Smile designer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12347567-B2
Application number	US-202217888458-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 15, 2022
Priority date	May 23, 2008
Publication date	Jul 1, 2025
Grant date	Jul 1, 2025

Abstract

Various methods and systems for designing a restored smile are provided. One method includes receiving scan data of a patient's teeth, developing a digital model of the patient's teeth via a computing device, where the model represents the patient's teeth based upon the scan data, creating a dental treatment plan to restore one or more teeth from an initial condition to a successive condition, and wherein a final condition of the one or more is based on the one or more teeth having at least one planned additional restorative tooth structure provided therewith.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of orthodontic treatment of a patient using a computing device readable medium having executable instructions, the method comprising:
generating a visualization comprising a smile selected from a smile library database in an identified area of a digital frontal image of the patient, in which the teeth of the patient are replaced with the smile selected from the smile library, wherein the visualization is generated from a computing device including the computing device readable medium, further wherein the executable instructions are configured to be executed by a processor to cause a computing device to perform a method comprising:
receiving the digital frontal image of a face of the patient including a mouth of the patient in a smile;
identifying a location of the smile of the patient in the received digital frontal image of the face of the patient;
identifying an area in the received digital frontal image where teeth of the patient are showing;
identifying the teeth of the patient for adjustment from the identified area;
selecting the smile from the smile library database based on the identified teeth of the patient; and
providing a visualization comprising the selected smile from the smile library database in the identified area of the received digital frontal image where teeth of the patient are showing to show how the selected smile would look in the mouth of the patient;

presenting the visualization to the patient; and
providing one or more dental appliances to move the patient's teeth to achieve a configuration of teeth shown in the visualization.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising providing a side-by-side comparison of the received digital frontal image and the visualization showing how the selected smile would look in the mouth of the patient.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising developing a treatment plan for the patient comprising a plurality of treatment stages to approximate the selected smile.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein treatment plan comprises removal of tooth mass.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising generating a plurality of aligners to implement to the treatment plan.

6. The method of claim 3 , wherein treatment plan comprises an orthodontic treatment plan using a plurality of removable aligners, and wherein the method further comprises manufacturing and delivering the aligners to the patient.

7. The method of claim 3 , further comprising showing a progression of the teeth of the patient from one stage of the treatment plan to the next stage of the treatment plan in the received digital frontal image of the face of the patient.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the one stage comprises a first stage and the next stage comprises a final stage.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the received digital frontal image is manipulated by rotating the digital frontal image.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the smile of the received digital frontal image is cropped after identifying the location of the smile.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the location of the smile is identified based on color data.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the location of the smile is identified based on lightening or darkening the digital frontal image.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein identifying the area in the received digital frontal image where the teeth of the patient are showing comprises identifying an inner lip line of the patient.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the identified inner lip line of the patient may be edited by a user input.

15. The method of claim 13 , further comprising identifying a number of teeth within a region enclosed by the identified inner lip line of the patient.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein identifying the area in the received digital frontal image where teeth of the patient are showing in the smile of the patient comprises generating an edge image that contains both an inner lip contour, teeth edges, and gum edges.

17. The method of claim 1 , further comprising receiving input for toggling between an actual smile of the patient and the visualization comprising the selected smile with the smile of the patient.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the toggling comprises rendering one of the actual smile of the patient or the selected smile transparent relative to the other.

19. The method of claim 1 , further comprising moving the patient's teeth using one or more dental appliances to approximate a configuration of teeth as shown in the visualization.

20. A method of orthodontic treatment of a patient using a computing device readable medium having executable instructions, the method comprising:
generating a visualization comprising a smile selected from a smile library database in an identified area of a digital frontal image of the patient, in which the teeth of the patient are replaced with the smile selected from the smile library, wherein the visualization is generated from a computing device including the computing device readable medium, further wherein the executable instructions are configured to be executed by a processor to cause a computing device to perform a method comprising:
receiving the digital frontal image of a face of the patient including a smile of the patient;
identifying a location of the smile of the patient in the received digital frontal image of the face of the patient;
identifying an area in the received digital frontal image where teeth of the patient are showing in the smile of the patient;
identifying the teeth of the patient for adjustment from the identified area;
receiving a three-dimensional model of the teeth of the patient;
providing a visualization of a final smile, the final smile illustrating the three-dimensional model of teeth after a proposed treatment plan for treating the patient in the identified area of the received digital frontal image where teeth of the patient are showing in the smile of the patient;

presenting the visualization to the patient; and
moving the patient's teeth using one or more dental appliances to achieve the final smile.

Assignees

• Align Technology Inc

Inventors

• Stone-Collonge Michelle
• Kuo Eric E
• Matty Rick M
• Pettinati Fabio
• Maurer Thomas
• Sanko Dzmitry

Classifications

• 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

• A61B2576/00

  Medical imaging apparatus involving image processing or analysis (A61B1/00009, A61B6/52 and A61B8/52 take precedence) · CPC title

• A61B5/445

  Evaluating skin irritation or skin trauma, e.g. rash, eczema, wound, bed sore · CPC title

• A61B5/0088

  for oral or dental tissue · CPC title

• A61B5/0077

  Devices for viewing the surface of the body, e.g. camera, magnifying lens · CPC title