Method of inkjet printing onto aligners
Granted: January 26, 2021
Patent Number:
10899146
Provided herein are methods of obtaining good photocured-ink adhesion to low surface energy materials. The methods have greatly improved adhesion of photocured ink on low surface energy materials, including those that are subjected to high humidity or wet environments. The methods take into account the glass transition temperature (Tg) of the materials and the onset for the glass transition temperature, including ink applied to an exposed surface of the material at an elevated…
Systems and methods for improved engagement between aligners and teeth
Granted: January 26, 2021
Patent Number:
10898297
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…
Smile designer
Granted: January 19, 2021
Patent Number:
10896761
Various methods and systems for designing a restored smile are provided. One method includes receiving scan data of a patient's teeth, developing a digital model of the patient's teeth via a computing device, where the model represents the patient's teeth based upon the scan data, creating a dental treatment plan to restore one or more teeth from an initial condition to a successive condition, and wherein a final condition of the one or more is based on the one or more teeth having at…
Determining a dental treatment difficulty
Granted: January 19, 2021
Patent Number:
10893918
Embodiments for determining a dental treatment difficulty are described herein. One method embodiment includes receiving an initial and subsequent position of each of a first tooth and a second tooth and calculating a change in position of each of the first tooth and the second tooth. The method embodiment can also include projecting the changes in position of each of the first tooth and the second tooth onto a reference line and calculating a change in position on the reference line for…
Viewfinder with real-time tracking for intraoral scanning
Granted: January 12, 2021
Patent Number:
10888401
Methods and systems for scanning an intraoral cavity of a patient provide capturing one or more viewfinder images of the intraoral cavity and scanning the intraoral cavity with an intraoral scanner to generate one or more topography scans of the intraoral cavity. The one or more topography scans may correspond to the one or more viewfinder images. The methods and systems further provide capturing a viewfinder image of a portion of the intraoral cavity, the viewfinder image overlapping…
Methods and apparatuses for forming a three-dimensional volumetric model of a subject's teeth
Granted: January 12, 2021
Patent Number:
10888400
Methods and apparatuses for generating a model of a subject's teeth. Described herein are intraoral scanning methods and apparatuses for generating a three-dimensional model of a subject's intraoral region (e.g., teeth) including both surface features and internal features. These methods and apparatuses may be used for identifying and evaluating lesions, caries and cracks in the teeth. Any of these methods and apparatuses may use minimum scattering coefficients and/or segmentation to…
Augmented reality enhancements for dental practitioners
Granted: January 12, 2021
Patent Number:
10888399
A system comprises a scanner, an augmented reality (AR) display and a computing device. The scanner generates intraoral images of a dental arch and the AR display generates additional image data representative of a view from a wearer of the AR display. The computing device receives the intraoral images from the intraoral scanner, generates a virtual three-dimensional model of at least a portion of the dental arch from the intraoral images, receives the additional image data from the AR…
Intraoral appliances with proximity and contact sensing
Granted: January 12, 2021
Patent Number:
10888396
Detection of placement of dental aligners in patient mouth on teeth for indication of wearing compliance. Described herein are apparatuses and methods for detecting wearing, including compliance. In some variations these apparatuses and methods may include a sensor configured to detect deflection of the one or more deflectable structures. In some variations, these apparatuses and methods may include a proximity sensor coupled to the appliance shell and configured to generate sensor data…
Mold and aligner with cut line markings
Granted: January 12, 2021
Patent Number:
10888395
Embodiments relate to adding customized cut line information to a shell that is to be formed over mold of a dental arch. In one embodiment, a cut line is determined for the shell. A processing device determines one or more markings for the shell that will mark the cut line. The processing device determines one or more features to add to the mold over which the shell will be formed that will cause the shell to have the one or more markings. The processing device generates a digital model…
Method and system for providing indexing and cataloguing of orthodontic related treatment profiles and options
Granted: January 5, 2021
Patent Number:
10886010
Method and system for providing an orthodontic profile indexing and treatment plan including comparing an initial patient condition in each of a plurality of dentition categories with one or more reference conditions in each of the plurality of dentition categories, wherein each of the one or more reference conditions has a corresponding representation, selecting at least one reference condition in one or more of the plurality of dentition categories, where each selected reference…
Method and apparatuses for interactive ordering of dental aligners
Granted: January 5, 2021
Patent Number:
10885521
Methods and apparatuses for manufacturing a series of dental aligners. These methods generally include coordination of a dental aligner laboratory coordinating early in the pre-approval process for financing the dental aligner series, a third party financing service, and/or a dental practitioner (e.g., dentist, orthodontist, etc.).
Lens positioning system
Granted: January 5, 2021
Patent Number:
10884238
A scanner includes a lens assembly comprising a lens having a lens axis and a positioning system to adjust a focal plane of the lens assembly. The positioning system includes an outer element, an inner element that houses the lens assembly, and a linear-motion bearing that couples the inner element to the outer element. The linear-motion bearing includes a first element coupling and a second element coupling. The linear-motion bearing provides a single degree of translational movement of…
Method, system and model for indirect bonding
Granted: January 5, 2021
Patent Number:
10881488
A physical model of at least a portion of a patient's dentition has model dental surfaces corresponding to real dental surfaces of the patient's dentition. The physical model includes one or more targets, each configured for facilitating placement of an orthodontic appliance on the model at a desired location. The targets lack mechanical stops that are outwardly protruding from the original model dental surfaces. Also provided are a method of manufacturing a physical model for use in…
Insertable and prefabricated attachments for an oral appliance
Granted: January 5, 2021
Patent Number:
10881487
A plastic shell such as an orthodontic aligner has an interior shape that substantially conforms to a current or future dental arch of a patient. The plastic shell includes a hollow feature comprising a cavity. The plastic shell additionally includes an object inserted into the cavity, wherein the object provides structural strength to the plastic shell at a location of the hollow feature and does not interfere with a fit of the plastic shell onto the dental arch of the patient.
Methods and systems for generating color images of intraoral cavities
Granted: December 29, 2020
Patent Number:
10874491
Systems for generating in-focus color images are provided. Related methods and devices are also provided.
Systems and methods for fabricating a dental template
Granted: December 29, 2020
Patent Number:
10874487
A dental template to position an object on a patient's tooth includes digitizing the patient's tooth; adding virtual objects to predetermined locations on the digitized tooth; and fabricating the dental template to locate the object on the patient's tooth. The template can be used for etching or for positioning brackets on teeth.
Direct fabrication of attachment templates with adhesive
Granted: December 29, 2020
Patent Number:
10874483
Systems, methods, and devices for producing orthodontic appliances are provided. In one aspect, an orthodontic appliance comprises an outer shell comprising a plurality of cavities shaped to receive the patient's teeth and generate one or more of a force or a torque in response to the appliance being worn on the patient's teeth. The orthodontic appliance can comprise an inner structure having a stiffness different than a stiffness of the outer shell. The inner structure can be positioned…
Treatment plan specific bite adjustment structures
Granted: December 8, 2020
Patent Number:
10856956
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…
Digital dental tray
Granted: December 1, 2020
Patent Number:
10849721
A digital dental tray system is described including a dental tray shaped to at least partially surround a plurality of teeth and a plurality of three-dimensional (3D) optical imaging elements attached to the dental tray. Each of the 3D optical imaging elements comprises a structured light projector to project a light pattern onto one or more teeth of the plurality of teeth and a camera to capture an image of the one or more teeth.
Dental appliance
Granted: November 24, 2020
Patent Number:
10842601
Embodiments include dental appliances, dental appliance systems, and methods of making and using such appliances. In one embodiment, a dental appliance includes a shell having a number of cavities to receive one or more teeth, each cavity having an inner surface. Fewer than all cavities are scaled-up in size by a first selected percentage over one or more dimensions of a corresponding tooth surface to provide a uniform space between the cavity inner surface and the corresponding tooth…
