Merging 3D Dental Models via Occlusal Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional dental impression methods are time-consuming and often result in incomplete or poor-quality impressions, especially with at-home kits, leading to the need for repeated procedures and potential errors.
Innovation Solution
A computing device that merges three-dimensional models of dental impressions by aligning and selecting geometric faces based on occlusal surfaces, removing excess geometry, and generating a merged model to create a complete and accurate representation of the dental arch for manufacturing custom dental aligners.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If at-home dental impression kits are used, then convenience and accessibility are improved, but impression quality and completeness deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges multiple incomplete or partial dental impression models into a single complete model by aligning them based on occlusal surfaces and combining geometric data. This resolves the contradiction by allowing patients to take impressions at home (improving ease of operation) while the merging process ensures complete and accurate results (maintaining manufacturing precision).
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates digital 3D copies of the dental arch from physical impressions taken at home. Multiple copies can be merged together to compensate for incomplete individual impressions, thereby maintaining high precision despite the convenience of at-home scanning.
2Manufacturing precision
If multiple dental impressions are taken to ensure completeness, then accuracy is improved, but time consumption and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary alignment and merging of multiple impression models automatically using occlusal surface recognition. This preliminary processing prepares the data for complete model generation without requiring manual intervention or repeated patient visits, thus improving completeness while reducing time loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The automated merging system performs the consolidation of multiple impressions without requiring dental professional intervention. The system self-corrects incomplete impressions by automatically detecting and integrating data from multiple scans, eliminating the need for time-consuming retakes.
3Adaptability or versatility
If manual processing of dental impressions is used, then flexibility is maintained, but productivity and efficiency decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces manual mechanical processing of dental impressions with automated computational algorithms. The merging manager automatically aligns and combines 3D models using occlusal surface detection, substituting manual operations with efficient computer-based processing that maintains flexibility while dramatically improving productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the processing parameters from manual manipulation to automated algorithmic operations. By transforming the impression merging process into a computational task with defined parameters (occlusal surface alignment, geometric face comparison), the system maintains adaptability while achieving high-speed processing and improved productivity.
Data Source
AI summary
A computing device for dental impression scan merging includes a model manager configured to generate a first three-dimensional model and a second three-dimensional model, and a merge manager configured to merge the first model and the second model. Each model includes a respective plurality of geometric faces indicative of a respective dental impression of a dental arch of a user. Merging the first model and the second model includes aligning the first model and the second model, removing a geometric face of the first model, selecting a geometry of the second model corresponding with the removed geometric face of the first model, and generating a merged model that includes the selected geometry and the geometric faces corresponding to the selected geometry. The merged model is used to manufacture a dental aligner specific to the dental arch of the user and configured to reposition one or more teeth of the user.