder, a mouth opener, a camera, and a control device, wherein the mouth opener and the camera are arranged on both ends of the shielding cylinder, and the control device is configured to control the camera and transmit photos taken by the camera to a separate computer connected to the dental photographing device in real time, so that the computer can display on its display the photos received from the dental photographing device and guidance information for taking photos of teeth that satisfy requirements calculated based on the photos, and can move the dental photographing device and / or adjust the relative position of the upper and lower jaws to guide a patient to take photos of the teeth that satisfy the requirements.

[0020] In some embodiments, the guidance information is calculated by the computer.

[0021] In some embodiments, the dental imaging device further includes a housing, the housing defining a chamber and a work surface, the work surface being a portion of a surface formed to surround the chamber, a first hole formed in the work surface, the camera fixedly mounted within the chamber, the shielding cylinder extending from an edge of the work surface, the mouth opener extending from an end of the shielding cylinder, and the camera mounted so that the mouth opener can be used to spread a patient's lips and cheeks apart to capture images of the exposed teeth through the first hole and the shielding cylinder.

[0022] In some embodiments, when the mouth opening device is closed, the work surface and the shielding cylinder form a closed cavity.

[0023] In some embodiments, the chamber is a closed chamber.

[0024] In some embodiments, a portion of the shielding cylinder is formed by integrally extending the housing toward the opening device, and another portion of the shielding cylinder is formed by integrally extending the opening device toward the housing.

[0025] In some embodiments, the shielding cylinder is formed by integrally extending the opening device towards the housing, and the shielding cylinder is fitted to the edge of the work surface.

[0026] In some embodiments, a first end of the shielding cylinder is fitted to the edge of the work surface, and a second end opposite the first end is connected to the opening device.

[0027] In some embodiments, the dental imaging device further includes N illumination light sources mounted within the chamber, and N second holes are formed on the work surface in one-to-one correspondence with the N illumination light sources, such that the N illumination light sources provide illumination for image capture by the camera through the N second holes, where N is a natural number greater than or equal to 1.

[0028] In some embodiments, N is a natural number greater than 1, and the N second holes are uniformly distributed around the camera. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0029] The above-mentioned and other features of the present application will be further explained below with reference to the drawings and their detailed description. It should be understood that these drawings only illustrate a number of exemplary embodiments according to the present application and should not be considered as limiting the scope of protection of the present application. Unless otherwise specified, the drawings are not necessarily to scale and like reference numerals in the drawings refer to like parts. [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a dental imaging device according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 2]2 is a schematic diagram showing the main body of the dental imaging device shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 3] 2 is a schematic diagram showing a mouth opening of the dental photographing apparatus shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 4] FIG. 3 is a top view of the main body shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 5] FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the main body shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 6] 1 is a diagram illustrating the connection relationships of modules in a main body according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 7] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating one interface of a computer program that controls a dental imaging device in one embodiment. [Figure 8] 3 shows a schematic representation of another interface of the computer program; [Figure 9] 3 shows a schematic representation of another interface of the computer program; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0030] The following detailed description refers to the drawings, which form a part of this specification. The exemplary embodiments described in the specification and drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the protection scope of the present application. Based on the teachings of the present application, those skilled in the art will understand that they can adopt various other embodiments and make various changes to the described embodiments without departing from the spirit and protection scope of the present application. It should be understood that each aspect of the present application described and illustrated in this specification can be arranged, substituted, combined, separated, and designed in various different configurations, and all of these different configurations are within the protection scope of the present application.

[0031] One aspect of the present application provides a dental imaging device and a method for taking tooth photographs using the same, where the dental imaging device is controlled by a separate computer having a display, and patients can easily observe the content displayed on the display and follow the guidance to take tooth photographs that meet their requirements, making it very easy to use.

[0032] Referring to FIG. 1, which schematically shows a dental imaging device 100 according to an embodiment of the present application, the dental imaging device 100 includes a main body 101 and a mouth opener 103 that are connected by fitting.

[0033] Further, referring to Figures 2 to 5, Figure 2 schematically shows the main body 101 shown in Figure 1, Figure 3 schematically shows the mouth opening device 103 shown in Figure 1, Figure 4 is a top view of the main body 101 shown in Figure 1, and Figure 5 is a bottom view of the main body 101 shown in Figure 1.

[0034] The outer contour of the main body 101 is generally U-shaped, and the cross-sectional contour is an oval shape that is vertically and horizontally symmetrical. Those skilled in the art will understand that the main body 101 may have any other suitable shape in addition to the shape of the embodiment.

[0035] The main body 101 includes a housing 1010, the lower half of which forms a closed chamber to which corresponding components are attached. A working surface 1011, which is part of a surface formed to surround the chamber, is formed on the side of the housing 1010 closest to the mouth opener 103. A first hole 1013 is formed in the working surface 1011, so that a camera 1015 fixedly mounted within the chamber can capture images through the first hole 1013. The camera 1015 is mounted at a position and angle that allows it to capture appropriate images of the patient's teeth through the mouth opener 103.

[0036] In one embodiment, the work surface 1011 may be a flat surface. In a further embodiment, the work surface 1011 may be a curved surface. It is understood that the work surface 1011 may be a surface of any suitable form in addition to flat and curved surfaces.

[0037] In one embodiment, the first hole 1013 can be closed with a lens (e.g., a glass plate or a resin lens, etc.), and a camera 1015 mounted in the housing can capture images through the lens, and the lens can prevent dust and moisture from entering the housing. In a further embodiment, the camera 1015 can slightly protrude from the first hole 1013, and a seal (e.g., a rubber ring, an adhesive, etc.) closes the gap between the outer wall of the camera 1015 and the first hole 1013 to prevent dust and moisture from entering the housing.

[0038] In one embodiment, at least one second hole (not shown) may be formed at an appropriate position on the work surface 1011 so that at least one illumination source or flash mounted in the chamber can provide illumination through the at least one second hole to ensure the quality of images captured by the camera 1015. In one embodiment, a plurality of the second holes may be uniformly arranged around the first hole 1013.

[0039] The housing 1010 forms a cylinder 1017 that extends integrally from the edge of the work surface 1011 upward (i.e., toward the mouth opening device 103) and captures the work surface 1011. A plurality of buckles 1019 are formed on one end of the cylinder 1017 away from the work surface 1011.

[0040] The mouth opener 103 includes a cylinder 1031, a first end of which remote from the body 101 forms a flange 1033, and a second end opposite the first end is formed with a plurality of buckles 1035 which respectively engage with a plurality of buckles 1019 on the top of the cylinder 1017 of the housing 1010. The mouth opener 103 and the housing 1010 are connected by fitting, and the engagement of the buckles 1035 with 1019 keeps them relatively fixed. It is understood that in addition to buckle fastening, any other suitable fastening method, such as an interference fit, can be used between the mouth opener 103 and the housing 1010.

[0041] When taking a photograph of the teeth, the first end of the mouth opener 103 is placed into the patient's mouth and the lips and cheeks are spread apart to expose the teeth, allowing the camera 1015 to capture an image of the teeth through the mouth opener 103; at this time, the patient's lips and cheeks come into contact with the flange 1033, preventing the mouth opener 103 from slipping out of the patient's mouth.

[0042] The cylinder 1017 of the housing 1010 and the cylinder 1031 of the mouth opener 103 form a shielding cylinder, and when the first end of the mouth opener 103 is closed, the working surface 1011 of the housing 1010 and the shielding cylinder form a closed cavity, preventing ambient light from affecting the quality of the tooth image captured by the camera 1015.

[0043] It will be appreciated that the length of cylinders 1017 and 1031 can be varied under the teachings of this application, and several different configurations are shown below.

[0044] In one embodiment, the housing 1010 does not have a cylinder, and the cylinder 1031 of the mouth opener 103 is fitted onto the edge of the working surface 1011 of the housing 1010 .

[0045] In a further embodiment, the cylinder 1017 of the housing 1010 is long and the mouth opener 103 does not have a cylinder formed therein.

[0046] In a further embodiment, the housing 1010, the shielding cylinder and the opening device 103 may be integrally molded.

[0047] In a further embodiment, the connection between the housing 1010 and the mouth opening device 103 is made by fitting via a separate adapter cylinder.

[0048] All of the various embodiments of the shielding cylinder described above can be described as extending from the edge of the work surface 1011 to form the shielding cylinder, but "extending" does not mean that the shielding cylinder and the housing 1010 are integrally molded, but rather encompasses all of the different embodiments described above.

[0049] A power button 1021 for turning the dental imaging apparatus 100 on and off is provided on the side wall of the main body 101 .

[0050] An interface 1023 is provided at the bottom of the main body 101 for charging / powering the main body 101 and / or exchanging data with the main body 101 .

[0051] Please refer to FIG. 6, which shows a schematic diagram of the connections between the modules of the main body 101 in one embodiment.

[0052] In one embodiment, a battery 1025 and a control device (control circuit module) 1027 are further mounted within the housing of the main body 101, and the control device 1027 further includes a communication device 1027a. The battery 1025 provides power to the control device 1027, the camera 1015, and the illumination source (flash) 1029. The control device 1027 controls the camera 1015 and the illumination source 1029. The communication device 1027a is connected to a separate computer (not shown) having a display via a wired manner (e.g., via the interface 1023) or a wireless manner (e.g., a WiFi network (e.g., 2.4G or 5G WiFi network), Bluetooth®, or any other applicable wireless connection method) to enable data exchange between the dental imaging apparatus 100 and the computer.

[0053] In one embodiment, the dental imaging apparatus 100 is controlled by the computer to take pictures, i.e., the computer sends a signal to the control device 1027 to control the camera 1015 to start or stop taking pictures. The computer may be any applicable computing device, such as a smartphone, a portable computer, a tablet computer, a personal computer, smart glasses, and a smart TV, that has a display and can be installed with a computer program that controls the dental imaging apparatus 100.

[0054] In one embodiment, the procedure for taking a photograph of a tooth using dental imaging device 100 is as follows.

[0055] First, the patient operates the power button 1021 to turn on the dental imaging apparatus 100 and set it to standby mode.

[0056] Next, the patient controls the computer to execute the computer program that controls the dental imaging apparatus 100, and operates the computer to connect the computer and the dental imaging apparatus 100 together.

[0057] Next, the mouth opening device 103 of the assembled dental imaging device 100 is placed in the mouth to spread the lips and cheeks so that the teeth face the camera 1015 .

[0058] Referring to FIG. 7, which schematically illustrates an interface of a computer program for controlling the dental imaging device 100 in one embodiment of the present application, after the computer and the dental imaging device 100 are connected, the computer program displays the interface.

[0059] 7 appears on the computer display, the patient can click the "Start Scan" button on the interface to start taking photos of the teeth. In one embodiment, after the patient clicks the "Start Scan" button, the computer sends a control signal to the control device 1027 via the communication device 1027a, and the control device 1027 controls the camera 1015 to take photos continuously and transmits these photos to the computer via the communication device 1027a.

[0060] The computer receives the photos sent from the dental imaging device 100 and analyzes the photos to determine whether they meet requirements, such as whether the photographing angle is correct and whether the corresponding teeth are included. If the computer finds a photo that meets the requirements from the multiple received tooth photos, the computer stores the photo for later analysis by a dental professional. If the photos received by the computer do not meet the requirements, the computer analyzes the photos (e.g., using a method based on deep neural networks) and displays guidance on the display for taking correct tooth photos.

[0061] In one embodiment, the computer can simultaneously display the photographs and guidance information received from the dental imaging device 100 on its display.

[0062] As illustrated in FIG. 8, which is a schematic illustration of one interface of the computer program, a guidance message is displayed saying, "Please move the mouth opener in the direction of the arrow."

[0063] To fully analyze a patient's teeth, photographs of different angles and different parts of the patient's dentition may be required. Therefore, the entire photographing process may include multiple steps, with each step corresponding to a different photograph. In one photographing step, when the computer obtains a satisfactory tooth photograph, the current step is completed, and a new interface is displayed on the display to instruct the patient to take the next different photograph.

[0064] The patient is then instructed to take a photograph of the upper teeth and is provided with the angle of the photograph, as depicted in Figure 9, which shows a schematic of one interface of the computer program. The patient clicks the "Double Click to Next Step" button to begin the next photograph.

[0065] In one embodiment, the dental imaging device 100 can continuously take photos at predetermined time intervals (e.g., 1 / 30 seconds or 1 / 60 seconds) and transmit them to the computer in real time. As a result, while the patient is adjusting the position and orientation of the mouth opener 103 and / or the relative positions of the upper and lower jaws, the dental imaging device 100 continuously takes photos. When the computer detects a photo that meets the patient's requirements, it notifies the patient to stop the current imaging step and saves the photo that meets the requirements. This imaging method can greatly simplify the patient's operations, eliminating the need for patient intervention and operation for each photo to be taken and examined.

[0066] In a further embodiment, the patient does not need to operate the computer throughout the entire photographing process. After one photographing step is completed, the computer displays prompt information on the display to start the next photographing step. The patient only needs to adjust the position and / or the relative position of the upper and lower jaws based on the prompt information, and no operation is required from the computer. During this process, the dental photographing device 100 can continuously take and send photos to the computer, and the computer detects each received photo until it detects a photo that meets the requirements of the current photographing step, and so on.

[0067] In one embodiment, when dental imaging device 100 begins and ends taking pictures may be controlled by the computer.

[0068] Once all the requested tooth photographs have been taken, the patient can control the computer to upload the acceptable tooth photographs selected by the computer to a corresponding database via a network for analysis by a dental professional.

[0069] Since the computer and the dental photography device 100 are two separate devices, the patient can place them in a convenient position for observation and operation while taking photos of the teeth, so that the patient can easily observe the contents displayed on the computer display and perform corresponding operations according to the guidance.

[0070] It is understood that the method for taking a tooth photograph of the present application can be applied to other dental photographing devices, such as the dental photographing device disclosed in U.S. Patent Publication No. US2018 / 0303579A1, in addition to the dental photographing device 100 disclosed in the present application. A computer program corresponding to the smartphone used as a camera can be installed so that the computer can control the photography by the smartphone.

[0071] In a further embodiment, if the dental imaging device has corresponding computing capabilities, the guidance information may be calculated by the dental imaging device, which then transmits the captured photographs and the guidance information to the computer, which then displays them on a display for easy viewing by the patient. In this mode, the computer functions solely as a device for displaying the captured photographs and the guidance information to the patient.

[0072] While various aspects and embodiments of the present application have been disclosed herein, other aspects and embodiments of the present application will be apparent to those skilled in the art given the teachings of the present application. The aspects and embodiments disclosed herein are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to be limiting. The scope and spirit of the present application are determined solely by the appended claims.

[0073] Similarly, the diagrams may depict example architectures or other configurations of the disclosed methods and systems to aid in understanding the features and functionality that may be included in the disclosed methods and systems. The subject matter for which protection is sought is not limited to the example architectures or configurations shown, and various alternative architectures and configurations may be used to achieve the desired features. Furthermore, with respect to flowcharts, functional descriptions, and method claims, the order of blocks depicted herein should not be limited to the same order for performing various embodiments of the described functionality, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

[0074] Unless expressly indicated otherwise, all terms and phrases used herein and variations thereof should be construed as open-ended rather than limiting. In some instances, the presence of expansive words and phrases such as "one or more," "at least," "including but not limited to," or other similar terms should not be construed to mean that a narrower context is intended or required in instances where such expansive terminology may not be present.

Claims

1. a step in which a patient establishes a connection between a dental imaging device and a computer, allowing the computer to receive photographs taken by the dental imaging device in real time, the dental imaging device and the computer being two separate devices, the dental imaging device including a camera disposed at one end of a shielding cylinder and a mouth opener disposed at the other end of the shielding cylinder, and the computer including a display; the patient placing a mouth gag of the dental imaging device into their mouth; a step in which the computer determines whether or not a plurality of photographs of the patient's teeth taken by the dental photographing device includes a photograph that satisfies a predetermined requirement, the predetermined requirement being that the photograph of the patient's teeth includes a predetermined tooth; If the plurality of photographs of the patient's teeth does not satisfy the predetermined requirements, the computer or the dental photographing device calculates guidance information based on the plurality of photographs of the patient's teeth and displays the guidance information on the display; a step in which the patient adjusts the relative positions of the dental imaging device and the patient's teeth based on the photograph taken by the dental imaging device and the guidance information displayed on the display of the computer until the dental imaging device takes a photograph of the teeth that satisfies the predetermined requirements, the guidance information including information on how the patient should adjust the relative positions of the dental imaging device and the patient's teeth in order to take a photograph of the teeth that satisfies the predetermined requirements; How to take photographs of teeth, including:

2. 2. The method for taking dental photographs according to claim 1, wherein the dental photographing device and the computer are connected via a Wi-Fi network or Bluetooth.

3. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer is positioned so that the patient can observe what is displayed on the display while the dental photographs are being taken.

4. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the guidance information is calculated by the computer.

5. the patient starts adjusting the relative positions of the dental photographing device and the patient's teeth, including adjusting the position and orientation of the mouth opener and / or the relative positions of the upper and lower jaws, based on the prompt information for starting photographing of the first photograph generated by the computer and displayed on the display; the patient operating the computer to signal the computer to begin taking the first photograph; 5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the computer is one of a smartphone, a tablet computer, a portable computer, a personal computer, smart glasses, and a smart television.

7. 2. The method for taking a photograph of teeth according to claim 1, wherein the dental imaging device includes a housing, the housing forming a chamber and a working surface, the working surface being a part of a surface formed to surround the chamber, a first hole being formed in the working surface, the camera being fixedly mounted within the chamber, the shielding cylinder extending from an edge of the working surface, and the mouth opening extending from an end of the shielding cylinder.

8. 8. The method for taking dental photographs according to claim 7, wherein when the mouth opener is closed, the working surface and the shielding cylinder form a closed cavity.

9. 8. A method for taking dental photographs according to claim 7, characterized in that the chamber is a closed chamber.

10. 8. The method for taking dental photographs according to claim 7, wherein the dental imaging device further comprises N illumination light sources mounted in the chamber, and N second holes are formed on the working surface in one-to-one correspondence with the N illumination light sources, so that the N illumination light sources provide illumination for image capture by the camera through the N second holes, where N is a natural number greater than or equal to 1.

11. The method for taking a photograph of teeth according to claim 10, wherein N is a natural number greater than 1, and the N second holes are uniformly distributed around the camera.

12. 8. The method for taking photographs of teeth according to claim 7, wherein a control device for controlling the camera of the dental photographing device is installed in the chamber and configured to transmit photographs taken by the camera to the computer in real time.

13. a dental imaging device including a shielding cylinder, a mouth opener, a camera, and a control device, wherein the camera is disposed at one end of the shielding cylinder and the mouth opener is disposed at the other end of the shielding cylinder, and the control device controls the camera and is configured to transmit photographs taken by the camera to a separate computer connected to the dental imaging device in real time, and the computer determines whether or not a plurality of photographs of a patient's teeth taken by the dental imaging device includes a photograph that satisfies a predetermined requirement that the photograph of the patient's teeth includes a predetermined tooth, when the plurality of photographs of the patient's teeth does not contain a photograph that satisfies the predetermined requirements, calculating guidance information based on the plurality of photographs of the patient's teeth, the guidance information including information on how the patient should adjust the relative positions of the dental photographing device and the patient's teeth in order to take a photograph of the teeth that satisfies the predetermined requirements; A dental imaging apparatus, characterized in that the guidance information is transmitted to the computer so as to be displayed on a display of the computer.

14. A system including a dental imaging device including a shielding cylinder, a mouth opener, a camera, and a control device, and a separate computer connected to the dental imaging device, the camera is disposed at one end of the shielding cylinder, the mouth opening device is disposed at the other end of the shielding cylinder, and the control device controls the camera; the dental imaging device is configured to transmit photographs taken by the camera to the computer in real time; The computer determines whether or not there is a photograph of the patient's teeth that satisfies a predetermined requirement that the photograph of the patient's teeth includes a predetermined tooth among the plurality of photographs of the patient's teeth taken by the dental photographing device; when the plurality of photographs of the patient's teeth does not satisfy the predetermined requirements, the computer calculates guidance information based on the plurality of photographs of the patient's teeth, the guidance information including information on how the patient should adjust the relative positions of the dental photographing device and the patient's teeth in order to take a photograph of the teeth that satisfies the predetermined requirements; The system is characterized in that the computer displays the guidance information on a display.

15. 14. The dental imaging device of claim 13, further comprising a housing, the housing forming a chamber and a working surface, the working surface being a part of a surface formed to surround the chamber, a first hole formed in the working surface, the camera fixedly mounted within the chamber, the shielding cylinder extending from an edge of the working surface, the mouth opener extending from an end of the shielding cylinder, and the camera mounted so that the mouth opener can be used to spread a patient's lips and cheeks apart to capture images of the exposed teeth through the first hole and the shielding cylinder.

16. 16. The dental imaging apparatus of claim 15, wherein when the mouth gag is closed, the working surface and the shielding cylinder form a closed cavity.

17. 16. The dental imaging apparatus of claim 15, wherein the chamber is a closed chamber.

18. 16. The dental imaging apparatus of claim 15, wherein a portion of the shielding cylinder is formed by integrally extending the housing toward the mouth opening, and another portion of the shielding cylinder is formed by integrally extending the mouth opening toward the housing.

19. 16. The dental imaging apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the shielding cylinder is formed by integrally extending the mouth opening device toward the housing, and the shielding cylinder is fitted onto an edge of the working surface.

20. 16. The dental imaging apparatus according to claim 15, wherein a first end of the shielding cylinder is fitted to an edge of the working surface, and a second end opposite to the first end is connected to the mouth opener.

21. 16. The dental imaging device of claim 15, further comprising N illumination light sources mounted within the chamber, wherein N second holes are formed on the working surface in one-to-one correspondence with the N illumination light sources, such that the N illumination light sources provide illumination for image capture by the camera through the N second holes, where N is a natural number greater than or equal to 1.

22. 22. The dental imaging apparatus of claim 21, wherein N is a natural number greater than 1, and the N second holes are uniformly distributed around the camera.

Images