Virtual Facebow System for Dental Occlusal Arch Recording
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional facebow systems are cumbersome and difficult to use, requiring patients to hold the apparatus to their head and insert it into their ear canal, making it challenging to accurately replicate the alignment of the teeth for dental prosthetics.
Innovation Solution
A virtual facebow system utilizing a software application on a tablet with a camera and display, which records the patient's occlusal arch characteristics, including midline, steepness, and tooth contact points, to align maxillary and mandibular casts in an articulator for customized dental prosthetics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a traditional facebow apparatus is used to replicate the patient's occlusal arch alignment, then the alignment can be captured, but the device becomes cumbersome and difficult to operate requiring physical manipulation and insertion into ear canal
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the traditional mechanical facebow apparatus with a digital imaging system using a camera, display screen, and software application. The system captures images of the patient's teeth and uses digital overlays and crosshairs to establish alignment, eliminating the need for physical facebow manipulation and ear canal insertion while maintaining measurement accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a digital copy of the patient's occlusal arch alignment by capturing images and generating a digital representation with overlaid reference lines and crosshairs. This digital model replicates the anatomical relationships without requiring physical contact with the patient's ear canal or head.
2Measurement precision
If a traditional facebow apparatus is used to replicate the patient's occlusal arch alignment, then the alignment can be captured, but the device structure becomes complex requiring multiple components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a multi-functional integrated device where a single computing device (tablet or smartphone) performs multiple functions: capturing images with its camera, displaying alignment references on its screen, processing images through software, and storing data. This replaces the traditional facebow's multiple separate components with one universal device.
Solution Approach 2:
The system merges the functions of image capture, display, processing, and storage into a single integrated computing device. The camera, screen, processor, and memory are combined in one portable unit, eliminating the need for separate facebow components and simplifying the overall system structure.
Data Source
AI summary
An exemplary virtual facebow system comprises a software program which is run on a tablet or other portable computing device with a microprocessor, an internal memory component, an image capture device, and a display screen. The virtual facebow system is used to record characteristics of the occlusal arch of a patient including, but not limited to, the midline of the patient's face, the steepness and cant of the occlusal arch, as well as a record of which maxillary (upper) teeth make contact with which mandibular (lower) teeth. The recorded characteristics are then used to replicate the alignment of the patient's occlusal arch with the maxillary cast in a lab stand, and the maxillary cast can then be moved to an articulator for the production of customized dental prosthetics for the patient including, but not limited to, restorations and partial or full dentures.