Dental Restoration Design Using Standardized Virtual Master Models
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for creating dental restorations in pediatric dentistry are inefficient due to the need for individualized designs, which are challenging to implement in pediatric patients, and existing solutions do not adequately address the need for streamlined design processes.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the use of a standardized virtual tooth model, where a virtual master dental restoration surface is transformed to fit the available space, with an automatically generated inner surface, reducing design steps and allowing for rapid fabrication of dental restorations using 3D printing technology.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If individualized design process is used for dental restorations, then aesthetic quality and clinical performance are improved, but treatment time and patient cooperation requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The design process is segmented into two distinct approaches: a standardized rapid design path for pediatric patients that ensures adequate aesthetic quality without requiring individualized customization, and a traditional individualized design path for adult patients who require higher aesthetic precision. This segmentation allows the system to optimize treatment time for pediatric cases while maintaining the option for detailed customization when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the design parameters from highly customized geometric configurations to standardized master models with adjustable parameters. By transforming the design approach from creating unique surfaces to selecting and adapting pre-defined master models, the treatment time is significantly reduced while maintaining sufficient aesthetic quality for pediatric restorations.
2Manufacturing precision
If individualized design process is used for dental restorations, then aesthetic quality is improved, but patient cooperation requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The design methodology is segmented to provide different levels of interaction based on patient type. Pediatric patients receive standardized master model designs that require minimal cooperation and no complex chairside operations, while adult patients can access the traditional individualized design process if they have the capacity to cooperate. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by matching the design complexity to the patient's ability to cooperate.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables automated design generation through the standardized master model approach, eliminating the need for patient participation in the design process. The computer automatically selects and adapts appropriate master models based on the available space, providing aesthetic restorations without requiring patient cooperation in design decisions or complex chairside operations.
3Productivity
If standardized virtual master model is used, then design time and preparation time are reduced, but design flexibility may be limited
Solution Approach 1:
The standardized master models are designed to be dynamically adaptable rather than static templates. The system automatically transforms and resizes master models to fit the available space determined from intraoral scans, and can select from multiple master model types (anterior, posterior, universal) based on the specific clinical situation. This dynamic adaptation maintains design flexibility while preserving the efficiency benefits of standardization.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes physical parameters of the master models (size, orientation, position) to adapt them to different clinical scenarios. By automatically adjusting these parameters based on the available space and tooth type, the system maintains versatility across different patient anatomies and restoration requirements while keeping the design process rapid and standardized.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method of making a dental restoration has the steps of: determining a virtual space available for accommodation of a dental restoration for a tooth to be restored; retrieving a predefined virtual master dental restoration surface from a database; fitting the virtual master dental restoration surface in the space to provide a virtual outer dental restoration surface; creating a virtual inner dental restoration surface independent of a shape of the tooth to be restored; providing a virtual model of a dental restoration based on a combination of the virtual outer dental restoration surface and the virtual inner dental restoration surface; and fabricating the dental restoration based on the dental restoration model.