Clinician review of an orthodontic treatment plan and appliance

• US 7,905,725 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Issued: 03/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Align Technology Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Align Technology Incorporated
• Inventors: Chishti, Muhammad, Benton, Phillips Alexander, Wen, Huafeng, Beers, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Rodriguez; Cris L
• Assistant Examiner(s): EIDE, HEIDI MARIE
• Application Number:
  US11/981,666
• Publication Number:
  US 20080248443A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,231 Days
• Field of Search: 433/2, 433/24, 433/29
• 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: 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 9/00 Impression cups, i.e. impression trays; Impression methods computer-assisted sizing A61C13/0004; instruments for determining occlusion A61C19/05
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 9/004 Means or methods for taking digitized impressions
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 9/0053 Optical means or methods, e.g. scanning the teeth by a laser or light beam
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 50/00 Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 80/00 Products made by additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/00 Three dimensional [3D] modelling, e.g. data description of 3D objects
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/40 relating to mechanical, radiation or invasive therapies, e.g. surgery, laser therapy, dialysis or acupuncture
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/50 for simulation or modelling of medical disorders
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 90/10 Information and communication technologies [ICT] supporting adaptation to climate change, e.g. for weather forecasting or climate simulation

Abstract

A computer is used to create a plan for repositioning an orthodontic patient'"'"'s teeth. The computer receives an initial digital data set representing the patient'"'"'s teeth at their initial positions and a final digital data set representing the teeth at their final positions. The computer then uses the data sets to generate treatment paths along which teeth will move from the initial positions to the final positions.

Claims

1. A method of providing a custom orthodontic appliance for repositioning teeth of a patient, the method comprising:

providing for display on a computer screen, with interaction by an operator, data of images of the teeth of the patient in suggested post-treatment tooth positions and orientations that are based on three-dimensional information of the shapes of the teeth of the patient;

receiving feedback information on the suggested post-treatment positions and orientations from a person, other than the operator, who has interactively viewed a display of the provided images on the computer screen; and

providing a custom orthodontic shell appliance configured to reposition teeth of the patient based on the suggested tooth positions and orientations in accordance with the feed back information, the shell appliance having cavities shaped to receive and resiliently reposition teeth.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the person viewing the display of the images is an orthodontic practitioner; and

the feedback information includes information of approval by the orthodontic practitioner of the suggested post-treatment tooth positions and orientations toward which the teeth of the patient are to be moved by the appliance.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the feedback information includes information of a change in position or orientation of at least one tooth from the suggested post-treatment tooth positions and orientations toward which the at least one tooth of the patient is to be moved by the appliance.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

providing revised images of the teeth of the patient for redisplay in revised post-treatment tooth positions and orientations based on the suggested tooth positions and orientations as changed in accordance with the feedback information.

5. A method of providing a custom orthodontic appliance configured to the individual anatomy of a patient for repositioning teeth of the patient, the method comprising:

providing for display on a computer screen images of the teeth of the patient in suggested post-treatment tooth positions and orientations that are based on three-dimensional information of the shapes of the teeth of the patient;

receiving feedback information on the suggested post-treatment positions and orientations from a person who has interactively viewed a display of the provided images on a computer screen wherein the feedback information includes one or more of;

information approving at least some of the suggested post-treatment positions and orientations, and

information changing at least one of the suggested post-treatment tooth positions or orientations; and

providing a custom orthodontic shell appliance configured to reposition teeth of the patient based on the suggested post-treatment tooth positions and orientations in accordance with the feedback information, the shell appliance having cavities shaped to receive and resiliently reposition teeth.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising:

providing revised images of the teeth of the patient in revised post-treatment tooth positions and orientations based on the suggested post-treatment tooth positions and orientations as changed in accordance with the feedback information.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

receiving from a person who has viewed a display of the provided revised images feedback information approving the revised post-treatment tooth positions and orientations toward which the teeth of the patient are to be moved by the appliance.

8. The method of claim 5 further comprising:

providing the person viewing the display with a capability to enter the feedback information.

9. The method of claim 5 wherein:

the person viewing the display of the images is an orthodontic practitioner.

10. A method of providing a custom orthodontic appliance, configured to the individual anatomy of a patient, for orthodontically repositioning teeth of the patient, the method comprising:

providing digital data of suggested post-treatment tooth positions and orientations of teeth of the patient that are based on three-dimensional information of the shapes of the teeth of the patient;

providing images of teeth of the patient from the digital data, for display on at least one computer screen to an orthodontic practitioner in the suggested post treatment tooth positions and orientations for either (a approval for use in creating a custom orthodontic appliance for the patient or (b revision;

receiving from an orthodontic practitioner, who has interactively viewed on a computer screen a display of the provided images, feedback information approving the suggested post-treatment positions and orientations; and

providing a custom orthodontic shell appliance configured to the individual anatomy of the patient to reposition teeth of the patient based on the suggested post-treatment tooth positions and orientations approved in accordance with the feedback information, the shell appliance having cavities shaped to receive and resiliently reposition teeth.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the receiving of the feedback information approving the suggested post-treatment positions and orientations for a custom orthodontic appliance for the patient includes:

receiving from an the orthodontic practitioner, who has interactively viewed on a computer screen a display of the provided images, feedback information of revisions to the suggested post-treatment positions and orientations;

providing further images of teeth of the patient based on the three dimensional information, for redisplay on the computer display device to the orthodontic practitioner, in suggested post-treatment tooth positions and orientations that have been changed in accordance with the feedback information of the revisions; and

receiving from the orthodontic practitioner, who has viewed a redisplay of the provided further images on a computer screen, the feedback information approving the suggested post-treatment positions and orientations, as changed in accordance with the feedback information of the revisions.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein:

the providing of digital data of suggested post-treatment tooth positions and orientations of teeth of the patient that are based on three-dimensional information of the shapes of the teeth of the patient includes providing for display on a computer screen, with interaction by an operator, the digital data; and

the orthodontic practitioner who has interactively viewed on a computer screen a display of the provided images is a person other than the operator.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein:

the receiving of feedback information from an orthodontic practitioner approving the suggested post-treatment positions and orientations includes receiving feedback information wherein the feedback information can include either information approving the suggested post-treatment tooth positions and orientations or information modifying at least one of the suggested post-treatment tooth positions or orientations.