The invention relates to a method for animating models of the mandibular and maxillary arches of a patient in a corrected intermaxillary relationship, comprising: —providing three-dimensional numerical models (MD, MX) of the mandibular and maxillary arches of the patient; —providing a recording of the mandibular motion of the patient, said recording comprising a plurality of relative positions of the mandible of the patient with respect to the maxilla; —selecting, from said positions, a reference position (X) of the mandible with respect to the maxilla of the patient; —determining a target position (Y) for the mandible with respect to the maxilla, said target position defining a corrected intermaxillary relationship for the patient; —determining a rigid transformation between the reference position (X) and the target position (Y); —applying said rigid transformation (i) to the recording of the mandibular motion of the patient in order to animate the three-dimensional numerical models of the mandibular and maxillary arches, or (ii) to the three-dimensional numerical model of the mandible, the delivered recording of the mandibular motion being applied to the three-dimensional numerical models of the mandible and of the maxilla in order to animate said models.

The invention relates to a method for animating models of the mandibular and maxillary arches of a patient in a corrected intermaxillary relationship, comprising: —providing three-dimensional numerical models (MD, MX) of the mandibular and maxillary arches of the patient; —providing a recording of the mandibular motion of the patient, said recording comprising a plurality of relative positions of the mandible of the patient with respect to the maxilla; —selecting, from said positions, a reference position (X) of the mandible with respect to the maxilla of the patient; —determining a target position (Y) for the mandible with respect to the maxilla, said target position defining a corrected intermaxillary relationship for the patient; —determining a rigid transformation between the reference position (X) and the target position (Y); —applying said rigid transformation (i) to the recording of the mandibular motion of the patient in order to animate the three-dimensional numerical models of the mandibular and maxillary arches, or (ii) to the three-dimensional numerical model of the mandible, the delivered recording of the mandibular motion being applied to the three-dimensional numerical models of the mandible and of the maxilla in order to animate said models.

A method for modeling mandibular motion, executable by an electronic device and including: acquiring a point cloud representing a mandible; determining an initial condyle pose; determining natural movement parameters for the condyles including maximum protrusion displacement, a Bennett angle, and a Sagittal inclination path angle; receiving an indication of a translation and/or a rotation of the mandible; determining a first natural movement of translation including a protrusion followed by a first sagittal inclination; determining a second natural movement of rotation including a Bennet movement followed by a second sagittal inclination; applying the natural movement s to the point cloud to form a transformed point cloud; creating a model of the mandible having undergone the at least one of the translation and the rotation using the transformed point cloud; and displaying the model of the mandible having undergone the translation and/or rotation.

A method for modeling mandibular motion, executable by an electronic device and including: acquiring a point cloud representing a mandible; determining an initial condyle pose; determining natural movement parameters for the condyles including maximum protrusion displacement, a Bennett angle, and a Sagittal inclination path angle; receiving an indication of a translation and/or a rotation of the mandible; determining a first natural movement of translation including a protrusion followed by a first sagittal inclination; determining a second natural movement of rotation including a Bennet movement followed by a second sagittal inclination; applying the natural movement s to the point cloud to form a transformed point cloud; creating a model of the mandible having undergone the at least one of the translation and the rotation using the transformed point cloud; and displaying the model of the mandible having undergone the translation and/or rotation.

One embodiment of the apparatus and method comprises a physical recording instrument (2000) for forming a right and a left side engraved analog (150), the analogs (150) being subsequently attached to a physical articulating instrument (3000), the analogs (150) with timing controls then serving as guides for simulating the motion of mounted patient dental models (142). Another embodiment comprises a digital recording system (4000) for generating the right and left side virtual engraved analogs (150), the analogs (150) being subsequently milled or digitally formed in a CNC rapid prototyping machine, the analogs (150) then being attached to the physical articulating instrument (3000), the analogs (150) with the timing controls serving as guides for simulating the motion. Some of the foregoing embodiments facilitate production of technologist fabricated dental restorative and orthodontic treatments. Another embodiment comprises the digital recording system (4000) for generating the right and left side virtual engraved analogs (150) and a virtual articulating instrument (5000) for virtual simulating of mandibular jaw motion. Some of these digital workflow embodiments facilitate production of milled or digitally fabricated dental restorative and orthodontic treatments.

An articulator having a maxillary member and a mandibular member, which are connected to each other via condylar articulations, wherein a maxillary adaptor is attachable or attached at the maxillary member and a mandibular adaptor at the mandibular member, wherein a maxillary alignment member especially is form-fittingly connected to the maxillary adaptor and a mandibular alignment member is especially form-fittingly connected with the mandibular adaptor, and wherein the alignment members are automatically alignable to each other and comprising scanning members, by means of which the arrangement of alignment members and adaptors is scannable in a scanner and especially the relative position thereof moreover is detectable in relation to the articulator via the scanner.

A method for determining treatment of orthopaedic imbalances including the steps of: mounting upper and lower jaw dentition models to an articulator; setting the position of the models to replicate the relative positions of the jaw dentitions of a patient; determining from an x-ray or scan: (i) the outline of the patient's condylar head; and (ii) the pattern and depth of the patient's fossae; displaying a reproduction of the outline of the patient's condylar head; displaying a reproduction of the pattern and depth of the patient's fossae and eminance; adjusting the relative position of the models to remedy orthopaedic imbalances, which adjustment causes relative movement of: (i) the display of the condylar head; and (ii) the display of the pattern and depth of the fossae and eminance; and recording adjustments made to the relative position of the fossae/eminence and condoylar head and the upper and lower jaw dentition models.

A disposable dental articulator is proposed. The disposable dental articulator includes a body, a socket coupled to the body and a fixing portion one side of which is slidably coupled to the first socket and the other side of which is configured to be coupled to one of a maxillary dental model and a mandibular dental model.

A disposable dental articulator is proposed. The disposable dental articulator includes a body, a socket coupled to the body and a fixing portion one side of which is slidably coupled to the first socket and the other side of which is configured to be coupled to one of a maxillary dental model and a mandibular dental model.

It is described a device for simulating jaw movements, the device comprising at least one first device unit attachable to an upper jaw model and at least one second device unit attachable to a lower jaw model, wherein the at least one first device unit comprises an engagement means and the at least one second device unit comprises one or more openings for receiving the engagement means, or vice versa, wherein the engagement means is arranged to perform a rotational movement and a translational movement within the one or more openings. It is further described a computer-implemented method for generating the device.