Treatment progress tracking and recalibration

• US 10,052,174 B2
• Filed: 03/23/2015
• Issued: 08/21/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Align Technology Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Align Technology Incorporated
• Inventors: Kitching, Ian, Sterental, Rene, Kuo, Eric, Singer, Maia
• Primary Examiner(s): Nelson, Matthew
• Application Number:
  US14/665,926
• Publication Number:
  US 20150190212A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,247 Days
• Field of Search: 433 24, 433215, 705 3, 700 98
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 7/00 Orthodontics, i.e. obtaining or maintaining the desired position of teeth, e.g. by straightening, evening, regulating, separating, or by correcting malocclusions
• 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

Abstract

The present invention relates to systems and methods of developing and tracking delivery and patient progression through an orthodontic treatment plan. One method includes identifying deviations from an orthodontic treatment plan, including receiving a digital representation of an actual arrangement of a patient'"'"'s teeth after an orthodontic treatment plan has begun for the patient and prior to completion of the orthodontic treatment plan. The method further includes comparing the actual arrangement to a pre-determined planned arrangement to determine if the actual arrangement substantially deviates from the planned arrangement, the comparing comprising matching teeth from a previously segmented model to a surface of an unsegmented representation of the actual arrangement; and calculating one or more positional differences between the actual and planned arrangements of at least some of the corresponding teeth.

Claims

1. A method for identifying and correcting deviations of a patient'"'"'s teeth from an orthodontic treatment plan, the method comprising:

scanning a patient'"'"'s teeth with a scanner to form an unsegmented three-dimensional (3D) model of a current tooth arrangement of the patient;

comparing, using one or more processors, a previously segmented 3D digital model of a target tooth arrangement specified by the orthodontic treatment plan to the unsegmented 3D digital model of a current tooth arrangement of the patient;

identifying, using one or more processors, a discrepancy between the current tooth arrangement and the target tooth arrangement based on the comparing; and

generating, using one or more processors, a modified orthodontic treatment plan in response to the identified discrepancy.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the comparing step comprises matching a surface of at least one tooth from the previously segmented 3D digital model to a surface of at least one corresponding tooth from the unsegmented 3D digital model.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the comparing step comprises calculating at least one positional difference between at least one tooth of the current tooth arrangement and at least one corresponding tooth of the target tooth arrangement.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the identifying step comprises determining that the at least one positional difference exceeds a predetermined threshold value.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the orthodontic treatment plan comprises moving the patient'"'"'s teeth along an initial treatment path from an initial tooth arrangement towards a subsequent tooth arrangement, and the modified orthodontic treatment plan comprises moving the patient'"'"'s teeth along a revised treatment path from the current tooth arrangement directly towards the subsequent tooth arrangement.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the orthodontic treatment plan comprises moving the patient'"'"'s teeth along an initial treatment path from an initial tooth arrangement towards a subsequent tooth arrangement, and the modified orthodontic treatment plan comprises moving the patient'"'"'s teeth from the current tooth arrangement towards a tooth arrangement specified by the initial treatment path.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the orthodontic treatment plan comprises moving the patient'"'"'s teeth along an initial treatment path from an initial tooth arrangement towards a first subsequent tooth arrangement, and the modified orthodontic treatment plan comprises moving the patient'"'"'s teeth along a revised treatment path from the current tooth arrangement towards a second subsequent arrangement different from the first subsequent tooth arrangement.

8. A system for identifying and correcting deviations of a patient'"'"'s teeth from an orthodontic treatment plan, the system comprising:

one or more processors; and

memory, including instructions executable by the one or more processors to cause the system to at least;

scan a patient'"'"'s teeth with a scanner to form an unsegmented three-dimensional (3D) model of a current tooth arrangement of the patient;

compare a previously segmented 3D digital model of a target tooth arrangement specified by the orthodontic treatment plan to the unsegmented 3D digital model of a current tooth arrangement of the patient,

identify a discrepancy between the current tooth arrangement and the target tooth arrangement based on the comparing, and

generate a modified orthodontic treatment plan in response to the identified discrepancy.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the orthodontic treatment plan comprises moving the patient'"'"'s teeth along an initial treatment path from an initial tooth arrangement towards a subsequent tooth arrangement, and the modified orthodontic treatment plan comprises moving the patient'"'"'s teeth along a revised treatment path from the current tooth arrangement directly towards the subsequent tooth arrangement.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the orthodontic treatment plan comprises moving the patient'"'"'s teeth along an initial treatment path from an initial tooth arrangement towards a subsequent tooth arrangement, and the modified orthodontic treatment plan comprises moving the patient'"'"'s teeth from the current tooth arrangement towards a tooth arrangement specified by the initial treatment path.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the orthodontic treatment plan comprises moving the patient'"'"'s teeth along an initial treatment path from an initial tooth arrangement towards a first subsequent tooth arrangement, and the modified orthodontic treatment plan comprises moving the patient'"'"'s teeth along a revised treatment path from the current tooth arrangement towards a second subsequent arrangement different from the first subsequent tooth arrangement.

12. The system of claim 8, further comprising a user interface configured to receive user input indicating locations of at least one landmark on each tooth of the unsegmented 3D digital model.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the at least one landmark comprises a facial axis of the clinical crown (FACC) identifier.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the compare step comprises matching the at least one landmark on each tooth of the unsegmented 3D digital model to at least one corresponding landmark on each tooth of the previously segmented 3D digital model.

15. The system of claim 8, further comprising a user interface configured to display a visualization of the discrepancy between the current tooth arrangement and the target tooth arrangement to a user.

16. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media having stored thereon executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a computer system for identifying and correcting deviations of a patient'"'"'s teeth from an orthodontic treatment plan, cause the computer system to at least:

scan a patient'"'"'s teeth with a scanner to form an unsegmented three-dimensional (3D) model of a current tooth arrangement of the patient;

compare a previously segmented 3D digital model of a target tooth arrangement specified by the orthodontic treatment plan to the unsegmented 3D digital model of a current tooth arrangement of the patient,

identify a discrepancy between the current tooth arrangement and the target tooth arrangement based on the comparing, and

generate a modified orthodontic treatment plan in response to the identified discrepancy.

17. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 16, wherein the orthodontic treatment plan comprises moving the patient'"'"'s teeth along an initial treatment path from an initial tooth arrangement towards a subsequent tooth arrangement, and the modified orthodontic treatment plan comprises moving the patient'"'"'s teeth along a revised treatment path from the current tooth arrangement directly towards the subsequent tooth arrangement.

18. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 16, wherein the orthodontic treatment plan comprises moving the patient'"'"'s teeth along an initial treatment path from an initial tooth arrangement towards a subsequent tooth arrangement, and the modified orthodontic treatment plan comprises moving the patient'"'"'s teeth from the current tooth arrangement towards a tooth arrangement specified by the initial treatment path.

19. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 16, wherein the orthodontic treatment plan comprises moving the patient'"'"'s teeth along an initial treatment path from an initial tooth arrangement towards a first subsequent tooth arrangement, and the modified orthodontic treatment plan comprises moving the patient'"'"'s teeth along a revised treatment path from the current tooth arrangement towards a second subsequent arrangement different from the first subsequent tooth arrangement.