Patent ID: 8790118

Claim:
A computer-based dental conferencing and restoration system comprising: a network server having a database storing digital representations of dental data for a plurality of patients, the dental data including one or more three-dimensional (3D) digital models and one or more x-ray images of patient treatment, the server enabling conferencing among, and concurrent access to the stored dental data by a plurality of practitioners comprising a dentist, a prosthodontic lab technician, and one or more further dental practitioners, and a communications network providing access to the network server and to a plurality of client computers used by the dental practitioners; and facilities for computer-assisted-design accessible by the communications network that assist one or both of the dentist and practitioner to design a dental prosthesis suitable to carry out a treatment plan, the design being based, at least in part, on the one or more 3D models of the treatment area; wherein the client computers provide or allow accessing of the digital dental data over the communications network, displaying of the digital dental data in a humanly readable format, and conferencing among the plurality of practitioners to discuss the stored dental data in real time in order to communicate and discuss prosthesis specifications, cost and viability options for presentation to a patient, and order placement for the prosthesis and determine an appropriate treatment plan for the patient based on the dental data; and wherein the network server provides the plurality of practitioners with simultaneous access to the stored dental data, with each practicioner participating in the conferencing by accessing the stored dental data from a different client computer.