Patent ID: 7785103
Filing Date: 2010-08-31
Classification: A61B,G01J,G01N

Abstract:
1. A method for determining optical characteristics of a dental object with a handheld instrument having a probe comprising the steps of: applying a protective tip to the probe, wherein the protective tip serves to prevent contact between the probe and the dental object, wherein the protective tip includes a hole for coupling light from the probe to a measurement spot on the dental object; moving the probe having the protective tip applied thereto in proximity to a reference standard of known optical properties, and activating a calibration/normalization measurement of the reference standard via a switch/button user interface, wherein calibration/normalization data are stored based on electronic and optical properties of the handheld instrument having the protective tip applied thereto; moving the probe having the protective tip in proximity to the dental object, and activating a measurement of the measurement spot of the dental object via the switch/button user interface, wherein light is provided to the measurement spot and returned from the measurement spot and coupled to an optical sensor; measuring light returned from the measurement spot of a plurality of wavelengths/spectral bands with the optical sensor, wherein a first frequency proportional to an intensity of a first wavelength/spectral band of light returned from the measurement spot is determined, a second frequency proportional to an intensity of a second wavelength/spectral band of light returned from the measurement spot is determined, and a third frequency proportional to an intensity of a third wavelength/spectral band of light returned from the measurement spot is determined, wherein color measurement data are determined based on the light returned from the measurement spot based on at least the first, second and third frequencies; based on the color measurement data, selecting a closest match of a plurality of electronically stored shade guide values of one or more dental shade guide systems; and outputting the closest match of the plurality of electronically stored shade guide values of the one or more dental shade guide systems.