Denture Scanning with Impression Material for Jaw Arrangement

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing methods fail to accurately determine the relative arrangement of a patient's jaws in a bite position when occlusion is not defined by natural teeth alone, particularly for patients with dentures, as they lack precise information about the gum surface and opposing jaw surfaces.

Innovation Solution

A method involving a layer of impression material on the denture base, which is shaped according to the gum surface, allowing for digital 3D scanning to derive accurate geometrical data for both the denture and opposing jaw surfaces, enabling spatial correlation and precise determination of jaw arrangement.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If a conventional denture is used without impression material on the gum-facing surface, then the denture structure remains simple, but the relative arrangement of the jaws cannot be accurately determined

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveaccuracy of jaw arrangement determinationVSAvoidcomplexity of denture structure
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Impression material is introduced as an intermediary element between the denture base and the gum surface. This material captures the precise geometry of the gum surface when the denture is placed in the patient's mouth, enabling accurate determination of jaw arrangement without modifying the denture structure itself.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The impression material creates a physical copy or replica of the gum surface geometry. By scanning this impression material, a digital 3D representation of the gum surface is obtained, which can then be used to determine the relative arrangement of the jaws in occlusion.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

2Loss of information

If the denture base is modified to include impression material, then accurate gum surface data is obtained, but the manufacturing process becomes more complex

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecompleteness of gum surface dataVSAvoidease of denture manufacturing
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The impression material is applied to the denture base before the denture is placed in the patient's mouth. This preliminary action ensures that the gum surface geometry is captured accurately during the scanning process, preventing any loss of information about the gum surface shape and position.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Manufacturing precision

If digital 3D scanning is performed without impression material, then the scanning process remains simple, but precise spatial correlation between denture and opposing jaw surfaces cannot be established

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprecision of spatial correlationVSAvoidcomplexity of scanning process
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The impression material serves as a mediator that transfers the gum surface geometry into the scanning process. When the denture with impression material is scanned, the material captures and transmits the precise spatial relationship between the denture and the opposing jaw surfaces, enabling accurate spatial correlation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentEP3854345A1Scanning edentulous patients
Publication Date: 2021.07.28 3SHAPE AS
  • EP3854345A1 patent drawingFigure 1A~1B
  • EP3854345A1 patent drawingFigure 1C~1D
  • EP3854345A1 patent drawingFigure 2A~2D

AI summary

Disclosed is a method for scanning an edentulous patent who has a denture, where an impression material arranged at the gum-facing surfaces of the dentures is shaped by the patient's gums and both the teeth side and the gum-facing surface of the denture is scanned and the obtained digital 3D representations are used to determine the relative arrangement of the patient's edentulous jaws in a bite determined by the dentures.