Diagnostic intraoral scanning

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10390913-B2
Application number	US-201916258516-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 25, 2019
Priority date	Jan 26, 2018
Publication date	Aug 27, 2019
Grant date	Aug 27, 2019

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses for taking, using and displaying three-dimensional (3D) volumetric models of a patient's dental arch. A 3D volumetric model may include surface (e.g., color) information as well as information on internal structure, such as near-infrared (near-IR) transparency values for internal structures including enamel and dentin.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
displaying a three-dimensional (3D) model of a patient's dental arch;
displaying a viewing window over at least a portion of the 3D model of the patient's dental arch;
receiving, from a user, a change in a relative position between the viewing window and the 3D model of the patient's dental arch;
identifying, from both the 3D model of the patient's dental arch and a plurality of images of a patient's dental arch taken from different angles and positions relative to the patient's dental arch, a near-infrared (near-IR) image taken at an angle and position that approximates a relative angle and position between the viewing window relative to the 3D model of the patient's dental arch; and
displaying the identified near-IR image taken at the angle and position that approximates the angle and position between the viewing window relative to the 3D model of the patient's dental arch.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the steps of identifying the near-IR image and displaying the identified near-IR image are done continuously, as the user changes the relative positions between the viewing window and the 3D model of the patient's dental arch.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein allowing the user to change the relative position between the viewing window and the 3D model of the patient's dental arch comprises allowing the user to change one or more of: an angle between a plane of the viewing window and the patient's dental arch, and a portion of the dental arch adjacent to the viewing window.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein identifying comprises determining a plurality images that approximate the relative angle and position between the viewing window relative to the 3D model of the patient's dental arch and averaging the plurality to form the identified near-IR image.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising collecting, in a processor, a data set comprising both the 3D model of the patient's dental arch and the plurality of images of a patient's dental arch taken from different angles and positions relative to the patient's dental arch.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein displaying the viewing window over a portion of the 3D model of the patient's dental arch comprises displaying a loop through which the portion of the 3D model of the patient's dental arch may be viewed.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein allowing the user to change the relative position between the viewing window and the 3D model of the patient's dental arch comprises separately controlling one or more of: the angle of the 3D model of a patient's dental arch, the rotation of the 3D model of a patient's dental arch, and the portion of the dental arch adjacent to the viewing window.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein allowing the user to change the relative position between the viewing window and the 3D model of the patient's dental arch comprises allowing the user to move the viewing window over the 3D model of the dental arch.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprises identifying, from both the 3D model of the patient's dental arch and the plurality of images of the patient's dental arch taken from different angles and positions relative to the patient's dental arch, a second image that approximates the relative angle and position between the viewing window relative to the 3D model of the patient's dental arch comprises identifying one of: a visible light image and a florescent image; and displaying the second image concurrently with the near-IR image.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein displaying the identified near-IR image that approximates the angle and position of the viewing window relative to the displayed 3D model comprises displaying the identified near-IR image in a window adjacent or overlapping with the display of the 3D model of the patient's dental arch.

11. A method comprising:
displaying a three-dimensional (3D) model of a patient's dental arch;
displaying a viewing window over a portion of the 3D model of the patient's dental arch;
allowing a user to change a relative position between the viewing window and the 3D model of the patient's dental arch, including one or more of: an angle between the 3D model of the patient's dental arch relative to a plane of the viewing window, and a portion of the dental arch adjacent to the viewing window; and
continuously, as the user changes the relative position between the viewing window and the 3D model of the patient's dental arch:
identifying, from both the 3D model of the patient's dental arch and a plurality of pairs of images of a patient's dental arch, wherein each pair of the plurality of pairs includes a first imaging wavelength and a second imaging wavelength each taken at the same angle and position relative to the patient's dental arch, a pair of images taken at an angle and position that approximate the angle and position of the viewing window relative to the displayed 3D model of the patient's dental arch; and
displaying at least one of the identified pair of images taken at the angle and position that approximate the angle and position of the viewing window relative to the displayed 3D model of the patient's dental arch.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein displaying comprises displaying the pair of images in a window adjacent to the 3D model of the patient's dental arch.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein identifying comprises determining a plurality of pairs of images that approximate the relative angle and position between the viewing window relative to the 3D model of the patient's dental arch, and further comprises averaging the first imaging wavelength images and averaging the second imaging wavelength images of the plurality of pairs of images to form the identified pairs of images.

14. The method of claim 11 , further comprising receiving, in a processor, the data set comprising the 3D model of the patient's dental arch and the plurality of images of a patient's dental arch taken from different angles and positions relative to the patient's dental arch.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein displaying the viewing window over a portion of the 3D model of the patient's dental arch comprises displaying a loop through which the portion of the 3D model of the patient's dental arch may be viewed.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein allowing the user to change the relative position between the viewing window and the 3D model of the patient's dental arch comprises separately controlling a position of the 3D model of the patient's dental arch relative to the viewing window and a position of the viewing window relative to the patient's dental arch.

17. The method of claim 11 , wherein allowing the user to change the relative position between the viewing window and the 3D model of the patient's dental arch comprises allowing the user to move the viewing window over the 3D model of the dental arch.

18. The method of claim 11 , wherein the first imaging wavelength comprises a near-infrared wavelength and the second imaging wavelength comprises one or more of: a visible light wavelength, a florescent wavelength; an x-ray wavelength.

19. The method of claim 11 , wherein displaying the identified pair of images comprises displaying the identified pair of images in windows adjacent or overlapping with the display of the 3D model of the patient's dental arch.

20. A method comprising:
displaying a three-dimensional (3D) model of a patient's dental arch;
displaying a viewing window over a portion of the 3D model of the patient's dental arch;
allow

Assignees

• Align Technology Inc

Inventors

• Sabina Michael
• Kopelman Avi
• Kuo Eric
• Elbaz Gilad
• Weiss Assaf
• Malka Doron
• Saphier Ofer
• Nizard Eliahou Franklin
• Tishel Ido
• Ayal Shai
• Moshe Maayan

Classifications

• A61B5/0088

  for oral or dental tissue · CPC title

• A61C9/0053 Primary

  Optical means or methods, e.g. scanning the teeth by a laser or light beam · CPC title

• A61C13/0004

  Computer-assisted sizing or machining of dental prostheses · CPC title

• A61B1/00186

  with imaging filters · CPC title

• A61C7/002

  Orthodontic computer assisted systems · CPC title