Dental Prosthetic Surface Design Using 3D Tooth Data Mirroring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for designing dental prosthetic surfaces struggle to achieve exact symmetry and natural appearance, particularly in anterior teeth, due to reliance on manual dexterity and limited precision in transferring three-dimensional tooth data.
Innovation Solution
A method utilizing electronically stored three-dimensional tooth data to position and orient the tooth surface relative to a preparation site, allowing for precise positioning, rotation, and size adjustment, with the option to mirror-image surfaces for symmetry, using CAD tools to create a detailed design for esthetic and functional restorations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If manual fabrication methods are used to transfer tooth surfaces, then the process is simple and accessible, but the symmetry and precision of the restoration cannot be achieved exactly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses digital copying of tooth surface data from one side of the mouth to create an exact mirror image for the restoration on the opposite side. The original tooth surface is scanned to create digital data, which is then mirrored and positioned to achieve perfect symmetry, eliminating the imprecision of manual copying methods.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical fabrication with a digital system that uses computer-aided design (CAD) tools to position, rotate, and mirror tooth surface data. This substitution of mechanical manual work with digital processing enables precise control over symmetry and surface matching that cannot be achieved manually.
2Measurement precision
If digital three-dimensional data is used to position tooth surfaces, then precise positioning and symmetry are achieved, but the process requires complex computational steps
Solution Approach 1:
The patent intentionally introduces asymmetry through mirror imaging to achieve symmetry in the final restoration. The digital tooth surface data is mirrored across the midline, creating a symmetric relationship between left and right side restorations, which is then precisely positioned using computational tools.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent moves from two-dimensional surface representations to three-dimensional digital models, enabling precise positioning in multiple spatial dimensions. The digital tooth surface data includes full 3D information that can be manipulated in x, y, and z directions, as well as rotated around multiple axes, providing comprehensive control over the restoration geometry.
3Shape
If the tooth surface is mirror-inverted to create symmetry, then esthetic appearance is improved, but the original surface data must be transformed computationally
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies mirror inversion to the digital tooth surface data to create the symmetric restoration. Instead of manually copying and attempting to match surfaces, the system inverts the original surface data across the midline, creating an exact mirror image that ensures perfect symmetry between left and right side restorations.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and apparatus for designing the surface of a dental prosthetic item consisting of three-dimensional data, wherein three-dimensional data of a surface (30) of an electronically stored tooth (11) are used at least as part of the surface of the dental prosthetic item to be fabricated, to which end the surface of the tooth (30) is first of all determined as to size and then placed against an electronically stored prosthetic item or the region of a preparation site (1;21) existing as three-dimensional data. The position of the digital tooth surface (30) over the dental prosthetic item or in the preparation site (1; 21) can be set with regard to at least one spatial axis and/or at least one direction of rotation.