Manipulable dental model system for fabrication of a dental appliance
Granted: June 8, 2006
Application Number:
20060121408
A dental appliance fabrication system includes a reconfigurable dental model including a frame having one or more tooth members disposed on the frame; and one or more micro-positioners each coupled to one tooth member to move the tooth in six degrees of freedom relative to the frame.
Dental appliance sequence ordering system and method
Granted: April 6, 2006
Application Number:
20060073437
The present invention provides systems and methods for providing dental appliances, particularly orthodontic appliances, to a patient wherein the patient is easily able to determine the order or sequence in which the appliances should be worn. Typically the appliances are to be worn in a particular sequence to provide desired treatment, such as a progressive movement of teeth through a variety of arrangements to a final desired arrangement.
Health-care e-commerce systems and methods
Granted: March 23, 2006
Application Number:
20060064329
A virtual health-care electronic commerce community includes a network to communicate information relating to the community; one or more patients coupled to the network; one or more treating professionals coupled to the network; and a server coupled to the network, the server storing data for each patient and performing patient data visualization in response to a user request.
Systems and methods for varying elastic modulus appliances
Granted: January 12, 2006
Application Number:
20060008760
The present invention provides improved devices, systems and methods for repositioning teeth from an initial tooth arrangement to a final tooth arrangement. Repositioning is accomplished with a system comprising a series of polymeric shell appliances configured to receive the teeth and incrementally reposition individual teeth in a series of successive steps. The individual appliances may be formed from layers having different stiffnesses (elastic moduluses), and the stiffnesses of…
Methods for correcting deviations in preplanned tooth rearrangements
Granted: January 5, 2006
Application Number:
20060003283
Orthodontic treatment is achieved using a series of successive, removable repositioning appliances, such as thin polymeric shell appliances referred to as aligners. A set of aligners is originally provided to the patient. If the patient's treatment goes off course using the original set of aligners, further aligners are designed and fabricated to move the deviant tooth arrangement back to a target tooth arrangement which was part of the original treatment program.
Method and system for incrementally moving teeth
Granted: November 3, 2005
Application Number:
20050244782
A system for repositioning teeth comprises a plurality of individual appliances. The appliances are configured to be placed successively on the patient's teeth and to incrementally reposition the teeth from an initial tooth arrangement, through a plurality of intermediate tooth arrangements, and to a final tooth arrangement. The system of appliances is usually configured at the outset of treatment so that the patient may progress through treatment without the need to have the treating…
Interproximal reduction treatment planning
Granted: November 3, 2005
Application Number:
20050244791
Systems and methods are disclosed for displaying a digital model of a patient's teeth by determining interproximal information associated with each tooth; and annotating a graphical representation of the model of the tooth to provide a visual display of the interproximal information.
Dynamically specifying a view
Granted: November 3, 2005
Application Number:
20050246154
Systems and methods to provide a UI includes providing a program with a dynamic content to specify a view; and rendering the view based on the dynamic content.
Systems and methods for generating an appliance with tie points
Granted: October 6, 2005
Application Number:
20050219242
Systems and methods are described for integrating anatomical information from a plurality of sources of information. The system receives two or more three dimensional (3D) anatomical maps sharing a common plane specified by three or more marker points common to the two or more maps; places one or more marker points on one or more teeth; generates a digital teeth model with the marker points; and aligns the two or more 3D anatomical maps and the teeth model using the marker points.
Root-based tooth moving sequencing
Granted: September 22, 2005
Application Number:
20050208449
Systems and methods are disclosed for repositioning the teeth of a patient by providing a digital model of each tooth of the patient; determining one or more root parameters from the digital model; and digitally moving one or more tooth models and evaluating a treatment outcome based on one or more root movement clinical constraints.
Methods and systems for modeling bite registration
Granted: September 8, 2005
Application Number:
20050196724
The present invention provides methods and devices for determining an axis of upper and lower jaw articulation of a patient and modeling jaw movement about such an axis, particularly with the use of computerized visual images. The methods comprise providing digital data sets of tooth and bite configuration information which may be used to determine an estimated condylar axis of rotation for a patient. A number of data sets may be acquired and utilized for such estimations. Data sets may…
Systems and methods for temporally staging teeth
Granted: September 1, 2005
Application Number:
20050191593
Systems and methods are disclosed for moving teeth by moving a first tooth; and moving a second tooth while isolating the first tooth at a rest position.
Dental data mining
Granted: September 1, 2005
Application Number:
20050192835
Systems and methods are disclosed providing a database comprising a compendium of at least one of patient treatment history; orthodontic therapies, orthodontic information and diagnostics; employing a data mining technique for interrogating said database for generating an output data stream, the output data stream correlating a patient malocclusion with an orthodontic treatment; and applying the output data stream to improve a dental appliance or a dental appliance usage.
Arch expander
Granted: August 25, 2005
Application Number:
20050186524
Systems and methods are disclosed for making an arch expander for a patient by scanning the patient's dentition; fabricating an appliance adapted to be positioned between posterior teeth and a palatal arch, the appliance having first and second movable portions; and providing an expander between the first and second portions of the appliance.
Systems and methods for providing treatment planning
Granted: August 18, 2005
Application Number:
20050182654
A virtual health-care community is disclosed. The community includes a network to communicate information relating to the community; one or more treatment consultants coupled to the network; one or more treating professionals coupled to the network; and a server coupled to the network, the server storing data for each patient and facilitating secured data sharing by the community.
Surgical dental appliance
Granted: June 23, 2005
Application Number:
20050136371
A dental splint includes upper and lower appliances having cavities shaped to receive teeth on a patient's maxillary and mandibular arches, respectively; and a connection member adapted to fixedly secure the upper and lower appliances together.
Systems and methods for improved engagement between aligners and teeth
Granted: May 19, 2005
Application Number:
20050106525
A system and method for repositioning teeth in a patient jaw includes an attachment bonded to a tooth. The attachment has at least one force receiving component for receiving a force. A polymeric shell repositioning appliance is positioned over at least some of the teeth in the patient jaw. The polymeric shell has at least one force transmitting component for engaging the force receiving component to form a locus of engagement. The locus of engagement transmits the force and moves but is…
Dental tray containing radiopaque materials
Granted: May 19, 2005
Application Number:
20050106528
A method to create a digital model of a patient's teeth includes taking an impression of the patient's teeth using a radiopaque dental tray; scanning the impression and the dental tray using a dental tray containing a radiopaque agent; scanning the impression and the dental tray using a radiographic source; and generating the digital model with scanned data.
Dental impression tray with detachable portions
Granted: May 19, 2005
Application Number:
20050106529
A dental tray to receive a dental impression material thereon includes a base having a plurality of prongs the base having one or more openings to allow flowing of the dental impression material; a first wall extending from one side of the base, the first wall having one or more openings to allow flowing of the dental impression material; and at least one detachable portion formed on one end of one prong, the detachable portion being removable to shorten the prong length.
Defining tooth-moving appliances computationally
Granted: April 14, 2005
Application Number:
20050079468
Methods and corresponding apparatus for segmenting an orthodontic treatment path into clinically appropriate substeps for repositioning the teeth of a patient include providing a digital finite element model of the shape and material of each of a sequence of appliances to be applied to a patient; providing a digital finite element model of the teeth and related mouth tissue of the patient; computing the actual effect of the appliances on the teeth by analyzing the finite elements models…
