Open Dental Forum

I've just started on the next iteration of the 3D graphics. I think this is the sixth time I've overhauled the tooth chart. One of the earliest versions, 20 years ago, was a simple jpg that I drew shapes on. Some of the overhauls have been required by updates to graphics cards over the years, and some have been part of a push for better organization and more features. The most recent overhaul was two years ago from DirectX 9 to DirectX 11. It was worth it, but it was far from trivial. I had to write an entire graphics engine from scratch. Now, after years of searching, I have found a suitable graphics engine written by someone else who actually does that full-time. Why not just use Unity or Unreal graphics engines? Because they are both ridiculously overpowered for drawing teeth. I'm not trying to build a video game inside of Open Dental. The bloat and cost are just not worth it. Once I port the existing code from my mediocre graphics engine over to the professional graphics engine, it will open up many new possibilities. I will finally be able to have shiny teeth that reflect light off of all the little scratches and pits, just like the modern video games. The incisal edges will look properly transparent, and ortho hardware will finally look like silver, with lots of contrast in the reflections. I could finally do a set of curved jaws that open and close, a full set of gingiva, selective transparency, and support for flying around to view from any angle. Longer term, you could use a 3D scanner to get the topography and images of each patient, and we could use that instead of the generic tooth chart. And there are, of course, many improvements that I can imagine after that. As I say frequently, our real goal is to have the computer do all the drilling, and everything we build is just a stepping stone along the path to that ultimate goal.

wow, so from what I understand the goal is to make it possible to import our patient's intraoral scans and have their real teeth as the odontogram within open dental. It seems like it would also lend itself to fantastic visualization and tracking of treatment plans and tooth conditions over time.

Yes, that is one of many goals. Even once we achieve it, it will still get better over many years. It's one of those features that will gradually mature because it's just so open ended. It's going to require some AI to be able to understand what it's seeing. Unlike automobile AI, this does not have to be fast, so it should be possible soon. I'm also not sure if the scanners are worth the expense yet. There has to be added value.

Scanners are amazing for prosthetics and ortho. They are certainly pricey and do take time
Digital impressions are way faster and accurate. The rework rate on lab cases goes down and like other things, once you get used to doing it digitally it is PAINFUL to go back. If crowns are run of the mill work for you, a scanner does make life so much easier. For me, scanners have been worth every penny I've spent on them.