SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DETECTING DEVIATIONS DURING THE COURSE OF AN ORTHODONTIC TREATMENT TO GRADUALLY REPOSITION TEETH

• US 20080305451A1
• Filed: 06/08/2007
• Published: 12/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Align Technology Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Align Technology Incorporated
• Inventors: Kitching, Ian, Cheang, Ka M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,075,306 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 433/24
• 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: G16H 50/50 for simulation or modelling of medical disorders
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass

Abstract

Method and system for detecting and correcting deviation during an orthodontic treatment plan is provided. The method includes the steps of receiving an un-segmented current teeth image representing a patient'"'"'s teeth after an orthodontic treatment plan has begun and before the plan ends for the patient; matching a previously segmented teeth model with the current teeth image; and generating at least one corrective stage to define an intermediate tooth arrangement, wherein the at least one corrective stage repositions a digital teeth image so that a prescribed tooth arrangement of the previously segmented teeth model can be used.

Claims

1. A method for detecting deviation during an orthodontic treatment plan, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving an un-segmented current teeth image representing a patient'"'"'s teeth after an orthodontic treatment plan has begun and before the orthodontic treatment plan ends for the patient;

pre-processing the current teeth image;

comparing the current teeth image with a previously segmented teeth model for an initial match;

performing a surface matching step between the current teeth image and the previously segmented teeth model, if an initial match occurs; and

adjusting a position of a tooth in the previously segmented teeth model to a corrected stage if an error generated after the surface matching step is within a programmable threshold parameter value.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein if there is no initial match for a tooth, then a mis-matched tooth is manually adjusted by a technician.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein during the pre-processing of the current teeth image, each tooth is assigned a unique identifier which is compared to each tooth'"'"'s unique identifier in the previously segmented teeth model to determine if there is an initial match.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the unique identifier comprises a mark added to a specific location on a tooth, an attachment on a tooth and a distinct characteristic of the tooth.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a technician enters bite match setting values for the surface matching step.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the bite match setting values are programmable parameters that include one or more of a matching tolerance, a maximum iteration, and a fluctuation count.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein a user interface displays any teeth with matching errors after executing the surface matching step.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein a matching error for a tooth occurs when an error is greater than a programmed threshold parameter.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein selecting a matching error in the user interface generates a report identifying the matching error, the distance from a good match and a suggestion on how to correct the error.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the surface matching step creates a grid on each tooth and a number of samples are randomly selected;

and the grid is overlaid on the current teeth image to ensure that the current teeth image matches the previously segmented teeth model.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the previously segmented teeth model is based on an initial segmented teeth model prior to starting the orthodontic treatment plan.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the previously segmented teeth model is based on an intermediate stage between a beginning of the orthodontic treatment plan and end of the orthodontic treatment plan.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the current teeth image is a digital image created from one or more of a dental impression;

a two dimensional digital image and a bite registry;

a plurality of two-dimensional images; and

an intra-oral scan.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the previously segmented teeth model is a segmented teeth model created from a digital data set that represents a patient'"'"'s teeth arrangement and each tooth is represented as an individual digital object.

15. The method of claim 1 further including the step of tracking adjustments made to each tooth of the previously segmented tooth model to match the current teeth image.

16. The method of claim 1 further includes creating corrective stages with the previously segmented teeth model from a tooth arrangement of the current teeth image to a prescribed tooth arrangement.

17. The method of claim 1 further includes creating corrective stages with the previously segmented teeth model from the tooth arrangement of the current teeth image to a tooth arrangement of the previously segmented teeth model.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the surface matching step is performed by a computing system.

19. A method for detecting and correcting deviation during an orthodontic treatment plan, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving an un-segmented current teeth image representing a patient'"'"'s teeth after an orthodontic treatment plan has begun and before the orthodontic treatment plan ends for the patient;

matching a previously segmented teeth model with the current teeth image; and

generating at least one corrective stage to define an intermediate tooth arrangement, wherein the at least one corrective stage repositions a digital teeth image so that a prescribed tooth arrangement of the previously segmented teeth model can be used.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the step of generating at least one corrective stage moves the teeth from the current teeth image to the prescribed tooth arrangement of the previously segmented teeth arrangement.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the step of generating the at least one corrective stage moves the teeth from the current teeth image to a previously segmented teeth arrangement.

22. The method of claim 19, further including the step of pre-processing the current teeth image, wherein each tooth is assigned a unique identifier which is compared to each tooth'"'"'s unique identifier in the previously segmented teeth model to determine if there is an initial match.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein the step of matching further includes the step of comparing the current teeth image with the previously segmented teeth model for an initial match.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein if there is no initial match for a tooth, then a mismatched tooth is adjusted.

25. The method of claim 19, wherein the step of matching further includes the step of performing a surface matching step between the current teeth image and the previously segmented teeth model.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the step of matching further includes the step of adjusting a position of a tooth in the previously segmented teeth model to a corrected stage if there is a match after the surface matching step.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein a technician enters bite match setting values for the surface matching step.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the bite match setting values are programmable parameters that include one or more of a matching tolerance, a maximum iteration, and a fluctuation count.

29. The method of claim 25, wherein a user interface displays any teeth with matching errors after executing the surface matching step.

30. The method of claim 25, wherein a matching error for a tooth occurs when an error is greater than a programmed threshold parameter.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein selecting a matching error in the user interface generates a report identifying the matching error, the distance from a good match and a suggestion on how to correct the error.

32. The method of claim 25, wherein the surface matching step creates a grid on each tooth and a number of samples are randomly selected;

and the grid is overlaid on the current teeth image to ensure that the current teeth image matches the previously segmented teeth model.

33. The method of claim 19, wherein the previously segmented teeth model is based on an initial segmented teeth model prior to starting the orthodontic treatment plan.

34. The method of claim 19, wherein the previously segmented teeth model is based on an intermediate stage between a beginning of the orthodontic treatment plan and end of the orthodontic treatment plan.

35. The method of claim 19, wherein the current teeth image is a digital image created from one or more of a dental impression;

a two dimensional digital image and a bite registry;

a plurality of two-dimensional images; and

an intra-oral scan.

36. The method of claim 19, wherein the previously segmented teeth model is a segmented teeth model created from a digital data set that represents a patient'"'"'s teeth arrangement and each tooth is represented as an individual digital object.

37. The method of claim 25, wherein the surface matching step is performed by a computing system.