Virtual model of articulation from intra-oral scans

A system for determining virtual articulation from dental scans, comprising:

• a module for receiving digital 3D models of a person's maxillary arch and mandibular arch;
• a module for receiving digital 3D models of a plurality of different bite poses of the maxillary and mandibular arches;
• and
• a module for determining a virtual articulation model, based upon the digital 3D models of the plurality of different bite poses, including a pure rotation axis representation for each bite pose of the mandibular arch with respect to the maxillary arch.

A method for determining and displaying a virtual articulation from dental scans, comprising steps of:

• receiving digital 3D models of a person's maxillary arch and mandibular arch;
• receiving digital 3D models of a plurality of different bite poses of the maxillary and mandibular arches;
• determining a virtual articulation model, based upon the digital 3D models of the plurality of different bite poses, including a plurality of pure rotation axes of the mandibular arch with respect to the maxillary arch;
• and
• displaying a pose of the virtual articulation model on an electronic display device based upon user input for one or more rotations around the pure rotation axes.