2D Orthodontic

Real-Time Visualization Tool Provides Better Understanding of Complicated Procedures for Orthodontic Patients

Our Partner: Our partner makes people smile, literally. He is an orthodontic surgeon who had a big idea. His competitive advantage is his vision – his ability to see in his mind’s eye how a patient will look after a procedure. But he found it difficult to convey his vision to patients during the planning process.

The Challenge: The doctor explained the techniques of consulting and planning orthodontic surgery. First, he sketches the procedure loosely; shorten here, flatten there. He photographs the patient’s face and annotates the images with significant facial structure measurements. Then, he specifies the changes. Our client asked, “Can you help me visualize these alterations? Can I modify and alter my design without manually calculating and re-measuring? Can you help me better explain the procedure to my patients?"

The Solution:

Our partner needed more than a piece of technology. He needed a software package that would sell to other doctors.

We started by tackling the chief technical problem – how to make an easy-to-use software package that let surgeons show changes by modifying pictures. Digital Element has years of experience in creating and manipulating two-dimensional images in correspondence with real-world three-dimensional environments. Given a real-world reference point in the picture, which we help define, we can modify that 2D image while preserving the real-world dimensions and ratios that it represents.

We designed a visualization tool with a “click and drag” interface. Our software allowed the doctor to capture a picture of the patient’s face, and using the mouse, grab features and move them around – immediately seeing both the changed image and newly calculated dimensions.

Not only had Digital Element developed a system that would tackle the problem, we presented a solution that doctors actually want to use. By simply taking a picture and investing less than five minutes in preparation, a surgeon can show a patient what he or she will look like after an orthodontic procedure. Digital Element, with the help of the client, performed beta testing and polished the software until the target customer was satisfied.

But the solution did not end with the software. Digital Element authored the user manual, designed the packaging, and worked with a print broker to obtain the highest quality presentation for best price, including burning the CDs. We provided software fulfillment and technical support for users and assisted our partner on reseller agreements, pricing models, advertising, and publicity.

The Results: Today, our partner not only uses the tool every day, he sells it to other orthodontic surgeons, directly and through resellers, at medical forums and clinics! Digital Element produces, delivers and supports the tool. Our partner realized a tremendous rate of return on his investment with Digital Element.