3D printed composites from phase separated materials
Granted: September 24, 2024
Patent Number:
12098227
The present disclosure provides methods, systems, devices, and kits for creating composite materials from a single resin, the composite materials having multiple continuous phases. The disclosure includes a process to three-dimensionally print objects (e.g., orthodontic appliances) with composite properties. In some aspects, the composite properties are formed from a single formulation with components that, when processed, have hard and soft continuous phases. In some aspects, the…
Hybrid 3D printing with photo-curable materials
Granted: September 24, 2024
Patent Number:
12097655
A method of 3D printing comprises extruding one or more photo-curable materials from a nozzle to form a first layer that has a first shape specified by the one or more digital files, wherein the first shape corresponds to a first minimum line width that is based on, and narrower than, a diameter of the nozzle. The method further includes directing a light beam onto the first layer according to the one or more digital files to cure a portion of the first layer to create a first cured…
Palatal expanders and methods of designing palatal expanders
Granted: September 24, 2024
Patent Number:
12097086
A series of palatal expanders and methods of designing palatal expanders, including rapid palatal expanders, where outer occlusal surfaces of a palatal expander are shaped to conform to a geometry of corresponding teeth surfaces of the patient's lower jaw to provide occlusion between occlusal surfaces and the corresponding teeth surfaces.
Palatal expanders with breach regions
Granted: September 24, 2024
Patent Number:
12097085
Palatal expander systems and methods. A palatal expander includes a palatal region connecting tooth engagement regions, where the palatal region is configured to apply a lateral force across a patient's palate when the tooth engagement regions are worn over the patient's teeth. Attachment regions on buccal sides of the tooth engagement regions are shaped and sized to engage with dental attachments bonded to the patient's teeth. At least one breach region corresponding to a thinned region…
Compact intraoral 3D scanner
Granted: September 24, 2024
Patent Number:
12097009
An apparatus for intraoral three-dimensional (3D) scanning comprises a light source, a spatial pattern, a beam splitter, an optical system comprising fewer than 10 lenses, a mirror, an image sensor, and a depth scanning module. The depth scanning module is configured to axially translate one or more lenses of the optical system in the optical axis to change a focus setting of the optical system, wherein the depth scanning module is configured to axially translate the one or more lenses…
Aligner material, cleanliness, and quality detection via aligner case
Granted: September 17, 2024
Patent Number:
12090023
Embedded sensors and onboard or off-board processing in an aligner case can detect aligner material and/or quality. Material detection can be used for counterfeit detection, or to trigger material specific events. Quality detection can include detection of common aligner failures or defects. A case for a dental appliance may include a tray for supporting the dental appliance, a cover coupled to the tray, and at least one sensor to detect a deformation of the dental appliance. A case for…
Smile prediction
Granted: September 17, 2024
Patent Number:
12090021
Embodiments include receiving image data comprising contours of teeth of an individual and generating a new image based on the image data and one or more parametric functions associated with tooth color that comprise a first variable for a first image axis and a second variable for a second image axis, wherein a shape of the teeth in the new image is based on the image data and a color of the teeth in the new image is based on applying the one or more parametric functions to at least a…
Apparatuses and methods assisting in dental therapies
Granted: September 17, 2024
Patent Number:
12090020
Provided herein are methods and apparatuses for recommending tooth leveling (e.g., one or more of anterior leveling, posterior leveling, and arch-shape recommendations) for orthodontic devices and methods for patients. Factors involved in the leveling of teeth can include symmetry, doctor preferences, preferences regarding gender, the country in which the patient is being treated, and other issues related to the aesthetics of the mouth and arch shape. The device can comprise an aligner…
Intraoral scanner wand
Granted: September 17, 2024
Patent Number:
D1042842
Selective image modification based on sharpness metric and image domain
Granted: September 10, 2024
Patent Number:
12086964
A processing device receives an image and calculates a sharpness metric for a region of interest of the image. The processing device determines whether the sharpness metric satisfies a sharpness criterion, and one or more additional operations are performed responsive to determining that the sharpness metric satisfies the sharpness criterion.
Computer-implemented methods and systems for modeling teeth
Granted: September 10, 2024
Patent Number:
12082987
Computer-implemented methods and systems for modeling teeth. Methods include generating a clinical crown mesh including visible surfaces of a clinical crown of a tooth; generating a parametric tooth model representing an average of multiple etalon teeth of the same tooth type; fitting the clinical crown mesh with the parametric tooth model to create an interim tooth model; and morphing the interim tooth model to mimic an anatomical shape of the clinical crown mesh. Fitting the clinical…
Methods for direct fabrication of dental appliances with varying feature thicknesses and associated systems
Granted: September 10, 2024
Patent Number:
12082986
Methods and systems for digitally designing a plurality of aligners are provided. In some embodiments, a method includes receiving an intraoral scan of the patient's teeth, and generating 3D dental model of the patient's teeth using the intraoral scan. The method can include identifying a movement path to move the patient's teeth from an initial arrangement toward a target arrangement through a plurality of intermediate arrangements in accordance with a treatment plan. The method can…
Automatic generation of multi-resolution 3d model including restorative object
Granted: September 10, 2024
Patent Number:
12082904
A processing device receives a plurality of intraoral scans of a dental arch. The processing device determines, from the plurality of intraoral scans, a first set of intraoral scans that depict a restorative object and a second set of intraoral scans that fail to depict any restorative object. The processing device generates a multi-resolution three-dimensional model of the dental arch, wherein a first portion of the multi-resolution three-dimensional model is generated from the first…
Intraoral scanning and dental condition identification
Granted: September 3, 2024
Patent Number:
12076114
An intraoral scanner generates 2D images of a dental site and 3D intraoral scans of the dental site. The computing device receives the 2D images of the dental site and the 3D intraoral scans of the dental site from the intraoral scanner, generates a 3D model of the dental site based on the 3D intraoral scans of the dental site, and processes at least one of a) one or more of the 2D images of the dental site, b) one or more of the 3D intraoral scans of the dental site, or c) data from the…
System for viewing of dental treatment outcomes
Granted: September 3, 2024
Patent Number:
12079944
A mobile device comprises a display, an image capture device that generates image data of a face of a viewer of the display, and a processing device. The processing device receives the image data and sends the image data to a computing device. The computing device processes the image data to identify a position of a dental arch in the image data; determines a treatment outcome for the dental arch; generates a post-treatment image of the dental arch that shows the treatment outcome;…
Methods for controlling object sorting and sequencing
Granted: September 3, 2024
Patent Number:
12076754
Methods for controlling the sorting and sequencing of objects are provided. In some embodiments, a method includes receiving sensor data of a plurality of dental appliances, each dental appliance associated with an identifier including (a) group data indicating a group to which the dental appliance belongs, and (b) sequence data indicating a sequential position for the dental appliance within the group. The method can include controlling a sorting cell to direct each dental appliance…
Multilayer dental appliances and related methods and systems
Granted: September 3, 2024
Patent Number:
12076209
A dental appliance for positioning a patient's teeth includes a removable orthodontic tooth positioning appliance having teeth receiving cavities shaped to directly receive at least some of the patient's teeth and apply a resilient positioning force to the patient's teeth. The appliance includes a hard polymer layer having a hard polymer layer elastic modulus disposed between a first soft polymer layer having a first soft polymer layer elastic modulus and a second soft polymer layer…
Systems and methods for precision wing placement
Granted: September 3, 2024
Patent Number:
12076207
The disclosed computer-implemented method for selecting locations of mandibular relocation features (MRFs) on oral appliances may include determining candidate locations for placing an MRF on a first oral appliance for a first stage of mandibular relocation (MR) treatment and determining candidate locations for placing an MRF on a second oral appliance for a second stage. The method may include selecting from the candidate locations for the first stage and the second stage based on…
Methods for aligner design using thickness maps
Granted: September 3, 2024
Patent Number:
12076206
Methods for designing orthodontic appliances are provided. In some embodiments, a method includes receiving a treatment plan for a patient's dentition and generating an aligner model representing an aligner configured to implement a treatment stage of the treatment plan. The aligner model can include a thickness map having a thickness parameter for each location of the aligner model. The method can include adjusting the thickness map by using the aligner model to evaluate an outcome when…
Digital 3D models of dental arches with accurate arch width
Granted: September 3, 2024
Patent Number:
12076200
A method of generating a virtual 3D model of a dental arch is provided. The method includes receiving intraoral scans of a dental arch, determining a first depth of a first intraoral 3D surface in a first intraoral scan, and determining a second depth of a second intraoral 3D surface in the first intraoral scan, and wherein there is a fixed distance between the first intraoral 3D surface and the second intraoral 3D surface in the first intraoral scan. The method further includes…
