The Application of 3D Dense Face Alignment in Esthetic Rehabilitation

This article describes a technique for making an esthetic treatment plan by using a virtual face scan reconstructed from digital photographs through three-dimensional dense face alignment (3DDFA) and intraoral scans. Portrait photographs were captured with a digital camera and were reconstructed to a virtual 3D face scan by 3DDFA. After scaling the virtual face scan to the correct size, intraoral scans and virtual face scans were aligned to create a 3D view of the patient. A virtual diagnostic waxing was created accordingly. In select cases, this technique can provide 3D esthetic predictions when 3D face imaging devices are not available.