Disclosed are a scanner system and a method for recording surface geometry and surface color of an object where both surface geometry information and surface color information for a block of the image sensor pixels at least partly from one 2D image recorded by the color image sensor. A particular application is within dentistry, particularly for intraoral scanning.

Method for providing a natural colour and optical depth to a dental object comprising the steps: providing a framework of the dental object, taking an object colour picture of an adjacent dental object or reference dental object, and uploading the object colour picture into a computing device, calibrating and adjusting the uploaded object colour picture into a target object colour picture in a computing device, (pre)determining the thickness profile of the enamel material to be applied on the framework, correcting in a computing device of the digital picture elements of the target object colour picture for the thickness profile of the enamel material to be applied on the position of the digital picture elements and providing a print colour picture of the corrected digital picture elements, printing the print colour picture as a print layer on the framework, applying the enamel material in the predetermined profile-thickness upon the print layer upon the framework.

Disclosed in a method, a user interface and a system for use in determining shade of a patient's tooth, wherein a digital 3D representation including shape data and texture data for the tooth is obtained. A tooth shade value for at least one point on the tooth is determined based on the texture data of the corresponding point of the digital 3D representation and on known texture values of one or more reference tooth shade values.

A method for determining a tooth colour providing an evaluation device having an iterative learning algorithm using CNNs which captures and evaluates images under different light conditions and capture angles and learns the assignment to the applicable pattern tooth colour. In an evaluation step, a capture device is provided with which an image of an auxiliary body with a previously known pattern tooth colour is captured together with at least one tooth. The capture device acquires at least two images of the combination of the tooth to be determined and the auxiliary body from different capture angles and forwards them to the evaluation device. The evaluation device, based on the assignment learned to the applicable sample tooth colour, evaluates the captured images and outputs the tooth colour of the tooth to be determined according to a reference value, such as a common tooth key, e.g. A1, B2, etc.

A device for determining the surface topology and associated color of a structure, such as a teeth segment, includes a scanner for providing depth data for points along a two-dimensional array substantially orthogonal to the depth direction, and an image acquisition means for providing color data for each of the points of the array, while the spatial disposition of the device with respect to the structure is maintained substantially unchanged. A processor combines the color data and depth data for each point in the array, thereby providing a three-dimensional color virtual model of the surface of the structure. A corresponding method for determining the surface topology and associate color of a structure is also provided.

A method includes the following steps of (i) production with a 3D scanner, of a three-dimensional digital reference model of at least part of a dental arch of the patient, or “initial reference model”; (ii) acquisition, in actual acquisition conditions, by the patient or one of his or her close relatives, with a mobile phone, of at least three two-dimensional images of the dental arches of the patient corresponding to a front view, a right-side view and a left side view of the teeth of the patient, respectively, called “updated images”; and (iii) searching, through modification of the initial reference model, for a final reference model corresponding to the positioning and/or the shape of the teeth on the updated images.

A shade matching method for a tooth obtains a plurality of digitized tooth shade references, obtains a three-dimensional (3D) surface representation of a tooth and associated color information defined on the three-dimensional (3D) surface, selects a region on the three-dimensional (3D) surface representation of the tooth, determines a plurality of correspondences with the common tooth shape of all the tooth shade references, computes color difference with each of the tooth shade reference from the plurality of tooth shade references, and records the label corresponding to the shade reference with a smallest difference.

The present invention relates to a method for designing a dental restoration, comprising the steps of determining (S101) a target data set based on a natural tooth which reflects the optical properties and/or the geometry of the natural tooth; generating (S102) a digital tooth model with an internal architecture; rendering (S103) the digital tooth model based on the internal architecture to generate an actual data set representing the optical properties and/or the geometry of the digital tooth model; calculating (S104) a deviation between the target data set and the actual data set; and iteratively altering (S105) the digital tooth model to obtain a smaller deviation between the detected target data set and the actual data set of the re-rendered digital tooth model.

The present invention relates to a method of producing a dental restoration, comprising the steps of: generating (S101) a digital tooth model having a first spatial region in which a first restoration material is disposed and a second spatial region in which a second restoration material is disposed; rendering (S102) the digital tooth model to generate an actual data set representing optical properties of the digital tooth model; determining (S103) a deviation between a target data set and the actual data set; altering (S104) at least one of the first spatial region and the second spatial region to obtain a smaller deviation between the detected target data set and the actual data set of the re-rendered digital tooth model; and producing (S105) the dental restoration based on the digital tooth model having the smaller deviation.

The present invention relates to a method for fabricating a dental restoration, comprising the steps of rendering (S101) a first digital tooth model with a first material combination for generating a first actual data set representing the optical properties of the first digital tooth model; determining (S102) a first deviation between a target data set and the first actual data set; rendering (S103) a second digital tooth model based on a second combination of materials to generate a second actual data set representing the optical properties of the second digital tooth model; determining (S104) a second deviation between the target data set and the second actual data set; and fabricating (S105) the dental restoration based on the first digital tooth model when the first deviation is less than the second deviation and fabricating the dental restoration based on the second digital tooth model when the second deviation is less than the first deviation.