WithTeeth: Denture Preview in Augmented Reality

Abstract

Dentures are prosthetic devices replacing missing or damaged teeth, often used for dental reconstruction. Dental reconstruction improves the functional state and aesthetic appearance of teeth. State-of-the-art methods used by dental technicians typically do not include the aesthetic analysis, which often leads to unsatisfactory results for patients. In this paper, we present a virtual mirror approach for a dental treatment preview in augmented reality. Different denture presets are visually evaluated and compared by switching them on the fly. Our main goals are to provide a virtual dental treatment preview to facilitate early feedback, and hence to build the confidence and trust of patients in the outcome. The workflow of our algorithm is as follows. First, the face is detected and 2D facial landmarks are extracted. Then, 3D pose estimation of upper and lower jaws is performed and high-quality 3D models of the upper and lower dentures are fitted. The fitting uses the occlusal plane angle as determined mnually by dental technicians. To provide a realistic impression of the virtual teeth, the dentures are rendered with motion blur. We demonstrate the robustness and visual quality of our approach by comparing the results of a webcam to a DSLR camera under natural, as well as controlled lighting conditions.