Artificially intelligent systems to manage virtual dental models using dental images
Granted: January 25, 2022
Patent Number:
11232573
Methods and apparatuses (including systems and devices) for modifying a three-dimensional (3D) model of a subject's oral cavity to determine individual components such as teeth, gingiva, tongue, palate, etc. In some implementations one or more automated machine learning agents may modify one or more subsets of 3D models of the subject's oral cavity using height map data to identify, segment and/or modify to mesh regions of a 3D model constructed from a plurality of 2D images of the…
Prosthodontic and orthodontic apparatus and methods
Granted: January 18, 2022
Patent Number:
11227074
System and method for developing a treatment plan for achieving a treatment goal including creating a virtual model of a dental patient's dentition; transforming the virtual model of the dentition using virtual prosthodontics to facilitate achievement of the treatment goal; transforming the virtual model of the dentition using virtual orthodontics to facilitate achievement of the treatment goal; iterating on the transforming steps until substantially achieving the treatment goal; and…
Sensors for monitoring oral appliances
Granted: January 11, 2022
Patent Number:
11219506
Detection of a state of an oral appliance (such as an aligner, palatal expander, mandibular repositioning device, etc.) to determine if the oral appliance is functioning properly and/or if it has developed a defect.
Multilayer polymer sheets
Granted: January 4, 2022
Patent Number:
11213369
Multilayer polymer sheets are provided, as well as related methods, systems, and appliances.
Reconstruction of non-visible part of tooth
Granted: January 4, 2022
Patent Number:
11213368
A computer-implemented method for modeling a complete tooth of a patient to facilitate dental and/or orthodontic treatment. The method includes generating a first set of digital data representing a clinical crown; generating a second set of digital data representing a plurality of digital tooth models of a particular tooth type each having a first parameterization; processing the second set of digital data to obtain a third set of digital data representing an average tooth model of the…
Systems and methods for positioning a patient's mandible in response to sleep apnea status
Granted: December 28, 2021
Patent Number:
11207208
Systems, methods, devices, and apparatus for positioning a patient's mandible in response to sleep apnea status are provided herein. In one aspect, a system for monitoring and treating sleep apnea in a patient comprises one or more sensors configured to monitor the patient for symptoms associated with sleep apnea; an intraoral appliance worn by the patient, one or more processors, and memory comprising instructions executable by the one or more processors to cause the one or more…
Method and system for designing and producing dental prosthesis and appliances
Granted: December 28, 2021
Patent Number:
11207156
A virtual model of an intraoral cavity is provided, wherein this process is initialized by a dental clinic, and the design and manufacture of a suitable dental prosthesis for the intraoral cavity is shared between a dental lab and a service center.
Orthodontic repositioning appliances having improved geometry, methods and systems
Granted: December 21, 2021
Patent Number:
11202691
The present invention provides methods and systems including orthodontic tooth positioning appliances. An exemplary appliance can include teeth receiving cavities shaped such that, when worn by a patient, repositioning the patient's teeth from a first arrangement toward a subsequent or target arrangement. Appliances can include a cavity having one or more shaped features or protrusions shaped and/or positioned so as to apply a desired force to a patient's tooth received in the cavity and…
Apparatus for dental imaging
Granted: December 21, 2021
Patent Number:
11202574
An apparatus for dental imaging comprises a light source for generating light, an optics system for focusing the light, and a probe head. The light source, the optics system and the probe head are arranged such that the light passes through the optics system, passes through the probe head, and exits the probe head. The optics system is configured such that, upon entering the probe head, an outermost chief ray of the light with respect to an optical axis of the optics system is divergent…
System and method for manufacturing a dental prosthesis and a dental prosthesis manufactured thereby
Granted: December 14, 2021
Patent Number:
11197739
A dental prosthesis is made by externally machining successive layers of wax, each of which is formed on a previous prosthesis layer and/or on a coping. Each wax layer is used to form a mold in situ over the previous prosthesis layer/coping, and the appropriate prosthesis material is cast or otherwise molded to conform to the wax layer by the mold.
Orthodontic appliances including at least partially un-erupted teeth and method of forming them
Granted: December 7, 2021
Patent Number:
11194312
The example systems, methods, and/or computer-readable media described herein help with design of highly accurate models of un-erupted or partially erupted teeth and help fabricate of aligners for un-erupted or partially erupted teeth. Automated agents that use machine learning models to parametrically represent three-dimensional (3d) virtual representations of teeth as 3D descriptors in a 3D descriptor space are provided herein. In some implementations, the automated agents described…
Methods and apparatuses for dental images
Granted: December 7, 2021
Patent Number:
11191617
Described herein are methods and apparatuses to obtain an image, or a set of images, of a patient's teeth from one or more predetermined viewing angles. These methods and apparatuses may include the use an overlay comprising an outline of teeth for each predetermined viewing angle. The overlay may be used for automatically capturing, focusing and/or illuminating the teeth. Also described herein are methods and apparatuses for using a series of images of the patient's teeth including a…
Machine based three-dimensional (3D) object defect detection
Granted: November 30, 2021
Patent Number:
11189021
Implementations describe systems and methods for machine based defect detection of three-dimensional (3D) printed objects. A method of one embodiment of the disclosure includes providing a first illumination of a 3D printed object using a first light source arrangement. A plurality of images of the 3D printed object are then generated using one or more imaging devices. Each image may depict a distinct region of the 3D printed object. The plurality of images may then be processed by a…
Methods and systems for imaging orthodontic aligners
Granted: November 30, 2021
Patent Number:
11185233
Methods and apparatuses for 3D imaging to measure the shape of orthodontic aligners, teeth, and other oral structures simultaneously, in-vivo or in-vitro. These methods and apparatuses may be used to determine contact locations of aligners with teeth and/or teeth with other teeth with very high precision, including determining the size of gaps where they are not in contact. These measurements may be used design, modify or replace an aligner and/or to verify aligner fit. 3D models of the…
Curable composition for use in a high temperature lithography-based photopolymerization process and method of producing crosslinked polymers therefrom
Granted: November 16, 2021
Patent Number:
11174338
Provided herein are curable compositions for use in a high temperature lithography-based photopolymerization process, a method of producing crosslinked polymers using said curable compositions, crosslinked polymers thus produced, and orthodontic appliances comprising the crosslinked polymers.
Aligners with enhanced gable bends
Granted: November 9, 2021
Patent Number:
11166788
Systems, methods, and devices for improved orthodontic treatment of a patient's teeth are provided herein. In some aspects, a method for fabricating an orthodontic appliance for treating a patient's teeth is disclosed. The method may comprise determining a movement path to move a tooth from an initial arrangement towards a target arrangement; determining a force system to move the tooth along the movement path; determining a variable gable bend to produce the force system; determining a…
Multilayer dental appliances and related methods and systems
Granted: October 26, 2021
Patent Number:
11154384
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…
Aligners with elastic layer
Granted: October 26, 2021
Patent Number:
11154382
In one aspect, an orthodontic appliance can include a shell having a plurality of cavities shaped to receive a patient's teeth. The shell can include an exterior layer and an interior layer having a stiffness less than a stiffness of the exterior layer. A discontinuity can be formed in the exterior layer.
Automatic ectopic teeth detection on scan
Granted: October 26, 2021
Patent Number:
11154381
Provided herein are orthodontic devices and methods for patients with missing or ectopic teeth. Methods and processes are provided to properly number the teeth of a patient's arch after a dental scan. Methods and processes are also provided to automatically detect missing or ectopic teeth after a dental scan. Methods of designing and manufacturing the aligner are also provided.
Method for tracking, predicting, and proactively correcting malocclusion and related issues
Granted: October 19, 2021
Patent Number:
11147652
Methods and systems for predicting a future dental or orthodontic condition(s) are provided. In one aspect, a computer-implemented method for calculating a future position of an intraoral object of a patient's intraoral cavity is provided. The method can include receiving first and second digital data representative of an actual state of the intraoral cavity at first and second time points. The method can include processing data including the first and second digital data so as to…
