Digital Abutment Matching for Guided Crown Preparation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current dental abutment preparation methods require multiple dental visits and significant manual guesswork, leading to potential misfits and complications, as dentists rely on judgment to shape teeth for receiving crowns, which can result in ill-fitting prosthetics and additional work.
Innovation Solution
A system and method using augmented intelligence with specially formatted stacked data arrays to guide tooth abutment shaping, converting 3D images into 2D descriptor matrices for real-time guidance during surgical procedures, aligning and comparing dental surfaces to select a suitable abutment and crown design.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If dentists use manual judgment to shape tooth abutments, then the dentist can prepare the tooth based on experience, but the fit and precision of the final prosthetic deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary digital planning and virtual abutment design before the actual surgical procedure. The ideal abutment shape, margins, and orientation are predetermined using 3D imaging and software simulation, providing a precise template that guides the dentist during surgery to achieve accurate results without relying solely on manual judgment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a digital intermediary system consisting of 3D imaging technology, computer software, and surgical guides that mediate between the dentist's intentions and the physical abutment preparation. This intermediary translates complex shaping requirements into precise digital models and physical guidance templates, eliminating the need for direct manual estimation while maintaining surgical control.
2Reliability
If multiple dental visits are conducted for abutment preparation and crown fitting, then the dentist can make adjustments and ensure proper fit, but the treatment time and patient inconvenience increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary digital planning, virtual try-in, and precise abutment preparation in the first visit. By predetermined the ideal crown fit and abutment geometry digitally before surgery, the system eliminates the need for multiple adjustment visits, allowing the permanent crown to be placed correctly during the same appointment as the abutment preparation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates real-time feedback through intraoperative imaging and digital measurement tools that allow the dentist to verify abutment preparation accuracy during the procedure itself. This immediate feedback ensures the abutment meets precise dimensional requirements before the crown is cemented, guaranteeing proper fit without requiring subsequent adjustment visits.
3Ease of manufacture
If dentists rely on manual shaping techniques, then the existing tools and methods can be used, but the need for rework and additional adjustments increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a surgical guide template as an intermediary physical tool that translates digital planning into precise surgical execution. This template acts as a physical mediator that guides drill depth, abutment orientation, and margin placement, making the preparation process as simple as following a template while eliminating the need for complex manual shaping techniques and subsequent rework.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces traditional mechanical estimation and manual shaping techniques with digital imaging, computer-aided design, and computer-aided manufacturing. Instead of relying on the dentist's manual skill and experience, the system uses digital measurements, 3D modeling, and precision machining to create the abutment, significantly reducing rework while maintaining ease of execution.
Data Source
AI summary
A computer-implemented system and method for displaying a target abutment for guided surgical preparation of a tooth for receiving a crown or dental prosthetic. Two dimensional images (2D) of the tooth are obtained from a dental scanner and converted into a three dimensional (3D) image, which is converted into a mesh data file representation of tooth. The mesh file is then converted into one or more 2D descriptor matrixes which can be used to match the tooth to a target abutment in a descriptor database. The target abutment and image of the tooth to be shaped can be used as a input to an image blender algorithm which gives the blending image of the tooth for surgical preparation and the targeted abutment to guide a dentist in creating the target abutment from the existing tooth.