Method and system for dental visualization

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9642678-B2
Application number	US-34671908-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 30, 2008
Priority date	Dec 30, 2008
Publication date	May 9, 2017
Grant date	May 9, 2017

Abstract

In particular embodiments, method, apparatus and system for receiving digital representations of the initial parameters of a dentition; simulating a first orthodontic treatment process on the digital representations of the initial parameters, displaying a set of output results from the simulation of the first orthodontic treatment process, simulating a second orthodontic treatment process on the output results from the simulation of the first orthodontic treatment process, and displaying a set of output results from the simulation of the second orthodontic treatment process are provided.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for creating a visualization of results corresponding to a dental treatment including a first orthodontic treatment process, a second orthodontic treatment process, and a third orthodontic process, wherein said visualization of results is created prior to implementation of said first orthodontic treatment process, said second orthodontic treatment process, or said third orthodontic process dental treatment on a patient, said method comprising:
receiving digital representations of initial teeth parameters of a dentition, wherein the digital representations comprise a digital set that is digitally cut to represent individual tooth crowns;
simulating a first orthodontic treatment process on the digital representations of the initial teeth parameters, wherein the simulating the first orthodontic treatment process comprises:
virtually applying a first chosen treatment to the initial teeth parameters of the dentition;
displaying a set of output results from the simulation of the first orthodontic treatment process;

simulating a second orthodontic treatment process on the set of output results from the simulation of the first orthodontic treatment process, wherein the set of output results comprises supplementary initial teeth parameters, and wherein the simulating the second orthodontic treatment process comprises:
virtually applying a second chosen treatment to the supplementary initial teeth parameters, wherein the first chosen treatment is a different treatment type than the second chosen treatment, wherein the first chosen treatment and second chosen treatment that are virtually applied to, respectively, the initial teeth parameters of the dentition and the supplementary initial teeth parameters of the dentition, comprise virtual geometric representations of forces that are applied to the dentition via the first and second chosen treatment;

simulating a third orthodontic treatment process on the set of output results from the simulation of the second orthodontic treatment process, wherein the set of output results comprises third initial teeth parameters, and wherein the simulating the third orthodontic treatment process comprises:
virtually applying a third chosen treatment to the supplementary initial teeth parameters, wherein the first chosen treatment is a different treatment type than the second chosen treatment and the third chosen treatment, wherein the first chosen treatment, second chosen treatment and third chosen treatment that are virtually applied to, respectively, the initial teeth parameters of the dentition, the supplementary initial teeth parameters of the dentition, and the third initial teeth parameters comprise virtual geometric representations of forces that are applied to the dentition via the first chosen treatment, second chosen treatment and third chosen treatment;

iteratively altering the first orthodontic treatment process, the second orthodontic treatment process, and the third treatment process until compatibility between each of the first, second, and third orthodontic treatment processes occurs towards a planned teeth movement; and
displaying a set of output results from the simulation of the third orthodontic treatment, and the second orthodontic treatment process simultaneously with the displaying of the set of output results from the simulation of the first orthodontic treatment process, such that said visualization of results corresponding to said dental treatment is available to a treating professional prior to implementation on said patient of said first orthodontic treatment process, said second orthodontic treatment process, or said third orthodontic treatment process.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein a fabrication process to process one or more orthodontic appliances is based at least in part on the output results from the first or second orthodontic processes.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the fabrication process includes fabricating a plurality of polymeric shell appliances based on the simulation of the first orthodontic treatment process.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the fabrication process includes fabricating a plurality of polymeric shell appliances based on the simulation of the second orthodontic treatment process.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first orthodontic treatment process is a
polymeric shell appliances system treatment process.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second orthodontic treatment process is a polymeric shell appliances system treatment process.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising modifying the first orthodontic treatment process or the second orthodontic treatment process before manufacturing one or more orthodontic appliances based at least in part on one or more of the first orthodontic treatment process or the second orthodontic treatment process.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising displaying a data set of information for use in the second orthodontic treatment process in reference to the output results of the first orthodontic treatment process.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the first orthodontic treatment process is different than the second orthodontic treatment process.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the first orthodontic treatment process is the same as the second orthodontic treatment process.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein an end point of one of the first orthodontic treatment process or the second orthodontic treatment process coincides with a beginning point of the other one of the first orthodontic treatment process or the second orthodontic treatment process.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the first orthodontic treatment process and the second orthodontic treatment process includes one or more of a palate expansion treatment, a Class II appliance based treatment, a Class II appliance based treatment, a polymeric shell appliance based treatment, a wire and bracket based treatment, or one or more combinations thereof.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first chosen treatment comprises a representative use of a polymeric shell appliance, and the second chosen treatment comprises a representative use of a fixed orthodontic appliance.

14. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon, computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method for creating a visualization of results corresponding to a dental treatment including a first orthodontic treatment process, a second orthodontic treatment process, and a third orthodontic process, wherein said visualization of results is created prior to implementation of said first orthodontic treatment process, said second orthodontic treatment process, or said third orthodontic process dental treatment on a patient, said method comprising:
receiving digital representations of initial teeth parameters of a dentition, wherein the digital representations comprise a digital set that is digitally cut to represent individual tooth crowns;
simulating a first orthodontic treatment process on the digital representations of the initial teeth parameters, wherein the simulating the first orthodontic treatment process comprises:
virtually applying a first chosen treatment to the initial teeth parameters of the dentition;
displaying a set of output results from the simulation of the first orthodontic treatment process;

simulating a second orthodontic treatment process on the set of output results from the simulation of the first orthodontic treatment process, wherein the set of output results comprises supplementary initial teeth parameters, and wherein the s

Assignees

• Kuo Eric
• Align Technology Inc

Inventors

• Kuo Eric

Classifications

• A61C7/08 Primary

  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

• A61C7/002 Primary

  Orthodontic computer assisted systems · CPC title

• G06F30/20

  Design optimisation, verification or simulation (optimisation, verification or simulation of circuit designs G06F30/30) · CPC title

• A61C2007/004

  Automatic construction of a set of axes for a tooth or a plurality of teeth · CPC title

• G06F17/5009

  Physics · mapped topic