Diagnostic intraoral methods and apparatuses
Granted: May 25, 2021
Patent Number:
11013581
Methods and apparatuses for taking, using and displaying three-dimensional (3D) volumetric models of a patient's dental arch. A 3D volumetric model may include surface (e.g., color) information as well as information on internal structure, such as near-infrared (near-IR) transparency values for internal structures including enamel and dentin.
Orthodontic tooth movement device, systems and methods
Granted: May 25, 2021
Patent Number:
11013579
The present invention provides orthodontic appliances and systems, and related methods, for applying a force to a target tooth as an appliances is worn by the patient. One positioning appliance includes a tooth positioning appliance having teeth receiving cavities shaped to apply a positioning force to the patient's teeth. The appliance includes a spring-loaded tooth movement device disposed in the appliance so as to engage an attachment mounted on a surface of a patient's tooth and…
Intraoral scanner that compensates for optical inaccuracies
Granted: May 18, 2021
Patent Number:
11007039
A non-transitory medium includes instructions for generating a three-dimensional virtual model of an intraoral object by receiving surface scan data of the intraoral object while changing a position of at least one lens of focusing optics of an intraoral scanner, wherein the surface scan data comprises data for a plurality of points of the intraoral object, and adjusting the data for one or more of the plurality of points to compensate for one or more inaccuracies associated with changes…
System and method for digital tooth imaging
Granted: May 18, 2021
Patent Number:
11007037
Method and system for managing multiple impressions of a patient's jaw for an orthodontic treatment are provided. The method includes scanning at least a first impression and a second impression of the same jaw for the orthodontic treatment; determining if the first jaw impression and the second jaw impression have distortion in different areas; selecting the first jaw impression or the second jaw impression as a base impression; and replacing distorted tooth data from the base…
Automated 2D/3D integration and lip spline autoplacement
Granted: May 18, 2021
Patent Number:
11007036
A method may include: receiving an image of a mouth region of a patient's face; extracting teeth contours within the image of the mouth region of the patient's face; locating a mouth opening within the image of the mouth region of the patient's face; extracting the tooth contours from a 3D model of the patient's teeth; and aligning the tooth contours from the 3D model with the tooth contours of the teeth within the image of the mouth region of the patient's face.
Method and system for providing automated high scale fabrication of custom items
Granted: May 11, 2021
Patent Number:
11004159
Method and system for providing volume manufacturing of customizable items including receiving a data package including a plurality of manufacturing parameters, each of the plurality of manufacturing parameters associated with a unique item, verifying the received data package, and implementing a manufacturing process associated with the received data package is provided.
Orthodontic aligner with isolated segments
Granted: May 11, 2021
Patent Number:
11000351
A method includes forming a plastic orthodontic aligner having a plurality of cavities shaped to receive at least portions of a plurality of teeth of a patient. A first segment of the plastic orthodontic aligner corresponds to a first subset of the plurality of cavities for moving a first subset of the plurality of teeth of the patient. A second segment of the plastic orthodontic aligner corresponds to a second subset of the plurality of cavities. The method further includes removing a…
Method and system for dental visualization
Granted: May 11, 2021
Patent Number:
11000350
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…
Deep learning for tooth detection and evaluation
Granted: May 4, 2021
Patent Number:
10997727
A machine learning model is trained to define bounding shapes around teeth in images. The machine learning model is trained by receiving a training dataset comprising a plurality of images, each image of the plurality of images comprising a face and a provided bounding shape around teeth in the image. The training dataset is input into an untrained machine learning model. The untrained machine learning model is trained based on the training dataset to generate a trained machine learning…
Kiosk for viewing of dental treatment outcomes
Granted: May 4, 2021
Patent Number:
10997792
A kiosk comprises an AR display, an image capture device that generates image data of a face of a viewer of the AR display, and a processing device. The processing device receives the image data of the face; 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; generates updated image data comprising a superimposition of…
Digital treatment planning by modeling inter-arch collisions
Granted: May 4, 2021
Patent Number:
10996813
Orthodontic devices such as aligners, palatal expanders, retainers, and dental implants can be used to adjust the position of teeth and to treat various dental irregularities. To help the clinician or doctor (i.e., orthodontist) design and plan the subject's treatment plan, a 3D digital model of the subject's teeth, dentition, and gingiva can be constructed from a 3D scan of the subject's mouth, teeth, dentition, and gingiva. The 3D model of the subject's teeth and dentition can be…
Methods and apparatuses for customizing a rapid palatal expander
Granted: May 4, 2021
Patent Number:
10993783
Methods for designing and fabrication of a series of apparatuses for expanding a patient's palate (“palatal expanders”). In particular, described herein are methods and apparatuses for forming palatal expanders, including rapid palatal expanders, as well as series of palatal expanders formed as described herein and apparatuses for designing and fabricating them.
Unitary dental model
Granted: April 27, 2021
Patent Number:
10987202
Improved dental models for use in dental procedures are provided. In one aspect, a unitary dental model of an intraoral cavity of a patient having a dental implant comprises a physical surface representative of gingival tissue of the patient. The model can comprise a channel shaped and oriented to receive an abutment corresponding to a physical abutment to be connected to the dental implant, in which the channel extends to an opening in the physical surface. The channel can comprise a…
Treatment plan specific bite adjustment structures
Granted: April 20, 2021
Patent Number:
10980616
A series of appliances including a first shell and a second shell can be designed to incrementally implement a treatment plan. The first and second shells can have cavities designed to receive teeth of a jaw. A first number of bite adjustment structures can be formed of a same material as the first shell and extend from the first cavities and be designed to interface with teeth of a second jaw. The first number of bite adjustment structures can have a first shape and location. A second…
Augmented reality enhancements for dental practitioners
Granted: April 20, 2021
Patent Number:
10980613
Apparatuses and methods for performing orthodontic treatment planning are provided. Virtual/Augmented Reality devices can be used to virtually manipulate patient's teeth, modify virtual models of the patient's teeth, analyze the fit of a dental appliance on the patient's teeth, analyze the position of attachment sites for dental appliances, and provide overlays showing forces applied to the patient's teeth. The VR/AR devices can be used by physicians and/or the patient to provide and…
Face tracking and reproduction with post-treatment smile
Granted: April 20, 2021
Patent Number:
10980612
In an example embodiment, a processing device receives a 3D image of a face of a person. The processing device identifies a first plurality of visible landmarks and a second plurality of visible landmarks on the face from the 3D image, wherein the second plurality of visible landmarks are associated with soft facial tissues. The processing device determines a post-treatment arrangement of the first plurality of visible landmarks based on a first mapping between a current dentition of the…
Multilayer dental appliances and related methods and systems
Granted: April 13, 2021
Patent Number:
10973613
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…
Dental appliance binding structure
Granted: April 13, 2021
Patent Number:
10973612
The present disclosure provides methods, computing device readable medium, devices, and systems having a dental appliance binding structure. One method can include to create a treatment plan based on a virtual model of a jaw of a patient, wherein the treatment plan includes use of a dental appliance having a first surface that defines a plurality of cavities shaped to receive a plurality of teeth, modify the virtual model of the jaw in a first configuration to include a virtual binding…
Generating a virtual depiction of an orthodontic treatment of a patient
Granted: April 13, 2021
Patent Number:
10973611
A computer-implemented method for generating a virtual depiction of an orthodontic treatment of a patient is disclosed herein. The computer-implemented method may involve gathering a three-dimensional (3D) model modeling the patient's dentition at a specific treatment stage of an orthodontic treatment plan. An image of the patient's face and dentition may be gathered. A first set of reference points modeled on the 3D model of the patient's dentition and a second set of reference points…
Aligner image based quality control system
Granted: April 6, 2021
Patent Number:
10970839
A method for analyzing a quality of an orthodontic aligner is described. The method includes receiving, by a processor, a digital representation of a fabricated orthodontic aligner, the digital representation having been generated based on imaging of the fabricated orthodontic aligner. The method further includes analyzing, by the processor, the digital representation of the fabricated orthodontic aligner to identify a quality-related property of the fabricated orthodontic aligner. The…
