Abstract: A method for detecting and representing one or more objects, such as teeth, their preparations and their immediate environment, using a camera. A first recording is made wherein a still image is produced. The still image is blended into a current, mobile search image in at least one sub-area in the second step, so that both images are recognizable. In the third step, the camera is positioned in such a way that the search image overlaps the blended-in still image in at least one sub-area. The second recording process is initiated in a fourth step.

Abstract: In a method of processing a digitized workpiece (1), especially a three-dimensional model of a dental prosthetic item to be produced therefrom, by altering the surface data of the workpiece by means of a tool which acts on a local zone of action (3) on the surface (2), a change in height of said surface (2) is effected in said zone of action (3) of said tool when the tool is applied to said surface, the said zone of action of said tool covering a modified region (5) showing a substantially constant change in height (t) over the zone of action (3) and also a transition region (4), in which the surface of the modified region (5) merges into the surface surrounding said zone of action (3).

Abstract: A method and apparatus for designing the surface of a dental prosthetic item consisting of three-dimensional data, wherein three-dimensional data of a surface (30) of an electronically stored tooth (11) are used at least as part of the surface of the dental prosthetic item to be fabricated, to which end the surface of the tooth (30) is first of all determined as to size and then placed against an electronically stored prosthetic item or the region of a preparation site (1;21) existing as three-dimensional data. The position of the digital tooth surface (30) over the dental prosthetic item or in the preparation site (1; 21) can be set with regard to at least one spatial axis and/or at least one direction of rotation.

Abstract: A method of producing a dental prosthetic item from a blank involving generation of a machining schedule for machining equipment includes the following steps: the blank exhibits at least two regions having different properties, the regions are displayed separately together with a reproduction of the prosthetic item, the position of the reproduction of the prosthetic item in the blank can be changed relatively to the regions by input means, and the machining schedule is adjusted or generated taking into consideration the position of the reproduction of the prosthetic item. In this way the position, within the blank, of the prosthetic item to be carved from the blank can be checked and adjusted.

Abstract: The invention relates to a data base for the storage of data, which comprises dental data relating to real teeth in the form of digitized images, which digitized images involve universally applicable dentition-specific and/or universally applicable tooth-specific features or structural properties, such as sex-specific and/or tooth family-specific and/or biography-specific and/or person-specific characteristics, with or without anomalous characteristics.

Abstract: A method for the production of medical fittings, in particular dental fittings, is proposed. A workpiece (1), from which the fitting is produced, has material removed from it by machining with a tool (7). The tool (7) and the workpiece (1) execute a relative movement with respect to each other along a fixed trajectory. The instantaneous loading of the tool is used to control the speed of this relative movement. In order to avoid the load peaks which occur here, and to ensure a more uniform control, it is proposed that the expected loading of the tool along the trajectory is also calculated and is used to control the speed.