Providing custom orthodontic treatment with appliance components from inventory

US 20030224317A1
Filed: 05/30/2003
Published: 12/04/2003
Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2002
Status: Active Grant

First Claim

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1. A method of providing orthodontic appliances for a patient comprising:

providing digital information correlated to the dental anatomy of an individual patient;

analyzing the digital information with a computer to derive therefrom geometric parameters of an appliance suitable for the individual patient;

based on the derived geometric parameters, selecting an orthodontic appliance for the patient from one of the plurality of alternative orthodontic appliances of different predefined geometries.

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Abstract

Computer analysis is made of individual patient related data in order to select standard or pre-manufactured orthodontic appliances or appliance components (10) that are most likely to provide orthodontic treatment suitable for the individual patient. This analysis can be made by the software of a custom orthodontic appliance designing system, without actually manufacturing the custom appliance. Geometric parameters (21-24, 28, 29) of a custom designed appliance may be compared with corresponding parameters of alternative standard appliances or appliance components so that the closest standard component can be used. The custom appliance can be designed to accommodate the geometries of one or more appliance components. Where custom mounting instructions that modify otherwise standard installation of an appliance or component will render the standard component more compatible with a custom appliance design, such instructions are provided to the orthodontist along with the selection. The invention is most useful in selecting orthodontic brackets, or combinations of standard brackets and standard archwires.

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19 Claims

1. A method of providing orthodontic appliances for a patient comprising:
- providing digital information correlated to the dental anatomy of an individual patient;
  
  analyzing the digital information with a computer to derive therefrom geometric parameters of an appliance suitable for the individual patient;
  
  based on the derived geometric parameters, selecting an orthodontic appliance for the patient from one of the plurality of alternative orthodontic appliances of different predefined geometries.
- View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 19)
- - 3. The method of claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the providing of the digital information includes any one of the following:
    - a) forming a physical impression of a patient'"'"'s teeth at a situs of an orthodontic practitioner, transporting the impression to an orthodontic appliance facility, forming at the orthodontic appliance facility a solid model of the patient'"'"'s teeth from the impression, scanning the model to produce three-dimensional digital information of the shape of the patient'"'"'s teeth;
      
      b) digitizing skeletal information of the patient;
      
      c) digitizing soft tissue information of the patient;
      
      d) digitizing dental information of the patient other than as set forth in a);
      
      e) digitizing x-rays of the patient of any of the information of a)-d);
      
      f) digitizing custom prescription information of the patient from the orthodontist;
      
      or g) digitizing appliance parameter information from the orthodontist.
  - 4. The method of claim 3 wherein the analyzing of the digital information includes designing with a computer the orthodontic appliance that includes a custom orthodontic archwire and a set of custom orthodontic brackets to be bonded to each of a plurality of the patient'"'"'s teeth to support the archwire to achieve the derived arrangement by the orthodontic treatment.
  - 5. The method of claim 4 wherein the geometric parameters include slot in-out, slot torque, slot tip and slot rotation of each of the orthodontic brackets of the set.
  - 6. The method of claim 5 further comprising providing the selected brackets to the orthodontist for treatment of the patient.
  - 7. The method of claim 4 further comprising providing the selected brackets to the orthodontist for treatment of the patient.
  - 8. The method of claim 3 further comprising providing the selected brackets to the orthodontist for treatment of the patient.
  - 9. The method of claim 3 further comprising providing information on the result of the selection to the orthodontist for treatment of the patient.
  - 10. A system configured to implement the method of claim 3.
  - 11. The method of claim 1 or claim 2 further comprising providing the selected brackets to the orthodontist for treatment of the patient.
  - 12. The method of claim 1 or claim 2 further comprising providing information on the result of the selection to the orthodontist for treatment of the patient.
  - 19. The method of claim 1, claim 2, claim 13, claim 14 or claim 15 further comprising providing the orthodontist with the opportunity to specify modifications to the appliance, tooth positions or treatment, or to provide further input data for further analysis and selection.

2. A method of selecting orthodontic appliances comprising:
- providing digital information correlated to the individual dental anatomy of a patient;
  
  analyzing the digital information with a computer to derive geometric parameters of a custom orthodontic appliance;
  
  comparing the derived geometric parameters with corresponding parameters of a plurality of alternative pre-manufactured orthodontic appliances and selecting one of the plurality based on the comparison.

13. A method of selecting orthodontic brackets comprising:
- forming a physical impression of a patient'"'"'s teeth at a situs of an orthodontic practitioner;
  
  transporting the impression to an orthodontic appliance facility;
  
  at the orthodontic appliance facility, forming a solid model of the patient'"'"'s teeth from the impression;
  
  scanning the model to produce three-dimensional digital information of the shape of the patient'"'"'s teeth;
  
  analyzing the three-dimensional digital information with a computer to derive an arrangement of the patient'"'"'s teeth to be achieved by orthodontic treatment;
  
  designing with a computer an orthodontic appliance that includes a custom orthodontic archwire and a set of custom orthodontic brackets to be bonded to each of a plurality of the patient'"'"'s teeth to support the archwire to achieve the derived arrangement by the orthodontic treatment;
  
  comparing geometric parameters that include slot in-out, slot torque, slot tip and slot rotation of each of the orthodontic brackets of the set with corresponding parameters of a plurality of alternative standard or pre-manufactured orthodontic brackets for the same tooth and selecting one of the plurality of alternative standard or pre-manufactured brackets based on the comparison; and
  
  providing the selected brackets or information on the result of the selection to the orthodontist for treatment of the patient.
- View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
- - 14. The method of claim 13 further comprising selecting a standard or pre-manufactured orthodontic archwire based on a similar comparison.
  - 15. The method of claim 14 further comprising selecting the orthodontic archwire then designing the custom appliance that includes the selected archwire and designing the brackets with respect to the selected archwire.
  - 16. The method of claim 13, claim 14 or claim 15 further comprising:
    - redesigning the custom appliance to include less than all of the selected appliance components and selecting the other components upon comparison of the parameters thereof with those of corresponding components of the redesigned appliance.
  - 17. The method of claim 13, claim 14 or claim 15 further comprising presenting the orthodontist with the customized component characteristics or component selection, or a representation of the derived arrangement of the patient'"'"'s teeth that such components would produce.
  - 18. A system configured to implement the method of any claims of claim 13, claim 14 or claim 15.

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Current Assignee
Ormco Corporation (Envista Holdings Corporation)
Original Assignee
Ormco Corporation (Envista Holdings Corporation)
Inventors
Even, Daniel E., Andreiko, Craig A.

Granted Patent

US 7,229,282 B2
Time in Patent Office

Days
Field of Search
US Class Current

433/24
CPC Class Codes

A61C 7/00 Orthodontics, i.e. obtainin...

A61C 7/146 Positioning or placement of...

Providing custom orthodontic treatment with appliance components from inventory

First Claim

3 Assignments

0 Petitions

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Abstract

22 Citations

19 Claims

Specification

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Providing custom orthodontic treatment with appliance components from inventory

First Claim

3 Assignments

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0 Petitions

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Accused Products

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Abstract

22 Citations

19 Claims

Specification

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Solutions

Use Cases

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