REAL TIME DISPLAY OF ACQUIRED 3D DENTAL DATA

• US 20080199829A1
• Filed: 09/03/2006
• Published: 08/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Medit Corp.
• Original Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Inventors: Rohaly, Janos, Paley, Eric B., Weeks, Steven V., Boerjes, Joseph, Hart, Douglas P., Rosenbloom, Micah J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,912,257 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 433/215
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/24 for the mouth, i.e. stomatoscopes, e.g. with tongue depressors tongue depressors per se A61B13/00; Instruments for opening or keeping open the mouth combined with saliva removers A61C17/00; mouth openers for animals A61D15/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1077 Measuring of profiles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4547 Evaluating teeth
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7435 Displaying user selection data, e.g. icons in a graphical user interface
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 11/08 with means to secure dental casts to articulator
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 11/085 Intermediary adjustment plates
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 13/0022 Blanks or green, unfinished dental restoration parts
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 19/04 Measuring instruments specially adapted for dentistry A61C5/44 takes precedence; testing vitality of teeth A61B5/0534; radiation diagnosis specially adapted for dentistry A61B6/51
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 9/0046 Data acquisition means or methods
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 9/0053 Optical means or methods, e.g. scanning the teeth by a laser or light beam
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 9/0086 Acoustic means or methods
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 80/00 Products made by additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/2513 with several lines being projected in more than one direction, e.g. grids, patterns
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0007 Image acquisition
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/00 Three dimensional [3D] modelling, e.g. data description of 3D objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/30 Polynomial surface description
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/00 Manipulating 3D models or images for computer graphics
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2210/41 Medical
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/40 relating to mechanical, radiation or invasive therapies, e.g. surgery, laser therapy, dialysis or acupuncture
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms

Abstract

The systems and methods disclosed herein provide real time display of three-dimensional dental data acquired intraorally from a dental patient.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

acquiring a three-dimensional representation from a dental patient including a digital surface representation of one or more intraoral structures; and

providing a visual display of the three-dimensional representation at a video rate in real time.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising superimposing the three-dimensional representation on a two-dimensional video image in real time.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more intraoral structures include at least one tooth.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more intraoral structures include at least one tooth surface prepared for a dental prosthetic.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more intraoral structures include at least one area of soft tissue.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

generating user feedback concerning the one or more intraoral structures; and

providing a visual display of the user feedback at the video rate.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein generating user feedback includes highlighting at least one area in the three-dimensional representation requiring user attention.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the video rate includes a rate of at least eight frames per second.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the video rate includes a rate of at least twenty frames per second.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the video rate includes a rate of between twenty-four and thirty frames per second.

11. A computer program product embodied on a computer readable medium that, when executing on one or more computing devices, performs the steps of:

acquiring a three-dimensional representation from a dental patient including a digital surface representation of one or more intraoral structures; and

providing a visual display of the three-dimensional representation at a video rate in real time.

12. The computer program product of claim 11 further comprising code for performing the step of superimposing the three-dimensional representation on a two-dimensional video image in real time.

13. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein the one or more intraoral structures include at least one tooth.

14. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein the one or more intraoral structures include at least one tooth surface prepared for a dental prosthetic.

15. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein the one or more intraoral structures include at least one area of soft tissue.

16. The computer program product of claim 11 further comprising code for performing the steps of:

generating user feedback concerning the one or more intraoral structures; and

providing a visual display of the user feedback at the video rate.

17. The computer program product of claim 16 wherein generating user feedback includes highlighting at least one area in the three-dimensional representation requiring user attention.

18. A system comprising:

a scanner for acquiring a three-dimensional representation from a dental patient including a digital surface representation of one or more intraoral structures; and

a processor for generating a visual display signal of the three-dimensional representation at a video rate in real time; and

a display for displaying the visual display signal.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the processor superimposes the three-dimensional representation on a two-dimensional video image in real time.

20. The system of claim 18 wherein the one or more intraoral structures include at least one of a tooth surface prepared for a dental prosthetic, an area of soft tissue, and a tooth.

21. The system of claim 18 wherein the processor generates user feedback concerning the one or more intraoral structures and includes the user feedback in the visual display signal at the video rate.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein the user feedback includes highlighting at least one area in the three-dimensional representation requiring user attention.