Disney is much more than cartoons, toys, and amusement parks. The company runs a high tech research arm that often comes up with unusual and innovative devices and technologies that often have relevance to medical practice. The latest publicly announced project from Disney Research is a 3D reconstruction software that uses data gathered from photos or videos of people’s teeth to create accurate virtual models of those teeth.
Dentists already have access to specialized devices that digitize the structure of teeth by taking many high quality shots of the mouth from inside and outside. These reconstructions can then be used as digital impressions for dentures, inlays, and other procedures. The problem is that such devices are still expensive and may not be affordable by dentists in many parts of the world.
Disney’s software may one day end up in a smartphone app that would allow a dentist to quickly and easily create models of teeth that would be accurate enough for clinical use.
Check out this video that demonstrates the capabilities of the software:
More from Disney Research: Model-Based Teeth Reconstruction…