Systems and methods for tracking teeth movement during orthodontic treatment

• US 10,001,771 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2015
• Issued: 06/19/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Align Technology Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Align Technology Incorporated
• Inventors: Matty, Rick
• Primary Examiner(s): Eide, Heidi M
• Application Number:
  US14/815,006
• Publication Number:
  US 20150338844A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,054 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 7/002 Orthodontic computer assisted systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 7/08 Mouthpiece-type retainers or positioners, e.g. for both the lower and upper arch arch-shaped medicament applicators for teeth or gums A61C19/063; mouthguards for protecting the teeth of sportsmen A63B71/085
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 7/12 Brackets; Arch wires; Combinations thereof; Accessories therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 7/14 Brackets A61C7/28 takes precedence; Fixing brackets to teeth
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 80/00 Products made by additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4097 characterised by using design data to control NC machines, e.g. CAD/CAM G05B19/4093 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/45244 Injection molding

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus'"'"'s for improving orthodontic treatments. In an embodiment, an orthodontic tracking template is provided for assisting in determining whether a patient'"'"'s teeth are in an appropriate tooth arrangement for transitioning between a wire and bracket orthodontic treatment to a patient-removable orthodontic appliance treatment. The tracking template may include a shell portion defining a plurality of tooth-receiving cavities arranged to fit over at least a portion of the patient'"'"'s teeth in an intermediate tooth arrangement without applying a tooth-moving force to the teeth or to any brackets attached to the teeth.

Claims

1. A method of fabricating a tracking template for a patient wearing at least one affixed appliance attached to at least one tooth of a plurality of teeth, the method comprising:

receiving a digital representation of the plurality of teeth in a planned intermediate tooth arrangement, the digital representation including a digital representation of the at least one affixed appliance, the at least one fixed appliance comprising at least one bracket mounted on the at least one tooth and a wire coupled to the at least one bracket; and

forming a tracking template using the received digital representation, the tracking template comprising a shell defining a plurality of tooth-receiving cavities shaped to fit over at least a portion of the plurality of teeth in the planned intermediate tooth arrangement without applying a tooth-moving force to the plurality of teeth or the at least one affixed appliance, a first shell portion of the tracking template extending from a cusp of the at least one tooth and ends at a surface of the at least one affixed appliance closest to the cusp of the at least one tooth, a second shell portion extends at least partially over the wire.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein forming the tracking template comprises:

building a positive model of the plurality of teeth in the planned intermediate tooth arrangement using the received digital representation, the positive model including the at least one affixed appliance; and

forming the tracking template from the positive model.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein forming the tracking template further comprises trimming the tracking template.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein forming the tracking template comprises directly fabricating the tracking template using the digital representation.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the tracking template is directly fabricated using a stereo-lithography fabrication machine.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein forming the tracking template comprises:

generating a digital representation of the tracking template using the received digital representation; and

fabricating the tracking template from the digital representation of the tracking template.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising modifying the digital representation before forming the tracking template.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein modifying the digital representation comprises increasing or decreasing a size of one or more teeth of the plurality of teeth.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the digital representation is received from a computing device executing wire and bracket planning software.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the wire and bracket planning software is configured to generate a treatment plan for moving the plurality of teeth from an initial tooth arrangement to the planned intermediate tooth arrangement using the at least one affixed appliance.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one affixed appliance further comprises one or more of;

brackets, orthodontic separators, coil springs, tubes, bands, ties, ligature ties, expansion appliances, hooks, or microchips.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the first shell portion of the tracking template comprises one or more appliance-receiving surfaces arranged to abut an edge of the at least one bracket.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the one or more appliance-receiving surfaces are shaped to conform to at least a portion of the at least one bracket.

14. A method of fabricating a tracking template for a patient wearing at least one affixed appliance attached to at least one tooth of a plurality of teeth, the method comprising:

receiving a digital representation of the plurality of teeth in a planned intermediate tooth arrangement, the digital representation including a digital representation of the at least one affixed appliance, the at least one fixed appliance comprising at least one bracket mounted on the at least one tooth and a wire coupled to the at least one bracket; and

forming a tracking template using the received digital representation, the tracking template comprising a shell defining a plurality of tooth-receiving cavities shaped to fit over at least a portion of the plurality of teeth in the planned intermediate tooth arrangement without applying a tooth-moving force to the plurality of teeth or the at least one affixed appliance, a first shell portion of the tracking template extending from a cusp of the at least one tooth and ends at a surface of the at least one affixed appliance closest to the cusp of the at least one tooth, a second shell portion of the tracking template extends from a cusp of the at least one tooth to one or more wire-receiving surfaces arranged to abut a surface of the wire.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the one or more wire-receiving surfaces are shaped to conform to at least a portion of the wire.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein forming the tracking template comprises:

building a positive model of the plurality of teeth in the planned intermediate tooth arrangement using the received digital representation, the positive model including the at least one affixed appliance; and

forming the tracking template from the positive model.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein forming the tracking template comprises directly fabricating the tracking template using the digital representation.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein forming the tracking template comprises:

generating a digital representation of the tracking template using the received digital representation; and

fabricating the tracking template from the digital representation of the tracking template.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising modifying the digital representation before forming the tracking template.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the digital representation is received from a computing device executing wire and bracket planning software.