Abstract: The invention concerns a device for acquiring the three-dimensional shape of an object (10) by opto-electronic process, comprising a chromatic system (18) for illuminating the object (10) and for picking up the light reflected or backscattered by the object (10), and a reflecting mirror (26) placed on the optical axis between the optical system (18) and an illumination slot (16) for deflecting the light reflected by the object towards a spectral analysis means (30).

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for preparing dental restorations, the method comprising the steps of (a) compiling a database of materials for use in preparing a dental restoration; (b) compiling a database of procedures for preparing the dental restoration; (c) determining the geometrical constraints of the dental restoration; (d) determining the aesthetic constraints of the dental restoration; and (e) inputting the geometrical constraints and the aesthetic constraints to a computer to mathematically select from the material database and the procedure database a recipe for producing the dental restoration.

Abstract: A model for acquiring three dimensional data of a portion of a dental arch to receive a prosthesis, the model comprising a casting mold of a dental arch (2) mounted on a base (5), the portion of the casting mold to receive a prosthesis being separate from a remaining portion of the casting mold and mounted so as to be moveable and repositionable precisely on the base using pegs, wherein a mold of each tooth or portion of teeth adjacent to an extremity of the portion of the casting mold to receive the prosthesis (3) is also separate (6, 8, 9) from the remaining portion of the casting mold as well as from the portion of the casting mold to receive the prosthesis, and is mounted so as to be moveable and repositionable precisely on the base of the casting mold using pegs.

Abstract: There is provided a method for producing a dental prosthesis comprising: obtaining three-dimensional digital data relating to a patient's dentition; designing a virtual prosthesis for the dentition using the three-dimensional digital data; transmitting digital data corresponding to the virtual prosthesis to an automated prototyping system; producing a prototype of the dental prosthesis with the automated prototyping system, the prototype made of a material that can be ablated; covering at least the prototype with a hardening material and removing the prototype from within said hardening material to produce a mold for the dental prosthesis; casting the dental prosthesis by filling the mold with a metal and removing the hardening material.

Abstract: There is provided a method for producing a dental prosthesis comprising: obtaining three-dimensional digital data relating to a patient's dentition; designing a virtual prosthesis for the dentition using the three-dimensional digital data; transmitting digital data corresponding to the virtual prosthesis to an automated prototyping system; producing a prototype of the dental prosthesis with the automated prototyping system, the prototype made of a material that can be ablated; covering at least the prototype with a hardening material and removing the prototype from within said hardening material to produce a mold for the dental prosthesis; casting the dental prosthesis by filling the mold with a metal and removing the hardening material.

Abstract: In accordance with the teachings of the present invention, an optoelectronic system (10) is provided for surface digitization of an object using spatiochromatic triangulation. The optoelectronic system (10) includes an illuminating subsystem (12) for illuminating a measuring space (30) that contains an object (16) to be measured, as well as a viewing subsystem (14) for collecting the light reflected by this object (16) and for generating a three-dimensional topography of the object (16) using in depth chromatic coding of the object. More specifically, relay optics (22) are used to image a polychromatic light source (20) onto a source slit (24) which in turn passes images from the slit image onto a dispersing element (26). The object to be measure is illuminated with a continuum of monochromatic images along a cutting, plane (x,z) within the measuring space (30).