Patent Application
20230142509
The invention relates to the field of manufacturing and documenting the process of customized orthodontic and dental appliances.
In the orthodontic office and laboratory, prescriptions which were once prepared manually with resin impressions or molds are more and more being carried out in a digital workspace. Instead of creating a physical mold of the patient's teeth which can be uncomfortable for the patient or time consuming, the patient simply scans their mouth and teeth via an intraoral digital scan.
Once the patient has had their teeth digitally scanned, the orthodontist may take data from the scan to create a 3D image which corresponds to the patient's teeth. Since each prescription is unique to each patient and may be made up of multiple parts or appliances with very specific designs, the 3D image is manipulated accordingly to add or remove any appliances which may be necessary to carry out the orthodontist's new or updated prescription. Once complete, specifications corresponding to the appliances added to the 3D image and the 3D image itself are sent out to a lab for manufacture. Use of a 3D model allows the orthodontist to virtually apply or reapply different appliances to the patient's teeth without having to use a physical casting of the patient's teeth, thus dramatically cutting down on the time and expense required for preparing a patient's orthodontic prescription.
A problem develops however for those patients who are already wearing orthodontic appliances including brackets for braces who then undergo an intraoral scan to have their prescription altered or changed. The resulting 3D image of the patient's teeth therefore inherently includes these pre-existing appliances, making it difficult if not impossible for the orthodontist to apply new orthodontic appliances or adjust preexisting ones within the 3D image.
What is needed is a method for removing orthodontic appliances including brackets from 3D images. The method should be simple and easy to use as well as fast to implement with a minimum of interceding steps.
The illustrated embodiments of the invention include within their scope a method of prescription management for use with an orthodontic or dental lab and a prescribing user. The method includes obtaining a 3D image corresponding to a patient's teeth, removing brackets from the 3D image and/or restoring and refining the 3D image after the bracket has been removed. The modified 3D image may then be used when designing a customized orthodontic or dental appliance and thus assist the prescribing user update the prescription for the patient.
The current invention provides a method for removing image data corresponding to an orthodontic or dental appliance from a 3D image of a patient's teeth. The method includes selecting the image data corresponding to at least one appliance to be removed from the 3D image and then deleting the selected image data corresponding to the at least one appliance from the 3D image. Specifically, selecting the image data which corresponds to the at least one appliance includes forming a boundary within the 3D image around the image data which corresponds to the at least one appliance. Next, the image data which corresponds to the at least one appliance and contained within the formed boundary is deleted from the 3D image. Image data corresponding to a surface of a tooth which is disposed beneath the deleted image data is first calculated and then integrated with the remaining portion of the 3D image.
Additionally, the method may also include refining the specific image data which corresponds to the surface of the tooth that is disposed beneath the appliance which was just deleted from the 3D image. In one embodiment, refining the image data includes removing at least a portion of the image data that corresponds to the surface of the patient's teeth that is disposed beneath the deleted appliance. In another embodiment, refining the image data includes adding to at least a portion of the image data that corresponds to the surface of the patient's teeth that is disposed beneath the deleted appliance. In a further embodiment, refining the image data includes defining an intersection between the image data that corresponds to the surface of the patient's teeth that is disposed beneath the deleted appliance and the image data that corresponds to a gingiva margin of the patient within the 3D image. In yet another related embodiment, refining the image data includes smoothening at least a portion of the image data that corresponds to the surface of the patient's teeth that is disposed beneath the deleted appliance.
In another embodiment, the step of forming a boundary within the 3D image around the image data which corresponds to the at least one appliance specifically includes encircling the image data that corresponds to the at least one appliance with a line as defined by a user. Specifically, encircling the image data which corresponds to the at least one appliance with a line defined by the user may further include determining when an incomplete boundary around the image data corresponding to the at least one appliance is present and then notifying the user when the incomplete boundary has been detected. In a separate embodiment, forming the boundary within the 3D image around the image data that corresponds to the at least one appliance also includes erasing at least a portion of the boundary formed around the image data which corresponds to the at least one appliance.
In one particular embodiment, the image data which corresponds to an orthodontic or dental appliance specifically includes image data that corresponds to an orthodontic bracket. In a related embodiment, the image data that corresponds to an orthodontic bracket also includes at least a portion of an orthodontic wire. In yet another embodiment, the image data that corresponds to an orthodontic or dental appliance specifically includes image data that corresponds to an orthodontic band. Additionally, in one particular embodiment, the image data that corresponds to an orthodontic or dental appliance further includes image data that corresponds to relates to an orthodontic attachment.
In another embodiment, the method steps of calculating the image data and integrating the image data are performed automatically upon the deletion of the selected image data which corresponds to the at least one appliance from the 3D image.
The current invention further provides a system for removing image data which corresponds to an orthodontic or dental appliance from a 3D image of a patient's teeth. The system includes a digital workspace that is configured to display the 3D image and an interface that is disposed within the digital workspace and which includes at least one input means for forming a boundary around the image data that corresponds to at least one appliance within the 3D image. The system also includes a means for deleting the image data that corresponds to the at least one appliance within the boundary formed within the 3D image as well as a means for replacing the deleted image data with image data that corresponds to a surface of the tooth that is disposed beneath the deleted image data. The interface itself includes a plurality of input means for refining the image data which corresponds to the surface of the tooth that is disposed beneath the appliance which has just been deleted from the 3D image.
In one embodiment, the digital workspace of the system is configured to form the boundary around the image data which corresponds to the at least appliance in response to at least one input from a user as received by the interface disposed within the digital workspace.
In another embodiment, the system also includes means for calculating the image data corresponding to the surface of the tooth disposed beneath the deleted image data corresponding to the at least one appliance.
In yet another embodiment, the system also includes a database that is configured to store a current state of the 3D image.
In a further embodiment, the plurality of input means for refining the image data that corresponds to the surface of the tooth that is disposed beneath the deleted appliance includes an input means for removing at least a portion of the image data that corresponds to the surface of at least one of the patient's teeth, an input means for adding to at least a portion of the image data that corresponds to the surface of the tooth disposed beneath the deleted image data, an input means for defining an intersection between the image data that corresponds to the surface of the tooth and the image data that corresponds to a gingiva margin of the patient, and an input means for smoothening at least a portion of the image data that corresponds to the surface of the tooth that is disposed beneath the deleted image data corresponding to the at least one appliance.
In one embodiment, the system is a component of a web based application.
While the apparatus and method has or will be described for the sake of grammatical fluidity with functional explanations, it is to be expressly understood that the claims, unless expressly formulated under 35 USC 112, are not to be construed as necessarily limited in any way by the construction of “means” or “steps” limitations, but are to be accorded the full scope of the meaning and equivalents of the definition provided by the claims under the judicial doctrine of equivalents, and in the case where the claims are expressly formulated under 35 USC 112 are to be accorded full statutory equivalents under 35 USC 112. The disclosure can be better visualized by turning now to the following drawings wherein like elements are referenced by like numerals.
The disclosure and its various embodiments can now be better understood by turning to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments which are presented as illustrated examples of the embodiments defined in the claims. It is expressly understood that the embodiments as defined by the claims may be broader than the illustrated embodiments described below.
The illustrated system and accompanying method relate to a web based application that is designed to create and manage orthodontic laboratory prescriptions within a dental clinic as well as the lab. The system receives a standard triangle language (STL) image file which has been obtained from an intraoral digital scan or a cone-beam CT scan of a patient's mouth and teeth, or a digital study model service from a lab. The method allows for orthodontists to manipulate their prescriptions or change prescriptions for patients who are already wearing braces or other orthodontic appliances which comprise brackets or other similar orthodontic components.
The current system and method disclosed herein may be a standalone or independent application, however more preferably the current system and method is meant to be a segment or a portion of a larger suite of digital orthodontic prescription management tools. For example, the current system and method is preferably integrated into the platforms disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 10,299,891, entitled “System and Method for Ordering and Manufacturing Customized Orthodontic Appliances and Product”, filed Mar. 16, 2016, and U.S. application Ser. No. 16/712,362, entitled “System and Method for Ordering and Manufacturing Customized Dental Appliances and the Tracking of Orthodontic Products,” filed Dec. 12, 2019, both of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
The illustrated system and method can be understood by turning to
In order to remove brackets or other orthodontic appliances from the 3D image 12, the user first needs to orientate the model. Once a patient's 3D image 12 is shown on the bracket removal dashboard 10, the user selects a tool from the suite of orientation tools 14. As depicted in
The bracket removal dashboard 10 is the designated area for a user to perform any designing or modification to the 3D image 12. The user begins removing brackets 22 from the 3D image 12 by first orientating the 3D image 12 so as to best see the brackets 22 to be removed, for example by rotating the 3D image 12 to show the patient's upper front teeth 20, namely the patient's incisors as seen in
More specifically, the algorithm, using the location of the loop or circle as defined by the line 32 drawn by the user, removes the brackets 22 within the circle and calculates what the surface of the tooth 20 most likely looks like under the bracket 22, and re-creates that tooth surface 20 in the 3D image 12. In other words, the algorithm calculates the curvature of the tooth 20 to get the “new” surface of the tooth 20 as close as possible to the true shape of the patient's tooth. Without the algorithmic estimation and re-creation of the surface of the tooth 20, simply deleting the bracket 22 from the 3D image 12 would result in creating a hole or a flat surface on the tooth 20 where the bracket 22 was previously located, thereby requiring the user to do much more refining to get the surface of the tooth 20 correct.
After removing the bracket 22 from a first tooth 20, the user may move on to another one of the plurality of teeth 20 contained within the 3D image 12. For example, as seen in
In one embodiment seen in
In a related embodiment seen in
The current invention further provides a refine tooth surface tool 44 within the suite of texture manipulation tools 16. The refine tooth surface tool 44 comprises a plurality of different options for the user to actively select and apply to the surfaces of the teeth 20 within the 3D image 12. Specifically, the refine tooth surface tool 44 comprises a Build option 50, a Carve option 52, a Margin option 54, and a Smooth option 56.
Use of the Smooth option 56 by the user may be seen in
Use of the Carve option 52 by the user may be seen in
Use of the Build option 50 by the user may also be seen in
Use of the Margin option 54 by the user may be seen in
As seen in
By using the plurality of options 50-56 within the refine tooth surface tool 44, namely the Build option 50, the Carve option 52, the Margin option 54, and the Smooth option 56, it can be seen that the user may correct or improve the overall quality of the 3D image, thereby making it easier to apply new or different orthodontic appliances to the patient's prescription after the original brackets 22 have been removed. The user may use a plurality of different options 50-56 in conjunction together or in sequence to obtain a 3D image 12 which is as close as is possible to a true representation of the patient's teeth. In other words, the refine surface tool 44 provides the user the ability to correct deficiencies which are left behind after the brackets 22 are removed from the 3D image, which if left otherwise uncorrected, would require the patient to possibly undergo a subsequent intraoral scan.
At any point during the process of removing brackets 22 from the 3D image 12 or correcting or altering the 3D image 12 using the refine surface tool 44, the user may stop and save their progress by actuating a save button 66 seen in
It should also be noted that while the drawings and the above description relate to using the refine surface tool 44 for removing one or more brackets 22, it also expressly contemplated that other orthodontic appliances including bands, wires, and/or attachments may also be removed from the 3D image 12 using the bracket removal dashboard 10.
For example, use of the bracket removal dashboard 10 to remove a band 72 may be seen in
More specifically, the algorithm, using the location of the loop or circle as defined by the line 32 drawn by the user, removes the band 72 within the circle and calculates what the surface of the tooth 20 most likely looks like under the band 72, and re-creates that tooth surface 20 in the 3D image 12. In other words, the algorithm calculates the curvature of the tooth 20 to get the “new” surface of the tooth 20 as close as possible to the true shape of the patient's tooth. Without the algorithmic estimation and re-creation of the surface of the tooth 20, simply deleting the band 72 from the 3D image 12 would result in creating a hole or a flat surface on the tooth 20 where the band 72 was previously located, thereby requiring the user to do much more refining to get the surface of the tooth 20 correct.
The user further has the option to remove any artifacts or residual effects from the band 72 by again selecting the Select Brackets option 30, drawing another loop or circle with a second line 32 seen in
In yet another embodiment, the bracket removal dashboard 10 may be used to remove an attachment 76 which may be seen in
More specifically, the algorithm, using the location of the loop or circle as defined by the line 32 drawn by the user, removes the attachment 76 within the circle and calculates what the surface of the tooth 20 most likely looks like under the attachment 76, and re-creates that tooth surface 20 in the 3D image 12. In other words, the algorithm calculates the curvature of the tooth 20 to get the “new” surface of the tooth 20 as close as possible to the true shape of the patient's tooth. Without the algorithmic estimation and re-creation of the surface of the tooth 20, simply deleting the bracket 22 from the 3D image 12 would result in creating a hole or a flat surface on the tooth 20 where the attachment 76 was previously located, thereby requiring the user to do much more refining to get the surface of the tooth 20 correct.
The user may then repeat the removal process for additional teeth 20 within the 3D image 12 which also comprise an attachment 76. Turning to
In a further embodiment, the bracket removal dashboard 10 may be used to remove wires interconnecting the brackets 22. Specifically, in a manner similar to what is discussed above, after acquiring a 3D image 12 comprising orthodontic wires, the user uses the Select Brackets option 30 to encircle or draw a line 32 around the wires and then remove the image information related to the wires by selecting the Remove Brackets option 34. The user may further alter or correct the 3D image 12 using any of the options 50-54 within the refine tooth surface tool 44 as discussed above. By supporting a 3D image 12 with or without the wire allows the bracket removal dashboard 10 to support two workflows, namely scanning the patient with the wires in or scanning the patient with the wires removed.
One of the advantageous features of the illustrated embodiment of the system is that digital three-dimensional model files are viewed using the disclosed software system from inside of a browser without installing any local software. There is no need to download software to view three dimensional models. Whether the image file is from an intra-oral scanner, cone-beam or from a digital study model service from a lab, the illustrated system provides a fast and efficient solution to view the files.
Once editing of the 3D image 12 has been completed by removing all the previously scanned brackets, bands, or attachments, the user then free to use the now appliance-free 3D image to create a new or different prescription for the patient by applying new set of brackets, bands, or attachments. Once applied, the user may send the revised 3D image to a lab where the corresponding attachments may be manufactured and then returned to the user who may then apply them to the patient.
The illustrated embodiments of the system and method can now be understood as an overall bracket removal system and method designed to efficiently and easily remove orthodontic or dental appliances from an image of an intraoral scan, allowing doctors and other users access to review and update the prescriptions of their patients. The system allows for flexibility to make customizations based on the particular lab using the system. Since this is a web-based system, updates can be made on the fly and the doctors' data is stored via the cloud.
Many alterations and modifications may be made by those having ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the embodiments. Therefore, it must be understood that the illustrated embodiment has been set forth only for the purposes of example and that it should not be taken as limiting the embodiments as defined by the following embodiments and its various embodiments.
Therefore, it must be understood that the illustrated embodiment has been set forth only for the purposes of example and that it should not be taken as limiting the embodiments as defined by the following claims. For example, notwithstanding the fact that the elements of a claim are set forth below in a certain combination, it must be expressly understood that the embodiments includes other combinations of fewer, more or different elements, which are disclosed in above even when not initially claimed in such combinations. A teaching that two elements are combined in a claimed combination is further to be understood as also allowing for a claimed combination in which the two elements are not combined with each other, but may be used alone or combined in other combinations. The excision of any disclosed element of the embodiments is explicitly contemplated as within the scope of the embodiments.
The words used in this specification to describe the various embodiments are to be understood not only in the sense of their commonly defined meanings, but to include by special definition in this specification structure, material or acts beyond the scope of the commonly defined meanings. Thus if an element can be understood in the context of this specification as including more than one meaning, then its use in a claim must be understood as being generic to all possible meanings supported by the specification and by the word itself.
The definitions of the words or elements of the following claims are, therefore, defined in this specification to include not only the combination of elements which are literally set forth, but all equivalent structure, material or acts for performing substantially the same function in substantially the same way to obtain substantially the same result. In this sense it is therefore contemplated that an equivalent substitution of two or more elements may be made for any one of the elements in the claims below or that a single element may be substituted for two or more elements in a claim. Although elements may be described above as acting in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such, it is to be expressly understood that one or more elements from a claimed combination can in some cases be excised from the combination and that the claimed combination may be directed to a subcombination or variation of a subcombination.
Insubstantial changes from the claimed subject matter as viewed by a person with ordinary skill in the art, now known or later devised, are expressly contemplated as being equivalently within the scope of the claims. Therefore, obvious substitutions now or later known to one with ordinary skill in the art are defined to be within the scope of the defined elements.
The claims are thus to be understood to include what is specifically illustrated and described above, what is conceptionally equivalent, what can be obviously substituted and also what essentially incorporates the essential idea of the embodiments.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US2021/024599 | 3/29/2021 | WO |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63003568 | Apr 2020 | US |
