COMPUTER-AIDED AUTOMATIC SYSTEM FOR DENTAL RESTORATION PRODUCTION.

This system integrates a number of technologies, including CAD/CAM, image processing, three-dimensional data acquisition, and stereophotogrammetry. This automation incorporates three distinct functions: data acquisition, data reduction, and restoration fabrication (see Figure 1). Data acquisition is the process necessary to obtain, in three-dimensions, the coordinates defining the configuration of (1) tooth prepared by the dentist, ready to receive the restoration; (2) the adjacent teeth, and (3) the opposing teeth with which the restoration must occlude. The acquired data must also record dynamic motion of the jaw in function. In the proposed system, this data is obtained directly from the patient's mouth with a modified vision system. The data is directly fed to a computer. Because the system is configured to be realistic for a dentist in private practice, the data files will be written to a microcomputer and the data then subsequently transmitted to a more powerful system which will most likely be located away from the dental office. Refs.