ChairsideCAD.3.0.User Manual en

English
2021–09–20
User Manual
ChairsideCAD
Rx Only
exocad.com 2797
User Manual by exocad GmbH
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH
exocad GmbH
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64293 Darmstadt
Germany
phone: +49-6151-629489-0
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Document version
ChairsideCAD.3.0.User_Manual_en, 2021–09–20
Product version
ChairsideCAD 3.0 Galway
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ChairsideCAD — User Manual
Content
1 General Information 6
1.1 Typographic Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
1.2 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
1.3 Intended Use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
1.4 Indications and Contraindications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
1.5 Units and Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
1.6 Hardware Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
1.7 Software Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
1.8 Software Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
1.9 Input Data and Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
1.10 Workflow-Related Safety Instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
1.11 Add-on Modules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
2 Launching ChairsideCAD 15
2.1 Launching ChairsideCAD from ChairsideDB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
2.2 Launching ChairsideCAD directly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
3 Basics 17
3.1 Navigating in 3D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
3.2 Group Selector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
3.3 Main Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
3.4 Context Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
3.5 Show Distances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
3.6 Closing ChairsideCAD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
3.7 Wizard Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
4 Wizard Workflow: Designing Crowns and Bridges 26

4.1 Margin Line Detection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
4.2 Setting the Insertion Direction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
4.3 Crown Bottoms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
4.4 Lingual Band (Offset Copings) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
4.5 Generating the Tooth Anatomy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
4.6 Placing Bridge Models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
4.7 Tooth Placement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
4.8 Virtual Articulator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
4.9 Automatic Adaptations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
4.10 Free-Forming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
4.11 Anatomic Reduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

4.12 Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
4.13 Merging and Saving the Finished Restorations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
4.14 Production . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
5 Designing from a Waxup or Pre-Op Scan 71

5.1 Pre-op Workflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
5.2 Waxup Workflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
6 Designing Bite Splints 76

6.1 Designing the Bite Splint Bottom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
6.2 Missing Teeth in Bite Splints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
6.3 Designing a Bite Splint with Tooth Anatomy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 3/230

6.4 Designing the Bite Splint Top . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

6.5 Free-Forming the Bite Splint Top . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
7 Designing Provisional Restorations 82

7.1 Defining the Top of the Provisional Crown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
7.2 Free-forming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
7.3 Provisional Crown Bottoms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
7.4 Designing the Rest of the Provisional . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
8 Designing Cantilever and Maryland Bridges 87
9 Model Creator Module 88

9.1 Input Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
9.2 Launching Model Creator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
9.3 Initial Steps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
9.4 Aligning the Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
9.5 Workflow for Plateless Models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
9.6 Workflow for Digital Waxup Models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
9.7 Workflow for Plate-type Models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
9.8 Free-Forming the Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
10 Designing Abutments 112

10.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
10.2 Intended Use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
10.3 Abutment Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
10.4 Designing Screw-Retained Crowns and Bridges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
10.5 Loading an Implant Planning Output file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
10.6 Abutment Design Limitations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
11 Designing Bars 132

11.1 The Profiles window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
11.2 Design Bar window - Profile tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
11.3 Design Bar window - Advanced tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
11.4 Design Bar window - Attachments tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
11.5 Free-Forming the Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
12 Designing Virtual Waxups 142

12.1 Designing the Virtual Waxup Bottom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
12.2 Designing the Virtual Gingiva . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
12.3 Free-forming the Virtual Gingiva . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
12.4 Reducing the Gingiva Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
13 Cut View 147

13.1 Performing Measurements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
13.2 Cut View Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
14 Tools 149
14.1 Measurement Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
14.2 Sectional View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
14.3 Screen Shot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
14.4 PDF Export . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
14.5 Webview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
14.6 DICOM Viewer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
14.7 Jaw Movement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173

14.8 Align Meshes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176

14.9 Adjust Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
14.10 Annotations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
14.11 Add/Remove Mesh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
14.12 Importing a 3D Face Scan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
14.13 Change Reconstruction Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
14.14 Add a Picture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
14.15 Set Tooth Colors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
14.16 Smile Creator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
14.17 Show Project in Explorer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
14.18 Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
14.19 About . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
15 Expert Mode 210

15.1 Expert Menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
15.2 The Expert Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
15.3 Applying Changes to Certain Teeth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
15.4 Adjusting the Scan Data Orientation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
15.5 Crown Bottoms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
15.6 Inlay Bottoms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
15.7 Functions for Loading Model Teeth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
15.8 Improving Occlusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
15.9 Aligning Scans (Extra Jaw Scan / Bite Alignment Scan to Jaw Scan) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
15.10 Setting the Minimum Thickness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
15.11 Editing Scan Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
15.12 Free-Forming Scan Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
15.13 Deleting Constructed Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
16 Appendix 229
16.1 Tooth Libraries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
16.2 Mesh Types for Loading in ChairsideCAD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
16.3 Output for Milling and Selective Laser Melting (SLM) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
16.4 Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230

1 General Information
WARNING
Federal Law (USA) restricts the sale of this device to or on the order of a physician, dentist, or li-
censed practitioner.
HINT
Contact your reseller for further information.
Any serious incident that occurrs in relation to this device must be reported to the manufacturer
and the competent authority of the member state in which the user and/or patient is established.
1.1 Typographic Conventions

In this user manual the following terms and corresponding symbols are used as described here:
WARNING
A warning alerts the user to a potential harm or a potentially hazardous situation and may provide
control measures.
HINT
A hint provides a general suggestion for performing a workflow step or solving a potentially prob-
lematic situation.
NOTE
A note is a brief comment on a particular workflow step or an explanation of accuracy.

1.2 Introduction
The ChairsideCAD software allows clinicians to virtually design dental restorations. This user manual describes how to use
ChairsideCAD for designing dental restorations.
Designing in ChairsideCAD is based on 3D scans of the patient’s dental anatomy produced by a compatible (intraoral) scanner.
The software generates geometrical output of the design for manufacturing with compatible CAM systems.
You can design the following restorations in ChairsideCAD:
Anatomic crowns, copings, anatomic and reduced bridges, offset copings
Inlays, onlays, offset inlays, veneers
Provisional crowns, provisional pontics (if the Provisional Module is active)
Bite splints (if the Bite Splint Module is active)
Abutments, screw-retained crowns and bridges (if the Implant Module is active, see chapter 10.2 for more information)
Furthermore, you can design dental models with the Model Creator Add-on module, design a smile with the Smile Creator
Add-on module, import a 3D face scan, share your exocad design with the Webview feature, import patient-specific jaw move-
ment files with the Jaw Motion Import Add-on module, and load and visualize patient specific DICOM data with the Dicom
Viewer Add-on module.
For a list of devices compatible with ChairsideCAD, such as scanners, milling machines, or printers, visit exocad.com/integration/
overview.
WARNING
The design of restorations using ChairsideCAD shall be made with all necessary professional
care, follow good dental practices and regard properties and limits of used materials and al-
lowable (minimal) thicknesses of structures. The appropriateness and fitting of a designed
and manufactured restoration shall be verified carefully by the user.
Ensure to use appropriate production devices (scanner, milling system) with sufficient spatial
resolution and accuracy and appropriate materials. In order to ensure that the combination
of devices used for scanning and manufacturing of a dental construction provide the desired
results and quality, validate the complete workflow for your specific set of devices and mate-
rials.
HINT
Contact your reseller for further information on the used devices (scanner, milling system).
1.3 Intended Use

ChairsideCAD is a software device intended to support the design of dental restorations such as inlays, onlays, crowns, cop-
ings, veneers, bridges, pontics, provisionals and bite splints via a 3D CAD tool. The design is based on suitable 3D scans of the
patient’s dental anatomy produced by a compatible scanner. The software generates geometrical output of the design for
manufacturing on compatible CAM systems.
ChairsideCAD is intended to be used by trained professionals in dental practices and is not to be used for any purpose other
than the design of dental restorations or bite splints, nor is it to be used for designing dental abutments.

NOTE
Depending on which add-on modules are activated, you can design bite splints and provisional
restorations with ChairsideCAD.
NOTE
If you activated the Implant Module on your dongle, dental abutments can be designed with Chair-
sideCAD. In this case, the Intended Use expands as described in chapter 10.2.
WARNING
ChairsideCAD must not be used by users with a physical handicap in color perception (e.g. color-
blind). The user must be able to distinguish colors used in the display of objects.
1.4 Indications and Contraindications

ChairsideCAD is not to be used to design restorations using other than the supplied list of materials.
The integrated DICOM viewer shall not be used for medical purposes, in particular for diagnosis.
The integrated Jaw Motion Import Module shall not be used for medical puposes, in particular for therapeutic purposes.
1.5 Units and Conventions

This document uses the FDI tooth numbering system.
Measurements in ChairsideCAD and in this document are in cm/mm or in degree.
1.5.1 Measurement Accuracy

The following statements regarding measurement accuracy refer to measurements calculated and displayed during dis-
tance/angle measurement and in the color scale for evaluating distances.
Measurement accuracy depends on the accuracy of the input data, in particular the spatial resolution of the scan data. The
input data can contain artifacts which do not represent the patient’s actual physical anatomy.
1.6 Hardware Requirements
WARNING
Ensure to use only the recommended hardware, drivers, operating system, and software applica-
tions (e.g. PDF reader), such as graphics adapter, and that your graphics and monitor settings as
well as the light conditions of your work environment are configured in an optimal way.

HINT
You find hardware requirements information for ChairsideCAD on the webpage
http://wiki.exocad.com/wiki/index.php?title=Hardware_Requirements.
1.6.1 Monitor Settings Information

Verify the display quality of your monitor before using ChairsideCAD, e.g. by using the SMPTE test image.
ChairsideCAD can only be used with a monitor with square pixels. Ensure a monitor configuration that displays each
pixel as a square (correct configuration of screen resolution and aspect ratio).
When using multiple monitors, ensure all monitors are the same model and have the same operation system settings.
Otherwise, be aware that objects may be displayed in different sizes on the monitors.
1.7 Software Requirements

exocad recommends to use only current versions of Microsoft Windows operating systems and Microsoft .Net Frame-
work. Older versions of Microsoft Windows may not receive any further support in the form of bug fixes and patches.
The running Microsoft Windows version must be entitled to security updates by Microsoft and the user must take care
that security updates are installed regularly. An overview on the supported versions and their end-of-life can be found
on the Microsoft website: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/windows-10/release-information.
A PDF reader (Adobe Acrobat Reader) must be installed to view PDF files generated by ChairsideCAD.
1.8 Software Installation

Step 1: Download Framework2020(.exe) and install following the installation instructions.
Step 2: Insert the dongle you received from exocad or your reseller.
Step 3: Download the ChairsideCAD zip file to a directory of your choice.
Step 4: Unpack the zip file.
WARNING
Do not apply modifications to the installed system. In particular, do not update drivers for the
graphics adapter. Modification/corruption of the software installation may lead to inaccurate restora-
tion designs that, if not recognized by the user, lead to discomfort or disorders of the patient, such
as injury of the gingiva, damage of an existing implant, or damage of a healthy tooth.
HINT
Contact your reseller if you want to update drivers or modify the installed system. Additionally, if
common issues arise with specific driver versions they will be published on our wiki and resellers
will be informed.
Deactivate automatic software updates, in particular for the graphics adapter driver.

Take appropriate measures to protect the ChairsideCAD software installation, and the patient data included, from
unauthorized access and malware or viruses. Ensure that backups of all relevant/critical data are available.
Choose an appropriate dpi scaling. The dpi scaling is a setting of the Windows Control Panel. It generally influences the
size of windows and icons. Choose a dpi scaling that displays ChairsideCAD menus and controls in a comprehensible
size, so that they do not cover essential parts of the main view.
You can easily re-install ChairsideCAD without affecting any user data.
The ChairsideCAD user manuals are available on the exocad website.
Regular online acces is required.
For detailed instructions on the installation and service prodedure, check the IASP document (ChairsideCAD.3.0_IASP_en.pdf).

1.9 Input Data and Requirements
NOTE
Use data for ChairsideCAD from trustworthy sources only.
1.9.1 CT Image Data (DICOM Data)
Note
Ensure that the DICOM series has a sufficient spatial resolution, an acceptable accuracy, and is not
blurred (e.g. due to patient movement during acquisition).
HINT
If loading the DICOM data fails, please examine the DICOM data requirements listed below and
make sure that the input data meets these requirements.
The following requirements must be met:

The DICOM dataset must contain at least one study.
The study within one DICOM dataset must contain at least one image series.
A DICOM series must contain at least two images.
The slices in a DICOM series must be equidistant.
The distance deviation between two neighboring DICOM images must be not greater than 0.001 mm.
Data with gantry tilt cannot be used in ChairsideCAD.
The SOP Class UID of the DICOM series must be Enhanced CT Image Storage or CT Image Storage.
ChairsideCAD will refuse to load the data if any of these requirements is not met and the user will be informed in a dialog
that the DICOM data cannot be loaded and therefore cannot be used.
The following additional requirement is recommended but not mandatory:
The size of a voxel (as per DICOM tag Pixel Spacing and the calculated distance of neighboring images) in the
DICOM series should not be larger than 0.6 mm in any of the dimensions. If this requirement is not met, you can still
load the series, but you will be informed in a dialog that the resolution is too low. The user can choose to load the
DICOM data anyway.
The following recommendations should be considered when acquiring the patient’s DICOM data:
During CT data acquisition, focus on achieving the highest possible resolution with as less artifacts as possible
exocad recommends to scan the patient in not completely closed jaw position.

1.9.2 Scan Data (Input)
WARNING
Scan data (optical scans / impression scans / pre-op scans etc.) are the basis for constructing
the restoration. Incautious modifications of the scan(s) can result in a damage of a restora-
tion, an injury of existing healthy dentition and/or the gingiva, displacement of teeth, or pain
in jaw muscles.
Ensure that the data quality of optical scans used in ChairsideCAD and the alignment of both
jaws as well as the scan data orientation is sufficient for the purpose of the restoration.
The inaccurate placement of a pre-operative scan can result in a damage of a restoration, an
injury of existing healthy dentition and/or the gingiva, displacement of teeth, or pain in jaw
muscles.
HINT
In case you frequently encounter problems with the quality of the scan data, please contact your
reseller.
An optical scan used in the restorative process must cover all relevant areas, such as prepared and residual teeth.
exocad recommends to use a recently produced optical scan, so that it shows the current tooth situation of the patient.
If you are loading a scan (antagonist scan, waxup, etc.), verify that you have loaded the correct scan.

1.10 Workflow-Related Safety Instructions

This chapter lists safety instructions referring to workflow steps, that can be relevant at multiple occasions.
WARNING
Several steps of the design workflows are semi-automated and contain suggestions based
on heuristics. Depending on the complexity, completeness, or correctness of the scan data
information or information provided by the user (e.g. in a manual preparation margin defini-
tion), the suggested result may not be ideal. The user must carefully inspect the visualizations
of the restoration after each semi-automated work step, evaluate the suggested result, and
correct it if necessary.
Ensure that the design limits for a bridge as defined by the manufacturer of the construction
material and milling machine are considered for the entire length of the bridge as well as for
each bridge segment and extension.
Inaccurate definition of the preparation margin can result in an injury of existing healthy
tooth parts or the gingiva.
Ensure that the default parameters for the calculation of a design’s bottom and modifications
you make allow your production device to create an accurate construction.
Inaccurate definition of the insertion direction can result in a restoration design which cannot
be placed in situ. When designing bridges, make sure to regard the insertion directions for all
components. This applies in particular to inlays, onlays and veneers.
The automatic preservation of the minimum thickness for adapted model teeth, reduced
anatomic shapes, free-formed shapes, and waxup scans is only possible if the shape is not
reduced to a size significantly smaller than the minimum thickness.
The visualization of undercuts in false color is just an approximation, that roughly estimates
the undercut regions. Use the measurement tool for more precise measurements.
Use free-forming with care, since
it potentially allows to create designs in a way (peaks, sharp edges, narrow curves, or cav-
ities) that they cannot be manufactured accurately by your production system (milling
machine or 3D printer), and
incautious use can result in a damage of the restoration, an injury of existing healthy den-
tition and/or the gingiva, displacement of teeth, or pain in jaw muscles.
Use the attachment tool with caution, as it potentially allows defining shapes which cannot
be manufactured accurately by your production system (milling machine, 3D printer).
An inaccurate mesh alignment can result in an inaccurate restoration which can damage
healthy teeth or the restoration.

Verify the result of automatic adaptations of model teeth, and of restorations to the antag-
onist, adjacent teeth, to the gingiva, or to a pre-op scan by checking for intrusions, intersec-
tions, or deformations.
The colors indicating intersections of the upper and lower jaw meshes do not show the ex-
act length of the intersection of both meshes along the occlusal axis of the scan data, but
the heuristically determined displacement of a surface point on a mesh in case one mesh is
adapted/cut to the other.

The modification of files created by ChairsideCAD can create unwanted effects. The modifi-
cation of output files containing geometry information for manufacturing can lead to inaccu-
rate constructions.
An inaccurate definition of the scan data orientation may lead to sub-optimal results in later
work steps, e.g. creation of additional blocked-out areas, automatic adaptation of teeth, etc.
HINT
If in doubt about any of the warnings please contact your reseller for further information or training
of the software. Additionally you can check the exocad tutorial videos on YouTube.
1.11 Add-on Modules

In addition to the basic ChairsideCAD installation, you can purchase Add-on modules providing additional functions. The
ChairsideCAD functionality described in this manual contains the Add-on modules Virtual Articulator, TruSmile Technol-
ogy, Provisional, Bite Splint, and Production Blank, and thus represents a quite common installation. The functionality of
the Add-on modules Implant (AbutmentCAD), Model Creator, DICOM Viewer, Jaw Motion Import, and Smile Creator is
also described in this manual.
For details regarding your individual ChairsideCAD installation as well as purchase conditions and pricing information, con-
tact your ChairsideCAD provider.

2 Launching ChairsideCAD
2.1 Launching ChairsideCAD from ChairsideDB

Step 1: Create/load a project in the ChairsideDB. Ensure that the project folder contains the input scan data.
Step 2: Click Design.
Figure 2.1: Successful launch of ChairsideCAD
If no scene files are present in the project folder, the Wizard will start directly, and the scan will be loaded and displayed.
If the project folder contains one or more scene files, either choose to load a scene file or to only load the scan data and begin
the design from scratch (see Figure 2.2).
(a) Selection scene or scan (b) Multiple scenes available
Figure 2.2: Scene file(s) in project folder
If the project folder does not contain the required scan file(s) for the design, ChairsideCAD will prompt you to select a scan
file in an explorer window. The explorer window’s title indicates which scan you must select.
2.2 Launching ChairsideCAD directly

To launch ChairsideCAD directly, execute the DentalCADApp.exe file in your installation directory. You can also drag a
scene or project file onto the .exe file. This will launch ChairsideCAD and directly load the scene/project.

Figure 2.3: Successful launch of ChairsideCAD
Once launched, you can load a scene/project/scan by clicking Load in the main toolbar. Select Load Project/Scene/Scan,
navigate to the desired folder and open (or double-click) the desired project/scene/scan file. Alternatively, you can drag&drop
a project/scene/scan file into the main view, copy&paste a project/scene/scan file into the main view or drag the path to a
project/scene/scan file into the main view.
If a project file contains an unsupported reconstruction type, ChairsideCAD will display an error message providing detailed
information and prevents the project file from being loaded.
Note that in case of an error during planning, you need to restart ChairsideCAD in order to load a project/scene file.

3 Basics
3.1 Navigating in 3D
Function Description
Scroll mouse wheel Zoom in/out (zoom center = mouse position)
Hold right mouse button and drag Rotate the view around the rotation center (center of currently available scene
objects by default)
Right-click outer frame and drag Rotate the view around the view axis
Click middle mouse button / mouse Center view and set new rotation center
wheel
Hold both mouse buttons and drag Move the view freely
Arrow keys Move the view in the respective arrow directions
Page up, page down Rotate the view horizontally around pivot
SHORTCUTS
CTRL+R: open Measurement Tool (see Chapter 14.1)

CTRL+V: show Group Selector window
CTRL+S: save a scene
Numpad 1: back view
Numpad 2: bottom view
Numpad 3: front view
Numpad 4: left view
Numpad 5: focus the view to the selected object or all objects
Numpad 6: right view
Numpad 8: top view
F11: window maximization mode
CTRL+SHIFT+R: Toggle through ruler/grid visualization modes.
3.1.1 Multi-Touch Interface

Use three fingers and drag to rotate the view.
Use two fingers to move, or pinch to zoom.
Use one finger to select the item under the finger or stylus, specify a point, or draw a curve.
In some steps, buttons are displayed above the wizard window that help you simulate pressing CTRL and SHIFT.

3.2 Group Selector

The Group Selector is displayed in the upper left corner of the ChairsideCAD screen.
Figure 3.1: Group Selector
Using the Group Selector, you can show/hide scene objects (e.g. scan data or model teeth). The available scene objects
depend on the workflow progress. As you proceed with the design, the list will become more and more populated. Scene
objects are grouped by type. Object groups can have subordinate elements.
Show/hide groups/elements by clicking the checkboxes.

Show/hide subordinate elements by clicking the triangle symbols next to the checkboxes.
Change the opacity for a group / an element using the slider which appears when you hover the mouse over the group/element.
Right-click a group / an element for further group/element-specific options.
Unfold the Teeth expander to switch visibility on a per-tooth basis.
SHORTCUTS
Hold CTRL and click the middle mouse button an object to hide it.
Hold ALT to temporarily show all objects.
Hold CTRL+SHIFT and click the middle mouse button to show the last hidden object again.
Hold SHIFT and click the middle mouse button to set the transparency of an object to 50%.
If the object is transparent already, it will be displayed fully opaque.
WARNING
Ensure that all objects necessary for evaluating a scene are activated for visualization in the Group
Selector.

3.3 Main Toolbar

The main toolbar is always displayed on black background at the right side of the ChairsideCAD screen. Most options in the
main toolbar are only available if a project is loaded and partially depend on the workflow progress.
Selection Subselection Description/Reference
Save Click to save a scene file representing the current design state in the project folder. By
default, the scene file’s name is <ProjectName>.dentalCAD.
Right-clicking the Save button shows the subselections below.
Save scene as You can rename the scene file, select another directory, and select a dif-
ferent file type in an explorer window.
Export scene to Saves the visible objects as STL file to the project directory. Use the Group
mesh Selector (see Chapter 3.2) to include/exclude objects to be exported.
PDF export Saves the visible objects as a PDF file, which can be viewed, rotated, and
commented in Adobe Reader (version 4.3 or above). Use the Group Selec-
tor (see Chapter 3.2) to include/exclude objects to be exported.
Save scan info Save the scan information to a file. The following information will be saved:
Per tooth: tooth number, tooth color, reconstruction type, preparation

margin and corresponding points (if you have already defined a margin for
that tooth), name of the scan data file
Per project: project name, project directory, details about scan data files
(e.g. file name, file hash), transformation matrix
Export tooth Export all tooth models as OBJ files to the project directory.
models
Expert/Wizard Toggles between Wizard mode (default) and Expert mode. For details, see Chapters 4
(Wizard mode) and 15 (Expert mode).
Tools Opens a subselection with available tools. See Chapter 14.

Articulator Appears after the automatic articulator calculation has been performed, and provides
virtual articulation options. See Chapter 4.8.
Visualize Virtual Will visualize the articulator imprints, i.e. the convex hull of moving the
Articulator scan data.
Imprint

Delete virtual Deletes the virtual articulator imprint.

jaw imprint
Show Enables/disables the automatic distance coloring between opposing or adjacent teeth.
distances See Chapter 3.5.
TruSmile Toggles realistic rendering of tooth restorations. You can access the additional modes
Plaster and Outline by right-clicking the TruSmile button in the main toolbar.
Plaster Applies a cream-colored rendering of tooth restorations.
Outline Will show only the contour of the object (restoration or scan data). Note
that the Outline mode is only available if the Add-on module Smile Cre-
ator is activated.
Smile Only shows up if Smile Design has been used.

Design/Smile
Design (Full
Tooth)
Color/Texture Available if the scan data contains color information. Toggles between color and
monochrome display of the scan data.
Cut view Opens a window showing a sectional view of your design. See Chapter 13.
DICOM Opens the DICOM Control window. See Chapter 14.6. Only shows up if you opened DI-
Control COM Control from the Tools menu at least once.
Add Custom As you proceed with the design, it can be convenient to recreate a previous view point.
View When clicking Add Custom View, the current view is captured, and automatically named
Custom view 1. Right-click Custom view 1 to rename it. You can add up to eight custom
views.

View Arrows Using the arrows, you can quickly view the scene from all six compass directions. These
do not automatically correspond to anatomically correct directions of the scan data in the
scene (depending on scanner and scanning software). You can control the arrow rotation
speed in the settings (see Chapter 14.18).
Help Opens this user manual.
3.4 Context Menu

To open the context menu, right-click the background or a scene object. You can also select multiple scene objects by holding
CTRL and clicking them, before right-clicking to open the context menu.
The available options in the context menu are determined by:
1. the area you click (background or scene object),
2. the scene object you click,
3. the operation mode (Wizard or Expert), and
4. the design progress.
3.4.1 General Options

These options are always available when right-clicking the background:
Save scene as...: identical to the Save scene as... option in the main toolbar (see Chapter 3.3).
Close project: closes the project.
3.4.2 General Options for Mesh Objects

The options listed here are always available for mesh objects. There are mesh objects you cannot click, e.g. minimum thick-
ness meshes. In this case, you can right-click the corresponding group in the Group Selector to access the context menu for
the desired non-clickable mesh.
Zoom to object: Centers the view to the scene object.

Visual properties: By default, a smoothed 3D representation of each object is displayed. In Wizard mode, each object’s
transparency is adjusted automatically for convenience in the design. By right-clicking an object and using the visual
properties options, you can change the display of the object.

Figure 3.2: Visual properties
Hide this object: Hides the object.

Wireframe: Shows the triangle grid of the object.
Outline: Shows the outline of the object.
Point cloud: Displays the object as a point cloud.
Flat shading only: Triangle-based illumination (more visible triangle edges)
Opaque: Opaque display of the object.
% transparent: Transparent display of the object.
Save to file: Opens a file explorer window, and you can save the selected object as an STL file.
For preparation-related objects (e.g. jaw scan, model teeth), the option Show/Hide Tooth Axes is available. Selecting this
option opens the Show/Hide Tooth Axes window (see Figure 3.3).
Figure 3.3: Show/Hide Tooth Axes window
You can show/hide axes for the anatomy and/or the insertion direction, and toggle the display of a text legend and tooth
numbers using the checkboxes.

3.5 Show Distances

The Show Distances function shows contacts/intersections/proximities of restorations to the antagonist and adjacent teeth.
These are displayed in colors on each restoration (see Figure 3.4). You can deactivate the function by clicking Show distances
in the main toolbar.
The Show Distances window opens automatically as soon as a tooth model is loaded.
Figure 3.4: Contact visualization on a model tooth
Expand the window by clicking the icon on the upper right to select the type of distance you want to display in the Show
Distances control’s drop-down menu:
Visualize contact areas: highlights the contact areas with the antagonist/adjacents (see Chapter 3.5.1).
Visualize spacing: measures the distance between non-overlapping objects (see Chapter 3.5.2). Visualize spacing is
the new default mode to show distances in ChairsideCAD.
Visualize interference contacts: highlights areas where the objects overlap, color-coded by the amount of overlap
(see Chapter 3.5.2).
3.5.1 Visualize contact areas

1}
m
3}
m 2}
m
5}
m
4}
m
The color reference bar 1}

m shows the colors used in the distance visualization and emphasizes where there are inter-
sections and where there is clearance between the selected objects.
You can define the minimum/maximum distance displayed using the two sliders at the sides of the color reference bar
2}
m.
The distance measured at the current mouse position is displayed below the color reference bar 3}
m. If there is an
intersection, the displayed value is negative.
You can enable/disable the visualization for antagonists and adjacents using the corresponding buttons 4}
m.
Activate Include healthy 5m
}to display contacts on healthy teeth (scan).
After virtual articulation or after jaw movements have been simulated, an additional button Dynamic is available (see
Figure 3.5), to visualize contacts that appear when the articulator/jaw movement was simulated. The Dynamic option
has two options:

Upper jaw movement: Visualize the dynamic occlusion of the upper jaw on the restorations of the lower jaw.
Lower jaw movement: Visualize the dynamic occlusion of the lower jaw on the restorations of the upper jaw.
3.5.2 Visualize spacing/interference contacts
Figure 3.5: Show Distances window - Visualize spacing
The color reference bar shows the colors used to display spacing/interference contacts. To change the color scaling in the
bar, you can use sliders as in contact areas mode, which are displayed either on the left side (intersections) or on the right
side (proximity) of the bar. The rest of the functions available in spacing/interference contacts mode work as in contact areas
mode.
3.6 Closing ChairsideCAD

To close ChairsideCAD, close the ChairsideCAD window. To close only the current project without closing ChairsideCAD,
select Close project in the context menu (see Chapter 3.4).
If you close the ChairsideCAD window during a design, you must choose if you want to save a scene file in the project directory,
or if you want to discard the current state of design.
Figure 3.6: Closing options
3.7 Wizard Mode

The Wizard mode guides you through the work steps of the reconstruction design. It is the default mode to use ChairsideCAD.
Changes made in Wizard mode will be applied to all teeth for which the current step is available. If you want to apply changes
to certain teeth, use Expert mode (see Chapter 15).

3.7.1 The Wizard Window

3}
m
1}
m 2}
m
Figure 3.7: Wizard window
The Wizard window’s title indicates the current workflow step. The window’s content provides functions for performing the
design step, and can have multiple tabs.
Clicking Next 2}mbrings you to the next design step. This button is activated when you have performed all necessary actions
for completing the current step. In some Wizard steps, window text informs you what will happen in the next step.
Clicking Back 1}m brings you back to the previous Wizard step. The Back function is not available
if you have loaded a scene and want to return to a step performed before the scene was saved, or
if you have made certain changes in Expert mode and return to Wizard mode. For example, if you have deleted model
teeth in Expert mode, you cannot return to the precise placement step in Wizard mode as there are no longer any model
teeth.
Clicking the ? symbol 3m
}opens this user manual at the corresponding location for the Wizard step.

4 Wizard Workflow: Designing Crowns and Bridges
This chapter describes the ChairsideCAD design of crowns and bridges using the Wizard workflow and explains all possible
steps. Which of the steps will exactly appear in your case depends on the project definition.
4.1 Margin Line Detection

You define the margin line for each single tooth preparation. You can define the margin line automatically or manually,
or combine both methods. The Wizard window (see Figure 4.3) has two tabs: Detect 1} mfor automatic detection, Cor-
m
}
rect/Draw 2 for manual detection. You can define the preselected tab in the ChairsideCAD settings (see Chapter 14.18).
If there are multiple margins in the design (multiple restorations), ensure to define the margin for the tooth specified in
the Wizard window.
If predefined margins exist (i.e. a .scanInfo file exists in the project folder), ChairsideCAD will import the predefined
margins automatically.
WARNING
Check an imported margin for correctness and ensure that no errors were introduced.
4.1.1 Drawing the Margin Line
1}
m 2}
m
3}
m 5}
m 4}
m
7}
m
6}
m
8}
m
Figure 4.1: Correct/Draw tab
Step 1: While in Free mode 3}

m, set points along the margin line by left-clicking the scan.

Step 2: To complete the margin line, double-click the last point. It will be automatically connected to the first point. The
line appears green and the tab automatically switches to Edit mode 4} m. In this mode, you can move points by
dragging them.
Figure 4.2: Preparation with margin line
To add points to the margin line, click it at the desired position. To delete points, hold the left mouse button on the
desired point and right-click.
With activating Magnetic 5} m, the line segment you draw adapts to the maximum curvature (sharpest angle) of the
scan. Hold CTRL to temporarily deactivate this mode for a segment. The active status will be kept when drawing the
next margin line, if you have multiple stump-based restorations.
For intraoral scans, the Subgingival button 6} m is available. If you activate this button, the magnetic line will follow a
concave (curved inwards) curve instead of a convex (curved outwards) curve. This can be helpful if you draw the margin
line for a preparation that begins below the gingiva.
Click Clear 8m
}to delete the margin line.
A sectional 2D view of the area below the mouse cursor will be displayed in the upper right corner of the ChairsideCAD
screen.

4.1.2 Correcting an Existing Margin Line

To correct an existing margin line, you can draw an alternative line in Draw mode (Correct/Draw tab) to replace a part of
the existing line.
Step 1: Click points near the existing margin line to draw the new line portion.
Step 2: Double-click to join the first and last points of the new curve part to the margin line. Alternatively, click Accept
drawing changes 7} m.
Note: Defining a new margin line part

You cannot set points too far away from the existing margin line.
Do not draw a new margin line part perpendicular to the existing margin line. ChairsideCAD must be able to detect the
direction of completion.

(a) Incorrect (b) Correct
4.1.3 Automatic Margin Line Detection

While in the Detect tab, click a point on the margin line to start the automatic margin line detection. For inlays and subgin-
gival preparations (Subgingival 1} m activated), you must set four points.
One click (or four, for inlays / subgingival preparations) will typically suffice for ChairsideCAD to detect the margin line cor-
rectly. If it has not been detected correctly, you can improve the detection by setting further points on the margin, or correct
the margin line using the Correct/Draw tab (see Chapter 4.1.1).
1}
m 2}
m
3}
m
Figure 4.3: Detect tab

Click the margin line to add a point for the automatic detection. To delete a point, hold the left mouse button on the
Activate Supragingival 2} mif the margin line of the preparation is not below the gingiva. The margin line shape will
then adjust to correctly fit the preparation border of a supragingival preparation (margin line above gingiva).
Click Clear 3m
}to delete the margin line.
screen.
Figures 4.4 and 4.5 show an example for an incorrectly detected margin line, which was corrected by adding a second point.
Figure 4.4: Misdetected margin line, single point

Figure 4.5: Correctly detected margin line, two points

4.2 Setting the Insertion Direction
WARNING
Carefully inspect undercuts visualized after the definition of the insertion direction to determine
if they have a critical impact on the desired restoration.
HINT
In general, for single unit restorations, it should be possible to find an insertion direction without
too many undercuts. If the software shows a lot of undercuts and you are not able to find a better
insertion direction, please double check if the preparation shown in the software reflects the real
patient situation. If in doubt, please contact your reseller for further support.
Check the insertion direction carefully. This is especially important for inlays/veneers.
1}
m
2}
m
3}
m
4}
m
Figure 4.7: Incorrectly defined

insertion direction
Figure 4.6: Insertion direction
ChairsideCAD shows the automatically detected insertion axis by adjusting the viewpoint so that you look onto the prepara-
tion(s) in the direction of insertion. Undercut areas will be displayed according to the color scale 3}
m. This display is only an
approximation, real undercuts can be deeper as indicated by the colors.
Drag the green sphere at the tip of the arrow which is displayed above the preparation(s) to change the insertion axis, or:
Step 1: Select the tooth number to edit from the drop-down menu 1}
m.
Step 2: Rotate the view so that you look onto the preparation(s) in your desired insertion direction.
Step 3: Click Set current view as insertion axis 4}
mto set the current view direction as the new insertion axis.
If you want to create a common insertion direction for a bridge, check Unique insertion direction for bridge 2}
m. The
selected insertion direction will be applied to all preparations in the bridge.
Ensure to regard the extent of pontics when setting or verifying the insertion direction for a Cantilever bridge. Setting an

incorrect insertion axis may lead to unpredictable results in further work steps.
If you want to change the insertion direction in Expert mode and the crown bottom is already calculated, an additional check-
box is available: Show and update design directly. Check this box to directly update already planned crowns and crown
bottoms when changing the insertion direction via Expert mode.
4.3 Crown Bottoms

ChairsideCAD automatically calculates the cement gap and milling parameters of the crown bottom using the scan data
geometry and the defined margin line. Material-specific parameters are considered in the calculation. In Expert mode, you
can view and/or change crown bottom parameters (see Chapter 15.5).
4.4 Lingual Band (Offset Copings)

If Lingual bands on offset copings in wizard? is checked in the ChairsideCAD settings (see Chapter 14.18), this Wizard step
for creating a lingual band appears if you design an offset coping.
1}
m
2}
m
3}
m
4}
m
5}
m
Figure 4.8: Lingual Band window
To create a lingual band from left to right, click the coping near the margin line on the left side. To create a lingual band from
right to left, activate Right 1}
mand click the coping on the right side.

Figure 4.9: Offset coping with lingual band
To change the start/end point of the lingual band, drag the blue/red point to the desired position. Alternatively, activate
Left/Right and click a new position on the coping.
If you want to create a 360 degree collar, check 360 degrees 2}
m.
Using the slider Collar height 3}
m, you can define the height of the collar.
Using the slider Collar angle 4}
m, you can define the angulation of the collar.
Click Clear 5m
}to delete the lingual band.
4.5 Generating the Tooth Anatomy

There are four ways to create the tooth anatomy:
1. Using model teeth (see Chapter 4.5.1)
2. Copying/mirroring teeth from the patient’s scanned dentition (see Chapter 4.5.2)
3. Using model teeth adapted to a scanned pre-op model (see Chapter 5.1)
4. Copy-milled from a waxup scan (see Chapter 5.2)
4.5.1 Using Library Model Teeth

For single-tooth reconstructions that require a model tooth (e.g crowns, copings), ChairsideCAD provides an automatic tooth
placement proposal based on the default tooth library. ChairsideCAD automatically identifies the adjacent mesial and distal
teeth, selects the mesial and distal contact points, and then adjusts the model tooth to fit.
Figure 4.10: Automatic model tooth placement proposal

The top of the window provides options to free-form the model tooth: You
can correct the suggested tooth placement by dragging the model tooth with
your mouse 1} m . Hold SHIFT to scale the tooth in two directions, Hold
CTRL+SHIFT to scale in all directions, hold CTRL to rotate it. Free-form a
small/large region of interest 2}
m , or specific tooth parts 3}
m(use SHIFT to
scale tooth parts uniformly).
Use the slider 4}mto deform the tooth shape from deep fissure to shallow
anatomy.
The Place Model Tooth window further contains four expandable sections:
Adaptation to Antagonist:
1}
m 2}
m 3}
m Morph anatomy 5} m : A shape preserving adaptation is applied to the
4}
m antagonist. If Cut anatomy 6} mis activated, no shape preserving adap-
tation is applied and the tooth model is simply cut off. Select No adap-
tation 7} m to completely deactivate the adaptation to the antagonist.
5}
m 6}
m 7}
m
Static/Dynamic Antagonist 8} m : Static: the tooth model is cut off at
the static antagonist. Dynamic: the virtual imprint is used, i.e. the model
8}
m tooth is adapted/cut off according to the movement of the antagonist in
the automatic articulator.
9}
m Minimum thickness 9}
m:
Select the minimum thickness behaviour from the drop-down menu:

10}
m Respect normally: respect the minimum thickness completely.
Cut to scan data: cut the minimum thickness at the antagonist
and approximal neighbors (e.g. for cases in which the minimum
thickness intersects with the antagonist or approximal neighbors).
11}
m
The minimum allowed by the manufacturer will be preserved.
14}
m Reduce to minimum: reduce the minimum thickness to an abso-
lute minimum.
12}
m Select whether to apply the minimum thickness setting instantly or
later (i.e. upon clicking Next) 10}
m.
13}
m
Tooth library:
Using the library drop-down 11}

m, you can change the tooth library. Click
the arrow buttons to select the next/previous library in the list. Hold
CTRL while scrolling the mouse wheel to cycle between all installed
tooth libraries.
Correct mesial/distal:
Figure 4.11: Place Model Tooth window You can select new mesial/distal neighbors by expanding the section
Correct Mesial/Distal, selecting the corresponding buttons 12}
m/ 13}
m
and clicking new positions on the jaw scan. You can swap the
mesial/distal neighbors using the Swap neighbors button 14}
m.
4.5.2 Copying/Mirroring Existing Teeth

This Wizard step appears if the project has been defined accordingly. If you design a restoration for a molar and an incisal
tooth is marked as adjacent/healthy, it does not appear.

2}
m 3}
m
1}
m
Figure 4.12: Copy Tooth window
There are two ways to copy a tooth from the scan data, depending on the Target selection 1}
m:
Direct copy creates a model tooth as direct copy of an existing tooth. Only one tooth at a time can be copied.
Virtual pre-op generates a virtual pre-op, which can be used later to adapt a model tooth. Virtual pre-op allows for
multiple teeth to be copied from the scan data in relation to each other.
Use Copy 2m
}to copy teeth within a quadrant. Use Mirror 3m
}to copy teeth cross-arch (between quadrants).
Any restored tooth location which does not receive a copied tooth anatomy will use a model tooth instead.

Copying/Mirroring Teeth with Direct Copy Target
Step 1: Select Copy/Mirror.

Step 2: In the scan, click the tooth you want to copy/mirror. ChairsideCAD automatically extracts the scanned tooth
geometry and displays it in yellow (see Figure 4.13).
Step 3: Move the cursor to the target location and confirm the target position with a second click (see Figure 4.14). To
move a copied/mirrored tooth, drag it with your mouse. To rotate, hold CTRL and drag. To scale, hold SHIFT and
drag.
Figure 4.13: Copy tooth - step 2 (copy) Figure 4.14: Copy tooth - step 3 (paste)
By clicking Undo after your first click, you return to selecting the anatomy to be copied.
Click Mirror/Copy another to copy more teeth. If you have only one restoration, there is a button Change copy of tooth
instead, which allows you to select the tooth to copy again.
If the tooth number that will receive the mirrored/copied tooth is unclear, a tooth selection window will appear where you
can select the tooth which will receive the copy.
Copying/Mirroring Teeth with Virtual Pre-op Target
To create a virtual pre-op scan from copied anatomies:

Step 1: Select Copy or Mirror.
Step 2: Click a scanned tooth. Add tooth geometries (fix in their relative positions) by holding CTRL while clicking
additional scanned teeth (see Figure 4.16).

Step 3: Drag the tooth/teeth to the desired position, and click again to place the tooth copies. To move a copied/mirrored
tooth, drag it with your mouse. To rotate, hold CTRL and drag. To scale, hold SHIFT and drag.

Figure 4.15: Mirror teeth (pre-op) - step 2 (copy) Figure 4.16: Mirror teeth (pre-op) - step 3 (paste)
If your project includes multi-tooth gaps, a tooth bow window prompts you to confirm/select the tooth numbers which will
receive the copied anatomy. Click OK in the tooth bow window to confirm the tooth selection.
“Correct” Tab
In the Correct tab, you can edit the extracted geometry used for copying/mirroring with a brush tool.
1}
m
2}
m
3}
m
Figure 4.17: Copy Tooth - Correct tab
Mark areas on the scan by holding the left mouse button and dragging. Hold SHIFT to invert the brush functionality. Use
the Brush size slider 1}
mto define the brush tool size. Click Clear surface selection 2}
mto clear your corrections. Click
m
}
Apply 3 to apply your changes.

4.5.3 Automatic copying from a Pre-Op scan
If your project contains a pre-op scan and has been defined accordingly,
1}
m ChairsideCAD will automatically copy the design from the pre-op scan.
You can evaluate the result as shown in Figure 4.18:
2}
m
Yes, continue in wizard 1}
m: Accept the result and continue in the
3}
m
wizard workflow.
4}
m No, undo and continue 2} m : Discard the result and use a library
model tooth (see Chapter 4.5.1).
No, show correction tools 3}m : ChairsideCAD enters the Correct

tab of the Copy/Mirror Tooth window (see Chapter 4.5.2).
No, undo and do manually 4} m: ChairsideCAD enters the Select

tab of the Copy/Mirror Tooth window (see Chapter 4.5.2).
Figure 4.18: Copy/Mirror Tooth - Evaluation


4.6 Placing Bridge Models

If only pontics are defined within one bridge, this Wizard step will appear in the workflow.
Figure 4.19: Place tooth models window
You can set the mesial and distal contact points for positioning the model tooth (see Chapter 4.5.1). If the bridge consists of
multiple teeth and there is no adjacent to set both mesial and distal contacts, you can activate the gingiva position buttons
and set one contact point on the gingiva to determine the tooth positions.

4.7 Tooth Placement

In this step, you can position model teeth precisely.
(a) Simple tab (b) Advanced tab (c) Chain tab
Figure 4.20: Tooth Placement window
In the Tooth Placement window (see Figure 4.20), three tabs are available: Simple, Advanced, and Chain Mode. They rep-
resent three modes for performing the tooth placement. The Chain Mode tab is only activated if you position multiple teeth.
4.7.1 Simple Mode

Moving Tooth Models
Step 1: Activate Move.

Step 2: Click the model tooth you want to move.
Step 3: Drag the tooth to the desired position.

To restrict movement to certain directions, activate a corresponding radio button.
SHORTCUTS
Hold CTRL: Rotate a tooth
Hold SHIFT: Scale a tooth
Hold CTRL + SHIFT: Perform direction-based scaling
Rotating Tooth Models
Step 1: Activate Rotate or use the shortcut in Move mode.

Step 2: Click the model tooth you want to rotate.
Step 3: Hold the mouse button and drag. Rotation center is the model tooth’s center.
To restrict rotation to certain directions, activate a corresponding radio button.
Scaling Tooth Models
Step 1: Activate Scale or use the shortcut in Move mode.

Step 2: Click the model tooth you want to scale.
Step 3: Hold the mouse button and drag the mouse to scale the tooth. A green arrow indicates the scaling direction. To
perform direction-based scaling, hold CTRL and SHIFT.
To restrict scaling to certain directions, activate a corresponding radio button.


4.7.2 Advanced Mode

In the Advanced tab, you can perform instant anatomic morphing on the
model teeth. Hold SHIFT to scale different tooth parts. Hold CTRL to ro-
tate different parts. Hold CTRL + SHIFT to translate different parts.
Tooth axis selection scaling 1} mallows intuitive direction based

scaling. Whilst holding down SHIFT, left-click to point and move
1}
m 2}
m 3}
m
towards the axis of a tooth that you want to scale. With CTRL +
SHIFT you can scale two axes of the tooth simultaneously.
Free axis selection scaling 2} madds a visualization boundary

4}
m 5}
m 6}
m which makes it easier to see the direction of the scaling. Hold SHIFT
to scale in one direction. Hold CTRL + SHIFT to scale in two direc-
tions.
The instant morphing free-form tool 3}mallows you to make basic

shape changes during the tooth setup stage (e.g. moving a cusp).
Instant anatomic morphing cutting with antagonist 4} m: If you

click and move/scale a tooth, the intersections with the antagonist
7}
m will be cut.
Instant anatomic morphing deformation with antagonist 5} m :

If you click and move/scale a tooth, ChairsideCAD will automatically
adapt the tooth shape to the antagonist and create adequate con-
tact areas.
You can maintain the minimum thickness by selecting the corre-

sponding button 6}
m . When moving a tooth, it will be modified in a
way that minimum thickness is applied in real time. Maintaining the
minimum thickness works in combination with different morphing
tools.
Figure 4.21: Advanced controls Using the slider(s) 7}

m, you can apply natural tooth abrasion. Flatten the
cusps or create a deeper shape for the posteriors as well as reshaping the
anterior.
4.7.3 Chain Mode

The chain mode is a useful function to arrange model teeth in multi-tooth bridges. It is not available if you have copied teeth
as direct copies in the tooth anatomy generation step (see Chapter 4.5.2) or if reduced pontics are present in your project.
2}
m
1}
m
3}
m
Figure 4.22: Chain controls

The tube 1}
mindicates the tooth chain. Placement discs 2}
mmark the ends of the tooth chain.
By clicking the control points 3}
m, which are present for every model tooth and the placement discs, you can pin positions of
teeth and placement discs. When pinned, the control point appears in red and the tooth / placement disc will not be affected
by movement/rotation/scaling actions. Clicking a red control point will unpin the tooth / placement disc again.
There are three chain modes, represented by the three top buttons in the Chain Mode tab:
Chain: transforms all teeth in a chain
Single: transforms a single tooth
Tube: transforms all teeth on a fixed bow
Chain Mode
Move, scale and rotate model teeth in a chain using the same functions as in the Simple tab when in Move mode (see Chapter
4.7.1):
To move the tooth chain, click a model tooth in the chain and drag.
To rotate the tooth chain, click a model tooth in the chain where you want to apply rotation. Drag in the desired rotation
direction while holding CTRL. The greater the distance to the point you selected, the lesser the rotation influence.
To scale the tooth chain, click a model tooth in the chain and drag in the desired scaling direction while holding SHIFT.
You can also move, rotate and scale placement discs. When clicking a placement disc, the control points of both discs turn
red and you can drag one end of the chain while the other end remains fix. Once you let the disc off, both placement discs
will be unpinned (green) again.
The following checkboxes are available in chain mode:
Teeth Scalable If a chain transformation is too big, the teeth will be scaled. Uncheck to deactivate.
Keep in Contact By default, the teeth remain in contact. Uncheck to deactivate. This will allow gaps and
intersections between teeth. When activated again, contacts will be re-established.
Show Chain Controls Uncheck to hide the tube and the control points.
Limit Rotation to Check to limit rotation to buccal/lingual tilt.

Buccal/Lingual Tilt
Undo/Redo Revert/repeat changes while in chain mode placement. Note that the undo/redo
history gets lost when leaving the Chain tab.
Single Mode
To move, rotate, and scale an individual tooth, use the same functions as in the Simple tab when in Move mode (see Chapter
4.7.1):
To move a tooth, click it and drag.
To rotate a tooth, click it and drag in the desired rotation direction while holding CTRL.

To scale a tooth, click it and drag in the desired scaling direction while holding SHIFT. Use CTRL and SHIFT for direction-
based scaling.
Moving, rotating, and scaling a single tooth will affect the entire chain to some extent when the checkbox Keep in Contact
is activated.
The checkboxes Teeth Scalable, Keep in Contact, and Show Chain Controls are available, with the same functions as in
chain mode (see Chapter4.7.3).
Tube Mode
In this mode, you can move, scale, and rotate teeth in a chain along a fixed bow, indicated by a red tube extending the ends
of the main tube (see Figure 4.23).
Figure 4.23: Tube mode - Main and red tube
Move the teeth along this bow by dragging your mouse. Rotation and scaling behavior are the same as in Chain mode.
The checkbox Keep in contact is not available, as the teeth always stay in contact. Available checkboxes are Teeth Scalable,
Show Chain Controls and Limit Rotation to Buccal/Lingual Tilt, with the same functions as in Chain and Single mode.
Symmetry Option
In the Options section of the Chain Mode tab, the Symmetry but-
ton is activated if you place model teeth on both jaw sides at op-
posing positions. You can use the symmetry function to create a
symmetry for the right and left jaw side.
Figure 4.24: Chain mode options

The Symmetry button actually consists of four buttons. Hovering over one of these buttons displays blue symmetry indica-
tors in the main view, indicating the symmetry plane, considered teeth (blue control points), and the symmetry direction.
Figures 4.25 to 4.28 show the symmetry button functions.

Figure 4.25: Overall symmetry from right to left
Figure 4.26: Overall symmetry from left to right

Figure 4.27: Front teeth symmetry from right to left

Figure 4.28: Front teeth symmetry from left to right
Define a symmetry by clicking one of the four buttons. The entire Symmetry button will appear activated. Any movement/rotation/
scaling action on one jaw side will be mirrored to the other side along the symmetry plane. To deactivate the symmetry func-
tion, click Symmetry again.
Note: Front teeth symmetry includes canines and premolars, not only incisors.
The symmetry plane control is a sphere with two arrows (see Figure 4.29). The arrows indicate which teeth are used as
reference for the plane orientation. The reference teeth are locked (red control points).
Figure 4.29: Symmetry plane control

To change the reference teeth, click the control point of a tooth on either jaw side. The symmetry plane control will jump to
the new position and the control points of both reference teeth will appear red (see Figure 4.29).
To pin the symmetry plane, click the sphere between the arrows.
Reset Options
Clicking Reset in the Options section of the Chain Mode tab (see Figure 4.24) displays available reset options you can select
from.

Figure 4.30: Chain mode reset options
Reset (keep red) Restores the original position of unpinned teeth (green control points), but keeps the
current position of pinned teeth (red control points).
Reset Keeps changes made in the Simple tab, discards all other changes.
Global Reset Restores the original position of all teeth, discards all changes.
Cancel Keeps all current tooth positions.


4.8 Virtual Articulator

In this step, ChairsideCAD automatically performs virtual articulation if you place at least one tooth with a tooth library. If
you place only one tooth (e.g. single crown), the virtual articulator willl run in the background. If you repostion a tooth during
the workflow, ChairsideCAD will re-run the virual articulation in the background. Virtual articulation will not be performed
for waxup scans or when copying existing teeth.
WARNING
For single-tooth restorations where the copy/mirror function with direct copy target is used to gen-
erate the tooth anatomy (see Chapter 4.5.2), the Virtual Articulator is not available.
HINT
If you want to use copy/mirror functionality and articulation, choose target “virtual pre-op”. Then
the software allows to leverage virtual articulation and adapt the tooth to the virtual pre-op.
Figure 4.31: Virtual Articulator step
To skip the virtual articulation, click Skip articulator.

To repeat the articulation movements, select Articulator in the main toolbar once the Virtual Articulator step is finished.
This opens the Repeat Articulator movement window (see Figure 4.32). Drag the slider to see the movement of the unified
virtual imprint in the main view. The availibility of this function depends on the current workflow step.

Figure 4.32: Repeat Articulator movement window
WARNING
In order for the automatic virtual articulator function to deliver good results, the scan data relevant
for the adaptation of the reconstructions you design must be free of scan artifacts.
HINT
You can use the 3D Mesh Editor to remove scan data artifacts.
4.9 Automatic Adaptations

With accessing the Free-Forming step (see Chapter 4.10), ChairsideCAD automatically adapts model teeth to the preparation
margin, the antagonist (occlusal adaptation), adjacent teeth (approximal adaptation), and, if applicable, pontics/waxups to
the gingiva, which means that it cuts away existing intersections.
In the occlusal adaptation, ChairsideCAD performs a dynamic adaptation (according to virtual articulation) only for one jaw,
while a static adaptation is performed for both jaws.
After the automatic adaptations have been performed, check the result for remaining intersections. If intersections remain
after the adaptation, this can have two reasons:
1. The intersections are larger than 1 mm. Those may not be cut away completely.
2. The minimum thickness would have been violated. ChairsideCAD does not fall below the minimum thickness dur-
ing automatic adaptation. If the tooth is significantly below the minimum thickness surface, restoring the minimum
thickness may fail.
If you want to change the automatic adaptation’s result, you can adjust settings and repeat adaptations in the Free-Forming
step (see Chapter 4.10.2).
4.10 Free-Forming
In this step, you can edit the tooth shape.
The Free-Forming window has three tabs representing three free-forming modes:
Free: Add, remove, or smooth material with a virtual wax knife (see Chapter
4.10.1) and adapt the chewing surface (see Chapter 4.10.2).
Anatomic: Adjust the tooth anatomy by leveraging predefined tooth fea-

tures (cusps, fissures, etc.) of the model teeth. See Chapter 4.10.3.
Attachment: Add/remove attachments from the attachment library

to/from an object. See Chapter 4.10.4.

NOTE
When proceeding in the workflow by accepting the free-forming changes, the minimum thickness
will be restored automatically. See Figure 4.33 (a). If the automatic recovery fails and one vertex
is 0.1 mm below the minimum thickness, ChairsideCAD informs you about the failed minimum
thickness recovery in a warning message. See Figure 4.33 (b). Resolve the minimum thickness
violation before proceeding in the workflow.
(a) Abutment free-forming - (b) Abutment free-forming - warning message on minimum thickness violation
restoring minimum thickness
Figure 4.33
HINT
Use free-form to resolve the minimum thickness violation manually in case the automatic mini-
mum thickness recovery fails.

4.10.1 Free Adjustments
1}
m 2}
m
3}
m
4}
m
5}
m 6}
m 7}
m
8}
m
Figure 4.34: Free tab
Select the desired action by using the buttons Add/Remove 1}

mand Smooth/Flatten 2}
m.
To add/remove material: Hold the left mouse button on the tooth to add material. To remove material, additionally
hold SHIFT. The longer you hold the mouse button, the more material will be added/removed.
To smooth/flatten rough areas: Hold the left mouse button on tooth areas you want to smooth. To flatten (super-
smoothing) material, additionally hold SHIFT. For a more shape-preserving smoothing, hold CTRL.
Using the slider Strength 3}

m, you can adjust the speed at which material is added/removed, or the amount of smoothing
when in Smooth/Flatten mode. Using the slider Brush size 4}m , you can define the area that is affected around the cursor.
There are three brush types available: default 5}
m, point of knife 6}
m, and cylinder 7}
m.
Click Cut all intersections 8}
mto cut all intersections with the antagonist, adjacents, and, for pontics/waxups, to the gin-
giva.
If you are free-forming a merged restoration and an attachment is applied to the construction, you have the option to hold
previously added attachments fixed (Fixate attachments). Alternatively, you can hold all but the attachments fixed (Fixate
all but attachments).
4.10.2 Adapt
In the Free tab, you can click the button Adapt 1} mto access further free-forming options: Automatically adapt the chew-
ing surface to the antagonist, contacts to the adjacent teeth, and pontics to the gingiva. Note that the Adapt button is not
available in every free-forming step.
There are two basic types of adaptation: Occlusion (You can choose between static or dynamic occlusion 5} m ) and Approx-
m
}
imal. Select the desired adaptation type by using the corresponding expander icons 2 . If you design a pontic/waxup, a
fourth expander button Basal is available to adapt pontics/waxups to the gingiva (see Chapter 4.10). If preconditions for an
adaptation are not fulfilled, it will not be performed.

To indicate that auto-adjustments have already been performed, ChairsideCAD displays a green checkmark on these adap-
tation types. If you prefer to make manual adjustments, click Undo. The green checkmarks will disappear.
1}
m
2}
m
5}
m 8}
m
3}
m
4}
m 9}
m
7}
m 11}
m
6}
m 12}
m
10}
m
8}
m
Figure 4.35: Adapt mode - Occlusal

Figure 4.36: Adapt mode - Approximal
To cut intersections according to the selected adaptation type, click the corresponding button 3} m . In Approximal
mode, neighboring reconstructions (e.g. two crowns or two inlays) as well as neigboring healthy teeth will be cut.
You can define a distance from the designed anatomy to the antagonist / adjacents / emergence profile using the De-
sired distance sliders 4}m , 8}
m, 9}
m . A negative value will create an intersection. Note that the Emergence Profile
checkbox/slider 9 is only visible when the option Blocked out adjacent 10}
m
} m is activated.
If you have restorations in both jaws, you can select the jaw to adapt using the upper/lower radio buttons 6}
m. If the
occlusion type is dynamic, you can only adapt to the lower jaw.
If you check Exclude selected parts 7}m , a window appears with brush tool functions. Using these functions, you can
paint areas on the model teeth which will be excluded from adaptation.
Figure 4.37: Exclude selected parts window

Click Cut all intersections 8} m to cut all intersections with the antagonist, adjacents, and, for pontics/waxups, to the
gingiva. Note that all adaptation types except Dynamic occlusion will be performed.

In Approximal mode, Blocked out adjacent 10} mis active by default. This means that ChairsideCAD will temporarily
block out the scanned approximal neighbors relative to the tooth’s insertion direction, to allow a collision-free fitting
of the tooth.
If there is a gap between a restoration and adjacent(s), you can check Pull sideways to adjacent teeth 11} mto move
the restoration border(s) sideways so that they are in contact with the adjacent teeth. If checked, the slider Intrusion
before cut appears, allowing you to define intrusions with the adjacent teeth. These intrusions will be applied before
intersections are cut away.
When activating the button Cut with disk 12} m , ChairsideCAD will place one or more disk(s) at the mesial/distal ends
of a bridge or single tooth constructions. You can use the disk(s) to cut away material. The following functions appear
upon activating the button:
Add Disk 1} m : Add another disk to the construction. Place

the disk by left-clicking the desired position.
Remove all 2}
m: Remove all disks.
Disk Thickness 3} m : Slider to adjust the thickness of the

6}
m
disk(s). Useful if you want to cut away material between two
constructions.
Tooth Axis 4} m , View 5}m : Orients the disk(s) towards the

tooth axis or the current view.
3}
m
Exclude selected parts 6}m: Provides the same functions
1}
m 2}
m
as shown in figure 4.37.
4}
m 5}
m After you have placed the disk(s) at the desired position, you can
use the following buttons to cut away material from the construc-
8}
m tion(s):
Approximal button: Cuts intersections with neighboring

7}
m
teeth.
Cut all intersections 7} m : Cuts intersections with antago-

nist, gingiva, and neighboring teeth.
If you have constructions in both jaws, you can select the lower or
upper jaw using the buttons Lower/Upper 8} m.
Figure 4.38: Adapt mode - Approximal,

Disk Cutter activated

1}
m
2}
m
Figure 4.39: Disk Cutter in Main View
Figure 4.39 shows a placed disk at the mesial end of a construction. You can use the blue rotation handles 1}
m2}
mto further
adjust the position of the disk by left-clicking and dragging.
SHORTCUTS
Left-click + drag: Move the disk.

Left-click + right-click on disk: Remove the disk. Alternatively, you can hover your mouse over
the disk and press the DEL key to remove a disk.
CTRL + left-click: Rotate the disk freely.
SHIFT + left-click: Stick the disk to a contact point on the reconstruction.
CTRL + SHIFT + left-click: Stick the disk to a contact point on the reconstruction and align
it to the surface. Note: While stuck to a contact point, the disk is moved so that the contact
point is always included in one of the disk’s sides (or the plane defined by that side).
Left-click + drag on contact point: Move the contact point.
Hover over disk + DEL: Unstick a disk from a contact point. Alternatively, left-click and drag
the disk until it unsticks from the control point.

Pontic/Waxup Adaptation
3}
m
1m
}
2}
m
Figure 4.40: Adapt mode - Basal
The slider in the Basal expander 1}

mcontrols the distance to the gingiva after the adaptation:
A negative value means that the pontic/waxup will intersect the gingiva scan (that is, the physical pontic will apply
pressure on the gingiva).
A positive value means that there will be a gap between gingiva and pontic/waxup.
Zero (default) means that the pontic/waxup will be in direct contact with the gingiva.
Check Pull down to gingiva 2} m if the gingiva is so low that the pontic/waxup does not intersect it. This will pull down the
pontic/waxup towards the gingiva during the adaptation. Alternatively, you can pull the pontic/waxup down to the gingiva
manually by either clicking and dragging the mouse near the pontic bottom surface or by using the tools under the Anat. tab
Click the Basal button 3m
}to perform the adaptation.
When designing reduced pontics, the free-forming step will appear twice, before and after the reduction. You can perform
the pontic adaptation on the full anatomy or on the reduced shape. To ensure the exact distance value being respected in
the final restoration, perform the adaptation after the reduction.

4.10.3 Anatomical Free-Forming
1}
m 2}
m
3}
m 4}
m
5}
m 6}
m 7}
m
9}
m
8}
m
Figure 4.41: Free-forming window - Anatomic tab
Select the tooth area to edit by clicking the corresponding buttons:

Cusps 1}
m : Edit individual cusps. This only works properly for restorations based on model teeth (anatomic crowns/copings,
anatomic inlays, etc).
Tooth Parts 2} m: Edit the mesial, distal, buccal, lingual part, depending on where you click. This is especially useful
for adjusting approximal contacts, since the tooth stays attached to the preparation margin.
Entire Tooth 3}
m: Edit the entire tooth.
Ridge 4}
m : Edit ridges. This only works properly for restorations based on model teeth (anatomic crowns/copings,
anatomic inlays, etc).
Hold the left mouse button and drag to change the anatomy. To restrict the transformations to occlusal direction, check
Occlusal Only 5} m . To hold either the cusp tips 6}
mor the equator 7}
mfixed, activate the corresponding buttons (note: this
only works for restorations based on model teeth).
Click Cut all intersections 8}

mto cut all intersections with the antagonist, adjacents, and, for pontics/waxups, to the gin-
giva.
By expanding the Paint & Pull section 9m
}, you can mark moving, static, and elastic parts on model teeth.

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Figure 4.42: Paint & Pull section Figure 4.43: Advanced Paint & Pull section
To mark areas, activate the button Paint moving parts

In advanced editing mode, you can select between Moving
1}
mand drag your mouse. Define the brush size using the
areas 7} m , Elastic Areas 8}m , and Static areas 9}m by acti-
Brush size 2} m slider. To change the size of the elastic area,
vating one of the corresponding buttons and dragging your
adjust the slider Elastic Area 3} m . To clear all markings,
m
} mouse. Define the brush size using the Brush size slider
click Reset 5 . You can pull moving parts by activating
10}
m. To invert the function of the painted areas, click Invert
Pull moving parts 6} m . Note that the Invert button 4} m
11}
m. To clear all markings, click Reset 12} m. You can pull
can only be activated in advanced editing mode.
moving parts by activating Pull moving parts 13} m . Cut all
You can access advanced paint & pull features by clicking
intersections by clicking the corresponding button 14} m .
on Advanced Editing 7} m
SHORTCUTS
While a part mode is activated (moving, static, elastic), you can switch to the other two part modes
by holding SHIFT or CTRL.

4.10.4 Attachments
1}
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m 6}
m 7}
m
8}
m
9}
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m 11}
m
Figure 4.44: Attachment tab
To add/remove attachment shapes, select Add 1}

mor Remove 2}
m.
Select the attachment library and type using the drop-down menus 3}
mand 4}
m.
Activate Move 5}m to move the shape, Rotate 6}
m to rotate it, and Scale 7}
mto scale it. While in Move mode, you can
also hold CTRL to rotate and SHIFT to scale. Some attachments cannot be rotated and/or scaled depending on the
attachment library settings.
You can select the Insertion Direction 8}

mfor the attachment as
from the Top as viewed from the scan data orientation,

from the current View direction, or
perpendicular to the restoration Surface.
Cut on gingiva 9} mwill automatically cut the attachment to the scan (if the slider value is 0), or to a fixed distance defined
by the slider. Negative distance values mean intersection with the scan.
Click Apply 10}
mto add/remove the attachment. Click Unload 11}
m to clear the attachment selection.
Alternatively, you can drag&drop an STL attachment file into the main view, copy&paste an STL attachment file into the main
view or drag the path to an STL attachment file into the main view.

Text Attachments
You can add text attachments to a restoration, as shown in Figure 4.45.
Figure 4.45: Text attachment
1}
m
3}
m
2}
m
4}
m
5}
m
7}
m 6}
m
Figure 4.46: Attachment tab - text attachment
To add a text attachment, select Text in the Library drop-down list 1}m , as shown in Figure 4.46. By default, the attachment
text is the filename of the current scene. You can edit the text in the text window 2} m . Clicking the arrow icon next to the

textbox opens a new window where you can select a font, format your text attachment bold and/or italic, and choose from a
selection of supported symbols. Confirm your font selection by clicking OK.
Move the text attachment to the desired position on the restoration. Activate Rotate 3}
m to rotate the text. Click the desired
position on the restoration to set the text attachment. Once positioned, you can still drag and drop the text attachment.
With clicking Unload 6} m , you detach the text again from the restoration.
Using the slider Thickness 4}
m, you can change the text depth, with Size 5}
myou can define the text size.
Click Apply 7}
mto adapt the text attachment to the restoration.
4.11 Anatomic Reduction

This Wizard step appears if your project contains reduced restorations, and allows you to define regions for applying veneering
material. You can also use anatomic reduction to design occlusal stops, lingual bands, mamelon and facial cutbacks, and
thimble (retrievable) crowns.
1}
m
2}
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m 6}
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m 8}
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10}
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14}
m
11}
m
12}
m
Figure 4.47: Anatomic Reduction - regular Figure 4.48: Anatomic Reduction - advanced parameters
Cutback Design Library 1} mcontrols special cutback modes (e.g., facial cutbacks, incisal cutbacks). This chapter de-
scribes regular reduction without cutback design library.
The slider Depth 2}mcontrols the reduction amount – that is, the thickness of the veneering layer you want to apply
over the framework. The minimum thickness specified for the material will be enforced, which means that in areas
where the material thickness does not allow it, the cutback will be less than what you set with the slider.
By default, the entire anatomy is reduced uniformly. Check Exclude selected parts 3} m to perform partial reduction,
and to mark areas with a brush tool. These areas will keep the full anatomic shape. This technique is useful for creating
lingual bands, occlusal stops, or if there is not enough space for ceramic on the occlusal surface.
Define the brush thickness using the corresponding slider 4} m . Hold the left mouse button and drag to paint areas.
To unmark regions, hold SHIFT. You can mark the whole anatomy by clicking Mark all 5} m and clear all markings by

clicking Clear all 6}

m. You can mark individual teeth by selecting By click 7}
m.
Click Lingual band 8m
}to mark a collar region for creating a lingual band. This opens a new window:
Define the collar’s height (measured from the margin line) using the slider Height.
If pontics should remain untouched, check Do not modify pontics.
Click Select all around to mark a 360 degree collar.
Click Select lingual part to mark a lingual collar.
If you want to apply less reduction on the lingual side, set the slider Lingual reduction 9} m below 100%. For example,
if you have set a reduction depth of 1 mm, and set lingual reduction to 60%, the reduction will be just 0.6 mm on the
lingual side. By default, this lowered value is only applied to anterior teeth. To apply it to all teeth, uncheck Apply only
to anterior teeth 10} m .
Multi-Level Reduction 11}
mallows multiple reductions of a tooth anatomy, for more sophisticated veneering. Check
Exclude selected parts 3}
m, adjust the incremental reduction depth 2}
m , and click Apply as many times as needed.
You can adjust the minimum thickness within the parameters defined for the material in the Advanced Parameters
12}
mby using the slider Min. thickness 13}
m. Here, you can also set a different reduction depth for bottom parts using
the slider Basal reduction depth 14}m .
Click Apply to perform the reduction. The full anatomy will be displayed transparently, with the reduced geometry opaque
beneath it (see Figure 4.49).
Figure 4.49: Reduction result
If the tooth is significantly below the minimum thickness surface, restoring the minimum thickness may fail.

4.12 Connectors
This Wizard step only appears if teeth have been defined as connected in your project.
The maximum allowed span of the entire bridge depends on your scanner, your milling machine, and the defined material.
Additionally, the maximum allowed length of each bridge segment depends on the defined material. Verify these values with
the recommended values of the scanner, milling machine, and material manufacturers.
1}
m
2}
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3}
m
10}
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11}
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Figure 4.50: Connector - cross section Figure 4.51: Connector - height and width
There are two methods to define the connector’s size: by defining the cross-sectional area or by defining its height and
width. Select these modes using the Cross Section radio buttons 1} m . Define the connector size using the sliders Min.
m
} m
}
Area 2 or Height 10 /Width 11 . m
}
To visualize the connector thickness, check the corresponding checkbox 3m

}.
Select predefined connector shapes by clicking them in the Shapes section 4}
m.
Click the + symbol 5} m to join tooth shapes directly by using the existing tooth geometry as connector geometry. A new
checkbox above the Shapes section will appear: Ignore minimum section. If checked, ChairsideCAD ignores minimum
size limits to favor nice geometry over material limits. It is recommended to free-form the reconstructions to have a
large enough intersection area. Otherwise it is hard for the + connector to achieve nice geometry with respect to the
material limits.
Use the sliders in the expanded Advanced placement section to influence the position of the connectors:
Below approx. contact 6} m : ChairsideCAD estimates the contact area of the neighboring teeth and places the
connector above or below, depending on the slider setting.

Behind approx. contact (lingual) 7}m : ChairsideCAD estimates the contact area of the neighboring teeth and
places the connector backward toward the lingual side, depending on the slider setting.
Apply changes in real-time by activating the checkbox Apply any changes automatically 8m
}, or apply changes man-
ually by clicking Apply placement now 9} m .
To change its position, drag the connector. It will readapt to the teeth once you let it off.
SHORTCUT
Dragging the connector will change its position on both sides. To change the docking point only on
one side, hold CTRL and click the tooth position for the new docking point.
To apply your changes, click Apply cross section / shape changes 12}
m . They will be applied to all connectors. You can apply
different parameters/shapes to individual connectors in Expert mode.
When generating connectors, ChairsideCAD tries to enforce the minimum cross-sectional area, or the minimum height/width.
In some rare cases, this may fail, due to space restrictions. The connector will then be displayed in red. This situation
must be resolved manually by changing the connector’s location, or by free-forming the connector (see Chapter 4.12.1).
4.12.1 “Free” Tab

The Free tab provides functions to free-form connectors and visualize the connector thickness.
1}
m

Edit connectors by moving the control points. When moving the mouse close to a control point, it will grow and spawn arrows.
Drag the control point itself for moving it freely in all directions. Drag an arrow for movement restricted to the arrow direction.
To move several control points at once, hold SHIFT while dragging one of the points.
To add control points, e.g. for designing more complex shapes, hold CTRL and click one of the lines where you want to add
the new control point. You can Visualize connector thickness by activating the corresponding checkbox 1} m .
When free-forming connectors, it can happen that you create thinner connectors than specified in the material parameters.
If you design the connector substantially thinner as specified, ChairsideCAD will mark the approximate area which is too thin
in magenta. In this case, change the connector’s shape to make it thicker. If you keep a too thin connector, there is a risk of
designing an unstable construction.

4.13 Merging and Saving the Finished Restorations

When merging and saving files, ChairsideCAD
combines (merges) the design parts into one or more meshes suitable for milling or laser-melting (for each physical
element you plan to produce, one mesh will be created),
saves the meshes in STL format, with a _cad.stl file extension, and
writes additional information (preparation margin, insertion axes, production blank lot number, etc.) into the .constructionInfo
file, which will be read by supported CAM applications.
ChairsideCAD saves the output files (STL + constructionInfo) to the project directory.
Merging and saving starts as soon as the Wizard window opens. The progress indicator shows the progress. You can stop the
merging process by clicking Cancel Merging. It is not possible to manually save the scene, or use the tools HTML Export
and pdf Export while the merging is in progress.
Figure 4.53: Merged restoration (with undercut blockout visualization)
Undercuts deeper than 0.1 mm that have been blocked out by ChairsideCAD are displayed in colors on the merged restoration,
as shown in Figure 4.53. If you have defined in Expert mode to not block out undercuts (see Chapter 15.5.3), the undercuts
are displayed in colors on the merged restoration instead of blocked out undercuts. This display is only an approximation,
real undercuts can be deeper as indicated by the colors.
If significant parts of the restoration are 0.1 mm or more below the minimum thickness, a warning message will appear.
Ensure that the meshes represent the real physical anatomy and no unrealistic shapes have been created (e.g. through au-
tomatic closing of gaps present in the scan data).
NOTE
Ensure you adhere to the statutory retention times for the output data generated for the
restoration you have designed. exocad assumes no responsibility for the management of data
generated by ChairsideCAD. The user bears full responsibility for the retention and security
of the aforementioned data.
Do not distribute ChairsideCAD output data in case of a (potentially) compromised PC work-
station.

4.13.1 “Saved Files” Tab
1}
m
2}
m
3}
m
4}
m
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m
Figure 4.54: Saved Files tab
Click Restart Merging 1} mto restart the merging process. To abort the merging process while it is running, click Cancel
Merging 2 . To remove the merged parts ChairsideCAD has created, click Remove Existing Merged Parts 3}
m
} m . To optimize
the output for better free-forming, 3D printing an selective laser melting, click Optimize for better free-forming and 3D
printing 4}m . The output files are shown in the bottom section of the window 5} m (one STL file for each part).

4.13.2 “Next Step” Tab
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m
2}
m
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m
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m
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m
Figure 4.55: Next Step tab
After the wizard step Merging and Saving is completed, you can choose the next step depending on your Add-on module
configuration:
I’m done 1}
m : The design is complete. You will be prompted to decide if you want to save the final scene, then Chair-
sideCAD will be closed.
Proceed to production 2}
m: Opens the production step( see Chapter 4.14).
Free-form restorations 3}
m: Opens free-forming for the output mesh.
Expert mode 4m
}: Enter Expert mode, to make adjustment on the complete design.
Design superstructure now: Design a superstructure over a designed abutment. The workflow is analog to the Crown
Design workflow, without the need to define a preparation margin. See chapter 4 for detailed information.
Design model: Design the model. Note that the Add-on module Model Creator needs to be activated for this option.
If ChairsideCAD has blocked out undercuts, Visualize blockout thickness 5} m shows the color scale of the undercut block-
out visualization on the created merged part(s) (see Figure 4.53). Uncheck to hide the scale and the visualization.
To save the final scene in the project directory, check Save scene in project directory 6}
m.
4.14 Production
If you select Proceed to production in the Merge and save restorations step (see Chapter 4.13.2) , you can directly produce
your restoration using an associated milling machine. For details about the production configuration, contact your reseller.

Note: depending on the reseller configuration, the production step may appear in the wizard before the merge step. Addi-
tionally, the merge step might not even appear at all.
WARNING
Ensure that the material and production blank you choose for manufacturing your designed restora-
tion is suitable for the purpose of the reconstruction and that the intended use / indications for use
of the material and production blank as defined by the manufacturer cover your design.
HINT
If in doubt about the suitability of the material or production blank, please contact your reseller
and the material manufacturer for further information.
1}
m
Figure 4.56: Production Blank window
Step 1: Click the frame 1} mbelow the restoration to expand the list of available production blanks. ChairsideCAD will
initially filter for the materials selected in the project.
Select the milling machine from the More filters... drop-down menu at the top of the window 2} m. In this menu,
you can also select the height and show all materials, including non-compatible ones (in which case a warning is
shown).

NOTE
If only a single machine is used for production, ChairsideCAD shows the name of the
machine at the top of the window.
ChairsideCAD will display a warning message, when no machine is available due to
e.g. misconfiguration.
ChairsideCAD will automatically update the production blank library if it is empty.
You can also force the update of the production blank library by clicking the Check
for updates button in the About box. See Chapter 14.19.
2}
m
Step 2: Click the desired blank’s frame to select it. You can filter the list using the filter drop-down menus at the top. You
can select a blank color already here, but you can also select/change it later.
If you are designing multiple restorations, you can select the same blank for all restorations by clicking Select
same blank for all. Click the eye symbol to show/hide the blank holders.
Step 3: The selected production blank is displayed in the main view. You can move the blank by dragging it with your
mouse. The sprue 3} m will be updated automatically when moving the blank. Move the blank so that the sprue is
at the desired location on the restoration.
To rotate and tilt the blank, drag the corresponding arrows which appear when hovering over the blank in the
main view 4} m . You can also rotate the blank by holding CTRL and clicking and holding the left mouse button and
dragging left/right. To move the blank up and down, hold SHIFT and drag your mouse up/down. A purple/yellow
placement disc 5} m will appear when you change the blank’s original position. You can click this placement disc to
reset the blank position.

4}
m
5}
m
3}
m
If a restoration or parts of a restoration are outside the blank, the affected area will be displayed in red. Ensure
that restorations are completely inside the blank and no red areas are visible.
The Wizard window displays the production blank settings:
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m 6}
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Figure 4.58: Production blank - Edit sprue properties
Figure 4.57: Production blank settings

1}
mSelected blank. Click to select a different blank.
2}
mSelected shade. Click to select a different shade (depends on the selected blank)
3}
mSelected production quality. Click to select a different quality setting.
4}
mSelected blank holder and slot. Click to select a different holder/slot.
5}
mOpen the Sprue Properties window. The sprue connects the tooth to the remaining block. The Sprue
Properties window provides the following functions:
You can change the sprue’s diameter by adjusting the diameter slider 6}
m.
You can define a fixed support/pin/sprue docking point on the reconstruction by left-clicking the desired
position. To reset the definition to to its initial docking position, click on Reset dock point 7}
m. Note that
this button only appears after you have manually defined a docking point.

When activating the button Avoid cavity placement, 8}

m, ChairsideCAD will avoid placement of the sprue in
the cavity, if possible.
When activating Interactive mode 9} m , you can freely adjust the docking position of the support/pin/sprue
by clicking and dragging on the reconstruction.
Note: While the software is calculating the sprue, a short yellow cylinder/disc might appear as temporary
visualization that indicates the desired position and size of the sprue.
Step 4: Click Next to proceed to the production summary. This step allows you to review the production settings before
proceeding.
1}
m
2}
m
3}
m
Figure 4.59: Production summary
1}
mAdd a Lot number for the production into this field. Note: depending on the reseller configuration, this field
may be mandatory. It might also appear in the production blank step instead.
2}
mUsing the drop-down menu and the accompanying slider 3} m , you can define the scale factor of a production
blank. Select the scale type (Scale Factor, % Shrink, Shrink Factor, F-Code, or % Scale) and adjust the value using
the slider. The selection of the scale type will be remembered for a material. The scale factor will be written to the
.constructionInfo file. Setting the scale factor is a mandatory step.
Note: if you want to skip the production step, select Skip this part. If your project contains more than one
reconstruction, you can choose to skip the production of all reconstructions after clicking Skip this part.
Step 5: Click Next to initiate the production step. Once the milling path calculation is complete, the ChairsideCAD
workflow is finished. The restorations you have created are queued for production and a PDF file containing the
production summary report is generated. Click the corresponding button to view the report.

5 Designing from a Waxup or Pre-Op Scan
This chapter describes work steps which appear in the Wizard workflow when working with a waxup or pre-op scan. All other
workflow steps function as in the regular crowns and bridges workflow described in the corresponding sections of
Chapter 4.
5.1 Pre-op Workflow

1. Adjusting the pre-op scan’s position, see Chapter 5.1.1
2. Margin line detection
3. Crown bottoms
4. Generating the tooth anatomy
If you copy teeth from the pre-op scan with direct copy target, the copied anatomy will remain at the clicked position.
If required, you can change the copy’s position by dragging it with your mouse.
5. Tooth placement
For pre-op scans, we recommend to position the model teeth close to the pre-op model. This will lead to better results
when adapting the model teeth to the pre-op scan.
6. Virtual articulation (for single teeth, the virtual articulator will be calculated within the tooth placement step)
7. Adapting model teeth to the pre-op scan, see Chapter 5.1.2
8. Free-forming
9. Designing connectors
10. Production blank
11. Merging and saving restorations
5.1.1 Adjusting the Pre-Op Scan’s Position

In this Wizard step, you can adjust the pre-op scan’s position relative to the jaw scan. Inspect and adjust the pre-op scan
position carefully, as it will be used to determine occlusion. If your scanner automatically aligns the pre-op scan to the jaw
scan, you can skip this step by clicking Next.

1}
m
2}
m
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m
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m
Figure 5.1: Correct pre-op position manually Figure 5.2: Correct pre-op position automatically
You can align the pre-op scan manually (tab Manually) or automatically (tab Automatically).
Manual Alignment
By default, you can move/rotate the pre-op model in all directions 1} m . To move the pre-op scan, drag it with your mouse. To
rotate it, hold CTRL while dragging. To restrict the movement to certain directions, click Move in z-direction 2} mor Move
in xy-plane 3} m. If you check Allow resizing 4} m, you can scale the pre-op scan by holding SHIFT and dragging.
Automatic Alignment
This procedure is identical to the Align Meshes functionality. See Chapter 14.8 for instructions.

5.1.2 Adapting Model Teeth

In this Wizard step, you can adapt model teeth to the pre-op scan.
4}
m
Click Adapt model teeth 1} mto start the adaptation.
1}
m
Observe the process, and click Stop 2}monce you think
3}
m the adaptation is good enough. If connectors are in your
project, click Adapt connectors 3}mto adapt connectors
2}
m the same way.
Note that you can already adapt a tooth model (i.e., library
model) to the pre-operative/situ scan via Expert mode.
You can define areas on the pre-op scan or the reconstruc-

tion parts which will be excluded from the adaptation. To
do this, check Exclude selected parts 4} m . This will open
a brush tool window (see Figure 5.4).
Figure 5.3: Adapt to pre-op scan window
Excluding Areas from Adaptation
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m 9}
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Figure 5.4: Pre-op brush tool Figure 5.5: Pre-op brush tool - Mark by click
Select the marking method from the dropdown menu 1m } . Three options are available: Mark by paint (see Figure 5.4), Mark
by click (see Figure 5.5), or Mark by tooth number. Select the mesh you want to define exclusion areas for by selecting
Pre-op scan 2} m or All other parts 3}m .
Click Fit nowhere 6}m to mark the whole selected mesh. Click Fit everywhere (clear markings) 7m
}to unmark the whole
selected mesh (clears all existing markings). To invert markings, click Invert markings 8}
m.
Mark by paint
Paint on the selected mesh by dragging your mouse. Hold SHIFT to inverse the brush functionality. Alternatively, check
Brush inverse 4} m . You can define the brush size using the Brush size slider 5}
m, or by scrolling the mouse wheel.

Mark by click
The option Partial 9}
mallows you to select individual teeth by clicking them. The option Complete 10}
mallows you to select
the complete mesh.
Mark by tooth number
This option opens a tooth arch window, allowing you to select individual teeth.
5.2 Waxup Workflow

1. Editing the waxup scan, see Chapter 5.2.1
2. Margin line detection
3. Crown bottoms and waxup calculation
ChairsideCAD generates the crown bottoms and the waxup automatically. During waxup calculation, the crown bot-
toms and the waxup are combined. Holes are closed and the restoration is adapted to the preparation margin. If the
tooth is significantly below the minimum thickness surface, restoring the minimum thickness may fail.
4. Free-forming
For waxups, no model teeth are used. You can directly free-form the waxup.
5. Production blank
6. Merging and saving restorations
Due to the extra freedom available during the design of waxups, this feature should be handled only by experts and
with an appropriate level of care. There are no means possible to ensure that the output data will meet all necessary
requirements for your fabrication device.
5.2.1 Editing the Waxup Scan

As first Wizard step, you can edit the mesh to remove overlapping parts between jaw scan and waxup scan. Edit the mesh
using the same functions as described in Chapter 15.11 (3D Data Editor).

Figure 5.6: Waxup Scan Editor window
Using the slider Mark overlapping parts (appears when expanding the button Mark overlapping parts), you can define
the distance to the scan data which will be marked as overlap. Overlapping areas are displayed in yellow on the jaw scan (see
Figure 5.7)
Figure 5.7: Scan with overlap
It is recommended to remove all overlapping parts using the mesh editing functions, because they can cause artifacts and
other potential issues in the subsequent workflow steps. If there are still overlapping parts when clicking Next, the dialog
shown in Figure 5.8 informs you on the risks and prompts you to decide how to proceed.
Figure 5.8: Overlapping parts dialog

6 Designing Bite Splints
6.1 Designing the Bite Splint Bottom

The first step (second step, if you must determine the scan data orientation) is to define the insertion direction, to block out
the model, and to design the bite splint bottom. Once you have defined all these properties, click Apply 5} m .
6}
m
1}
m
2}
m
Figure 6.2: Scan data

3}
m 4}
m
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m
Figure 6.1: Design Bite Splint Bottom window
6.1.1 Defining the Insertion Direction

Clicking the compass icon 4}
mwill position the scan in the center of the screen.
Step 1: Rotate the scan until you look onto it from the insertion direction. Alternatively, you can drag the tip of the green
arrow 6}m, which indicates the insertion direction.
Step 2: Click Set insertion direction from view 3m
}. The dark red undercut area will be updated in real time.
6.1.2 Blocking Out Undercuts

The Block out undercuts section 1}
mprovides functions for defining the blockout behavior.
Offset: digital spacer which is layered on the model
Angle: amount of draft angulation in relation to the insertion axis
Allow undercuts to: maximum amount of retention

6.1.3 Defining Bite Splint Bottom Properties

You can define the bite splint bottom in the Bite splint bottom properties section 2}
m.
Smoothing: smoothness of the bottom surface (the larger the number, the smoother the surface).
Min. thickness: minimum thickness of the bite splint.
Milling diameter: Diameter of the milling tool. It is beneficial to choose a value slightly higher than the actual tool
diameter, e.g. choose 1.2 mm when milling with a 1 mm tool.
6.1.4 Free-forming
Once you have applied bite splint bottom settings, the Free-Forming tab is active.
Figure 6.3: Design bite splint bottom: free-forming

Use the free-forming functions as described in Chapter 4.10 to add/remove material. You can select the brush type (default,
point of knife, cylinder) in the Brush type drop-down menu. To hide the brush area on the bite splint, uncheck Show Brush.
Undercuts will be visualized according to the color scale Undercut Visualization.
When free-forming a bite splint, inspect the minimum thickness to see areas where the thickness is set below the defined
minimum thickness.

6.2 Missing Teeth in Bite Splints

If missing teeth are defined in your project, this Wizard step will appear to position teeth in contact with the edentulous area.
Figure 6.4: Place bridge model teeth window
You can either set the mesial and distal contact points for positioning the model tooth (see Chapter 4.5.1). If the bridge
consists of multiple teeth and there is no adjacent to set both mesial and distal contacts, you can activate the gingiva position
buttons and set one contact point on the gingiva to determine the tooth positions.
6.3 Designing a Bite Splint with Tooth Anatomy

If your bite splint project is set up to use anatomy from tooth library models, ChairsideCAD will place a model tooth / model
teeth which will be part of the bite splint top. In this case, the wizard will include the steps Place Bridge Model Teeth (see
chapter 6.2), Tooth Placement (see chapter 4.7) and Free-Forming (see chapter 4.10).

6.4 Designing the Bite Splint Top

6.4.1 Defining the Margin and Surface Properties
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m
2}
m
3}
m
4}
m
Figure 6.5: Margin tab
Draw the margin by clicking points around the model (on the gingiva and/or teeth). Avoid sharp edges in the margin line. To
delete the line, click Clear 1}
m.
You can edit the bite splint top’s surface properties by using the sliders 2}
m:
Occlusal Thickness: thickness of the occlusal surface
Peripheral Thickness: thickness on the axial walls
Smoothing: smoothness of the top surface (the larger the number, the smoother the surface)
Checking Allow design on palate 3}
m allows you to draw the margin line over the wider palatal area. The sliders Occlusal
Thickness and Peripheral Thickness will be replaced by only one slider Thickness, for setting the general thickness of the
bite splint.
Once you set the margin and surface properties, click Apply 4m
}.

Figure 6.6: Bite splint top with margin
6.4.2 Defining the Posterior Area
1}
m
2}
m
Figure 6.7: Posterior area tab

You can flatten the posterior area of the bite splint by clicking two points on the splint where the posterior region starts,
setting the Desired impression depth 1} m , and clicking Flatten posterior area 2} m .
6.5 Free-Forming the Bite Splint Top

Using the Free tab, you can free-form the bite splint top using the functions described in Chapter 4.10.1. You can adjust the
bite splint’s occlusion using the Adapt tab (see Chapter 4.10.2).

1}
m 2}
m
3}
m
4}
m
Figure 6.8: Anatomical free-forming for bite splint
In Anatomical free-forming (Anat. tab), you can select Small region 1} mfor shaping small areas, or Large region 2}
m for an
overall thinning/thickening of the bite splint. Check Keep bottom and boundary fixed 3}m to keep the bottom and boundary
areas from being modified. Expanding the Paint & Pull section 4} mreveals the same functions as described in Chapter
4.10.3.

7 Designing Provisional Restorations
WARNING
Provisionals (crowns/bridges) are not for permanent use. They must be replaced by permanent
restorations after their end-of-life.
HINT
Contact your reseller and the material manufacturer for further information about the maximum
life span of the provisional restoration.
7.1 Defining the Top of the Provisional Crown

The first Wizard step is to define the anatomy for all teeth marked as provisionals.
Figure 7.1: Provisional crown top
Click the occlusal surface or incisal edge of the anatomy to be copied from the scan. This works best when you click in the
middle of the tooth. ChairsideCAD automatically extracts the scanned tooth geometry and displays it in blue, and applies a
margin line with control points (see Figure 7.2).

Figure 7.2: Provisional crown top defined
After the automatic detection, the Wizard switches to the Margin tab. Ensure that the margin line does not go up to the inter-
proximal contact areas. Furthermore, the margin line should not be set under the adjacent tooth, otherwise the provisional
crown/pontic will be too large to fit. Margin lines of adjacent teeth should not intersect each other.
Figures 7.3 and 7.4 show examples for correct and incorrect margin lines.
Figure 7.4: Incorrect margin line

Figure 7.3: Correct margin line
7.1.1 Manually Correcting Margin Lines

If ChairsideCAD did not detect the margin line correctly (e.g some parts are missing from the tooth, or parts that belong to
the adjacent tooth are included), you can correct it manually using the Margin and/or Correct tab.

3}
m
4}
m
1}
m
2}
m
Figure 7.5: Margin tab Figure 7.6: Correct tab

In the Margin tab, you can move the points on the margin line by dragging them to the desired position. You can move the
entire margin line up or down by an increment using the Move slider 1}
m with the Up and Down buttons. You can also Clear
all points 2}m and draw a new line by setting points.
In the Correct tab, you can optimize the extracted geometry by painting the scanned area to be extracted using a brush tool.
Adjust the Brush size using the slider 3}m or by scrolling the mouse wheel. Hold SHIFT to inverse the brush functionality. To
clear your correction and return to the initial definition, click Clear correction 4}
m.
Click Apply to confirm your changes.
7.2 Free-forming
You can free-form the provisional crown/pontic as described in Chapter 4.10.
7.3 Provisional Crown Bottoms

The next step is to design the provisional crown bottoms by setting shoulder parameters and defining the insertion direction.
To change the insertion axis, drag the tip of the yellow insertion axis arrow.
If you check Uniform insertion direction for jaw 4} m , the changes will
be applied to all teeth.

1}
m
2}
m
3}
m
4}
m
5}
m
6}
m
Figure 7.7: Provisional Crown Bottom window
Provisional shoulder parameters:

Shoulder Width 1m
}, see Figure 7.8 a
Shoulder Slope 2}
m(angulation of the shoulder), see Figure 7.8 b
Taper 3}
m(angulation of the preparation’s axial walls), see Figure 7.8 c
You can set a uniform insertion direction for the jaw by activating the corresponding checkbox 4}
m.
(a) Shoulder width (b) Shoulder slope

(c) Taper
Figure 7.8: Provisional shoulder parameters
Click Update Crown Bottom 5}

mto apply your changes.
7.3.1 Designing With or Without Tooth Library

By default, the shape of provisional crowns is derived from the original tooth shape in the scan. If the existing dentition is
heavily damaged, it can be better to design the provisional using model teeth instead.
Select how you want to continue using the Next Step drop-down menu 6}
m:
Design without tooth library: use the original tooth shape.
Design crown using tooth library: automatically copies the existing tooth anatomy as a pre-op scan, and inserts a
library tooth. Only possible if you have an antagonist scan.
Pontics are not affected by this choice, as they always use the scan data to derive the tooth shapes.
7.4 Designing the Rest of the Provisional

The Wizard will guide you through the remaining steps, which are described in Chapter 4 (designing regular crowns and
bridges).

8 Designing Cantilever and Maryland Bridges
Maryland bridges are normally 3-unit bridges with a pontic and so-called “wings” to fix the pontic to the non-prepared neigh-
boring teeth. This type of bridge is typically used to design a temporary restoration, e.g. if a tooth is extracted. Until the
final restoration (e.g. implant-based or regular bridge) is in place, this temporary solution is inserted for aesthetic reasons.
Cantilever Bridges are normally two-unit bridges - one crown and one pontic.
You can design Maryland bridges in ChairsideCAD by using offset inlays for designing the wings, and combine them with a
pontic. Pay special attention to the automatic adaptation of pontics and to neighboring teeth (see Chapter 4.9). E.g. in the
Free-Forming step (see Chapter 4.10), check if the pontic has been adapted correctly and contact areas to neighboring teeth
are correct.

9 Model Creator Module
The Model Creator module allows clinicians to virtually design dental models. Designing in Model Creator is based on 3D
scans of the patient’s dental anatomy produced by a compatible (intraoral) scanner. The software generates geometrical
output of the design for manufacturing with compatible CAM systems or 3D printers.
This chapter describes the design of models using the Wizard workflow of Model Creator and explains the Model Creator
specific work steps. Which of the steps will exactly appear in your case depends on the project definition and the desired
model type.
There are two general types of models:
1. A plate-type model needs to be placed onto a particular base plate. In general, this model type consists of multiple
segments which are designed to fit onto the base plate which keeps the dies in the correct relative position to each
other.
2. A plateless model, however, is not to be placed onto a base plate but may have a detachable die for each stump.
NOTE
The availability of some settings and parameters within the Model Creator workflow depends on
your reseller’s configuration.
9.1 Input Data

Model Creator is intended to process raw scan data, in particular intraoral scans.
The input data must be unprocessed scan data.

The input data must not contain areas that do not represent anatomical structures.
The input data must not be a scan from a model.
The input data must not be disconnected nor self-intersecting.
9.2 Launching Model Creator

9.2.1 Launching Model Creator from ChairsideDB
Step 1: Create/load a project in the ChairsideDB. Ensure that the project folder contains the input scan data.
Step 2: Click Model Creator.
If no scene files are present in the project folder, the Wizard will start directly, and the scan(s) will be loaded and displayed:

Figure 9.1: Successful launch of Model Creator
If the project folder contains one or more scene files, either choose to load a scene file or to only load the scan data and begin
the design from scratch.
If the project folder does not contain the required scan file(s) for the design, Model Creator will prompt you to select a scan
file in an explorer window. The explorer window’s title indicates which scan you must select.
9.2.2 Launching Model Creator directly

To launch Model Creator directly, execute the ModelCreator.exe file in your installation directory. Once launched, you
can load a scene/project/scan by clicking Load Project/Scene/Scan..., navigate to the desired folder and open (or double-
click) the desired project/scene/scan file.
You can also drag a scene or project file onto the .exe file. This will launch Model Creator and directly load the scene/project.
9.2.3 Access Model Creator workflow from ChairsideCAD

At the end of other workflows, you can also access the Model Creator workflow 1}
m:

1}
m
Figure 9.2: Access Model Creator workflow
9.3 Initial Steps

Some steps from the normal CAD workflow are required. If they have not yet been done, they appear in the Model Creator
Wizard:
1. Adjust the scan data orientation (see chapter 15.4). Note that this step only precedes the Model Creator workflow if
you didn’t start Model Creator by executing ModelCreator.exe.
2. Margin Line Detection (see chapter 4.1).
3. For implant-supported restorations (e.g. abutments), you need to complete the Wizard steps Detect Implant Position
(see chapter 10.3.1) and Define Emergence Profile (see chapter 10.3.2).
9.4 Aligning the Model

9.4.1 Aligning a plateless model

In the first Wizard step, you need to decide on the type of model and align it with the scan data as shown in figure 9.3. The
alignment can be considered optimal when the horizontal lines superimposed on the jaw scan are parallel to the patient’s
occlusal plane as shown in figure 9.4.

Select the desired model type from the drop-down

list 1}
m.
You can select restrictions for movement 2} m and ro-

tation 3}mfrom the drop-down lists in the Alignment
1}
m section:
Move freely: No movement restrictions. You
can freely move the jaw scan in the main view.
2}
m Move in XY-plane: Restricts the movement to
the occlusal plane.
3}
m
Move along occlusal axis: Restricts the
4}
m 5}
m movement to the occlusal axis.
Rotate freely: No rotation restrictions. You can
rotate the jaw scan in the main view by holding
CTRL and dragging the colored rotation handles
6}
m as shown in figure 9.4.
7}
m Rotate around occlusal axis: Restricts rota-
tion to the occlusal axis.
No rotation: Restricts rotation completely.
Click the button Auto align 4}

mto perform an auto-
matic alignment. Click Reset 5}
mto discard the auto-
matic alignment results.
Using the slider Model height 6}

m, you can adjust
the height of the model.
Activate the checkbox Auto-hide view obstructions

7}
mto automatically hide parts that would obstruct
Figure 9.3: Model Alignment for a plateless model the view.

Figure 9.4: Model Alignment: Rotating the jaw scan in main view
The next step of the workflow for plateless models is described in chapter 9.5.
9.4.2 Aligning a plate-type model

In the first workflow step, you need to align the plate-type model with the jaw scan using the functions and settings shown
in figure 9.5. The alignment can be considered optimal when the horizontal lines superimposed on the jaw scan are parallel

to the patient’s occlusal plane.
1}
m
2}
m
3}
m
4}
m 5}
m
6}
m
7}
m
8}
m
Figure 9.5: Aligning a plate-type model
Select the desired model type from the drop-down list 1}

m.
You can select restrictions for movement 2}
mand rotation 3}
mfrom the drop-down lists in the Alignment section:
Move freely: No movement restrictions. You can freely move the jaw scan in the main view.
Move in XY-plane: Restricts the movement to the occlusal plane.
Move along occlusal axis: Restricts the movement to the occlusal axis.
Rotate freely: No rotation restrictions. You can rotate the jaw scan in the main view by holding CTRL and drag-
ging the colored rotation handles as shown in figure 9.4.
Rotate around occlusal axis: Restricts rotation to the occlusal axis.
Click the button Auto align 4}
mto perform an automatic alignment. Click Reset alignment 5}
mto discard the auto-
matic alignment results.
Using the slider Model height 6}
m, you can adjust the height of the model.
Activate the checkbox Show occlusal plane to display the occlusal plane in the main view.
Activate the checkbox Auto-hide view obstructions 8m
}to automatically hide parts that would obstruct the view.
NOTE
Make sure to check that the jaw scan fits between the plates. ChairsideCAD will color any parts
that don’t fit in red and will cut them from the model.
The next step of the workflow for plate-type models is described in chapter 9.7.

9.5 Workflow for Plateless Models

9.5.1 Selecting detachable tooth dies
1}
m
When designing a plateless model, the next Wizard step

prompts you to decide which tooth dies should be detach-
able from the plateless model. Teeth with restorations
(stumps) are automatically selected as detachable.
To mark a (healthy) tooth as detachable, simply left-click it
in the tooth arch 1}m . This will color the selected tooth in
red. To mark a (healthy) tooth as extra die, hold CTRL while
left-clicking it.
If you selected additional detachable tooth dies, Chair-
sideCAD will enter an additional Wizard step, prompting
you to define margin lines for every detachable tooth die.
See chapter 9.5.2
Figure 9.6: Plateless model: Toggle Tooth Dies
9.5.2 Segmenting model teeth for models with additional tooth dies
This Wizard step will only appear in your workflow if you selected additional detachable tooth dies in the previous Wizard
step.
2}
m
1}
m 3}
m
4}
m
5}
m
Figure 9.7: Defining the tooth

location for tooth
dies Figure 9.8: Defining the tooth die margin
First, you need to define the location for the detachable tooth die: Click the tooth that is shown in the preview picture
of the Wizard window 1} m .
After clicking the tooth in the main view, the Wizard window switches to the Margin tab, where you can define the
margin line for the detachable tooth die.

Use the yellow control points 2} mto adjust the margin line. Left-clicking the line adds a new control point. Right-
clicking while holding the left mouse button deletes a control point. Clicking Clear all points 3}
mdeletes all control
points.
When you are satisfied with the margin line definition, click Apply 4}
mto save it.
Click Next 5m
}to define the margin line for the next detachable tooth die.

9.5.3 Plateless model design settings

This Wizard step lets you design the model freely. The following settings are available for plateless models with cutout dies:
Presets
You can load preconfigured printerpresets for all supported 3D printers, or cre-
ate and save your own presets.
Base
Horizontal shaft gap: Spacing between dies and model base in horizontal (x
and y) direction.
Horizontal shaft gap (dynamic): Only available if the model creator configu-
ration was configured accordingly in the Model Alignment step. The Dynamic
Shaft Gaps configuration is an example for such a configuration. Adds an addi-
tional horizontal gap depending on the diameter of the die.
Vertical shaft gap: Spacing between dies and model base in vertical (z) direc-
tion.
Pedestal height: Define the height of the model base.
Ditch
Ditch width: Determines the width (i.e. in x- and y-directions) of the ditch
around stumps.
Ditch depth avg.: Determines the average depth (i.e. in z-direction) of the ditch
around stumps.
Ditch height avg.: Determines the average height (i.e. in z-direction) of the
ditch around stumps.
Add pin grooves

Groove width: Determines the width (i.e. in x- and y-directions) of the pin
grooves on the bottom of the model.
Groove depth: Determines the depth (i.e. in z-direction) of the pin grooves on
the bottom of the model.
Hollow model
Wall thickness: Will define the material thickness of the model base.
Bottom sill: Adds a stability groove in the hollow space at the bottom of the
support edge of hollow models. Allows you to choose a very low wall thickness
Figure 9.9: Plateless Model Design: and still have a stable model.
settings
Cavity fill diameter: Determines the diameter of a ball that needs to fit into
the cavity of a hollow model. Any region where such a ball would not fit is filled
with material.
Anticipate Milling
Diameter: Determines the size of the bevel at the bottom of the separate dies
and the holes in the model base to allow for milling residue in the opposite part.
Main direction
Click Set from view to set the main direction of plateless models to the current
view. Click Reset to restore the original direction. Alternatively, you can use the
blue arrow in the middle of the jaw scan to set the direction of the model.

The Dies tab of the Plateless model design window provides specific settings for the dies:
Pin height: The height of the key pin, i.e. the distance of the seating area to the bottom plane.
Preparation margin extrusion: Determines how far the preparation margin is extruded vertically towards the bottom
plane prior to generating the concavity. This parameter has no effect if you don’t add a model concavity.
Seating width: Width of the bottom seating area of the dies, i.e. the distance between outer circumference and key
pin.
Shaft taper: Define the angle of the tapered part of the stump to design a conical shaped die.
Taper height limit: Define the height limit of the tapered part of the stump.
Omit die pin: When checked, the key pin at the bottom of the dies will be omitted. The hole in the model base will
remain in either case.
Add concavity: When checked, ChairsideCAD adds a concavity below the preparation margin.
Die bottom parallel to model base: When checked, the bottom of the die(s) will be generated parallel to the model
base.
1}
m
3}
m 2}
m
4}
m
5}
m
Figure 9.10: Plateless Model Design: Dies settings
In this Wizard step, you can also define the insertion direction of the die(s) using the blue control point(s) 1}
mat the tip of the
green arrow(s) that appear(s) in the main view when switching to the Dies tab. To set the insertion direction to the current
view, click Set from view 2} m . Click Reset 3}m to reset the die pin(s) to the original position(s).
Clicking the Run button 4}m initiates the generation of the model. The generated model will be displayed in green as shown
in figure 9.11. When you are satisfied with your model design, click Next 5}mto reach the next Wizard step. If you want to
readjust your model design, change the desired setting(s) and click Run again.
Note that ChairsideCAD displays a warning message if the geometry of a detachable die could not be generated with the
chosen parameter settings.

Figure 9.11: Plateless Model Design: Generation finished
1}
m
If you want your design to include a gingiva mask, switch to the Masks tab
1}
m , where you can adjust the settings and define the shape of the gingiva
mask. Gingiva masks are designed as upper detachable parts of the model
3}
m
base representing the gingiva.
Click Add 2} m
4}
m and then draw the shape of the gingiva mask by adding con-
trol points with a left click.
5}
m Note that marking a tooth number as having a gingiva mask will render
the unconditioned/preconditioned marking in the Analogs tab ineffec-
tive. The Analogs tab is only available when your design includes an abut-
ment (see Chapter 9.5.3).
Using the sliders in the Masks tab, you can further influence the shape of
the gingiva mask:
Min. thickness 3}
m: Define the minimum thickness of the gingiva
mask.
Gap width 4}
m: Define the gap width of the gingiva mask.
Height offset 5}
m: Define the height offset of the gingiva mask.
2}
m
If you selected a model configuration with flat gingiva mask option (e.g.
6}
m Plateless model (Gingival Masks flat)) in the Model Alignment step (see
Chapter 9.4.1), click Add 2}
m and place a box on the jaw scan by left-clicking
the scan (see Figure 9.13). Use the control points on the box to change its
shape. Use the upper and lower edges of the box to change its height.
Click the Run! 6} m button to initiate the generation of the model.
Figure 9.12: Plateless Model Design: Masks

tab

Figure 9.13: Plateless Model Design: Designing a gingiva mask with flat bottom
When activating the checkbox Retention nubs 9} m , ChairsideCAD will add retention nubs to the mask when generating the
gingiva mask as shown in figure 9.14. You can define the shape of the retention nubs using the following sliders:
Diameter 10}
m: Define the diameter of the retention nubs.
Separation 11}
m: Define the spacing between the retention nubs.
Click the Run! button to initiate the generation of the model with retention nubs.
9}
m
10}
m
11}
m
Figure 9.14: Plateless Model Design: Generated retention nubs
NOTE
Depending on the model type, some of the settings described in chapter 9.5.3 may not appear in
your workflow.

Plateless model design with abutment
If you started the Model Creator after designing an abutment, the Wizard window Plateless Model Design also includes the
tab Analogs.
HINT
If there are no compatible model analogs available, ChairsideCAD shows a warning message
which includes a button to download more libraries.
If multiple compatible model analogs are available, ChairsideCAD prompts you to choose
which analog to load.
1}
m
2}
m
In the Analogs tab 1} m , you can select by left-clicking the

tooth number in the tooth 2} march whether the tooth
number that an abutment bottom has been designed for
should have an abutment die in the model (blue), a precon-
ditioned gingiva (yellow), or an unconditioned gingiva (teal).
An unconditioned gingiva will be shaped by the planned
abutment. An abutment die is only possible for tooth num-
bers with a designed abutment top.
Figure 9.15: Plateless Model Design: Analogs tab


Plateless model design with provisionals
1}
m
2}
m If you started the Model Creator after designing a provi-
sional restoration, the Wizard window Plateless Model
Design also includes the tab Provisionals 1} m . Note that
you need to define the tooth location of the provisional
restoration in the previous step Segment Model Tooth
Click the location of the provisional restoration in the tooth
arch 2} m . You can choose between Provisional Crown
and Provisional stump.
Figure 9.16: Plateless Model Design: Provisionals tab
Fixing Cut-outs
For plateless models, it can happen that

parts of the model are cut out due to the in-
sertion path of the stump die (especially ap-
proximal contacts). You can mark the area
that was cut away using CTRL + left-click on
the yellow area. ChairsideCAD will then of-
fer to restore the cut-out area. Note that
only the cut-out area resulting from die in-
sertion is possible to restore.
Figure 9.17: Cut-out due to the insertion path of the stump die
9.5.4 Plateless model design settings for antagonist

In this Wizard step, the settings for designing the antagonist are the same as in the last step. See chapter 9.5.3.
NOTE
The maxilla will always be designed first. I.e., if your project only contains restorations in the mandible,
this Wizard step precedes the design of the mandible.
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 100/230

9.5.5 Adding an attachment to a plateless model

In this Wizard step, you can add attachments (e.g. support pins) to your designed plateless model as shown in figure 9.18.
1}
m
2}
m
3}
m
4}
m
5}
m
Figure 9.18: Adding model attachments
Select the attachment type from the upper drop-down list 1}

m. Add an attachment by left-clicking the desired position
on the model. Remove an attachment by right-clicking the model while holding the left mouse button.
If you selected to add support pins to your model, you can adjust the pin’s shape using three sliders that appear upon
selecting Support pins from the drop-down list:
Pin diameter 2}
m: Define the diameter of the support pins.
Pin bulge height 3}
m: Define the height of the pin bulge.
Pin ledge height 4}
m: Define the height of the pin ledge.
Note that these values apply to all added support pins.
In the Additional restrictions 5}
msection, you can select restrictions for movement and rotation from the drop-down
lists:
None: No movement restrictions. You can freely move the attachment in the main view by left-clicking and drag-
ging.
Move in XY-plane: Restricts the movement to the occlusal plane.
Move along occlusal axis: Restricts the movement to the occlusal axis.
None: No rotation restrictions. You can freely rotate the attachment in the main view by left-clicking and dragging
while holding CTRL.
Rotate around occlusal axis: Restricts rotation to the occlusal axis.
Note that attachments will be colored in red if the position you chose is invalid.
Adding a text attachment
To add a text attachment to the model, switch to the Text tab.
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 101/230

8}
m
2}
m 7}
m
1}
m 5}
m
3}
m
4}
m
6}
m
Figure 9.19: Adding a text attachment
ChairsideCAD selects the patient’s name as the default text and truncates it to a maximum of 50 characters. You can type
your desired text into the text field 1}moverwriting the default text. Click the Add Text button 2}m and then click the position
where you want to attach your text. To reposition the attached text, simply drag it over the model’s surface. Using the sliders
below the text field 3}
m4} m , you can change the font size and thickness. You can enter multiple lines of text into the text field.
Clicking the arrow icon next to the textbox 5}
m opens a new window where you can select a font, format your text attachment
bold and/or italic, and choose from a selection of supported symbols. Confirm your font selection by clicking OK.
Using the radio buttons Add text and Subtract text 6}
m, you can toggle between an embossed and debossed text.
You can remove an attachment by selecting it with a left-click and clicking the Remove text button 7}
mafterwards, or by
right-clicking it while holding the left mouse button.
Created text attachments are listed in the upper part of the window 8}
m . Right-clicking a text attachment from the list offers
the options to edit/remove the text and focus the view on the selected text attachment.
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 102/230

9.5.6 Selecting the next step
1}
m
2}
m In the last Wizard step, you decide what to do next.
3}
m Select Expert mode 2} mto switch to Expert Mode, where you can
free-from the model and repeat previous workflow steps.
Select Design restorations now 3} m to design the restoration if you

haven’t already done that before entering the Model Creator.
4}
m Select I’m Done 1}
mto quit ChairsideCAD.
Note that the scene will be saved to the project directory if you activate the
checkox Save scene in project directory 4} m .
Figure 9.20: Selecting the next step
9.6 Workflow for Digital Waxup Models

If you selected Digital Waxup Model in the Model Alignment step (see Chapter 9.4), you can create a model in which the
(anatomic) restorations are merged to the model base.
Note that for digital waxup models, the anatomic tooth models must be placed before the model can be generated. The
wizard will guide you through the necessary steps.
The workflow for digital waxup models is almost similar to the one for plateless models (without the possibility to design
detachable dies), but the Plateless model design step offers different options.
Figure 9.21: Plateless model design: Digital waxup model
In the Waxup tab, you can select which parts to include in the model. Switch to the Settings tab after you have made your
selection.
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 103/230

Using the settings in the Settings tab of the Plateless model design win-
dow, you can influence the design of the model.
Presets
You can load preconfigured printerpresets for all supported 3D print-

ers, or create and save your own presets.
Base
Horizontal shaft gap: Spacing between dies and model base in

horizontal (x and y) direction.
Horizontal shaft gap (dynamic): Only available if the model cre-

ator configuration was configured accordingly in the Model Align-
ment step. The Dynamic Shaft Gaps configuration is an example for
such a configuration. Adds an additional horizontal gap depending
on the diameter of the die.
Vertical shaft gap: Spacing between dies and model base in verti-
cal (z) direction.
Pedestal height: Define the height of the model base.
Hollow model
Wall thickness: Will define the material thickness of the model

base.
Bottom sill: Adds a stability groove in the hollow space at the bot-
tom of the support edge of hollow models. Allows you to choose a
very low wall thickness and still have a stable model.
Cavity fill diameter: Determines the diameter of a ball that needs

to fit into the cavity of a hollow model. Any region where such a ball
would not fit is filled with material.
Figure 9.22: Plateless model design: Digital
waxup model settings Main direction
Click Set from view to set the main direction of plateless models to
the current view. Click Reset to restore the original direction. Alter-
natively, you can use the blue arrow in the middle of the jaw scan to
set the direction of the model.
Click the Run! button to execute the model segmentation process.
After generating the model, the next workflow steps are Model Attachments (see Chapter 9.5.5) and Selecting the next step
after the model creation is finished (see Chapter 9.5.6).
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 104/230

9.7 Workflow for Plate-type Models

Continuing from aligning the plate-type model to the jaw scan, the following Wizard steps describe the Model Creator work-
flow for a plate-type model.
9.7.1 Segmenting the model

In this Wizard step, you cut the model between any two adjacent teeth. This will decompose the model into a set of mutually
disjoint segments. Since model segments corresponding to stumps are conceptually different from segments representing
healthy teeth, gaps, or inlay-prepared teeth, a cut between two such adjacent segments will be mandatory.
Sometimes a project may not correctly specify the indications of all teeth appearing in the model, in particular healthy adja-
cent teeth are often omitted. This applies in particular to projects imported from 3rd party software. You can specify retroac-
tively that a tooth without a defined indication is included in the model nevertheless. These teeth will be treated like “healthy
teeth”. Any undefined teeth next to a stump will be marked as healthy automatically.
2}
m
1}
m
3}
m
4}
m
Figure 9.23: Preparing to segment a plate-type model
To prepare the segmentation of the model, ChairsideCAD makes use of cut planes that indicate where the model will be
segmented.
To add a cut plane, click one of the small gray points 2}
mbetween teeth in the tooth arch 1m
}of the Model Segmenta-
tion window. The point turns green when the cut plane has been added.
You can freely position the cut planes in the main view:
Drag the plane along the jaw curve using the left mouse button.
Tilt a cut plane by holding CTRL + SHIFT while left-clicking the plane.
Rotate a cut plane using the green control points at the corner of the plane or by left-click while holding CTRL.
Activate the checkbox Auto-hide base plate 3m
}to automatically hide the base plate when it obstructs the view.
Press the Run button 4}
mto execute the segmentation process or switch to the Settings tab of the Model Segmentation
window, where you can further influence the segmentation results:
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 105/230

Presets 1}m : You can load preconfigured printerpresets for all sup-
ported 3D printers, or create and save your own presets.
1}
m
Cut width 2m
}: The spacing between adjacent dies.
Plate clearance 3}
m: The spacing between base plate and dies.
2}
m
Pedestal height 4} m : Allows to control the amount of material that
3}
m
is added to the model to fill the area above the plate to hold the pins.
4}
m
Minimum thickness around pins 5}
m: Modify the minimum thick-
5}
m ness around the pins.
6}
m
Hollow Model 6} m: If activated, ChairsideCAD will generate hollow
7}
m model segments.
Wall thickness 7}
m
8}
m : Modify the wall thickness of a hollow model.
9}
m Preparation margin extrusion 8} m : Determines how far the
preparation margin is extruded vertically towards the bottom plane
10}
m prior to generating the concavity. This parameter has no effect if you
don’t add a model concavity.
Shape Parameter 9}
m: Depth of the concavity below the prepara-
tion margin.
Klicking Run! 10}

mstarts the segmentation process.
Figure 9.24: Settings for segmenting a plate-
type model
Figure 9.25: Finished segmentation of a plate-type model
9.7.2 Segmenting a model with abutment and optional gingiva mask

If you started the Model Creator after designing an abutment, ChairsideCAD automatically adds a gingiva mask to the model.
This can be observed in the Planes tab of the Wizard window Model Segmentation. Gingiva masks are designed as upper
detachable parts of the model base representing the gingiva.
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 106/230

Figure 9.26: Preparing to segment a model with gingiva mask
The gingiva mask is optional. To toggle between gingiva mask and implant with preconditioned/unconditioned gingiva, left-
click the tooth number in the tooth arch. If you left-click the tooth number while holding CTRL, you can toggle between
preconditioned and unconditioned gingiva.
Using the additional settings that appear in the Settings tab of the Model
Segmentation window, you can influence the shape of the gingiva mask:
Gingiva mask gap width 1}

m: Define the gingiva mask gap width.
Model analog support width 2}

m: Define the implant support
1}
m width.
2}
m
You can also set the horizontal and vertical distance of the model
analog.
Klicking Run! 3}
mstarts the segmentation process.
3}
m
Figure 9.27: Model Segmentation:

Setting for the gingiva mask
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 107/230

Figure 9.28: Generated plate-type model with gingiva mask
9.7.3 Segmenting the antagonist

In this Wizard step, you repeat the segmentation process for the antagonist. See chapter 9.7.1 for a detailed description of
the available functions.
NOTE
The maxilla will always be segmented first. I.e., if your project only contains restorations in the
mandible, this segmentation step comes before the segmentation of the mandible.
9.7.4 Selecting the next step

After segmenting the model and the antagonist, ChairsideCAD displays the model in the main view and prompts you to de-
cide on the next step of your workflow. See chapter 9.5.6 for detailed descriptions of the available options.
9.8 Free-Forming the Model

In this Expert step, you can edit the shape of the model.
The Free-Forming window has two tabs representing two free-forming modes:
Free: Add, remove, or smooth material with a virtual wax knife. See Chapter
9.8.1.
Attachment: Add/remove attachments from the attachment library

to/from an object. See Chapter 9.8.2.
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 108/230

9.8.1 Free adjustments
1}
m 2}
m
3}
m
4}
m
5}
m 6}
m 7}
m
8}
m
Select the desired action by using the buttons Add/Remove 1}

mand Smooth/Flatten 2}
m.
To add/remove material: Hold the left mouse button on the model to add material. To remove material, additionally
hold SHIFT. The longer you hold the mouse button, the more material will be added/removed.
To smooth/flatten rough areas: Hold the left mouse button on areas of the model that you want to smooth. To flatten
(super-smoothing) material, additionally hold SHIFT. For a more shape-preserving smoothing, hold CTRL.
Using the slider Strength 3}

m, you can adjust the amount of material that is added/removed, or the amount of smoothing
when in Smooth/Flatten mode. Using the slider Brush size 4}m, you can define the area that is affected around the cursor.
There are three brush types available: default 5}
m, point of knife 6}
m, and cylinder 7}
m.
Activate Fix preparations 8}
mto keep any preparations fixed during free-forming.
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9.8.2 Attachments
1}
m 2}
m
3}
m
4}
m
5}
m 6}
m 7}
m
8}
m
9}
m
10}
m 11}
m
Figure 9.30: Attachment tab
Decide whether you want to add 1m

}or subtract 2}
mthe attachment.
Select the attachment library and type using the drop-down menus 3}
mand 4}
m.
Activate Move 5}m to move the shape, Rotate 6}
m to rotate it, and Scale 7}
mto scale it. While in Move mode, you can
also hold CTRL to rotate and SHIFT to scale. Some attachments cannot be rotated and/or scaled depending on the
attachment library settings.
You can select the Insertion Direction 8m

}for the attachment as
from the Top as viewed from the scan data orientation,
from the current View direction, or
perpendicular to the restoration Surface.
Cut on gingiva 9} mwill automatically cut the attachment to the scan (if the slider value is 0), or to a fixed distance defined
by the slider. Negative distance values mean intersection with the scan.
Click Apply 10m
}to add/remove the attachment. Click Unload 11m
} to clear the attachment selection.
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 110/230

Text attachments
1}
m
4}
m
2}
m 3}
m
5}
m
6}
m
8}
m 7}
m
Figure 9.31: Attachment tab - text attachment
To add a text attachment, select Text in the Library drop-down list 1} m , as shown in Figure 9.31. By default, the attachment
text is the filename of the current scene. You can edit the text in the text window 2} m . Clicking the arrow icon next to the text
window 3} mopens a new window where you can select a font, format your text attachment bold and/or italic, and choose
from a selection of supported symbols. Confirm your font selection by clicking OK.
Move the text attachment to the desired position on the restoration. Activate Rotate 4}
m to rotate the text. Click the desired
position on the restoration to set the text attachment. Once positioned, you can still drag and drop the text attachment.
With clicking Unload 7} m , you detach the text again from the restoration.
Using the slider Thickness 5m
}, you can change the text depth, with Size 6}
myou can define the text size.
Click Apply 8m
}to adapt the text attachment to the restoration.
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 111/230

10 Designing Abutments
10.1 Introduction
The exocad Implant module allows clinicians to virtually design implant-based dental restorations. This chapter describes
how to use the Implant Module for designing implant-based dental restorations.
Designing in the Implant module is based on 3D scans of the patient’s dental anatomy produced by a compatible (intraoral)
scanner. The software generates geometrical output of the design for manufacturing with compatible CAM systems.
You can design the following restorations with the Implant module:
Abutments
Screw-retained crowns
Screw-retained bridges
Bars and virtual waxups (ask your reseller how to activate the design of bars and virtual waxups)
For a list of devices compatible with the Implant module, such as scanners, milling machines, or printers, visit exocad.com/
integration/overview.
WARNING
In the United States, implant cases may only be manufactured by manufacturers that hold an im-
plant abutment 510(k) or are dental laboratories milling per the specific instructions for a patient-
specific implant abutment provided by the holder of a 510(k) specifically cleared for dental labo-
ratory milling. Please check with your reseller to ensure an appropriate location for sending the
digital file.
NOTE
The U.S. package of the software contains only implants and implant parts that are legally mar-
keted in the U.S.
WARNING
The design of restorations using ChairsideCAD shall be made with all necessary professional
care, follow good dental practices and regard properties and limits of used materials and al-
lowable (minimal) thicknesses of structures. The appropriateness and fitting of a designed
and manufactured restoration shall be verified carefully by the user.
Make sure to use appropriate production devices (scanners, milling machines, etc.) with suf-
ficient spatial resolution and accuracy for a all acquisitions. In order to ensure that the com-
bination of devices used for scanning and manufacturing of a dental construction provide the
desired results and quality, validate the complete workflow for your specific set of devices and
materials.
A contact between abutment and crestal bone may prevent a perfect seating of the abutment
due to the the lack of information about the vertical positioning of the prosthetic implant
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 112/230

platform (supracrestal, crestal, subcrestal) or the lack of information about the crestal peri-
implant bone contour. The seating of abutments in cases with sub-crestal implant positions
should be verified with an additional 3D CT of the placed abutment.
Make sure that the default parameters for the calculation of a bottom of a design and modi-
fications you make allow your production device to create an accurate construction.
Several steps of the workflow of the design, such as detection of a margin line for an abutment
bottom, or the design of an emergence profile are semi-automated and provide suggestions
that are based on heuristics. Depending on the complexity, completeness or correctness of
the information in scan data or information provided by the user (e.g. in a manual definition
of a preparation margin) the suggested result may not be optimal. The user shall carefully in-
spect the visualizations of the restoration after each semi-automated working step and eval-
uate if the suggested result (e.g. the automatic margin line detection) is as expected and cor-
rect it where necessary.
NOTE
Computer Aided Manufacturing must comply with the design parameters provided in the im-
plant library and the patient-specific abutment directions for use provided by the abutment
manufacturer and implant manufacturer. Failure to follow the design parameters provided
in the abutment labeling may constitute manufacturing of a medical device.
It is the manufacturer’s responsibility to validate that any employed rapid prototyping/milling
machine produces usable results. exocad does not manufacture or sell rapid prototyping/milling
machines and can therefore not be held responsible for the output of a customized manufac-
turing process in which exocad software is used as a part.
Connection geometries of the implant-to-abutment connection cannot be created or modi-
fied.
Creation or modification of the connection platform (abutment-to-implant interface) is con-
sidered manufacturing a medical device.
HINT
Contact your reseller and the implant manufacturer for further information on the used devices
and implants.
10.2 Intended Use

The AbutmentCAD module is a software device intended to be used by trained professionals in dental practices or dental lab-
oratories for the design of patient specific implant borne prosthetics such as one-piece abutments, two-piece/hybrid abut-
ments, single- or multi-unit screw-retained restorations. The design result is intended to be used by the manufacturer of an
endosseous dental implant abutment to create the final device.
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 113/230

10.3 Abutment Design

You can design abutments if your project contains an implant-based anatomic crown, coping, or offset coping that will be the
superstructure for the abutment.
The software will guide you through the following steps to finish the design of an abutment.
10.3.1 Detecting the implant position

Implant positions are detected by matching the scan abutments.
1}
m
2}
m
3}
m
4}
m
5}
m
6}
m
Figure 10.1: Detect Implant Position

Figure 10.2: Matching scan abutment
Step 1: Select the implant library from the drop-down list 1}
m. You can select the implant from the full library list or from
your favorites list. To mark a library as favorite, click the star symbol that is displayed on the right side of the
dropdown list.
Step 2: Select the desired implant from the secondary drop-down list 2} m . Depending on the library choice, more
secondary drop-downs may appear. Clicking the Info link 3} mdisplays information about the selected implant
library. The library part you have selected is displayed as a preview image 4} m. You can rotate the image by
dragging it with the right mouse button. If the scan data is not ideal and there are artifacts at the bottom part of
the scan abutment, or the abutment is just not visible because it is hidden by the gingiva, you can cut away the
bottom part and exclude it from the matching process by moving the slider 5} m .
Step 3: Click the scan abutment in the 3D view at the same position as indicated by the red point in the preview image.
Ensure to set the marker position for the tooth indicated in the Wizard window. You can still move the implant in
3D view by dragging it with the left mouse button.
Step 4: Click Best fit matching 6}
mto align the scan abutment precisely. If you hold CTRL while clicking Best fit
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 114/230

matching, ChairsideCAD will display deviations on the scan abutment according to a color scale to indicate the
accuracy. Blue is accurate, green is still acceptable for custom abutments. You should not see larger areas in
yellow, orange, or even red.
In the main view, you can use the gray rotation handles to rotate the abutment support around the implant axis in
steps that are defined in the library (rotation lock count).
WARNING
Do not use optical scans with insufficient image quality. The scans shall clearly show the scan
marker(s) and be free of scan artifacts (peeks/glitches).
Verify the result of an automatic recognition of the scan marker. Activate and use the color
scale for the scan marker.
When using the automatic recognition of scan markers, make sure you have selected the cor-
rect library and scan marker therein.
NOTE
Only scan markers that are part of implant libraries based on dental implants with 510(k)
clearance can be used in ChairsideCAD in the United States. Implant libraries must be elec-
tronically signed by exocad. Please ask your reseller if you wish to use a library that is not
already integrated. The software will recognize any attempt of using unsigned libraries and
will prevent to use them. A dialog box informs you that the unsigned implant library cannot
be used (see Figure 10.3). Confirm by clicking Do not use and select another implant library
afterwards.
The scan marker can be either scanned in a separate scan or be part of the jaw scan. When
you click the scan marker and confirm the position, the scan marker will be cut out of the jaw
scan if it was scanned within the jaw scan.
Figure 10.3: Unofficial extension of implant library dialog
Throughout the workflow, you have the possibility to replace the scan marker via the Add/Remove Mesh tool (see chapter
14.11). Already designed parts must be adapted accordingly and you have to restart the implant position detection if you
replace the scan marker.
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You can change the implant type throughout the workflow: Enter Expert mode and select Select implant type from the
context menu or the Tools menu. Now you can specify which type of implant reconstruction you want to design.
10.3.2 Defining the emergence profile
1}
m
2}
m
Figure 10.5: Detected emergence profile margin
Figure 10.4: Define Emergence Profile - Detect

While in detection mode 1} m, define the emergence profile’s margin line by setting four points on the emergence profile
margin. This will start the automatic margin line detection. If ChairsideCAD did not detect the margin line correctly, click
more points on the margin to improve the result. To delete points, hold the left mouse button on the desired point and
right-click. Click Clear 2}
m to delete the entire margin line.
A sectional 2D view of the area below the mouse cursor will be displayed in the upper right corner of the screen (see Figure
10.6).
Figure 10.6: 2D view below mouse cursor
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 116/230

Editing the emergence profile margin line manually
You can draw and edit the emergence profile margin line manually using the functions in the Correct/Draw tab.
1}
m
2}
m
3}
m
4}
m
Figure 10.7: Define Emergence Profile - Correct/Draw
Step 1: While in Draw mode 1}

m, set points along the margin line by left-clicking the scan.
Step 2: To complete the margin line, double-click the last point. It will be automatically connected to the first point. The
line appears green and the tab automatically switches to Edit mode 2} m. In this mode, you can move points by
dragging them.
To add points to the margin line, click it at the desired position. To delete points, hold the left mouse button on the
Click Clear 4}
mto delete the margin line.
screen.
The checkbox Preconditioned gingiva 3} minfluences the behavior of the Model Creator on the emergence profile. When
the checkbox Preconditioned gingiva is deactivated, the model is shaped so that the abutment fits straight into it (i.e. the
shape of the abutment bottom is imaged around the implant).
When the model is being designed without a gingiva mask, activating the checkbox Preconditioned gingiva will extrude the
emergence profile vertically downwards leaving a large hole so that any abutment can later be inserted into the model.
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 117/230

SHORTCUT
Delete points by left- and then right-clicking the point while holding the left mouse button.
10.3.3 Generating the Tooth Anatomy

The step Generating the tooth anatomy provides the same functions as described in chapter 4.5.
10.3.4 Tooth placement

The step Tooth placement provides the same functions for placing model teeth as described in chapter 4.7.
10.3.5 Generating abutment bottoms
1}
m
3}
m 2}
m
4}
m 5}
m
6}
m 7}
m
Figure 10.8: Generate Abutment Bottoms
Adjust the abutment bottom shape using the Shape sliders 1} m . The upper slider allows you to adjust the shape of the abut-
ment bottom’s upper part. Using the lower slider, you can adjust the shape of the lower part. To set a different shape for the
entire abutment bottom, you can use the shape buttons.
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 118/230

The shape buttons can be used to easily change the distance of the abutment bottom to the scan data, i.e. to create a space
between the scan data and the abutment bottom or to put pressure on the soft tissue. Click the right shape button 2} mto
m
}
create a more convex shape. Click the left shape button 3 to create a concave shape. Shape changes are applied to all
abutments of the whole project.
Please follow instructions from the implant and abutment/titanium base manufacturers when designing the shape of the
abutment bottom/emergence profile.
Activate Free-form 4}
m to free-form the abutment shape. Hold the left mouse button where you want to add material. Hold
SHIFT while holding the left mouse button to remove material. Left-clicking adds material only locally. To add material
everywhere, hold CTRL while holding the left mouse button. ChairsideCAD automatically ensures that there are no bumps
to keep the emergence profile smooth.
You can visualize intersections with the gingiva by activating the checkbox Visualize 5}m . This allows you to see the distance
and intersections with the gingiva scan. Intersections indicate that pressure will be applied to the gingiva. Blue color indi-
cates that there is space between the abutment and the gingiva while red color indicates that there is pressure on the gingiva.
You can control the distance to the gingiva using the sliders 6} m . You can use the same sliders to limit the intersection with
the gingiva by activating the Limit? checkboxes 7} m . The upper checkbox is for distance control, the lower checkbox is for
intersection control.
You can adjust the emergence profile borders by dragging the control points indicating the border to the desired position.
1}
m
3}
m
2}
m
Figure 10.9: Control points on the emergence profile border
By default, the control points 1}

m are rose-colored, indicating that they are attached to the gingiva. Click the toggle disc 2}
m
below the control point to change its color to green. A green control point is detached from the gingiva and you can move it
freely. By holding CTRL, you can toggle all control points between free movement (green) 3} mand gingiva-attached (rose).
When dragging a control point’s arrows, the movement will be restricted to the arrow direction. By holding CTRL, you can
move all points simultaneously when dragging an arrow. You can add control points to the profile border by clicking the
desired position while holding CTRL. Delete a point by left- and then right-clicking it.
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 119/230

Advanced Options
1}
m
2}
m
6}
m 7}
m
8}
m
3}
m
4}
m 5}
m
Figure 10.10: Generate Abutment Bottoms - Advanced
Using the Height slider 1}m , you can define the height at the border between abutment bottom and top. By default, the
Radius slider 2}
mis set to 0 to ensure a smooth passage between emergence profile and implant. If you increase this value,
the abutment bottom will be bigger than the implant.
You can move all margins using the Move All Margins 3} mbuttons. The longer you hold the mouse button when clicking
one of the buttons, the further you move the control points of the margins.
Clicking Unstick all 4} mdetaches all control points on the emergence profile border from the gingiva, Restick all 5}
mat-
taches all control points to the gingiva.
In the Angulated Screw Channels section, choose Clickable 6} mand click a mesh object in the scene to angulate the
screw channel. Select Draggable 7} mand use the appearing sphere and arrow handles to reposition the screw channel.
m
}
Click Reset all 8 to reset the screw channel. This feature is available only if the implant library allows for angulated screw
channels. By default, the angulation is limited by 20° if not otherwise defined in the implant library.
10.3.6 Virtual Articulation

After the abutment bottoms have been generated, ChairsideCAD will start the Virtual Articulator, see chapter 4.8.
10.3.7 Free-Forming the construction

The Free-Form step provides the same free-forming functions as described in chapter 4.10.
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 120/230

10.3.8 Setting the Secondary Insertion Direction
3}
m
1}
m
2}
m
5}
m
4}
m
Figure 10.11: Secondary Insertion Direction
The arrow 1} m shows the secondary insertion direction of the abutment, the pole 2} m shows the primary insertion direction.
To define the insertion direction of abutments, click the sphere at the top of an insertion direction arrow and drag it to the
desired position, or use the blue/purple arrow handles 3} m to change the direction/rotation. Alternatively, set the insertion
direction from view by clicking Set current view as insertion axis 4} m . By default, ChairsideCAD sets a unique insertion
direction for bridges. Uncheck Unique insertion direction for bridges 5} mto define individual insertion directions for
bridge elements. Note that this Wizard step does not appear for screw-retained crowns.
NOTE
The angulation of the secondary insertion direction might be limited by the implant manu-
facturer.
When changing the secondary insertion direction after the abutment tops were designed, the
insertion direction will not be automatically updated in the designed data. To ensure that the
insertion direction of abutment tops is updated, re-enter the work step Abutment Design
(see chapter 10.3.9) after changing the secondary insertion direction and click OK to update
the abutment design accordingly.
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 121/230

10.3.9 Abutment design

Abutment top settings
1}
m
2}
m
3}
m
4}
m 5}
m
6}
m
7}
m
Figure 10.12: Abutment Design - Top
Use the Angle slider 1} m to set a minimum draft angle of the abutment. During abutment design, you cannot define under-
cuts below this angle. Use the Spacing slider 2}m to create the desired space between the anatomy and the abutment. If you
activate Auto-adapt occlusal area 3} m , both the distance and the occlusal shape of the abutment are approximately set
off from the chewing surface without moving the control points. Clicking Apply 4} mwill both reduce and extend the abut-
m
}
ment shape in order to reach the desired distance values. Reduce only 5 will only shrink the abutment in areas where the
distance to the anatomy is below the defined value.
Activate Distance to anatomy (on abutment) 6}
mto see the distance to the anatomy on the abutment. Activate Distance
m
}
to abutment (on anatomy) 7 to see the distance to the abutment on the anatomy.
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 122/230

In the tabs Top and Advanced of the Abutment Design window, you can
adjust the abutment design using three curves that appear in the main
view (see figure 10.13). Move points on the upper curve inwards to cre-
ate a more conical shape between upper and middle curve. Move points
on the upper curve outwards to create a straighter shape, causing the
lower control points to move outwards while respecting your minimum
angle. Whenever you move a control point, other control points may also
be moved in order to respect the your minimum angle.
Note that this Wizard step does not appear for screw-retained crowns.
Figure 10.13: Control curves on abutment
Abutment bottoms settings
The Bottoms tab provides the same options for designing abutment bottoms as described in Chapter 10.3.5.
Advanced options
Figure 10.14: Abutment Design - Advanced
The Advanced tab of the Abutment Design wizard window provides the same functions for defining the emergence profile
borders as described in chapter 10.3.5.
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 123/230

Expanding Milling Parameters reveals the following functions:
Figure 10.15: Abutment Design - Milling parameters
Min. thickness sets the minimum thickness of the abutment’s axial walls. It is not possible to set a value below the
manufacturer’s minimum wall thickness. The minimum of the slider is defined by the manufacturer’s limit for the
minimum wall thickness.
Diam. (A) sets the diameter of the tool used to mill the abutment, also known as tool compensation. Add at least 0.2
mm to the smallest tool size.
Tool (C) sets the diameter of the tool used to mill the superstructure (crown or coping). This parameter influences the
profile at the occlusal edges of the abutments. A small diameter leads to sharp edges, a bigger diameter creates round
edges.
Screw dist. sets a minimum distance between the abutment and the screw channel. This area will be displayed in red.
You cannot set control points closer to the screw channel than this value.
Margin sets the minimum angle of the abutment near the emergence profile margin. The effect of this parameter is
strongest when designing the abutment with a profile border height of 0.
Note that ChairsideCAD tries to optimize the geometry so that it is easy to mill with the set milling parameters.
10.3.10 Free-Forming the abutment

The Free-Form step provides the same free-forming functions as described in chapter 4.10.
NOTE
The design limitations described in chapter 10.6 are verified during the free-forming process as
well.
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10.3.11 Production
ChairsideCAD shows an an abutment production step if the system is configured accordingly.
The functionality is similar as the production blank and production step described in chapter 4.14
NOTE
Contact your reseller for further instructions and information on abutment production.
10.3.12 Next Step window

The Next Step window provides the same features as described in 4.13.2.
10.4 Designing Screw-Retained Crowns and Bridges

If the type of construction is a screw-retained crown or screw-retained bridge, the Wizard guides you through the following
initial steps:
Detect implant position, see chapter 10.3.1.
Define Emergence Profile, see chapter 10.3.2.
Copy Tooth, see chapter 4.5.2.
Place Model Tooth, see chapter 4.5.1.
Generate Abutment Bottoms, see chapter 10.3.5.
Auto Articulator, see chapter 4.8.
Free-Forming, see chapter 4.10.
10.4.1 Designing the Screw Hole

After these steps are completed, you can design a cylindrical surface around the screw hole in the Screw Hole Design Wizard
step. You can adjust the height and the distance of the cylindrical surface to the screw using sliders and/or control points.
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 125/230

7}
m
5}
m
4}
m 3}
m
6}
m
1}
m
2}
m
Figure 10.16: Screw Hole Design window Figure 10.17: Screw Hole Design screen
Using the Thickness slider 1}m , you can set a minimum distance to the screw. Note that control points cannot be placed
closer to the screw than the distance you set using this slider. The Height slider 2}
mallows you to change the height of
the surface around the screw hole.
By moving the control points 5}m with your mouse, you can adjust the shape of the surface around the screw hole. To
move all control points simultaneously, hold CTRL, to move a control point and its adjacent points, hold SHIFT.
You can use the toggle disc 6} m below a control point to unsnap a control point from the occlusal surface. Clicking the
toggle disc again will resnap it to the occlusal surface. You can toggle snapping for all control points by clicking Snap
all.. ON/OFF 4} m , or by clicking a toggle disc while holding CTRL.
You can add more control points by left-clicking while holding CTRL. Delete a control point by right-clicking it while
holding the left mouse button.
You can use the large central control point 7} mto move screws for all teeth while holding CTRL. Note that the central
control point is only visible when at least one placement disc is unsnapped from the surface.
Holding CTRL while clicking the central control point creates a planar screw hole surface (if control points are un-
snapped).
You can click the tooth in the tooth bows depiction 3}
mto enable/disable the screw hole and to toggle between snap-
ping to anatomic and reduced shape.
10.4.2 Production Blank

The step Production Blank provides the same features as described in chapter 4.14 .
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10.4.3 Merging and Saving the Finished Restorations

The step Merging and Saving provides the same functions as described in chapter 4.13.
NOTE
When the type of project is a screw-retained bridge, the Wizard workflow also involves bridge de-
sign by adding bridge connectors (see chapter 4.12).
“Next Step” Tab
The Next Step window provides the same features as described in 4.13.2.
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10.5 Loading an Implant Planning Output file

If your project file contains an .implantPlanningInfo file, you can load the .implantPlanningInfo file in Chair-
sideCAD and design an immediate load construction.
NOTE
The .implantPlanningInfo file is part of the exoplan output files.
1}
m
2}
m
3}
m
4}
m
Figure 10.18: Immediate Load: Selection Dialog
Upon loading the file, you can select whether to load both the planned implant position and the tooth model placement (pre-
selected), just the planned implant position 1} m , or just the tooth model placement 2} m . Confirm your selection by clicking
the button Import implant planning info file 3} m . If you want to skip the loading of an .implantPlanningInfo file,
click the button Skip 4}m . If you choose to load just the tooth model placement but not the implant position, you can load
the scan marker scan in an explorer window after clicking the Import ... button 3} m .
If the .implantPlanningInfo file is from an edentulous patient (Dual Scan Protocol) ChairsideCAD will import the ex-
tracted bottom of the prosthesis DICOM data as a jaw scan.
10.5.1 Selecting the implant connection

If the type of implant connection is not defined in the .implantPlanningInfo file, you will be prompted to select the type
of connection to the implant after importing the .implantPlanningInfo as shown in figure 10.19.
If the type of connection to the implant already has been defined in the .implantPlanningInfo file, you can still select
another connection to the implant by switching to Expert Mode and selecting Load implant connection from the Expert
toolbar.
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If the type of connection is a stock

abutment 1} m, you will need to select
the type of stock abutment from the
implant library 2}m.
If the type of connection is a custom

3}
m
abutment 3} mor screw-retained 6} m ,
1}
m
you will need to choose whether the
connection to the implant is direct or
2}
m 4}
m using a titanium base by activating one
of the corresponding buttons 4} m, 7}
m .
5}
m If the connection to the implant is us-
ing a titanium base, you will need to se-
lect a titanium base from the implant
library 5}m .
If the connection to the implant is di-

rect, you will need to select an implant
library 8}m.
If the type of connection is a multi-unit

abutment 9} m , you will need to select a
multi-unit abutment from the implant
library 10}
m .
6}
m 9}
m If the type of connection is a multi-unit
abutment 9} m , and you have selected a
multi-unit abutment from the implant
7}
m 10}
m library, you can select whether the in-
terface to the multi-unit abutment is
using an adhesive cap or is direct by ac-
8}
m
tivating one of the corresponding but-
11}
m
tons 11}m .
If the interface to the multi-unit abut-

12}
m
ment is using an adhesive cap, you will
need to select an adhesive cap from
the implant library 12}m.
Figure 10.19: Selecting the implant connectetion
Note that you can download additional libraries by clicking Download more libraries in the drop-down menu.
If you selected a stock abutment, an adhesive cap, or an implant interface geometry from the implant library, you can rotate
it around the implant axis using the gray rotation handles as shown in figure 10.20.
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 129/230

Figure 10.20: Rotating a multi-unit abutment in main view
NOTE
If a titanium base or implant interface geometry has been loaded, you can always select another
compatible titanium base or implant interface geometry from the implant library.
10.5.2 Editing a stock abutment

After you have loaded a stock abutment, you can edit the stock abutment using the same funtions as described in chapter
15.11.
10.6 Abutment Design Limitations

Figure 10.21: Example of abutment design limit violation
Implant manufacturers and software resellers may require to limit the design of abutments in certain aspects. The follow-
ing design limitations can be defined by the implant manufacturers (due to mechanical limitations of the implant), by the
software reseller (due to limitations of the material or milling machine), or by regulatory requirements:
minimum and maximum height of the emergence profile

minimum and maximum diameter of the emergence profile
minimum and maximum height of the entire abutment
minimum and maximum height of the abutment above the emergence profile
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 130/230

minimum and maximum angulation of the abutment above the emergence profile in relation to the implant axis
minimum and maximum angulation of the screw channel in relation to the axis of the abutment above the emergence
profile
minimum and maximum angulation of the screw channel in relation to the implant axis
minimum wall thickness of the abutment
size limitation of the abutment due to the size of the pre-milled abutment blank
restriction to specific tooth numbers (e.g. narrow implants are typically intended to be used for anterior teeth)
overall length of a bridge
length of a bridge arc between two implants
length of a bridge extension
length of a single unit implant based bridge with bridge extension
size requirements for the manufacturing of the bridge
If any of the mentioned design limitations will be shown in the software, please read it carefully and adjust the design such
that the design will no longer violate the design limitation. You will not be able to finish your design until all design limitations
are met. If in doubt, contact the implant manufacturer and your reseller.
HINT
The software will show design limit violations as early as possible in the workflow such that
you will be able to react to design limit violations as early as possible. Typically, you will be
able to change the design in the step in which the design limit violation is shown. Otherwise,
please go back in the workflow or use Expert mode to activate the necessary steps to change
the design accordingly.
Contact your reseller and the implant manufacturer to learn more about the design limita-
tions of the used devices and implants.
WARNING
The minimum/maximum allowed angulation of a screw-retained crown to the implant axis is not
checked against the implant manufacturer’s limitation if the screw-retained crown originates from
the Copy Tooth feature or from a waxup scan.
HINT
You can keep the tooth copy as virtual pre-op instead of a direct copy to load a library model and
afterwards adapt to the virtual pre-op. Then the library model is checked against the implant man-
ufacturer’s limitation. If in doubt, ask your reseller for further information/instructions.
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 131/230

11 Designing Bars
NOTE
Ask your reseller how to activate the design of bars.

Implant bar dimensions must comply with the implant manufacturer’s specifications in terms
of (a) maximum span between implants, (b) maximum cantilever length, (c) maximum over-
all length of bar, (d) minimum cross section of bar segments, (e) minimum height and width
of bar segments.
You can design bar-type prostheses ranging from prepared teeth crowns and bridges to implant supported screw-retained or
custom abutments. This module allows multiple bar shapes in an arch and customizeable bar profiles. It also includes the
possibility to design attachments and retention pillars.
First, you need to complete these initial Wizard steps:
Define Emergence Profile. See chapter 10.3.2,

Tooth Placement. See chapter 4.7,
Abutment Bottoms. See chapter 10.3.5.
11.1 The Profiles window

After you have completed these Wizard steps and reached the Wizard window Bar Design, the Profiles window will appear.
Here, you can design the substructure for supporting the removable denture.
1}
m
4}
m
5}
m
6}
m
2}
m
3}
m
Figure 11.1: Profile window
In the profile window, you can select a bar profile from the Type drop-down menu 1} m. When the Apply everywhere radio
button 2}m is activated, the selected type will be applied to the entire bar. When the Apply to selection radio button 3}
mis
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 132/230

activated, the selected type will be applied exclusively to the selected section of the bar.
If you want to import predefined bar profiles from STL attachment files, you can do so by clicking the Load button 4}
m. This
will open an explorer window that lets you navigate to the desired STL file on your hard drive. You can also save your bar
profile design by clicking the Save button 5}
m .
Expanding the Profiles window by clicking on Bar Profile Parameters 6}
moffers more options for the bar design. The
available parameters depend on the selected bar profile.
1}
m
2}
m
Figure 11.2: Profile window expanded
You can use the sliders to create your desired design. By toggling the checkboxes Variable sides 1} m and Variable bottom
2}
m, you can define whether the outer shape of the bar areas that are later constructed with the bar profile can be smoothed
during the interactive bar design or not.
11.2 Design Bar window - Profile tab

After selecting a profile, the workflow continues in the Bar Design Wizard window.
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 133/230

1}
m 2}
m
3}
m 4}
m
5}
m
6}
m
7}
m
8}
m 9}
m
10}
m 11}
m
Figure 11.3: Bar Design - Profile Tab
Select the area you want to edit by clicking the corresponding buttons:
Bar/Pillars 1}
m: Allows you to edit the bar and the pillars.
Bar only 2m
}: Allows you to edit the bar only, locks editing for pillars.
Pillars 3}
m: Allows you to edit the pillars only, locks editing for bars.
Borders 4}
m: Allows editing of borders around the implants, only clickable when the checkbox Use borders around
m
}
implants 6 is activated. Using borders, you can protect or specially design the area close to the implant.
ChairsideCAD shows a preview of your bar design when you click on Preview result 5}
m.
To change the insertion axis of the bar:

Step 1: Rotate the view so that you look onto the preparation(s) in your desired insertion direction.
Step 2: Click Set from view 11m
}to set the current view direction as the new insertion axis.
When the checkbox Advanced profile editing 7} mis activated, you can decide to enable / disable smoothing of the bar
surface along the control points. Note that smoothing is always disabled when the bar profile of the control point is defined
as not possible to smooth.
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 134/230

Bar Planes
Planes help you during bar design. They serve as a reference, and can define the insertion axis. You can activate Show planes
8}
mto display the reference plane (which is typically used to define the top of the bar) and a parallel plane through the last
selected control point (which helps to easily see the height difference between the currently selected control point and the
reference plane). To select a control point, simply left click it. The reference plane can be tilted using the large central control
point at the tip of the large central arrow (green). After adjusting the plane, you can activate Use plane 9} mto match the
insertion direction of the bar to the plane angle. Alternatively, you can double click a control point to redefine the reference
plane height, or hold CTRL + double click to redefine both height and orientation of the plane.
If you want to define your own plane, click on Define... 10}
mand select Define by three points from the drop-down menu.
This opens up the Auxiliary planes window.
1}
m 2}
m
Figure 11.4: Bar Design - Auxiliary planes window
Here, you can define an auxiliary plane by clicking three points on the scan data. You can adjust the height offset using the
Height Offset sliders 1} m . By default, you can adjust the height offset for all points at once. Click the lock symbol 2}
mto
adjust sliders individually. If you want to reset the planes, click the Defines... button in the Bar Design window again and
select Reset to default from the drop-down menu.
HOTKEYS
Left-click + drag on control point: adjust the position of a control point.

Hold SHIFT while adjusting control point: adjust selected + 2 adjacent control points
Hold CTRL while adjusting control point: adjust selected + 4 adjacent control points
Hold SHIFT+CTRL while moving control point: adjust all control points of the same type
CTRL + left-click: Add a control point
Hold left-click + right-click: Delete a control point
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 135/230

1}
m
6}
m
5}
m
4}
m
3}
m
2}
m
Figure 11.5: Bar Design Screen
Large central control point 1}

m, bar section 2}
m, control points (green) 3}
m4}
m, profile control points (dark green) 5}
m6}
m
9}
m
7}
m
10}
m
8}
m
Figure 11.6: Bar Design measurements
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 136/230

HINT
When hovering over a bar section with your mouse, ChairsideCAD performs real-time measure-
ments and displays the measured values in the main view: The length of a bar section is displayed
in green on top of the bar section 7} m. The section’s height at the position of the mouse cursor is
displayed in dark green on the side of the bar 8} m. The section’s width at the position of the mouse
cursor is displayed in dark green on top of the bar 9}m. The section’s inclination is displayed in black
on top of the bar 10}
m .
NOTE
The accuracy for dimensional measurements is 0.01mm.
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 137/230

11.3 Design Bar window - Advanced tab
1}
m
3}
m
2}
m
4}
m 5}
m
6}
m
7}
m
Figure 11.7: Bar Design - Advanced Tab
In the Advanced tab of the Bar Design window, you can further modify the shape and positioning of the bar and pillars.
Using the buttons Edgy / Rounded 1}

m, you can define an adjustable general style for the bar.
The slider Distance to Gingiva 2} m lets you define the distance of the bar to the gingiva. Click the Auto-level button
m
}
3 next to it to auto-adjust the control point height to match the gingiva shape. This helps to avoid dips in the contour
height or an uneven surface of the top of the bar.
Checking the Crop 4} m checkbox applies the distance you have set via the slider above in a way that the bottom shape
of the bar is geometrically trimmed below this specified distance.
When lowering the distance to the gingiva, you need to use the checkbox Pull-Down 5}
mto pull the bar down to the
distance you have set via the slider above.
Using the Angle 6} m slider, you can define the abutment’s minimum angle. In order for this slider to have an effect, you
first need to create a control line on the pillars you want to adjust: Left-click a position on the pillar while holding CTRL
+ SHIFT to create a new control line. You can add more control points (orange) on the line by left-clicking the desired
position while holding CTRL. After you have created the control line, the Angle slider setting will have an effect on all
pillars you created a control line for. To remove a control line, left- and right click it while holding CTRL + SHIFT.
Using the buttons Pillars / Bar 7} min the Reset to default section of the window, you can reset the bar and pillars
to their respective default configuration.
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 138/230

Figure 11.8: Left: Pillar with added control line. Right: Pillar without control line
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 139/230

11.4 Design Bar window - Attachments tab

After you have designed the bar profile, you can add attachments to your design in the Att. tab of the Bar Design window.
1}
m
2}
m
3}
m
4}
m
9}
m 10}
m 11}
m
5}
m
6}
m
8}
m
7}
m
Figure 11.9: Bar Design - Attachments Tab
Step 1: Select an attachment type from the Add: drop-down menu 1}

m. Available attachment types are: Attachment,
Bolted, Visualizer, and Retention.
Step 2: Choose a library from the Library drop-down menu 2}
m. ChairsideCAD displays additional information about the
selected library in a tool tip upon selection.
Step 3: Select an attachment type from the Type drop-down menu 3}
m.
In the Set docking point section 6} mof the Bar Design window, while in the Att. tab, you can define a docking point
(blue) on the attachment. ChairsideCAD will only allow the placement of the selected attachment if the docking point
you have set is in contact with the bar or one of the pillars. You can define the docking point by either clicking the
attachment preview 7} mat the desired position, or by choosing one of the presets next to the preview 8} m. H is the
height, X is the horizontal axis direction, and Y is the occlusal axis direction. The docking point also determines the
position of the rotation center on the attachment after positioning.
Using the button Snap to Gingiva 5} m , you can adjust the attachment to the tissue surface. To rotate a positioned at-
tachment, select the preferred type of rotation from the Rotate (Hold CTRL) section. Free 9} m allows you to rotate the
attachment freely, Top 10}
mrestricts rotation to the attachment’s Z-axis, View 11}msets the rotation axis to the current
view.
Delete an attachment by right-clicking it while holding the left mouse button. To quickly change the attachment, select
the one you have already placed, choose another one following the steps above, then activate the checkbox Apply to
last selected part 4}m . The last selected attachment will be changed to the selected attachment type while keeping
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 140/230

its position.
11.5 Free-Forming the Bar

In this Wizard step, you can fee-form the designed bar construction using the same free-forming functions as described in
chapter 4.10.
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 141/230

12 Designing Virtual Waxups
12.1 Designing the Virtual Waxup Bottom
NOTE
Ask your reseller how to activate the design of virtual waxups.
If the type of construction allows for a virtual waxup to be designed, ChairsideCAD will enter the Virtual Waxup Wizard step.
A virtual waxup is not allowed for veneers and inlays. Crowns need to have a defined crown bottom before you can design a
virtual waxup.
In a first preparational step for the virtual waxup design, you define the bottom of the virtual waxup.
1}
m
2}
m 8}
m
3}
m 9}
m
10}
m
4}
m
6}
m
5}
m
7}
m
Figure 12.1: Virtual Waxup - Bottom Properties Figure 12.2: Virtual Waxup - Block out undercuts
The Virtual Waxup Bottom window consists of two expandable major sections: Bottom Properties 1}
m, and Block out
undercuts 8}m .
When the Bottom Properties section 1m
}is expanded, the following sliders are available:
Offset 2}
m: specify the offset between the virtual waxup and the scanned jaw.
Smoothing 3}
m: specify the amount of smoothing to be applied to the virtual waxup bottom.
Milling Diameter 4}
m: specify the diameter of the milling tool.
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 142/230

In the lower section of the Virtual Waxup Bottom window, you can specify the insertion direction of the virtual waxup: Click
on Set insertion direction from view 5} m to set the insertion direction to your current view; click the compass icon 6}
mto
set the view to the current insertion direction. Alternatively, you can click and drag the green arrows in the main view to
change the insertion direction.
When the Block out undercuts section 8} m is expanded, you can define the angle in relation to the insertion direction that
is applied to block out undercuts by adjusting the slider Angle 9}
m . You can also specify the maximum size of undercuts by
adjusting the slider Allow undercuts to 10 . m
}
When you are done setting up the virtual waxup bottom design, click the Apply 7}
mbutton to generate the virtual waxup
bottom with your selected settings.
Figure 12.3: Virtual Waxup Bottom before applying settings Figure 12.4: Virtual Waxup Bottom after applying settings
After applying the settings, ChairsideCAD displays the generated virtual

waxup superimposed on the jaw scan. If you are not satisfied with the de-
sign result, you can readjust the sliders and click the Update 1}
m button to
see the updated design, or you can restart the virtual waxup bottom design
from scratch by clicking the Clear 2} m button.
1}
m 2}
m
Figure 12.5: Virtual Waxup Bottom window

after applying settings
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 143/230

12.1.1 Free-forming the virtual waxup bottom
After generating the virtual waxup bottom, the Free-Forming tab in the
Virtual Waxup Bottom window becomes active. You can use the basic
free-forming functions to virtually add/remove material and smooth the
surface. Select the desired action by using the buttons Add/Remove 1}m
1}
m 2}
m
and/or Smooth/Flatten 2 . m
}
To add/remove material: Hold the left mouse button on the tooth

3}
m to add material. To remove material, additionally hold SHIFT.
The longer you hold the mouse button, the more material will be
4}
m
added/removed.
5}
m
To smooth/flatten rough areas: Hold the left mouse button on ar-
eas you want to smooth. To flatten material (super-smoothing), ad-
ditionally hold SHIFT. For a more shape-preserving smoothing, hold
CTRL.
Using the slider Strength 3} m , you can adjust the amount of material that
is added/removed, or the amount of smoothing when in Smooth/Flatten
mode. Using the slider Brush size 4} m , you can define the size of the area
that is affected around the cursor. There are three brush types available in
the Type drop-down menu 5} m : Default, Point of knife, and Cylinder.
Figure 12.6: Virtual Waxup Bottom When satisfied with the design, you can click Next to proceed to the next
Free-forming Wizard step.
12.2 Designing the Virtual Gingiva
In this Wizard step, you can design a virtual gingiva. This may be neces-
sary if the patient’s gingiva has declined considerably due to atrophy. The
design of a virtual gingiva is typically recommended for larger implant-
supported restorations, especially for aesthetic reasons.
First, you need to draw a margin line as shown in the depiction in the up-
per left corner of the wizard window. Do this by clicking points around the
1}
m model (on the gingiva and/or teeth). Avoid sharp edges in the margin line.
Using the sliders in the Surface properties section 2} m, you can influence
the design of the virtual gingiva:
2}
m
Base Thickness 3}
m: Define the base thickness of the virtual gingiva.
3}
m
Cervical Thickness 4} m : If the checkbox Gingiva around model

4}
m
teeth is activated, you can define the cervical thickness of the vir-
5}
m tual gingiva, i.e. the gingiva’s thickness around the tooth neck.
6}
m 7}
m Smoothing 5} m : Define the amount of smoothing that will be ap-
plied to the virtual gingiva.
After drawing the margin line and adjusting the sliders, click the Apply 6}
m
button to generate the virtual gingiva. To delete the designed virtual gin-
giva and restart the design process from scratch, click Clear 1} m .
When satisfied with the design, you can click Next to proceed to the next
Figure 12.7: Virtual Gingiva Design step
Wizard step.
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 144/230

Figure 12.8: Virtual Gingiva before applying settings Figure 12.9: Virtual Gingiva after applying settings
12.3 Free-forming the Virtual Gingiva

In this Wizard step, you can freely adjust the shape of the virtual gingiva. The Free-Form Gingiva window consists of two
tabs: Free and Anatomic.
In the Free tab, you can use the free-forming functions to virtually
add/remove material and smooth the surface. Select the desired action
by using the buttons Add/Remove 1} m and/or Smooth/Flatten 2}m .
To add/remove material: Hold the left mouse button on the tooth

to add material. To remove material, additionally hold SHIFT.
The longer you hold the mouse button, the more material will be
1}
m 2}
m added/removed.
To smooth/flatten rough areas: Hold the left mouse button on ar-

eas you want to smooth. To flatten (super-smoothing) material, ad-
3}
m ditionally hold SHIFT. For a more shape-preserving smoothing, hold
CTRL.
4}
m
5}
m Using the slider Strength 4} m in the Brush section 3} m , you can adjust the
6}
m 7m
} 8}
m amount of material that is added/removed, or the amount of smoothing
9}
m when in Smooth/Flatten mode. Using the slider Brush size 4} m , you can
define the size of the area that is affected around the cursor. There are
10}
m
three brush types available: Default 6} m , Point of knife 7}m , and Cylinder
11}
m
8}
m .
Keep bottom and boundary fixed 9} m: You can activate this check-
box to prevent free-forming for the gingiva bottom and boundaries.
Desired Thickness 10} m : This slider allows you to interactively en-

force thickness relative to the bottom during free-forming. You can

deactivate the checkbox left of the slider for manual finishing of hard
Figure 12.10: Free-form Gingiva - Free tab
edges that might occur.
Distance color spectrum 11} m : This slider allows you to modify dis-
tance display behavior. Note that only the distance to the virtual gin-
giva bottom is visualized, not the distance to the teeth.
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 145/230

12.3.1 Anatomic Free-forming of the virtual gingiva
In the Anat. tab, you have access to more free-forming functions:
small region 1} m: When this button is activated, you can pull a

small region of the virtual gingiva to your desired position.
1}
m 2}
m
huge region 2} m: When this button is activated, you can pull a huge
3}
m region of the virtual gingiva to your desired position.
4}
m The following functions from the Free tab are also available in the Anat.
5}
m tab:
6}
m Keep bottom and boundary fixed 3} m: You can activate this check-
box to prevent free-forming for the gingiva bottom and boundaries.
Desired Thickness 4} m : This slider allows you to interactively en-

force thickness relative to the bottom during free-forming. You can
deactivate the checkbox left of the slider for manual finishing of hard
edges that might occur.
Distance color spectrum 5} m : This slider allows you to modify dis-

tance display behavior. Note that only the distance to the virtual gin-
giva bottom is visualized, not the distance to the teeth.
Figure 12.11: Free-form Gingiva - Anat. tab
If you select Continue with gingiva reduction 6}
m, the step Reduce Gingiva Design will be available as the next step in the
Wizard workflow.
After you have designed the virtual gingiva, you can design the connectors (see chapter 4.12) and select a production blank
(see chapter 4.14) in the next Wizard steps.
12.4 Reducing the Gingiva Design

In the Reduce Gingiva Design window, the following functions are avail-
able:
The slider Depth 1}m controls the reduction amount – i.e., the thick-
1}
m ness of the layer you want to apply over the framework. The min-
imum thickness specified for the material will be enforced, which
means that in areas where the material thickness does not allow it,
2}
m 3}
m
the cutback will be less than what you set with the slider.
4}
m
You can mark the whole anatomy by clicking Mark all 2}
mand clear
5}
m
m
}
all markings by clicking Clear all 3 .
6}
m
Click Auto-select gingiva design 4} mto automatically mark a re-
7}
m
gion on the gingiva using a set of parameters that are displayed in a
8}
m
new window.
Multi-Level Reduction 5}
mallows multiple reductions. Apply as
many times as needed.
You can adjust the minimum thickness within the parameters de-
fined for the material in the Advanced Parameters 6} msection by
m
}
using the slider Min. thickness 7 . Here, you can also set a differ-
Figure 12.12: Reduce Gingiva Design win-
dow ent reduction depth for bottomparts using the slider Basal reduc-
tion depth 8} m .
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 146/230

13 Cut View
By using the Cut view option (hotkey: CTRL + SHIFT + C) in the main toolbar (see Chapter 3.3), you can use sectional
views during the design.
7}
m
8}
m
1}
m2}
m3}
m4}
m 6}
m
5}
m
Figure 13.1: Cut view feature
In the main view, move the cut view over the different objects with your mouse. Click to position the rectangle.
You can change the rectangle’s position in the 3D view using the following functions:
To move the rectangle, grab it at the opaque corner 7}
mand drag.
To rotate/tilt the rectangle, move your mouse to a side 8}
mand drag.
In the cut view window, you can navigate using the following functions:
use the mouse wheel to zoom in/out (this also changes the cut view rectangle in the main view)
hold both mouse buttons and drag to move the view
hold the right mouse button and move the mouse up/down to shift the view back and forth.
hold the right mouse button and move the mouse right/left to rotate the view
use the arrow keys to move the view horizontally/vertically
You can also use the slider Position on dental arch 5} mto navigate through the arch. Furthermore, the context menus of
the cut view frame, of scene objects, and of elements in the Group Selector provide options to position the cut view.
To access the cut view settings, click the gear icon 1} m(see chapter 13.2). To reposition the cut view the same way as you
m
}
initially placed it, click the button 2 . To lock the repositioning mode, right-click it. To position the cut view over a specific
object, click the button 3} mand click the object you want to cut. To align the 3D view to the 2D perspective in the cut view,
click the button 4 . m
}
13.1 Performing Measurements
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WARNING
When using distance measurements in the cut view, the distance of e.g. two surfaces displayed in
the cut view (2D) depends on the current, oblique orientation of the cut plane and may not allow
to measure e.g. a minimum distance between the surfaces correctly. Because of these reasons,
interpret distance measurements in cut views with care.
HINT
Use the measurement tools in the 3D main view if accurate measurements of distances/angles
etc. are needed.
To perform measurements, click a start point and an end point in the cut view window. An arrow will appear between these
two points, and the distance will be displayed. If you move the view while a measurement arrow is active, ChairsideCAD will
try to perform a similar measurement at the new cut position. When clicking near a line while defining a measurement arrow,
the arrow will snap to it. If you click in empty space, the arrow will still appear, but it will be yellow, as this measurement mode
is typically less useful.
13.2 Cut View Settings

Clicking the gear icon 1}
mopens the cut view settings:
1}
m 2}
m 3}
m
4}
m
5}
m
6}
m
Figure 13.2: Cut View Settings
1}
mBy default, auto rotation ensures that the 2D and 3D view axes are similar. Click to deactivate auto rotation.
2}
mRotate the cut view in 90 degree steps
3}
mSmoothly rotate the cut view
By default, Intersection lines 4}

m is activated. This shows the cut view as 2D sectional view. To set the sectional view to 3D,
select Sectional view 5 . To hide the grid in the cut view window, uncheck Show grid 6}
m
} m.
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 148/230

14 Tools
Access the tools in the main toolbar (see Chapter 3.3) by clicking Tools.
In Expert mode, more tools are available. These additional tools cannot be used in Wizard mode.
Figure 14.1: Tools Wizard mode
Figure 14.2: Tools Expert mode
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 149/230

General tools:
Tool Description Reference
Measurement Tool Measure distances, angles, thickness, and object size Chapter 14.1
Sectional View Apply sectional planes Chapter 14.2
Screen Shot Create an image from the current scene Chapter 14.3
PDF export Create a PDF file from the current scene Chapter 14.4
DICOM Control Inspect and visualize DICOM data Chapter 14.6
Jaw Movement Import and inspect jaw movement data Chapter 14.7
Align Meshes Align different meshes Chapter 14.8
Adjust Light Change lighting settings Chapter 14.9
Annotation Editor Create and/or edit annotations Chapter 14.10
Tooth Color Selection Choose tooth colors Chapter 14.15
Smile Creator Easy solution for aesthetic planning with predictable Chapter 14.16
results
Show project in Open the project directory Chapter 14.17

explorer
Settings Access general ChairsideCAD settings Chapter 14.18
About View software information Chapter 14.19
Expert mode tools:
Tool Description Reference
Add/Remove mesh Add/remove meshes Chapter 14.11
Change Change the reconstruction type definition Chapter 14.13

Reconstruction Type
2D Image Loader Add e.g. patient pictures Chapter 14.14

© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 150/230

14.1 Measurement Tool

Using the Measurement Tool you can measure distances, angles, thickness, and object sizes.
NOTE
In general, the accuracy of dimensional measurements is 0.01mm while the accuracy of angular
measurements is 0.5°. When measuring on DICOM data, the accuracy is additionally limited by the
voxel size.
14.1.1 Measuring a Distance
1}
m
2}
m
Activate Distance 1} mand define the start and the end

point by clicking the desired positions on the scene ob-
3}
m ject(s). To redefine the points, either drag and drop them, or
select the corresponding button 2} m at the top of the Mea-
surement Tool window and click new positions.
When available, the checkbox Distance relative to di-
rection 3} mallows you to measure the perpendicular dis-
tance between the start point and a virtual plane level, that
has the normal vector direction of a user-selected designed
part and passes through the distance’s end point. You can
select the direction of the normal from a drop-down menu
that lists all tooth parts 4} m . Note that the virtual plane
level is not visualized in the 3D view.
4}
m
Figure 14.3: Distance measure

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14.1.2 Measuring an Angle
2}
m
1}
m
Activate Angle 1} mand define the start and the end point
for a measurement as described in Chapter 14.1.1. Define
3}
m the angle center (yellow sphere) by clicking the desired po-
sition on a scene object. To redefine the points, either drag
and drop them, or select the corresponding button 2} mat
the top of the Measurement Tool window and click new
positions.
When available, the checkbox option Snap Endpoint to
Axis 3}m allows you to measure the angle between the axis
created by the markers Start and Middle (angulation
point), and a user-selected normal direction of a restora-
tion. You can select the direction of the normal from a drop-
down menu 4} m that lists all tooth parts.
4}
m
Figure 14.4: Angle measurement
14.1.3 Measuring Thickness
2}
m
You can measure the local thickness of most of the gener-

ated mesh objects.
Activate Thickness 1} mand click a mesh object to define
1}
m the start point (green). ChairsideCAD automatically selects
the target point (blue) on the corresponding bottom/top
part (e.g. crown bottom/top). If measuring the thickness
of a finished reconstruction, start and target point will be

on the same object. The thickness will be displayed at the
arrow that indicates the measurement distance.
To redefine the start point, either drag and drop it, or select
the corresponding button 2} mat the top of the Measure-
ment Tool window and click a new position.
Figure 14.5: Thickness measurement
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 152/230

14.1.4 Measure Nearest
2}
m 3}
m
This function finds the nearest point of another surface to

the selected point.
Activate Nearest 1} m and define the start point. Then, click
the target object. If there are multiple target objects, se-
lect the desired object in the appearing menu. The closest
point on the opposite side of the object is displayed as a blue
1}
m point. An arrow shows the location of the calculated thick-
ness.
ment Tool window and click a new position. To change the
target object, click the Set target object icon 3} m , and click
the new target.
Figure 14.6: Nearest measurement
14.1.5 Measuring Orthogonal
2}
m 3}
m
This function detects the nearest point on the nearest ob-

ject perpendicular to the surface of the start point.
Activate Orthogonal 1} m and define the start point. Then,
click the target object. If there are multiple target objects
on top of each other, select the desired object in the appear-
ing menu. The closest orthogonal point will display in blue.
An arrow shows the location of the calculated thickness.
1}
m
ment Tool window and click a new position. To change the
target object, click the Set target object icon 3} m , and click
the new target.
Figure 14.7: Orthogonal measurement
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14.1.6 Measuring Object Size

This function measures the length, width, and height of an object.
Activate Object size 1} m and click the object. Check Show tooth size with 3D arrows 2} m . The object size is displayed with
three arrows. This tool is most commonly used to measure teeth, so the length, width, and height are defined as mesial/distal
(pink), occlusal height (yellow), and buccal/lingual (blue). Small colored points on the object surface 3}m show the extremes
that were used for the sizing calculation. Each small colored point corresponds to its measurement axis.
2}
m
1}
m
3}
m
Figure 14.8: Object size measurement
To select a different object, drag the green start point to the desired object.
NOTE
The accuracy of object size measurements is 0.1mm.
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 154/230

14.1.7 Measuring the Angle of a Surface
This function measures the angle surface relative to the

normal direction of a restoration.
Activate Surf. Angle 1} mand select the location by click-
ing on any of the scene objects and placing the yellow point
on the desired position. The yellow arrow indicates the es-
timated angle from the orange arrow.
The orange arrow indicates the direction of the normal vec-
tor of the selected restoration. You can select the direction
from the drop-down menu Choose angle direction 2} m .
The default vector direction is that of the scan data orien-
tation. You can select a different vector direction from the
available restorations.
To change the normal vector direction manually, use

the available sliders.
Click the button Use as new axis 3}

mto convert the
measured angle vector into a new normal vector di-
rection.
1}
m 3}
m
The Normal radius 4} m slider allows you to broaden
4}
m
5}
m the area that will be used for the normal vector esti-
2}
m mation at the desired position (yellow marker). You
can display the size of the radius after checking the
Show normal radius 5} m option.
Figure 14.9: Surface angle measurement
14.1.8 Common Functions

1}
m
2}
m 3}
m
Figure 14.10: Common functions
To view detailed information on measurements, expand the Additional Information section 1} m. To create an annotation
from a measurement, click the annotation icon 2}
m. To clear measurements, click the broom icon 3}
m .
When available, activating the checkbox Define points by coordinates will display controls that allow coordinate editing:
You can change the coordinates of the selected point with the help of the X-Coord., Y-Coord. and Z Coord. sliders or by
typing in the corresponding edit boxes. The coordinates will be updated depending on the selection of the measurement
tool in use and the Start or End Point.
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 155/230

NOTE
Only the Tools Distance and Angle can be used on CT Data. All other tools are instantly disabled
when any measurement point is set on the CT data surface.
14.2 Sectional View

Using the Sectional View tool, you can “cut into” scene objects, e.g. to view relations between objects that are obscured.
Figure 14.11: Sectional view
4}
m
3}
m
1}
m 2}
m 5}
m
6}
m 7}
m 8}
m
Figure 14.12: Sectional View window
Drag the slider 3}

mto the right. This will move a cut plane into the scene (see Figure 14.11). Once active, the slider name
changes to Position.
You can add more cut planes by clicking Add clip plane 1} m. This adds a third line to the Sectional View window, with all
functions repeated for the third plane. Each plane has an individual color.
If you close the Sectional View tool while cut planes are active, they will remain active. To remove all active cut planes, click
Remove all planes 2} m . To remove individual planes, click the corresponding Remove button 8} m .
You can temporarily activate/deactivate individual cut planes using the Activated checkbox 4}
m.
To keep the cut plane fix at the current depth while rotating the design, check Rotate 5} m . To reset the Position slider to the
m
} m
}
initial (left) state, click Reset 6 . Click Invert 7 to invert the sides hidden by the cut plane.
14.3 Screen Shot

The Screen Shot tool captures an image of the currently displayed scene.
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 156/230

Clicking Screen Shot opens a file explorer window (see Figure 14.13). By default, the project directory is selected, but you
can also navigate to a different directory for saving the image file.
Figure 14.13: File explorer window for saving screen shot
By default, PNG is selected as file type. You can also choose JPG.
14.4 PDF Export

The PDF Export tool generates a PDF file, which can be viewed in Adobe Reader. The PDF file includes 3D images of the
current scene, which can be manipulated (scaled and rotated).
Clicking PDF Export opens a file explorer window. By default, the project directory is selected, but you can also navigate to
a different directory for saving the PDF file.
Figure 14.14: Generated PDF in Adobe Reader
14.5 Webview
Use exocad webview to share your exocad design with anyone as a link. Open the link in a browser on a desktop, tablet or
mobile phone to view an interactive, 3D preview of your CAD design.
Share your CAD design scene
Share your 3D preview either by using dentalshare or by exporting the scene to a shareable HTML file.
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 157/230

14.5.1 Share via dentalshare

1. Click Tools in the main toolbar. Select Share scene via dentalshare webview link. Alternatively, right-click the Save
icon in the main toolbar and select Share scene via dentalshare webview link from the context menu.
Figure 14.15: Select Share scene via dentalshare webview link
2. Select either to save visible objects only or save all objects (including hidden).
Figure 14.16: Save the scene
3. Next, optionally select to encrypt the file using a custom password.

4. Select a password (give this to anyone you share the scene with).
5. Check the Remember selection and don’t ask again box to remember your selection in future. Note that this does
not include the password.
6. Click Continue.
Figure 14.17: Optionally select a password
7. The link to the saved scene will be provided in the upload window. Click Copy to clipboard to save the link to your
clipboard. Paste the link into an e-mail, instant messenger client, etc. to share it with someone.
Note: the upload time will vary depending on the complexity of the scene. Once finished, the scene is available on the
provided URL.
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 158/230

Figure 14.18: Copy the link
14.5.2 Share scene via HTML export

1. Click Tools > Html export in the main toolbar to export the scene as an HTML file and save it locally. Alternatively,
right-click the Save icon in the main toolbar and select Html export from the context menu. You can also select Save
scene as... from the Save context menu and select HTML in the explorer’s file format drop-down menu.
Figure 14.19: Click Tools > Html export Figure 14.20: Save the file
2. Select either to save visible objects only or save all objects (including hidden).
Figure 14.21: Save the scene
3. Next, optionally select to encrypt the file using a custom password.

4. Select a password (give this to anyone you share the scene with).
5. Check the Remember selection and don’t ask again box to remember your selection in future. Note that this does
not include the password.
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 159/230

6. Click Continue.
Figure 14.22: Optionally, select a password
7. Locate the HTML file in the project folder to share it.
Figure 14.23: Locate the HTML file

© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 160/230

14.5.3 Viewing a scene in exocad webview

1. Double-click the HTML file to open it in your browser or paste the link into the address bar of your browser.
2. Enter the password (if one was set).
Figure 14.24: Enter the password
3. In addition to the main viewer, the interface has three main navigational areas:
Group selector
Tools
Standard views
1}
m 2}
m
3}
m
Figure 14.25: Navigational Areas
Group selector 1}
m
The group selector is located in the upper left corner.

Check/uncheck the entries in the list to show/hide objects in the main viewer.
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 161/230

Figure 14.26: Group selector
Click the corresponding wheel icon for an object to view it as a mesh.

Use the slider control to adjust the object’s transparency level.
Figure 14.27: Adjust the transparency level
Tools 2}
m
Click Tools to change the language or view product information about exocad webview.
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 162/230

Figure 14.28: Click Tools to change language
Standard views 3}
m
Select from the available standard view orientations using the arrows on the lower right side.
Return to the default view by clicking Default view.
Alternatively, click and drag the model with your mouse to rotate the view freely.
Figure 14.29: Standard view orientations

© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 163/230

14.6 DICOM Viewer

14.6.1 Selecting a DICOM Series
You can select and visualize a DICOM series record for your patient for visual support for designing the prosthetic component.
Note: the software is not intended for diagnostic purpose.
Step 1: Open the DICOM Control
With help of the DICOM Control you can load a DICOM series and define visualization settings.
To open the DICOM Control:
Click DICOM Control in the main toolbar (see Chapter 3.3), or
Click Tools in the main toolbar and select DICOM Control.
Step 2: Select a DICOM Series
1. Click Select file set to open the DICOM Series Selection Dialog (see Figure 14.31).
Figure 14.30: DICOM Control with no DICOM series selected/loaded
3}
m
1}
m
2}
m
Figure 14.31: DICOM series selection dialog
If you have loaded a project file containing the patient name, the dialog’s title will display it.
2. Select the directory which contains the DICOM series you want to visualize:
browse the directory in the navigation section 1}
m, or
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 164/230

drag a folder from a separate explorer window to the CT data analysis section 2}
m, or
paste the directory’s path into the navigation line 3}
m.
The software automatically analyzes the selected file directory for existing CT data. The content of subfolders is not consid-
ered in this analysis.
Figure 14.32: Analysis section: Figure 14.33: Analysis section:

no CT data available CT data available
Ideally, the information in the CT data analysis section contains all items to clearly identify a patient, which is the patient’s
name (name and surname), the patient’s sex, the patient’s birth date and the date by when study and series were recorded.
However, the information depends on the availability of the corresponding DICOM tags in the selected data.
The CT data analysis section can provide less information about the CT dataset than the Data tab in the DICOM Control (see
Chapter 14.6.2). If the CT data analysis section does not provide a specific information you are looking for, check if you find it
in the Data tab of the DICOM Control after loading a series.
3. Select a DICOM series in the analysis section (selecting a study/patient is not possible). Click OK. The DICOM series is being
loaded (see Figure 14.34). You can abort the loading process by clicking Cancel loading.
Figure 14.34: DICOM Control while loading a DICOM series
Result: DICOM Series Loaded
The loaded DICOM series is visualized in the main view.
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 165/230

2}
m 1}
m
Figure 14.35: Main view with DICOM series visualization
1}
mDICOM Control (see Chapter 14.6.2)
2}
mGroup Selector (see Chapter 3.2) with CT data group
14.6.2 DICOM Control

You can modify the visualization of the DICOM series using the options and settings in the DICOM Control. To show/hide the
DICOM Control, click DICOM Control in the main toolbar (see Chapter 3.3).
Figure 14.36: DICOM Control

DICOM Control tabs:

Data: CT dataset information (see Chapter 14.6.2)
View: visualization parameters and options (see Chapter 14.6.3)
Surface Generation: options to generate surfaces from the isosurface visualization (see Chapter 14.6.4)
You can reduce/extend the DICOM Control window using the icon v/> on the right.
Figure 14.37: DICOM Control - reduced window
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 166/230

Data Tab
The Data tab shows all available information about the visualized CT dataset (ChairsideCAD extracts this information from
the dataset, not from the project file).
1}
m
2}
m
Figure 14.38: Data tab
1}
mStructure of the CT dataset (patient, studies, series)
2}
mPatient/study/series information (depending on left-side selection)
Select file set Open the DICOM Series Selection Dialog, for selecting a different series to load.
Load series Load the series currently selected in the CT dataset structure (left side).
Discard series Discard the currently loaded series.
Table 14.1: Data tab functions
14.6.3 View Tab

The View tab provides options and settings for visualizing the DICOM series.
Figure 14.39: View tab
Mode Description
Isosurfaces Visualizes the DICOM series as a surface generated from the CT data and containing precisely
Chapter 14.6.3 those voxels with a density value equal to a selected surface threshold value.
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 167/230

Mode Description
X-ray Visualizes the DICOM series in a way that simulates a conventional X-ray exposure, considering
Chapter 14.6.3 only those voxels with a density value higher than a given noise threshold value.
Solid The DICOM series is rendered as a solid cube. Each voxel on its face is grayscale-colored
Chapter 14.6.3 according to the local density value. You can cut the cube to visualize the area of interest.
Table 14.2: View tab functions
Select a visualization mode by clicking the corresponding button at the top of the tab. Modifications for visualization param-
eters and options will be rendered in real-time in the main view.
Isosurfaces
Figure 14.40: Isosurfaces visualization
Figure 14.41: Isosurfaces parameters and options

Surface threshold: Use this slider or type in a value to define the density value of the anatomical structure displayed as a
surface.
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 168/230

X-ray
Figure 14.42: X-ray visualization
Figure 14.43: X-ray parameters and options
Use the Noise threshold slider or type in a value to define which voxels are displayed in the X-ray visualization. Voxel data
lower than the specified value is not taken into account.
Solid
Figure 14.44: Solid visualization
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 169/230

Figure 14.45: Solid parameters and options
Option Description
Activate solid highlighting By default, solid highlighting is deactivated. Check Activate solid highlighting to
activate the Highlight density slider.
Highlight density Use this slider to define a threshold value that determines which parts of the visible
anatomic structure are highlighted in red. All data values higher than the defined value
are highlighted.
Solid Options: Hard to soft Use this slider to smooth the border between highlighted and unhighlighted regions
when solid highlighting is activated.
Table 14.3: Solid parameters and options
General Options for All Visualization Modes
Options
Figure 14.46: Options section
Using the Current CT data window slider, you can define the range of data used for the visualization. These settings influ-
ence contrast and brightness in the Solid visualization mode. Using the triangle icon, you can choose from available CT data
window presets. Available presets are defined in the DICOM dataset. <Full Range> is always available, which extends the
CT data window to the full range of available data values.
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Available checkboxes:
Semi-transparency: Set the DICOM series visualization to half transparent. Deactivates the Add second surface
button in visualization mode Isosurfaces (see Chapter 14.6.3).
Use preview mode: Activated by default. In preview mode, the accuracy is reduced during camera movements or vi-
sualization parameter adjustments. If your PC is high-performative, you can deactivate the preview mode to maintain
highest possible accuracy during camera movements and slider adjustment.
Clip
Figure 14.47: Clip section
You can cut away a section of the DICOM series visualization in three directions from both sides by using the corresponding
range sliders or entering values.
14.6.4 Surface Generation Tab

The Surface Generation tab is only available in visualization mode Isosurfaces. It enables you to create surface meshes
from the currently visible isosurface.
Figure 14.48: Surface Generation tab
To create a surface mesh, follow these steps:

Step 1: Define the surface you want to create a mesh for using the surface threshold slider in the View tab while in
visualization mode Isosurfaces (see Chapter 14.6.3). For example, to create a mesh representing the bone
structure, define a threshold value where the bone structure is visible.
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Step 2: Select the Surface Generation tab.

Step 3: Click Generate Surface. A triangle mesh is now created from the currently displayed view.
After loading a scene or project and generating a mesh, it appears in the Group Selector as CT surfaces group.
To create further surfaces, repeat steps 1 to 3. Each created surface will be displayed in an own color.
As soon as you have generated at least one surface, the following functions are available at the bottom of the Surface Gen-
eration tab, each affecting only the last generated surface mesh:
Delete surface Delete the last generated surface.
Flip surface Change the surface’s orientation (back and front).
Toggle look through Display only the front side of the surface.
Table 14.4: Surface generation tab functions

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14.7 Jaw Movement

If the project is defined properly in DentalDB and the Jaw Motion Import Add-on module is activated on your machine, you
can load and visualize patient-specific jaw movement data. Based on this patient-specific data, you can generate a virtual
imprint and use this in place of the virtual articulator. The virtual imprint can be used in place of simulated virtual articulator
movements. ChairsideCAD will use the virtual imprint to dynamically adapt the construction to the antagonist.
NOTE
The Jaw Motion Import Module needs to be activated on your machine in order to be able to load
jaw movement data.
14.7.1 Aligning the bite fork scan

In the first wizard step, ChairsideCAD aligns the bite fork scan with the scan data. See chapter 15.9.
14.7.2 Selecting the jaw movement type
After aligning the bite fork scan, click Next to

reach the jaw movement type selection dia-
log, where you are prompted to select a jaw
movement type as shown in figure 14.49.
Figure 14.49: Jaw movement type selection dialog
14.7.3 Aligning the bite fork model

After you have selected a jaw movement type, ChairsideCAD aligns the bite fork model with the bite fork scan. See chapter
15.9.
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 173/230

14.7.4 Loading jaw movement data

In the next wizard step, ChairsideCAD opens
an explorer window prompting you to load
a jaw movement file. Alternatively, you
can drag&drop a jaw movement file into the
main view, copy&paste a jaw movement file
into the main view or drag the path to a jaw
movement file into the main view. Note that
ChairsideCAD will automatically load a jaw
movement file if there is a *.jawMotion
file in the project folder.
After you have selected the desired jaw
movement file, you can specify the position
of the 3D scan data in a dialog window as
shown in figure 14.50. Note that the dialog
Figure 14.50: Jaw movement type selection dialog window only shows up if multiple positions
are specified in the jaw movement file.
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14.7.5 Inspecting jaw movement data and generating a virtual imprint
Next, you will be able to inspect the jaw

1}
m 5}
m
2}
m 6}
m movement data in the Jaw Movement
4}
m
window. Select the movement type you
3}
m want to inspect from the drop-down menu
Select movement type 1} m . Note that the
selectable movement types depend on the
loaded jaw movement file.
You can observe the visualized jaw move-

ment in the main view by dragging the slider
2}
mand by expanding the 2D movement
inspection section 3} m , where the jaw
movement is visualized in a 2D movement
table. In the table, you can zoom into indi-
vidual cells by scrolling the mouse wheel,
and adjust the observable area within a cell
by left-clicking and dragging.
Toggling the checkbox Show recording de-

vice 4}
mshows/hides the bite fork model in
the main view.
Figure 14.51: Jaw Movement window
Clicking the button Generate virtual imprint 5} m starts the process of generating a virtual imprint.
You can choose which movement paths to include in the virtual imprint generation process, if you have activated the check-
box Include selected paths 6} m. If the checkbox remains deactivated, only the selected movement type in 1}
m will be used
to generate the virtual imprint.
7}
m
Figure 14.52: Generated virtual imprint
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 175/230

Figure 14.52 shows an example of a generated virtual imprint. Activate the checkbox Show virtual imprint 7}
mto visualize
the virtual imprint in the main view.
14.8 Align Meshes

Using the Align Meshes tool, you can match floating meshes on fixed meshes. This is typically used to align pre-op scans
(floating mesh) to scan data (fixed mesh).
NOTE
Scan data cannot be aligned to DICOM data.

Scan data that already has a defined insertion axis, an assigned construction, or an imported
margin cannot be aligned to something else.
Click Align Meshes. This opens the Align Meshes window for the 3-point registration (see Figure 14.54). Click alternating
points at same positions on the two meshes, as shown in Figure 14.53.
Figure 14.53: 3-point registration
To undo an arrow, click Back 1}

m. When you have at least defined two point pairs, click Perform alignment 2}
m.
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 176/230

1}
m
2}
m
3}
m
6}
m
7}
m
4}
m
5}
m
Figure 14.54: 3-point registration result
Check Show distance 5} mto display a color scale showing the remaining distance between the meshes (see Figure 14.55.
You can define an accepted and maximal distance.
The following functions help you to improve the alignment result:
Using the slider Matching parts ratio 6m

}, you can set the ratio of the surface parts existing in both surfaces.
Define the maximum influence distance using the slider Maximum influence distance 7}
m. Only surface parts below
the specified distance will influence the matching.
You can further improve the alignment result by clicking Best fit matching 3}
m. Only use best-fit matching when you
have identically shaped meshes.
Figure 14.55: Alignment after best fit matching
You can exclude mesh areas from best fit matching by checking Matching: Exclude selected parts 4}
m. This opens a Brush
tool window (see Figure 14.56).
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 177/230

1}
m
7}
m
8}
m
2}
m
3}
m
4}
m
5}
m
6}
m
Figure 14.56: Exclude selected parts - brush tool
Hold the left mouse button and drag to paint areas to be excluded from the matching. They will be colored blue.
Mesh selection 1}
m: Select the mesh you want to draw areas on.
Fit nowhere 2}
m: Marks the complete mesh. Best-fit matching will have no effect.
Invert markings 3}
m: Marks unmarked areas vice versa.
Fit everywhere 4}
m: Clears all existing markings.
Mark automatic 5}
m: Uses only a small area around the tip and tail of each arrow as matching region.
Radius for automatic marking 6}
m: Sets the radius of the mesh area at each arrow end.
Brush size 7}
m: Adjusts the size of the painting brush.
Brush inverse 8m
}: Inverts the brush functionality. You can also hold SHIFT while painting to inverse the brush.
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 178/230

You can select additional floating

parts to be included in the alignment
process by activating the checkbox
Select additional floating parts
1}
m 1}
m. This opens the Selected float-
ing parts window (see Figure 14.57).
Select all parts in the list by

clicking All 2}
m .
Deselect all parts in the list by

clicking None 3} m .
Select all visible parts in the list

by clicking All visible 4} m
Invert the current selection by

clicking Invert 5}
m .
Select by click 5} m allows you

2m
} 4m
} to select individual parts by
3}
m 5}
m clicking them in the main view.
6}
m Hold CTRL while clicking to de-
select a selected part.
Figure 14.57: Align Meshes - Select floating parts

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14.9 Adjust Light

Using the Adjust Light tool, you can change the virtual lighting in the ChairsideCAD scene. By default, scenes are lit from
the front (view direction). Sometimes it can be useful to intentionally create shadows, e.g. to gain a clearer understanding of
where a margin line should be.
Click Adjust Light. This will open the Adjust Light window (see Figure 14.58).
1}
m 2}
m
3}
m
4}
m
5}
m
Figure 14.58: Adjust Light window
Click On/Off 1} m to activate the Adjust Light tool. This will activate the Moving button 2}m . Move the Adjust Light window
to move the virtual light source. Uncheck Move with Camera 3} mto detach the lighting source from camera movements.
Using the Z slider 4}
m in the More section, you can change the light’s distance to the scene.
Expanding the Special section 5}
mprovides more lighting settings:
Toggle Flat Shading: toggle triangle-based illumination / smooth visualization
Toggle Wireframe: show/hide triangle edges
Ambient: set uniform illumination intensity

Diffuse: set matte illumination intensity
Specular and Shine: set shiny illumination intensity
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14.10 Annotations
Using the Annotations tool, you can add annotations to scene objects.
Click Annotations.... This opens the Annotation editor window (see Figure 14.59).
1}
m
2}
m
3}
m
Figure 14.59: Annotations
To add an annotation:
Step 1: In the Add tab, type in your annotation text 1}
m.
Step 2: Click Set note position 2m
}.
Step 3: Click a scene object where you want to position the annotation. The annotation text will be displayed with an
arrow pointing to the defined note position (see Figure 14.60).
Figure 14.60: Annotation on scene object
Change the annotation’s location or the text position by dragging the spheres at the arrow’s end/tip. The Options section
3}
mprovides the tools to change the font size, color, and arrow length.
To edit annotations, select the Edit tab. It contains a list of all annotations (see Figure 14.61).
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 181/230

Figure 14.61: Edit annotations
Select an annotation in the list to change its text. You cannot edit annotations created in the Measurement Tool (see Chapter
14.1). To delete an annotation, select it in the list and click the Delete Icon that appears next to the selected annotation.
The Project Notes tab displays project notes. You can add project notes by typing in text. These notes will be saved auto-
matically in the scene file, but will not be saved in the project file.
14.11 Add/Remove Mesh

Using this tool, you can add and/or remove meshes. Clicking Add/Remove Mesh opens the Add/Remove Mesh window (see
Figure 14.62).
1}
m
2}
m
3}
m
Figure 14.62: Add/Remove Mesh window
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 182/230

14.11.1 Adding a Mesh

Step 1: Select the type of mesh you want to load from the Select mesh type drop-down list 1}
m(see Chapter 16.2 for
details on mesh types).
Step 2: If required, e.g. if your projects contains restorations in both jaws, select the jaw you want to load a mesh for in the
Choose jaw drop-down 2} m .
Step 3: Click Load 3}
m.
Step 4: Select the mesh file in the appearing explorer window. Once selected, ChairsideCAD loads and visualizes the
mesh.
Step 5: If required, move the mesh using the mesh placement options (see Chapter 14.11.2).
Step 6: Click OK.
14.11.2 Mesh Placement Options

The Correct Placement section of the Add/Remove Mesh window (see Figure 14.62) shows mesh placement options. Which
options are available depends on the type of mesh you have loaded.
Correct height Change the mesh’s height position along the z-axis by dragging it up/down
Correct position Change the mesh’s position in x/y direction by dragging it
Move freely Move the mesh freely by dragging it. Hold CTRL and drag to rotate the mesh.
Set color Define the mesh’s color (color selection via Choose color button)
Check Allow resizing to allow scaling the mesh. To scale the mesh, hold SHIFT and drag the mouse in the desired scaling
direction, indicated by a green arrow. To perform direction-based scaling, hold CTRL and SHIFT. Although this option is
available by default, you cannot actually scale all mesh types.
By clicking Show viewer axes, you can visualize the so-called scene coordinate system. Note that this does not necessarily
represent the scan coordinate system.
If you have loaded an antagonist mesh, the Correct Place-

ment section appears, and you can move the mesh up or
down along the z-axis with a specific step size. Define the
step size by using the slider or typing in a value, and move
the mesh by clicking Up/Down.
14.11.3 Generating a Plane

By clicking Generate Plane, you can generate a plane, e.g. to visualize the occlusal plane. This button is only available if
you select Generic visualization mesh or Antagonist as mesh type. You can position the plane using the mesh placement
options (see Chapter 14.11.2).
14.11.4 Removing a Mesh

Step 1: Click Remove object(s). This opens the Remove meshes... window. It lists all existing meshes of the currently
selected mesh type.
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Step 2: Check the checkboxes for meshes you want to delete.

Step 3: Click OK.
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14.12 Importing a 3D Face Scan

When the add-on module 3D Face Scan is activated on your dongle, you can import a 3D face scan as a mesh object into the
scene.
When in Expert mode, right-click the Tools button in the main menu bar to open up the Tools context menu. Select
Add/Remove mesh to open up the Add/Remove Mesh window.
Next, select Face scan from the drop-down menu Select mesh
type 1}m . Clicking the Load button 2} mopens a file explorer win-
dow. By default, the project directory is selected, but you can also
navigate to a different directory.
3}
m Upon loading the face scan, you need to select whether the face
1}
m
4}
m scan data is in scene or jaw scan coordinates.
5}
m When the face scan has been loaded, you can correct the place-
ment in the Add/Remove Mesh window:
3}
m Correct height: Adjust the Z position of the scan by dragging
2}
m it with your mouse. Hold CTRL to rotate the scan around the Z-axis.
6}
m
4}
m Correct position: Adjust the X/Y position of the scan by drag-
ging it with your mouse. Hold CTRL to rotate the scan around the
Z-axis.
5}
mMove freely: Allows you to freely adjust the position of the
scan by dragging it with your mouse. Hold CTRL to rotate the scan
freely.
Figure 14.63: Add/Remove Mesh window Activate the checkbox Allow resizing 6} mto resize the face scan
by holding SHIFT while dragging the scan with your mouse. This
checkbox can only be activated when in Move freely mode.
When in Move freely mode, two more elements appear in the

Add/Remove Mesh window:
1}
m
1}
mAlign Meshes: Allows you to align the floating mesh with the
2}
m
fixed mesh. See chapter 14.8.
2}
mFace correct placement: Provides the following advanced
placement functions in a new window:
Figure 14.64: Add/Remove Mesh window in Move

Freely mode
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14.12.1 Correcting the face scan placement
1}
m 2}
m
3}
m 4}
m
6}
m 7}
m
9}
m
5}
m
8}
m
Figure 14.66: Face Correct Placement window - Rescale

Figure 14.65: Face Correct Placement window
Mode
Move 1}
m: Move the mesh freely. Hold CTRL to rotate, or SHIFT to scale the mesh.
Rotate 2}
m: Rotate the mesh freely.
Scale 3}
m: Scale the mesh.
Scale Units 5}
m : Opens a new dialog box, allowing you to scale the scan to the selected measurement unit. E.g. chang-
ing from mm to cm will scale the face with factor of 10.
Rescale 4} m : Clicking this button expands the window and provides additional options to rescale the mesh (see Figure
14.66. Set a start point 6}mand an end point 7} m , then adjust the slider Desired length 8}
mto rescale the mesh. It is
recommended to use the eyes as start and end points as shown in figure 14.67. You can delete the points by clicking
the Clear button 9} m .
Figure 14.67: Defined start and end point on 3D Face Scan
14.12.2 Free-Forming the 3D Face Scan

In this Expert step, you can modify the shape of the 3D face scan. To open the Free-Forming window, either right-click the
3D face scan and select Free-Form face model from the context menu, or select Free-Form face model from the Expert
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 186/230

toolbar after you have selected the 3D face scan in the main view.
The Free-Forming window has two tabs representing two free-forming modes:
Free: Add, remove, or smooth material with a virtual wax knife. See Chapter 14.12.2.
Anat. (Anatomical): Adjust the shape of the 3D face scan by pulling user-defined regions. See Chapter 14.12.2.
Free Tab
Select the desired action by using the buttons Add/Remove

1}
m and Smooth/Flatten 2} m .
To add/remove material: Hold the left mouse but-

ton on the 3D face scan to add material. To remove
1}
m 2}
m material, additionally hold SHIFT. The longer you
hold the mouse button, the more material will be
added/removed.
3}
m To smooth/flatten rough areas: Hold the left mouse
button on areas you want to smooth. To flat-
4}
m ten (super-smoothing) material, additionally hold
SHIFT. For a more shape-preserving smoothing, hold
CTRL.
5}
m 6}
m 7}
m
Using the slider Strength 3} m , you can adjust the amount
of material that is added/removed, or the amount of
smoothing when in Smooth/Flatten mode. Using the slider
Brush size 4} m , you can define the area that is affected
around the cursor.
There are three brush types available: default 5}m , point of
knife 6}
m , and cylinder 7}
m .
Anat. tab
The Anat. tab consists of two sections: Presets and Paint

& Pull. The Presets sections offers two options to edit the
shape of the 3D face scan:
1}
m 2}
m small region 1} m : When this button is activated, you
can pull a small region of the 3D face scan to your de-
sired position.
3}
m
huge region 2} m : When this button is activated, you

can pull a huge region of the 3D face scan to your de-
sired position.
By expanding the Paint & Pull section 3}

m, you can mark
Figure 14.69: Anat. tab Presets section parts on the 3D face scan:
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 187/230

1}
m 6}
m 8}
m 9}
m
2}
m
10}
m 14}
m
3}
m
7}
m
5}
m 4}
m
11}
m
13}
m 12}
m
Figure 14.70: Paint & Pull section Figure 14.71: Advanced Paint & Pull section
To mark areas, activate the button Paint moving parts

1}
mand drag your mouse. Define the brush size using the
In advanced editing mode, you can select between Moving
Brush size 2} mslider. Using the slider Elastic area 3} m ,
areas 8} m , Elastic Areas 9}m , and Static areas 10}
m by acti-
you can influence the size of the yellow elastic band that is
vating one of the corresponding buttons and dragging your
automatically painted around the green area parts. Note
mouse. Define the brush size using the Brush size slider
that the Invert button 4} mcan only be activated in ad-
11}
m. To invert the function of the painted areas, click Invert
vanced editing mode. To clear all markings, click Reset 5}m .
12}
m. To clear all markings, click Reset 13}m .
You can pull moving parts by activating Pull moving parts
You can pull moving parts by activating Pull moving parts
with mouse 6} m .
with mouse 14} m .
You can access advanced free-forming features by clicking
on Advanced Editing 7} m :
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14.13 Change Reconstruction Types

Using the Change Reconstruction Types tool, you can change reconstruction types for teeth. You can change the definition
of missing/healthy teeth, and anatomic restorations to reduced restorations and vice versa.
Clicking Change Reconstruction Types opens the Change Reconstruction Type window (see Figure 14.72).
Figure 14.72: Change reconstruction types
Click once on a not yet defined tooth to define it as missing tooth. Click again to define it as adjacent. Clicking a third time
deletes the definition again.
Click a tooth defined as anatomic restoration to change it to a reduced restoration, or vice versa.
If the reconstruction type is “veneer” or “anatomic inlay”, you can toggle between veneer and anatomic inlay by holding
CTRL+SHIFT while left-clicking.
For a provisional bridge with provisional pontics, the provisional pontics can be changed to anatomic pontics. Clicking on it
again, you have the option to switch to reduced pontic or switch back to provisional pontic.
When designing bite splints, you can switch between Bite splint, Bite splint (anatomic) and Bite splint gap.
You will be prompted in a dialog to confirm if you really want to change the reconstruction type.
Confirm your reconstruction type changes by clicking OK.
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14.14 Add a Picture

Using this tool, you can add 2D images to your 3D scene. Clicking Add a Picture opens the 2D Image Loader window (see
Figure 14.73).
1}
m
2}
m
3}
m
Figure 14.73: 2D Image Loader window
To load an image file, select Load image from file 1}

m and select the desired image file in the explorer window. Alternatively,
you can drag&drop an image file into the main view, copy&paste an image file into the main view or drag the path to an image
file into the main view. To directly capture an image using your PC camera, click From camera 2} m . To load a golden ratio
visualizer, select Load Golden Ratio from the library dropdown menu 3 . m
}
Figure 14.74: Image loaded
Use the arrow controls at the sides of the image to rotate it. Move the image by dragging it with your mouse. Scale the image
by dragging the spheres at the image corners.
You can load multiple images. The Loaded Images section of the 2D Image Loader window lists all loaded images (see Figure
14.75). Select the image you want to display, or to perform actions (e.g. rescale, see Chapter 14.14.1) for, in this list. To delete an
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image, click the trashcan icon. By clicking the arrow icon, you can align the image frontal to the view position. Alternatively,
double-click the image.
Figure 14.75: List of loaded images
14.14.1 Rescaling an Image

Using the Rescale tab (see Figure 14.76) you can rescale an image to a measured distance:
Step 1: Click a start point and an end point in the image to measure a distance.
Step 2: Set the desired distance for the measured distance using the slider Desired length.
Step 3: Click Rescale. The initially defined distance now matches the desired distance.
Figure 14.76: Rescale tab
14.14.2 Aligning an Image

Using the Align tab (see Figure 14.77), you can align an image to a mesh.
Step 1: Define three point pairs by clicking the image and corresponding points on the scene mesh.
Step 2: Define the desired distance from the image to the mesh using the slider Adjust result distance from image to
mesh.
Step 3: Click Align 2D/3D.
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Figure 14.77: Align tab
14.14.3 Clipping an Image

Using the Clip tab (see Figure 14.78), you can cut areas of an image, and the image will become transparent in this area. You
can define the area by drawing a curve or a polygon.
To draw a curve, select the radio button Draw curve, and set curve points by clicking the image. To draw a polygon, select
Draw polygon and click points to define the polygon’s edges. In both modes, double-clicking connects the first and last
point. Click Clip to cut out the drawn area.
You can define multiple clipping areas. These will be listed in the Clipped Parts section. To delete a clipping area, select it in
the list and click the trashcan icon. To show/hide the clipped part, click the visibility icon.
Figure 14.78: Clip tab
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14.15 Set Tooth Colors

This tool is available if model teeth are present in the scene. Clicking Select Tooth Colors opens the Tooth Color Selec-
tion window (see Figure 14.79), and you can choose the tooth color.
Figure 14.79: Tooth Color Selection window

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14.16 Smile Creator

The Add-on module Smile Creator provides an easy solution for aesthetic planning that enables more predictable results.
Load patient photos into the software and Smile Creator matches them to 3D scans of the teeth.
Automatically add and edit guidelines.
Select tooth shapes from our library and edit them with 2D tools.
See the 3D results in real-time from any angle.
14.16.1 Designing a smile with the Smile Creator Wizard

To start Smile Creator, click Start Smile Creator in the Smile Creator Wizard. The wizard shows the step “Start Smile Cre-
ator” if at least two neighboring teeth are reconstructed and at least one of them is an incisor.
Note: Smile Creator is not available if the reconstruction type is a waxup with a waxup scan.
Alternatively, start Smile Creator from the main toolbar (Tools > Smile Creator).
Figure 14.80: Main toolbar
Note: The Smile Creator module first needs to be activated. Also note that Smile Creator is optimized for single groups of
neighboring teeth.
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STEP 1 - Load a retracted image
Figure 14.82: Take an image
Figure 14.81: Load retracted image
Click Load a retracted image (see figure 14.81 to load an image from your file directory, or take a picture directly from your
device:
1. Click the camera symbol.

2. Click Take image in the window that opens (see figure 14.82).
Alternatively, you can drag&drop an image file into the main view, or copy&paste an image file into the main view.
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 195/230

STEP 2 - Set corresponding points and adjust
ChairsideCAD automatically aligns the image to the scan data. If this process fails, the patient’s photo is displayed on the
right side of the screen. Match the scan and the photo by setting alignment points.
Figure 14.83: Scan and photo
1. Set two corresponding alignment points on the left and right image. First click two points in the scan and then click
the corresponding alignment points in the corresponding positions in the photo.
Figure 14.84: Set corresponding points

2. Adjust the point positions as required by left-clicking and dragging them. Hover the mouse over the images and scroll
to magnify them for better adjustment. Click Next when the points are optimal.
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Figure 14.85: Adjust points
SHORTCUTS
Move image – hold both mouse buttons
Scale image up and down – scroll mouse wheel
Rotate the view horizontally around pivot - page up, page down
3. In the next step, the scanned jaw and retracted image are placed on top of each other.
Fine-tune the overlay by holding the left mouse button and moving the photo.
To adjust the view angle of the scan, right-click and drag.
Scroll the mouse wheel up/down without clicking to zoom in/out both images simultaneously.
4. Click Next when done.
Figure 14.86: Fine-tune the overlay
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STEP 3 – Load a smiling image
Next, load a smiling image of the patient by clicking Load a smile image and selecting an image from your file directory, or
take a picture directly with your device. Alternatively, you can drag&drop an image file into the main view, or copy&paste an
image file into the main view.
Figure 14.87: Load a smile image
STEP 4 – Set corresponding points and adjust

Figure 14.88: Set two corresponding alignment points
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 198/230

1. ChairsideCAD automatically aligns the images. If this process fails, the retracted and smiling images are displayed next
to each other. Set two corresponding alignment points in both pictures. Adjust as required by left-clicking and dragging
the points, then click Next.
2. Fine-tune the placement of the points as required to optimize image scaling and position. Click each point to rotate
and scale the photo up and down. Click and drag the image to move it back and forth.
Figure 14.89: Fine-tune the overlay
STEP 5 – Draw a lip line
ChairsideCAD automatically detects the lip line. If this fails, draw a lip line to cut out the mouth by clicking points along the
inner lip line, as shown in the screenshot below. Adjust the line as required by dragging the points.
Figure 14.90: Draw a lipline
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STEP 6 - Guidelines and curves
ChairsideCAD automatically detects the patient’s eyes. If this fails, follow these steps:
1. Click the patient’s right eye.
Figure 14.91: Click the right eye
2. Click the patient’s left eye. Guidelines and curves appear.
Figure 14.92: Click the left eye

© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 200/230

1}
m
2}
m
Figure 14.93: Edit guidelines and curves
3. In the wizard, select a proportion guide by clicking the drop-down menu 1}

m.
4. To add more guidelines, expand the Add lines and curves section 2m
}in the wizard and click the corresponding sym-
bol.
5. Adjust guidelines and curves as required by dragging and dropping their control points. Click a control point and press
DEL to delete the guideline.
6. If you rotated the guidelines, align the image by enabling Lock Rotation and align image to lines.
7. Click Next when done.
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STEP 7 - Modelling
Next, adjust your design. The main window shows the retracted image with the 2D outlines of the tooth models. In the upper
right corner is the front view of the 3D model. The top view is shown below and the image in the lower right corner represents
the side view of the model. You can activate the Show Distances function (see Chapter 3.5) in the main toolbar.
Figure 14.94: Adjust your design
The Smile Creator Wizard is shown in the left part of the screen. The four areas of the window will be explained in this section.
1}
m
2}
m
3}
m
4}
m
Figure 14.95: Smile Creator Wizard - Modelling
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 202/230

1. Select a dental library in the Library section 1}

m.
Note that it is important to begin the modeling process with this step. Changing the dental library resets any modifi-
cations you have made.
Figure 14.96: Select a library
2. Check the Mirror Movements box to apply all changes in position, scaling and rotation symmetrically.
3. In the Tools section 2} m of the wizard you can click a tooth to view and change its dimensions in all views. You can se-
lect several teeth by holding CTRL while clicking an additional tooth. All teeth inbetween two clicked teeth will also be
selected when holding SHIFT while clicking. Select either Free-Form or Measurements to perform advanced mod-
elling.
4. Click Free-Form to edit the tooth shape. See Chapter 4.10 for more information on free-forming.
Note that only the Anatomic tab and the presets are available for free-form modification.
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Figure 14.97: Smile Creator Wizard - Free-Forming
5. Select Measurements to view the dimensions of a tooth and the proportions. Disable the function by clicking the icon
again.
Figure 14.98: View the dimensions of a tooth
6. Check the Lock view orientation box to lock the current view. Check the Auto hide view obstructions box to auto-
matically hide parts of the scan obstructing the view in the three secondary views.
7. In the selection field 3}
m, select one of the following modes:
Full tooth: displays all teeth in their entirety with the tooth necks in realistic rendering
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Preview: displays a preview of the teeth above the cervical border (useful for so-called “gum smiles”) in realistic
rendering
Outline: displays an outline of the teeth above the cervical border.
8. Click Undo to cancel previous changes and Redo to restore them 4}
m. Note that changes to the tooth library will also
be undone/redone.
9. Adjust the model directly in the viewer, if required, as follows:
Click a tooth in any of the views to modify its size, shape or position.
Drag the frame that appears by its control points to change the size of a tooth.
Drag the control point with arrows to rotate the tooth.
Click a tooth to change its position freely. To perform this step for several teeth simultaneously, hold CTRL and
click the desired teeth or click, hold and drag the mouse to create a rectangular selection area for several teeth.
Check the Mirror Movements box 1m
}to adjust the contralateral tooth at the same time.
Switch between the outline view and full tooth view by clicking the circle icon in the upper right corner of each
view.
Figure 14.99: Full tooth view

Figure 14.100: Outline view
Rotate the model freely by right-clicking and dragging it. Click the arrow in the top left corner return to the default
view.
Click Next when done.
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 205/230

STEP 8 - Preview and Color
In the last Wizard step, a preview of the smile is displayed.
Figure 14.101: Smile preview
Now you can adjust the coloring of the teeth using the following controls:
1}
m Select one of the 20 standard colors in the Wizard. Fine-tune your selected color to better match the photo using
the slider below. Note that the color in the photo depends on the camera, lighting and display configuration, so the
preview is only an approximation. Fine-tune the Image brightness with the corresponding slider.
1}
m
2}
m
3}
m
4}
m
Figure 14.102: Preview
2}
mExpand Custom Color Selection to give your design an individual coloration. Define the tooth base color and the
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 206/230

tooth highlight color by using the sliders (see Figure 14.103).
Use the color picker to select a color in the photo by clicking the upper pipette icon. Click a point in the photo
which corresponds to the tooth base color.
Next click the lower pipette icon to select a highlight color. Click a bright position in the original image to apply
this as the highlight color for your model.
Figure 14.103: Custom color selection
3}
mSelect either Full Tooth, Preview or Outline mode using the pick list towards the bottom of the wizard.
4}
m Copy the left-hand image with the new smile to your clipboard or save the image in the project directory as a JPEG
file.
Click Done when finished and return to expert mode. You can access the Smile Creator Wizard any time using Tools >
Smile Creator.
14.17 Show Project in Explorer

Clicking Show project in explorer opens the file directory of the currently loaded project in an explorer window.
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 207/230

14.18 Settings
Click Settings to open the Settings window. In this window, you can view and change general settings for your ChairsideCAD
application. For applying certain changes, you must restart ChairsideCAD.
System Information: Displays information on the ChairsideCAD installation and your computer system.
User Interface Language: Available languages for the user interface.
User interface theme: Choose a theme for the ChairsideCAD user interface.
Background color for 3D view: Choose a background color for the main view by clicking the + button. A set of pre-
defined colors is available. You can define your own background color using RGB sliders. ChairsideCAD automatically
saves a custom color as preset. Note: Ensure good visibility when changing the background color.
Dental notation: Tooth numbering system used in ChairsideCAD. FDI, Universal, Palmer or Palmer (Digital) are avail-
able.
Always optimize for free-forming and 3D printing: Ensures that all output meshes are watertight. Activation is
recommended for 3D printing and selective laser melting (see Chapter 16.3).
Tooth library to use: Default tooth library for model teeth.
DICOM default search directory: Define a default path under which the search for DICOM files should start when
the dialog box for loading DICOM data is displayed. If the path is not defined (default), the search starts in the current
project folder.
Lingual bands on offset copings in wizard?: Enables lingual bands on offset copings in the Wizard (see Chapter 4.4).
Default tab in preparation margin step: Set the initially selected tab in the margin line detection Wizard window
(see Chapter 4.1).
Allow to toggle the visibility of the 3D object using mouse clicks and hotkeys: Unchecking this box deactivates
hotkeys for showing/hiding objects in the main view (see Chapter 3.2)
Face scans display in front of other objects: Face scans are preferred to be displayed slightly in front of other objects
with some visual offset.
TruSmile on start: Check this box if you have TruSmile installed, so it is active by default with the launch of Chair-
sideCAD.
TruSmile-Lite (speed in favor of quality): A rarely used option for old, slow graphics cards to increase the real-time
responsiveness by decreasing the color accuracy.
Smile Creator allow in Wizard: Activate to enable the Smile Creator Add-on module in the Wizard.
Use Windows default cross hair cursor: A rarely used option for old, slow graphics cards to improve the quality of
the cursor image.
2D-UI sidewards scrolling factor: If this value is not zero, allow sidewards scrolling in 2D user interface with a mouse
that has a special tilt wheel, and also with newer laptop touchpads that allow sidewards scrolling e.g. with two fingers.
This allows for example to scroll left and right in the expert mode toolbar with the given speed factor. Set the speed
factor to a negative value to interchange left/right direction.
Show ruler: Check to display a mm/cm ruler on each side of the screen.
Show grid: Check to display a rectangular grid in the background of the main view, with mm/cm markings on it.
Display grid as overlay: Check to display the grid in front of the meshes.
PDF show after Export: Controls the behavior of ChairsideCAD after exporting a 3D PDF (see Chapter 14.4). If checked
(default), the Adobe Reader will be launched immediately after exporting the PDF.
Web Export Password/Reminder: ChairsideCAD will save the webexport password you enter here.
Sectional view line drawing: Unchecking this box hides the white outlines of cut objects when using the Sectional
View tool (see Chapter 14.2).
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 208/230

GPU depth test acceleration: Allow to use the GPU to accelerate depth tests.
GPU distance to antagonist/adjacent acceleration: Allow to use the GPU to accelerate distance to antagonist and
distance to adjacent visualization.
GPU articulator result acceleration: Allow to use the GPU to accelerate articulator motion path consolidation
(saving result after articulator simulation).
GPU jaw motion path acceleration: Allow to use the GPU to accelerate jaw motion path consolidation (when import-
ing jaw movement paths).
View transition duration: Controls the rotation speed of the view arrows in the main toolbar (see Chapter 3.3).
Allow sending of advanced statistics to improve products: Activate to allow ChairsideCAD to send advanced anony-
mous statistics in order to improve products and service. No patient data or medical data will be transferred.
Save a screenshot file automatically for each saved scene: When a scene file is saved, the software will automat-
ically also save a screenshot preview image in the same folder.
Always use Model Alignment (replaces ‘Adjust Scan Data Orientation’): ChairsideCAD will use model alignment
data instead of scan data orientation results.
Auto save scene (reduces performance): If activated, ChairsideCAD will automatically save a scene file after impor-
tant steps (e.g. after tooth placement, crown bottoms generation). This reduces the ChairsideCAD performance.
14.19 About
Click About to open the About window. The window shows information about the ChairsideCAD software: product version,
copyright information, engine build number, and dongle serial number (with option to copy to clipboard). The About window
contains the Unique Device Identifier (UDI) as per 21 CFR 801.50.
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 209/230

15 Expert Mode
The Expert mode is the more advanced alternative to using the Wizard mode. In Expert mode, you can jump freely between
the work steps, and you can use special Expert features. Furthermore, you can apply changes to certain teeth.
15.1 Expert Menus

To access work steps, functions, and tools in Expert mode, you can use the context menu and/or the Expert toolbar. Which
functions, work steps and tools are available in the menus depends on the project definition, the design progress, and what
is selected in the ChairsideCAD screen (background, scene object/s).
15.1.1 Context Menu

Access the context menu by right-clicking the background or a scene object. The context menu will list all available options.
For more information on context menu, see Chapter 3.4.
15.1.2 Expert Toolbar

Access the Expert toolbar by hovering your mouse over the lighter-colored line at the bottom of the ChairsideCAD screen.
The expert toolbar (see Figure 15.1) slides open and you can select a work step/option by clicking the corresponding icon. The
next work step in the Wizard steps sequence is highlighted in orange. The available work steps/options vary depending on
the design progress.
Figure 15.1: Expert toolbar
The second option to open the Expert toolbar is clicking a scene object, or selecting multiple scene objects (hold CTRL while
clicking objects). The Expert toolbar then contains all available options for the selected scene object(s).
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 210/230

15.2 The Expert Window
Figure 15.2: Expert Window
The Expert window contains the same functions for performing a work step as the Wizard window (see Chapter 3.7.1). Clicking
OK closes the window and saves the settings for this work step. Clicking Cancel also closes the window, but discards all
settings specified since you have started the work step.
15.3 Applying Changes to Certain Teeth

To apply changes to certain teeth, select the desired tooth by clicking it in the main view. To select multiple teeth, hold CTRL
and click the teeth. To select multiple neighboring teeth in a row, click the first tooth you want to select and hold SHIFT
while clicking the last tooth in the row. After selecting the desired tooth/teeth, you can access tools/functions via the expert
menus. Changes will then only affect the selected teeth.
15.4 Adjusting the Scan Data Orientation

You can manually adjust the scan data orientation in Expert mode by selecting Orient. in the Expert toolbar or Adjust Scan
Data Orientation from the context menu.
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 211/230

Figure 15.3: Adjust Scan Data Orientation window
Rotate the scan until you look onto the occlusal side of the teeth and click Next to set the current view as the scan data
orientation. You can reset the view by clicking Reset Orientation.
15.5 Crown Bottoms

In Wizard mode, ChairsideCAD generates the crown bottoms automatically. In Expert mode, there are additional options for
editing crown bottoms. To access these options, select the crown bottoms step in the Expert toolbar / context menu.
WARNING
If the preparation shape has deep grooves on top and rather thin walls, e.g. when it arose from a
root canal treatment, then the milling machine might not be able to mill that area with the stan-
dard milling tool, and the software might generate too much spacing around the whole prepara-
tion or might require using expert mode feature to cope with the situation.
Possible ways to solve the situation:

Before scanning, apply temporary soft filling material into the dent on top. Note that the
crown will have spacing in those areas anyway due to milling machine tool diameter limita-
tions, so be aware that some medical treatment for that area might be required.
Before finishing the crown bottom, go to Expert mode, open the Mesh Editor/Edit Scan
Data tool to edit the actual preparation mesh shape. Mark and then cut out the dent/groove
area. Then close the hole again and show the full jaw scan data again to avoid intersections
with the jaw.
Use freeform scan data before defining the preparation.
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 212/230

15.5.1 Cement Gap

The Gap tab contains functions to define the cement gap.
1}
m
2}
m
3}
m
4}
m
5}
m
Figure 15.5: Cement gap visualization
Figure 15.4: Crown bottoms - Gap

Cement gap areas are displayed in yellow on the preparation, areas without cement gap are displayed in green (see Figure
15.5).
Cement gap options:
Edit yellow/green areas by selecting the corresponding brush icon 1} mand drawing on the preparation. To draw, hold
the left mouse button and drag. To invert the brush functionality, hold SHIFT.
Set the cement gap using the Gap slider 2}
m.
Click Add another zone 3} mto add a third area in another color on the preparation. You can edit this area using the
corresponding brush icon, as explained above. There is also a slider available to define the third zone’s width.
You can add spacing in axial direction that will be applied everywhere using the slider Axial 4} m . To add horizontal
spacing perpendicular to the axial direction, use the slider Radial 5}
m. By default, these sliders are locked (indicated
by the active lock icon), which means that you cannot move them individually. Click the lock icon to deactivate this
behavior.
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 213/230

15.5.2 Crown Border

The Border tab contains functions to define the crown border’s shape. The Parameter Explanation graphic illustrates the
parameters you can set.
Figure 15.6: Crown bottoms - Border
Horizontal: Horizontal crown border width.

Angled: Length of the border’s angled part.
Angle: Angle of the angled part.
Vertical: Additional vertical border.
Below margin: Absolute offset of all set margin points (left side of line 1) in the insertion direction.
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 214/230

15.5.3 Undercuts
The Undercuts tab contains undercut-related options and milling parameters.
1}
m
2}
m
3}
m
4}
m
5}
m
6}
m
7}
m
8}
m
Figure 15.7: Crown bottoms - Undercuts
ChairsideCAD blocks out undercuts by default. To deactivate this behavior, check Don’t block out undercuts 1}
m.
Using the slider Angle 2} m , you can apply a certain angle for blocking out undercuts. The angle is measured relatively to the
insertion direction. If Don’t block out undercuts is checked, the Angle slider is deactivated.
(a) Crown bottom with undercut (b) Crown bottom with 10,7° blockout angle
Figure 15.8: Crown bottom blockout angle
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 215/230

Using the slider Size 3}

m, you can define a protected zone around the preparation margin where the crown is never blocked
out or milling-compensated, even if it should be (due to undercuts being present).
Milling Parameters
Anticipate milling 4}
m: Checked by default if you have selected a material that will be milled.
Diameter 5} m : Diameter of the tool that will be used for milling. It is beneficial to choose a value slightly higher than
the diameter of the actual tool you are using, e.g. chose 1.2 mm when milling with a 1 mm tool. Consider the diameter
of the smallest tool used in milling. The diameter of the roughing tool is of no interest here.
Bullnose/flat tool 6} m : ChairsideCAD supports tool compensation for both round and non-round milling burrs,
called bullnose tools. Unchecking enables round burr tooling compensation, while checked means bullnose tool com-
pensation. In both cases, ChairsideCAD will show you the ideal tool-compensated result. If this checkbox is active,
undercuts will always be blocked out (checkbox Don’t block out undercuts is deactivated).
You can adjust Tool tip flat percentage 7}mto define your bullnose tool. 0% value means a round burr, while 100%
means a true flat-end burr is being used.
Click Apply 8m
}to see the effect of your changes.
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 216/230

15.6 Inlay Bottoms

In Wizard mode, ChairsideCAD generates the inlay bottoms automatically. In Expert mode, there are additional options for
editing inlay bottoms. To access these options, select the inlay bottoms step in the Expert toolbar / context menu.
15.6.1 Cement Gap

The Gap tab contains functions to define the cement gap.
1}
m
Figure 15.9: Inlay bottoms - Gap
The Cement Gap parameters and Select Zones by Distance setting are the same as for crown bottoms, and are described
in Chapter 15.5.1. In the Additional Spacing section, you can add spacing that will be applied everywhere using the corre-
sponding slider 1} m .
15.6.2 Inlay Border

The Border tab contains functions to define the inlay border’s shape. The Parameter Explanation graphic illustrates the
parameters you can set. See Chapter 15.5.2 for a detailed description of the parameters.
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 217/230

Figure 15.10: Inlay bottoms - Border
15.6.3 Undercuts
The Undercuts tab contains undercut-related options and milling parameters. The available settings are explained in Chap-
ter 15.5.3.
Figure 15.11: Inlay bottoms - Undercuts
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 218/230

15.7 Functions for Loading Model Teeth

In Expert mode, you can load default or custom model teeth by selecting the corresponding option in the Expert toolbar /
context menu.
15.7.1 Loading a Default Model Tooth

ChairsideCAD inserts a model tooth from the default library. You are prompted to confirm that this will replace your previous
design.
15.7.2 Loading a Custom Model Tooth

In the Load Custom Model Tooth window (see Figure 15.12), you can select the model tooth to use.
1}
m
2}
m
3}
m
Figure 15.12: Load Custom Model Tooth window
Select the tooth library in the tooth library drop-down 1}

m. The preview section 2}
mshows the corresponding model tooth.
Hold the right mouse button and drag to rotate the preview.
To load a model tooth file, click Load from file 3} mand select the file (STL or EOFF) in the appearing explorer window.
Alternatively, you can drag&drop a model tooth file into the main view, copy&paste a model tooth file into the main view or
drag the path to a model tooth file into the main view.
15.8 Improving Occlusion

15.8.1 Adjusting the Jaw Scan Position
Using this function, you can reposition the jaw scan (including restorations).
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 219/230

Right-click the jaw scan and select Correct Jaw Scan Relation in the context menu. This opens the Correct Jaw Scan
Relation window (see Figure 15.13). With opening the window, ChairsideCAD automatically switches to Wizard mode for
proper operation.
1}
m
4}
m
5}
m
2}
m
3}
m
Figure 15.13: Correct Jaw Scan Relation window
To move the jaw scan vertically, activate Correct height 1}

m. Define a step size with the slider Raise/lower bite 2}
m, and
move the jaw up/down using the arrow buttons 3 . m
}
With activating Correct position 4}

m, you can move the jaw scan horizontally by dragging it in the main view.
If you activate Move freely 5}
m , you can move the jaw scan freely by dragging it in the main view. To rotate the scan, hold
CTRL. This mode also provides the option to align the jaw scan and the antagonist using 3-point registration.
Figure 15.14: Correct Placement - Move freely mode
Click Align Meshes to open a mesh alignment window and perform the 3-point alignment as described in Chapter 14.8.
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 220/230

If you have already performed virtual articulation, repositioning the scan will not automatically update the articulation re-
sults, which may no longer match the scan data. Before repositioning the jaw scan, you must decide in a dialog if you want to
delete the articulation results (recommended). The virtual articulation step (see Chapter 4.8) will appear again in the Wizard
after you have moved the scan data.
15.9 Aligning Scans (Extra Jaw Scan / Bite Alignment Scan to Jaw Scan)
15.9.1 Aligning an Extra Jaw Scan to an Existing Jaw Scan
Using the Add/Remove Mesh tool (see Chapter 14.11), you can load an extra jaw scan.
When loading an extra jaw scan, you must decide if the scan is stored relative to the coordinate system of the scan data (see
Figure 15.15). The pre-selected first option is the default case, the second option is commonly not valid.
Figure 15.15: Coordinate system selection dialog
To align the extra jaw scan to the first jaw scan, select Scan Alignment in the context menu. This will open the Scan Align-
ment window (see Figure 15.16 a) and the main view displays both jaw scans separately in a split screen (see Figure 15.16
b).
(a) Scan Alignment window (b) Main view
Figure 15.16: Aligning two jaw scans
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 221/230

If needed, rotate the scans separately in the split screen to achieve a similar orientation. Click a common point on both jaw
scans. With clicking the second point, ChairsideCAD matches the jaw scans and updates main view and Scan Alignment
window (see Figure 15.17).
(a) Scan Alignment window after alignment (b) Main view after alignment
Figure 15.17: Alignment result
If you see an evenly green surface in the relevant area on the scans, the result is accurate. To improve the alignment result, if
necessary, you can click another point on the jaw scans or drag the points and restart matching.
15.9.2 Aligning a Bite Alignment Scan to a Jaw Scan

Using the Add/Remove Mesh tool (see Chapter 14.11), you can load a bite alignment scan. When loading a bite alignment
scan, you must decide if you want to use the Wizard to match both existing jaw scans to the bite alignment scan (see Figure
15.18).
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 222/230

Figure 15.18: Bite alignment scan alignment dialog
If you want to use the Wizard for matching, you can use the loaded bite alignment scan’s position as reference, or the position
of the corresponding existing jaw scan.
If you want to perform the alignment manually, choose the option No, keep current alignment and select Align Jaws in the
context menu while in Expert mode. You can then perform the alignment using 1-click-registration as described in Chapter
15.9.
15.10 Setting the Minimum Thickness
WARNING
Ensure not to select a minimum thickness below the required thickness of the restoration part’s
material.
HINT
Contact your reseller and the material manufacturer for further information.
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 223/230

1}
m
2}
m
Figure 15.19: Set Minimum Thickness window
Using the Min. thickness slider 1}m , you can define the minimum thickness. Define the occlusal increment using the corre-
m
}
sponding slider 2 . Click Apply to apply your changes.
15.10.1 Setting the Minimum Thickness for Inlays/Veneers

For inlays, onlays, and veneers, there is a third slider available in the Set Minimum Thickness window (see Figure 15.20).
Figure 15.20: Set Minimum Thickness window for inlays/veneers
Using the Border Taper slider, you can set the minimum thickness at the transition zone between inlay border and prepa-
ration margin. This setting indirectly influences the border shape of the inlay, as it determines how thick/sharp the design
can be towards the preparation margin.
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 224/230

(a) Thick (b) Sharp
Figure 15.21: Inlay border styles

© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 225/230

15.11 Editing Scan Data
WARNING
When editing scans, e.g. a waxup scan to remove unwanted parts, ensure not to remove relevant
details of the mesh, e.g. details of a waxup scan tooth.
HINT
In case you have removed/changed too much in a scan, use Undo or Cancel to revert all unwanted
changes.
Using the 3D Data Editor, you can crop meshes, close holes, and divide one mesh into multiple meshes. You can use it for any
mesh data (e.g. jaw scan).
You can access the 3D Data Editor by clicking a mesh and selecting Scan Data Editor in the Expert toolbar, or by right-
clicking a mesh and selecting Edit mesh in the context menu. When right-clicking the antagonist, the context menu option
Edit antagonist also opens the 3D Data Editor.
Figure 15.22: 3D Data Editor window
Select one of three marking modes to define which parts of the mesh will be marked:
Select straight through: markings on visible mesh areas will also mark hidden mesh areas behind.
Select only surface: markings will only appear on exposed mesh areas.
Select by click on surface: click to mark all parts of the mesh connected to the clicked point.
You can mark the mesh either by defining a straight line that goes straight through the mesh (the area on the side pointed
to by an arrow defines the marking area on the mesh), or by defining a closed contour on over the mesh (the enclosed part
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 226/230

of the contour defines the marking area on the mesh). When drawing a line and not closing the selection, the Delete, Crop,
Cut buttons already become available. When clicking them, the mesh will be cut exactly along the unclosed polygon.
To define a straight line:
Step 1: Click a position at the height of the line you want to draw. A green point appears. When you move your mouse
away from this point, an orange solid line is displayed between the green point and the mouse cursor position. A
dotted line extends outwards from this line in both directions. An orange arrow indicates the marking direction.
To change the direction, rotate the line around the green point by dragging your mouse.
Step 2: Double-click. The area you have defined for marking is displayed in orange.
To define a closed contour:
Step 1: Hold the left mouse button and draw a line by dragging the mouse. A green dotted line appears. An orange dotted
line indicates how the shape will be closed.
Alternatively, set single points by left-clicking. These points are connected with a straight green line. A solid
orange line indicates how the shape would continue.
You can also combine the two drawing techniques in one contour.
Step 2: Double-click to close the shape. The marked shape is displayed in orange.
To unmark areas in a marked zone, use the same techniques while holding SHIFT.
When you have marked a region on the mesh, all functions become active in the 3D Data Editor window.
All Mark the complete mesh.
None Unmark the complete mesh, remove all existing markings.
Invert Invert the markings (unmarked areas become marked, marked areas become
unmarked).
Delete Delete the part of the mesh you have marked.
Crop Delete the part of the mesh which is not marked.
Cut Cut the part of the mesh you have marked. The marked part of the mesh will not be
deleted. Instead, a new mesh will be created which is then shown in a list in the 3D Data
Editor window.
Close holes Surround the hole with a curve and click this button to close holes. Expanding the
drop-down exposes a Size threshold slider.
Divide Divides one mesh in two separate meshes.

If there are intersections in the scan data (before performing virtual artic-
ulation), there is an additional section Repair Scan Data Intersections in
the 3D Data Editor window. If you click Repair, ChairsideCAD cuts away
the intersections.
15.11.1 Editing Pre-op/Waxup Scans

When working with a pre-op scan, the Edit waxup/pre-op scans option opens the Waxup/Pre-Op Scan Editor window,
which provides the same functions as the 3D Data Editor (see Chapter 15.11).
When working with a waxup scan, the Edit waxup/pre-op scans option opens the Waxup Scan Editor window, which pro-
vides the same functions as the corresponding Wizard step described in Chapter 5.2.1.
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 227/230

15.12 Free-Forming Scan Data

To free-form scan data, click a scan and select Free-form scan data in the Expert toolbar / context menu. This opens the
Free-Form Scan Data window (see Figure 15.23).
Figure 15.23: Free-Form Scan Data window
You can edit the scan data using the free-forming functions described in Chapter 4.10 (anatomical free-forming and free
adjustments).
15.13 Deleting Constructed Parts

Using this function, you can delete all parts of a reconstruction (e.g. crown bottom, model tooth, preparation, etc.).
Step 1: Select Delete Reconstructions in the Expert toolbar or Delete constructed parts in the context menu. This
opens the Delete Reconstructions window (see Figure 15.24).
Step 2: Select the parts to delete from the Delete: drop-down menu (Crowns/Inlays/Abutments etc. / All). The Parts to
delete section lists the parts which will be deleted. You cannot select individual items in the list.
Step 3: Click OK to confirm.
Figure 15.24: Expert Mode Delete Reconstructions
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 228/230

16 Appendix
16.1 Tooth Libraries

The ChairsideCAD standard configuration includes the generic tooth library by default. Which additional libraries are avail-
able in your ChairsideCAD installation depend on your provider.
WARNING
We strongly advise against the use of tooth libraries not provided in the ChairsideCAD installation
and not signed by exocad. Do so only at your own risk.
HINT
Contact your reseller for further information about the installed tooth libraries.
16.2 Mesh Types for Loading in ChairsideCAD

You can load the following meshes in ChairsideCAD using the Add/Remove Mesh tool (Expert mode only, see Chapter 14.11).
Antagonist: If you already have an antagonist, ChairsideCAD will ask you if you want to replace it with the new antago-
nist mesh.
Pre-op model: Scan of pre-operative situation (also known as situ-scan)
Generic visualization mesh
Gingiva
Extra jaw scan: Additional jaw scan. You can align this scan to the existing scan (see Chapter 15.9.1).
XML image set (*.treatmentImages): Image including positioning information.
Face scan
Bite alignment scan: Scan of two jaws in occlusion. You can align this scan to the existing jaw scan (see Chapter 15.9.2).
Bite rim
Supported file formats: STL (Binary or ASCII), OFF (Binary or ASCII), OBJ ASCII, PLY, and open system .DCM mesh files, as well
as Point Clouds (contact exocad for Point Cloud details).
16.3 Output for Milling and Selective Laser Melting (SLM)

If your constructions are to be produced using selective laser melting (SLM, often incorrectly referred to as “laser sintering”),
the output data must be a “watertight” mesh with certain characteristics:
No holes or open edges; completely interconnected mesh
No inner surfaces or self-intersections
For milling, these requirements are not mandatory.
Figures 16.1 and 16.2 show a sectional view of the junction between connector and pontic, with and without SLM optimization.
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 229/230

Figure 16.1: SLM optimization Figure 16.2: No SLM optimization

You can enable SLM optimization in the merge and save restorations step by checking Optimize for better free-forming
and 3D printing in the merge and save restorations (see Chapter 4.13)
The post-processing for SLM involves time-consuming calculations, and the SLM optimization is only performed by default
if a laser-melted material is selected for the reconstruction. If you want to set SLM optimization as a global default, check
Always optimize for free-forming and 3D printing in the ChairsideCAD settings (see Chapter 14.18).
16.4 Troubleshooting
I want to learn more about ChairsideCAD. Where can I find more information?
Check out our YouTube channel for video tutorials. Ask your reseller for further training.
The optical scan data is not loaded automatically.

When you start the design, the software tries to load the necessary optical scan data automatically. If the software is not able
to locate the scan data it requires the user to load it manually. In case this happens frequently/always, please contact your
reseller to configure your system correctly.
I want to create a persistent measurement that will not change during the workflow.
You can create a persistent measurement by clicking the button Create Annotation from current Measurement in the
measurement tool.
© 2018–2021 exocad GmbH page 230/230

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4 Wizard Workflow: Designing Crowns and Bridges 26

4.11 Anatomic Reduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

5 Designing from a Waxup or Pre-Op Scan 71

6 Designing Bite Splints 76

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6.4 Designing the Bite Splint Top . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

7 Designing Provisional Restorations 82

8 Designing Cantilever and Maryland Bridges 87

9 Model Creator Module 88

10 Designing Abutments 112

11 Designing Bars 132

12 Designing Virtual Waxups 142

13 Cut View 147

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14.8 Align Meshes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176

15 Expert Mode 210

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1.1 Typographic Conventions

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1.3 Intended Use

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1.4 Indications and Contraindications

1.5 Units and Conventions

1.5.1 Measurement Accuracy

1.6 Hardware Requirements

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1.6.1 Monitor Settings Information

1.7 Software Requirements

1.8 Software Installation

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1.9 Input Data and Requirements

1.9.1 CT Image Data (DICOM Data)

The following requirements must be met:

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1.9.2 Scan Data (Input)

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1.10 Workflow-Related Safety Instructions

healthy teeth or the restoration.

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1.11 Add-on Modules

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2.1 Launching ChairsideCAD from ChairsideDB

Figure 2.1: Successful launch of ChairsideCAD

(a) Selection scene or scan (b) Multiple scenes available

Figure 2.2: Scene file(s) in project folder

2.2 Launching ChairsideCAD directly

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Figure 2.3: Successful launch of ChairsideCAD

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Scroll mouse wheel Zoom in/out (zoom center = mouse position)

Arrow keys Move the view in the respective arrow directions

CTRL+R: open Measurement Tool (see Chapter 14.1)

3.1.1 Multi-Touch Interface

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3.2 Group Selector