Augmented Reality in the dental practice

The Swiss start-up Kapanu shows dental patients how their smile will look after the planned correction.

Most people agree on one thing: beautiful teeth make you more attractive. That's why kids start with braces and most people want to get rid of discolouration with bleaching. People who suffer from chipped or badly worn teeth often opt for cosmetic dental reconstruction.

So that patients can visualise what their new smile will look like, a plaster cast of their teeth is usually made first. A dental technician then adds the parts that need to be added using wax and produces a plastic model that the patient can try out - a lengthy and time-consuming procedure. AR is now intended to help speed up the process and show people what their teeth will look like afterwards.

Enginge calculates the appearance with teeth

Kapanuan offshoot of the Technical University of Zurich, has developed an augmented reality engine in collaboration with Disney Research. This engine could soon be used in dental practices around the world. It scans the patient's teeth using a technique that is already used in many practices. The real innovation is only revealed after the scan - this is where the AR engine calculates what the patient's teeth will look like after the planned corrections or with dentures.

A tablet PC serves as an augmented reality mirror in the practice. Patients can use it to design the planned corrections according to their wishes and determine the tooth spacing or tooth shape, for example. If the patient gives the go-ahead, the production of their desired set of teeth begins.

Kapanu presented the concept for the first time last year at the International Dental Show in Cologne. The AR mirror was apparently well received in the industry. In June, the start-up was honoured by the Ivoclar Vivadent AG acquired. The company produces and distributes products for dentists and dental technicians.

Source: PCwelt / Youtube / Kapanu