Adaptive orthodontic treatment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10792127-B2
Application number	US-201715839730-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 12, 2017
Priority date	Jan 24, 2017
Publication date	Oct 6, 2020
Grant date	Oct 6, 2020

Abstract

A processing device receives image data of an actual condition of a patient's dental arch at an intermediate stage of a multistage orthodontic treatment plan. The processing device compares the image data of the actual condition of the patient's dental arch to a planned condition of the patient's dental arch for the intermediate stage. The processing device identifies one or more clinical signs that the actual condition of the patient's dental arch has a deviation from the planned condition of the patient's dental arch for the intermediate stage of the multi-stage orthodontic treatment plan based on a result of the comparing. The processing device determines one or more probable root causes for the deviation based on the one or more clinical signs. The processing device additionally determines one or more corrective actions for the multi-stage orthodontic treatment plan based on the one or more probable root causes.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
receiving image data of an actual condition of a patient's dental arch at an intermediate stage of a multi-stage orthodontic treatment plan;
comparing, by a processing device, the image data of the actual condition of the patient's dental arch to a planned condition of the patient's dental arch for the intermediate stage of the multi-stage orthodontic treatment plan;
identifying, by the processing device, one or more clinical signs that the actual condition of the patient's dental arch has a deviation from the planned condition of the patient's dental arch for the intermediate stage of the multi-stage orthodontic treatment plan based on a result of the comparing;
determining, by the processing device, one or more probable root causes for the deviation based on the one or more clinical signs; and
determining, by the processing device, one or more corrective actions for the multi-stage orthodontic treatment plan based on the one or more probable root causes.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining whether a planned final condition of the patient's dental arch is achievable based on the one or more clinical signs, wherein each of the one or more corrective actions is to at least one of a) enable achievement of the planned final condition of the patient's dental arch or b) modify the planned final position of the patient's dental arch.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the clinical signs comprise at least one of:
an indication of one or more teeth that have moved as planned;
an indication of one or more teeth that have moved less than planned;
an indication of one or more teeth that have experienced motion that is contrary to a planned motion; or
an indication of one or more teeth that have not moved.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the clinical signs comprise, for each tooth, a first indication of the deviation between an actual amount of translational movement of the tooth and a planned amount of translational movement of the tooth in a first direction, a second indication of the deviation between an actual amount of translational movement of the tooth and a planned amount of translational movement of the tooth in a second direction, and a third indication of the deviation between an actual amount of rotational movement of the tooth and a planned amount of rotational movement of the tooth.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more clinical signs comprise an indication of a difference in at least one of a position or an orientation for one or more teeth between the actual condition of the patient's dental arch and the planned condition for the patient's dental arch.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein:
the one or more clinical signs further comprise an indication that an actual amount of tooth crowding deviates from a planned amount of tooth crowding and an indication that an actual amount of an interproximal reduction (IPR) has a deviation from a planned amount of the IPR, wherein the IPR is a removal of tooth surface between at least two adjacent teeth;
the one or more probable root causes comprise the deviation of the actual amount of the IPR from the planned amount of IPR; and
the one or more corrective actions comprise at least one of performing the planned amount of the IPR or adjusting planned final positions for the one or more teeth.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein:
the one or more clinical signs further comprise an indication that a planned attachment for a tooth is not present or is placed incorrectly;
the one or more probable root causes comprise an absence of the planned attachment or an incorrect placement of the planned attachment; and
the one or more corrective actions comprise attaching the planned attachment to the tooth or repositioning the planned attachment on the tooth.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein a first clinical sign maps to a plurality of probable root causes, and wherein a first probable root cause maps to a plurality of clinical signs.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the image data comprises one or more x-ray images of the patient's dental arch showing actual root positions for roots of one or more teeth; and
the one or more clinical signs comprise at least one of:
an indication that an actual root position for a first tooth that deviates from a planned root position for the first tooth;
an indication that a distance between a first actual root position for the first tooth and a second actual root position for a second tooth that is less than a minimum distance threshold;
an indication that a distance between the first actual root position for the first tooth and an unerupted tooth that is less than the minimum distance threshold;
an indication of a decrease in a size of a root for the first tooth; or
an indication that a distance between the first actual root position for the first tooth and a bone boundary is less than the minimum distance threshold.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining, for each probable root cause of the one or more probable root causes, a probability that the probable root cause is an actual root cause.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
generating a virtual three-dimensional (3D) model of the patient's dental arch based on at least one of the image data or the multi-stage orthodontic treatment plan;
generating a color overlay for the virtual 3D model, wherein the color overlay color codes teeth of the dental arch based on the one or more clinical signs that apply to the teeth, and wherein the color overlay identifies a first clinical sign of the one or more clinical signs using a first color and identifies a second clinical sign of the one or more clinical signs using a second color; and
outputting the virtual 3D model and the color overlay.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the color codes of the color overlay comprise:
the first color that indicates that a tooth has not moved;
the second color that indicates that a tooth has moved less than planned;
a third color that indicates that a tooth has moved as planned; and
a fourth color that indicates that a tooth has moved in an opposite direction than was planned.

13. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining that the one or more corrective actions comprise an alteration to one or more stages of the multi-stage orthodontic treatment plan; and
automatically performing the alteration to the one or more stages of the multi-stage orthodontic treatment plan without first receiving user input to perform the alteration.

14. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
outputting a first list identifying the one or more probable root causes; and
outputting a second list identifying the one or more corrective actions.

15. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
comparing the image data of the actual condition of the patient's dental arch to previous image data of a previous condition of the patient's dental arch; and
identifying one or more additional clinical signs based on a result of comparing the image data of the actual condition of the patient's dental arch to the previous image data of the previous condition of the patient's dental arch.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the image data comprises a first virtual three-dimensional (3D) model of the actual condition of the patient's dental arch at the intermediate stage generated from a plurality of intraoral images of the patient's dental arch; and
comparing the image data of the actual condition of the patient's dental arch to the planned condit

Assignees

• Align Technology Inc

Inventors

• Kopelman Avi
• Sterental René M
• Kvasov Igor
• Dyachenko Mikhail
• Roschin Roman A
• Grechishnikov Leonid Vyacheslavovich

Classifications

• G06T2207/30036

  Dental; Teeth · CPC title

• G06T7/0012

  Biomedical image inspection · CPC title

• A61C7/002 Primary

  Orthodontic computer assisted systems · CPC title

• A61C7/08

  Mouthpiece-type retainers {or positioners, e.g. for both the lower and upper arch (arch-shaped medicament applicators for teeth or gums A61C19/063; mouthguards for protecting the teeth of sportsmen A63B71/085)} · CPC title

• A61C9/0053

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