Dental analysis using missing teeth prediction

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for analyzing a patient's dental arch to generate a treatment plan for a dentition are provided herein. Methods and apparatus for analyzing a patient's dental arch when the patient is missing one or more teeth are described in particular. Methods and apparatus are provided to correctly number the teeth of a patient's dental arch after a dental scan, including automatically detecting missing teeth and estimating the size of the missing teeth after a dental scan. Methods and apparatus are provided to perform an analysis of a patient's dental arch using the estimated size of the missing teeth. Methods and apparatus for designing and manufacturing an appliance are also provided.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the following invention patent application: filed on November 18, 2019, application number 201911125140.0, entitled Dental Analysis Using Missing Teeth Prediction.

[0002] Cross-references to related applications

[0003] All publications and patent applications mentioned in this specification are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety, to the extent that each individual publication or patent application is specifically and individually indicated by reference. Background Technology

[0004] Orthodontic or dental treatment plans can improve the function and aesthetics of a patient's dentition. However, creating such a treatment plan can be highly complex. Therefore, one or more tools that can assist users (e.g., dental practitioners including dentists, orthodontists, dental technicians, etc.) would be invaluable. Such tools can help analyze a patient's existing dentition and / or provide insights to guide dentition improvement and potential treatment outcomes.

[0005] In particular, designing a treatment plan can be challenging when one or more teeth are missing. A person's dentition may include missing or unerupted teeth that are not visible in a scan of the dental arch. Teeth may be missing for a variety of reasons, including genetics, previous extractions, or loss due to trauma or activity. Unerupted teeth may include teeth that have not erupted into the patient's dental arch (such as permanent teeth in pediatric patients). Missing teeth can be difficult to identify using dental scanning techniques. More specifically, many dental scanning techniques perform an optical scan of the patient's dental arch and use a three-dimensional (3D) dental mesh model to represent the teeth in the arch. This 3D dental mesh model can help practitioners visualize tooth alignment and / or simulate treatment outcomes. Many digital scanning techniques use automated tooth segmentation systems (e.g., automated systems that identify and / or number individual teeth and / or dental features in a 3D dental mesh model). Unfortunately, missing and / or unerupted teeth may be misidentified or completely missed by automated tooth segmentation systems and / or conventional digital scanning techniques. Providing one or more tools that can help analyze and / or guide treatment considerations for missing teeth would be particularly helpful. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This document describes methods and devices (e.g., apparatus and systems, including computer-implemented instructions) for assisting users such as dentists, orthodontists, or dental technicians in preparing treatment plans to improve a patient's dentition. Any of these methods and devices can address one or more needs for accurately identifying missing teeth in a computer model to precisely generate a 3D tooth mesh model for orthodontic diagnosis and treatment. For example, any of these methods and devices can be configured to automatically determine whether tooth structures, such as teeth, are missing from a patient's dental arch and provide accurate approximations of the dimensions of the missing tooth structures (such as mesial-distal width), and further use the approximate dimensions to estimate and output a measure of the relative size of the patient's teeth. The resulting measure can help the user visualize the patient's dentition and / or design one or more treatment plans to improve the patient's dentition.

[0007] In one aspect, the teeth in a patient's dental arch can be appropriately renumbered to account for gaps or large distances between adjacent teeth. If the gap or large distance between adjacent teeth exceeds a gap threshold, the teeth beyond that gap or threshold can be appropriately renumbered. In another aspect, gaps or large distances between adjacent teeth in a patient's dental arch can indicate the presence of missing teeth.

[0008] In another aspect, the width or size of a tooth or adjacent teeth can be assessed to identify incorrect tooth numbering in the presence of missing teeth. The mesial-distal width and / or buccal-lingual width of a tooth can be assessed to determine whether the tooth is a molar or a premolar, and the tooth can be renumbered accordingly.

[0009] In one aspect, an example of a method for forming an orthodontic treatment plan is provided, including receiving a scan of the patient's dental arch in a processor, identifying at least one missing tooth in the arch in the processor, estimating the width of the missing tooth, performing an analysis using the estimated tooth width (e.g., determining the ratio of upper to lower teeth, etc.), and using the tooth analysis to create an orthodontic treatment plan to reposition at least one of the patient's teeth. In some variations, the analysis may be a Bolton analysis (e.g., global Bolton analysis or anterior Bolton analysis, etc.), which is a tooth analysis used to determine the differences in size between the maxillary and mandibular teeth to help determine the optimal interarch relationship. Any of these analyses can be used during orthodontic treatment planning to improve the patient's final tooth position.

[0010] In each aspect, the gap threshold includes a distance of at least 1 mm, 2 mm, 3 mm, 4 mm, or 5 mm, or at least 3 mm.

[0011] In one aspect, the method may also include creating a dental instrument configured to reposition at least one of the patient's teeth according to an orthodontic treatment plan.

[0012] In one aspect, a non-transitory computing device readable medium is provided having instructions stored thereon that are executable by a processor to cause the computing device to receive a tooth scan along the tooth curve of a patient's dental arch, determine that at least one tooth is missing, estimate the width of the missing tooth, and perform an analysis taking into account the missing tooth.

[0013] In one aspect, the gap threshold includes a distance of at least 1 mm, 2 mm, 3 mm, 4 mm, or 5 mm, or at least 3 mm.

[0014] This article describes a method for providing a metric to a user. This metric can assist the user in designing a treatment plan. For example, a method may include: receiving a scan of a patient's teeth in a processor; estimating the mesiodistal width of at least some of the patient's teeth from the scan; identifying missing teeth in the scan; estimating the mesiodistal width of the missing teeth; using the estimated mesiodistal width of the missing teeth and the mesiodistal width of at least some of the patient's teeth to calculate a metric of the relative size of the patient's teeth; and outputting the metric of the relative size of the patient's teeth.

[0015] For example, the method may include: receiving a scan of a patient's teeth in a processor; displaying a model of the patient's teeth based on the scan; and, when a user selects a control to display a measure of the relative size of the patient's teeth, triggering the processor to perform the following steps: determining the mesiodistal width of each of at least some teeth in the patient's teeth from the scan of the patient's teeth; identifying missing teeth in the scan of the patient's teeth; estimating the mesiodistal width of the missing teeth; calculating a measure of the relative size of the patient's teeth using the estimated mesiodistal width of the missing teeth and the mesiodistal width of each of at least some teeth in the patient's teeth; and displaying the measure of the relative size of the patient's teeth.

[0016] As described above, in any of these methods, identifying missing teeth may include: automatically detecting any gaps between adjacent teeth in the dental arch; if the detected gap exceeds a gap threshold, determining in the processor that at least one tooth is missing in the dental arch. The gap threshold may include a distance of at least 1 mm, 2 mm, 3 mm, 4 mm, or 5 mm.

[0017] Computational metrics may include calculating the ratio of all or some of the mesiodistal widths of a patient's mandibular teeth to the mesiodistal widths of all or some of the patient's maxillary teeth, wherein the mesiodistal widths of all or some of the maxillary teeth or all or some of the mandibular teeth include estimated mesiodistal widths for missing teeth. For example, computational metrics may include determining the whole-tooth Bolton ratio (e.g., the sum of the twelve mandibular teeth divided by the sum of the twelve maxillary teeth multiplied by 100), determining the anterior-tooth Bolton ratio (e.g., the sum of the six mandibular teeth divided by the sum of the six maxillary teeth multiplied by 100), and / or some other metric for determining the size of the patient's teeth, such as the buccal corridor, etc.

[0018] For example, the mesiodistal width of a missing tooth can be estimated based on the mesiodistal width of the contralateral tooth. Alternatively, Tanaka-Johnston analysis can be used to estimate the mesiodistal width of a missing tooth.

[0019] Any of these methods may include creating an orthodontic treatment plan to reposition at least one of the patient's teeth using measurements of the relative size of the patient's teeth. For example, the treatment plan may include generating a series of orthodontic appliances to adjust or modify the patient's dentition; and / or reducing the size of one or more of the patient's teeth, for example, by interproximal enamel reduction. Any of these methods or devices may include creating a dental instrument configured to reposition at least one of the patient's teeth according to the orthodontic treatment plan.

[0020] Measurements can be displayed along with a digital model of the patient's teeth. For example, a measurement outputting the relative dimensions of the patient's teeth may include a measurement displaying the relative dimensions of the patient's teeth on a scan-based model of the patient's teeth. In some variations, the model of the patient's teeth may be displayed along with measurements and one or more markers on the teeth corresponding to measurements of mesiodistal width. The location of missing teeth may be displayed or indicated. In some variations, a list of tooth dimensions, including all or some of the missing teeth, may be shown. For example, the mesiodistal width of all or some of the teeth may be displayed.

[0021] This document also describes a non-transitory computing device-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that are executable by a processor to cause a computing device to perform any of the methods included herein. For example, a non-transitory computing device-readable medium has instructions stored thereon that are executable by a processor to cause a computing device to perform the following steps: receiving a scan of a patient's teeth in the processor; estimating the mesiodistal width of at least some of the patient's teeth from the scan of the patient's teeth; identifying missing teeth in the scan of the patient's teeth; estimating the mesiodistal width of the missing teeth; calculating a measure of the relative size of the patient's teeth using the estimated mesiodistal width of the missing teeth and the mesiodistal width of at least some of the patient's teeth; and outputting the measure of the relative size of the patient's teeth.

[0022] Typically, the methods described herein can be computer-implemented. For example, a computer-implemented method may include: acquiring a virtual representation of a patient's dental arch in a processor; segmenting the virtual representation of the patient's dental arch into multiple individual teeth and assigning an anatomical identifier corresponding to each tooth in the virtual representation of the patient's dental arch; displaying the virtual representation of the patient's dental arch; and, when a user selects a control to display a measure of the relative size of the patient's teeth, triggering the processor to perform the following steps: determining the mesial-distal width of each of at least some teeth in the patient's teeth from a scan of the patient's teeth; determining whether the virtual representation of the patient's dental arch contains at least one missing tooth structure that is inconsistent with at least two adjacent teeth in the virtual representation of the patient's dental arch; creating a segmentation of the scanned dental arch by modifying the model segmentation of the model dental arch using the anatomical identifier corresponding to the missing tooth structure; estimating the mesial-distal width of the missing tooth structure; calculating a measure of the relative size of the patient's teeth using the estimated mesial-distal width of the missing tooth structure and the mesial-distal width of each tooth in the virtual representation of the patient's dental arch; and displaying the measure of the relative size of the patient's teeth.

[0023] Determining whether a virtual representation of a patient's dental arch contains at least one missing tooth structure may include: automatically detecting any gaps between adjacent teeth in the dental arch; if the detected gap exceeds a gap threshold, determining that at least one tooth is missing in the dental arch. As described above, the gap threshold includes a distance of at least 1 mm, 2 mm, 3 mm, 4 mm, or 5 mm.

[0024] Typically, a virtual representation of a patient's dental arch can be acquired from one or more of the following: optical scans, intraoral scans, and image captures of the patient's physical impressions.

[0025] For example, a system may include: one or more processors; a memory coupled to the one or more processors, the memory being configured to store computer program instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform a computer-implemented method comprising: receiving a scan of a patient's teeth in the processor; displaying a model of the patient's teeth based on the scan; and, upon a user selecting a control to display a measure of the relative size of the patient's teeth, triggering the processor to perform the following steps: determining the mesiodistal width of each of at least some of the patient's teeth from the scan of the patient's teeth; identifying missing teeth in the scan of the patient's teeth; estimating the mesiodistal width of the missing teeth; calculating a measure of the relative size of the patient's teeth using the estimated mesiodistal width of the missing teeth and the mesiodistal width of each of at least some of the patient's teeth; and displaying the measure of the relative size of the patient's teeth. Attached Figure Description

[0026] The novel features of the invention are specifically set forth in the following claims. A better understanding of the features and advantages of this disclosure will be obtained by referring to the following detailed description and accompanying drawings, which describe illustrative embodiments utilizing the principles of this disclosure, in which:

[0027] Figures 1A to 1B 3D models of patients' teeth with incorrect and correct numbering due to missing teeth are shown respectively.

[0028] Figure 2A This is an illustration of an example of a computational environment set up for digital scanning of a dental arch containing abnormal teeth.

[0029] Figure 2B This is an illustration showing an example of a missing tooth processing engine.

[0030] Figure 3A This is an example of a graphical user interface that displays a 3D model of a patient's teeth and includes analyses that take into account the relative width ratio of missing teeth (e.g., Bolton analysis of whole teeth and anterior teeth).

[0031] Figure 3B This is an example of a graphical user interface that displays a 3D model of a patient's teeth and includes analyses of relative width ratios (e.g., Bolton analysis of whole teeth and anterior teeth).

[0032] Figure 4 A flowchart is shown describing a tooth renumbering process for correctly numbering teeth in the case of missing teeth.

[0033] Figure 5 A flowchart is shown describing a method for automatically performing an analysis of a patient's dental arch when the patient has one or more missing teeth.

[0034] Figure 6 A flowchart describing a method for estimating the width of a missing incisor is shown.

[0035] Figure 7 A flowchart describing a method for estimating the width of a missing canine tooth is shown.

[0036] Figure 8 A flowchart describing a method for estimating the width of a missing premolar is shown.

[0037] Figure 9 This is a simplified block diagram illustrating an example of a data processing system used for designing and manufacturing orthodontic appliances. Detailed Implementation

[0038] This disclosure relates to systems, methods, computing devices, readable media, and apparatuses for identifying missing teeth during automated tooth segmentation and applying analysis considering one or more missing teeth in orthodontic applications. The systems, methods, and computing devices described herein address technical problems related to the design and segmentation of patient dental arch models, including identifying missing teeth and performing analysis while considering the missing teeth.

[0039] The planning and manufacture of such dental instruments, including flexible polymer positioning devices, are described in detail in U.S. Patent No. 5,975,893 and published PCT application WO 98 / 58596, which are incorporated herein by reference for all purposes. Systems employing the technology described in U.S. Patent No. 5,975,893 are commercially available from Align Technology, Inc., Santa Clara, California, under the trade name Invisalign System.

[0040] In the Detailed Description section, the terms “orthodontic appliance,” “orthodontic appliance,” or “dental appliance” are used synonymously with the terms “instrument” and “dental instrument” in the context of dental applications. For clarity, embodiments are described below in the context of the use and application of the instrument, and more specifically in the context of “dental instrument.”

[0041] When a patient has been identified as having one or more missing teeth, the methods described below can be integrated into an orthodontic treatment plan. Identification of missing teeth in a patient's dental arch can be automated (e.g., using a computing device). For example, identification can be performed automatically by a computing system by evaluating data from the patient's teeth or dental arch, such as scans or dental impressions.

[0042] As described herein, an intraoral scanner can image a patient's dental arch and generate a virtual 3D model of that arch. During an intraoral scanning procedure (also known as a scanning session), the user of the intraoral scanner (e.g., a dental practitioner) can generate multiple distinct images (also known as scans or medical images) of tooth sites, models of tooth sites, or other objects. Images can be discrete images (e.g., snap-on images) or frames from video (e.g., continuous scans). The intraoral scanner can automatically generate a 3D model of the patient's teeth, which can be used for treatment planning.

[0043] Digital scanning techniques, particularly those using automated tooth segmentation systems, often struggle to identify missing and / or unerupted teeth. Automated tooth segmentation systems, as used herein, may include systems that use automated agents to identify and / or number individual teeth and / or virtual representations of teeth (such as teeth represented in a 3D tooth mesh model obtained from digital scanning) of tooth features.

[0044] Basic tooth segmentation processing, which involves scanning along a tooth curve, may fail to identify missing or unerupted teeth, and may also incorrectly number the identified teeth, since all teeth are typically numbered sequentially.

[0045] This disclosure proposes one or more novel processes for identifying and / or numbering all teeth, including missing or unerupted teeth, during tooth segmentation. Some embodiments described herein can solve technical problems related to optimizing and / or increasing the accuracy of digital dental scanning techniques. Advantageously, the tooth segmentation processes described herein can: 1) correctly renumber teeth while taking into account missing or unerupted teeth, and 2) perform analysis of a patient's dentition while taking into account missing teeth.

[0046] Figure 1A The diagram shows tooth numbers derived from basic tooth segmentation without considering gaps or missing teeth. (Example) Figure 1A As shown, due to the absence of tooth 30, teeth 32 and 31 were incorrectly numbered as teeth 31 and 30, respectively. This incorrect numbering is due to numbering teeth sequentially from front to back without considering gaps or missing teeth. Therefore, in Figure 1A In the middle jaw, a simple numbering sequence can begin with incisor 25 and increase sequentially towards the molars. Because in Figure 1A With the first molar (30) missing, a simple numbering sequence would incorrectly number tooth 31 (2nd molar) as tooth 30, and tooth 32 (3rd molar) as tooth 31. Conversely, Figure 1B Teeth 32 and 31 are shown in their correct numbers.

[0047] Figure 2AThis is an illustration of an example of a computing environment 300A configured to digitally scan a patient's dental arch containing missing teeth. Environment 300A includes a computer-readable medium 352, a scanning system 354, a dental arch display system 356, and a scan processing system 358. One or more modules in the computing environment 300A may be coupled to each other or to modules not explicitly shown.

[0048] The computer-readable medium 352 and other computer-readable media discussed herein are intended to represent a variety of potential applicable technologies. For example, computer-readable medium 352 can be used to form a network or part of a network. Where two components are located on the same device, computer-readable medium 352 may include a bus or other data channel or plane. Where the first component is located on one device and the second component is located on a different device, computer-readable medium 352 may include a wireless or wired back-end network or LAN. Where applicable, computer-readable medium 352 may also include relevant portions of a WAN or other network.

[0049] The scanning system 354 may include a computer system configured to capture still images, videos, and / or other media of a patient's dental arch. The scanning system 354 may include a memory, one or more processors, and sensors for detecting contours on the patient's dental arch. The scanning system 354 may be implemented as a camera, an intraoral scanner, an X-ray device, an infrared device, etc. The scanning system 354 may include a system configured to provide a virtual representation of a model of the patient's dental arch. When viewed from an occlusal perspective, the term "dental arch" as used herein may include at least a portion of the patient's dentition formed by the patient's maxillary or mandibular teeth. A dental arch may include one or more of the patient's maxillary or mandibular teeth, such as all the teeth in the patient's maxilla or mandible. One or two dental arches may be included in any of the methods described herein unless the context clarifies otherwise. The scanning system 354 may be used as part of an orthodontic treatment plan. In some embodiments, the scanning system 354 is configured to capture the patient's dental arch at the beginning, middle, etc., stages of the orthodontic treatment plan.

[0050] The dental arch display system 356 may include a computer system configured to display at least a portion of a patient's dental arch. The dental arch display system 356 may include a memory, one or more processors, and a display device for displaying the patient's dental arch. The dental arch display system 356 may be implemented as part of a computer system, a display of a dedicated intraoral scanner, or the like. In some embodiments, the dental arch display system 356 uses scans performed on an earlier date and / or at a remote location to facilitate the display of the patient's dental arch. Note that the dental arch display system 356 may also facilitate the display of scans performed simultaneously and / or locally. As described herein, the dental arch display system 356 may be configured to display the expected or actual results of an orthodontic treatment plan applied to a dental arch scanned by the scanning system 354. The results may include a 3D virtual representation of the dental arch, a 2D image or presentation of the dental arch, etc.

[0051] Scanning processing system 358 may include a computer system configured to process scans of a patient's dental arch performed by scanning system 354. As described herein, scanning processing system 358 may be configured to process scans of missing teeth in the dental arch. As used in this context, "missing tooth" may refer to a tooth that is not visible in a scan of the dental arch due to various factors. Missing teeth may include teeth missing due to various causes (genetics, trauma, removal, etc.), unerupted teeth, etc. Scanning processing system 358 may include a scanning processing engine 360, a dental arch modeling engine 362, a missing tooth processing engine 364, and an optional treatment modeling engine 366. One or more modules of scanning processing system 358 may be coupled to each other or to modules not shown.

[0052] As used herein, any "engine" may include one or more processors or a portion thereof. A portion of one or more processors may include parts of hardware that are less than the total hardware comprising any given one or more processors, such as a subset of registers, a portion of the processor dedicated to one or more threads of a multithreaded processor, a time slice of the processor that is entirely or partially dedicated to performing a portion of the engine's functionality, etc. Thus, the first engine and the second engine may have one or more dedicated processors, or the first engine and the second engine may share one or more processors with each other or with other engines. Depending on implementation-specific or other considerations, the engine may be centralized or its functionality may be distributed. An engine may include hardware, firmware, or software contained in a computer-readable medium for execution by a processor. The processor uses implemented data structures and methods to transform data into new data, as described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0053] The engine described herein, or the system and device described herein, can be implemented through a cloud-based engine. As used herein, a cloud-based engine is an engine that can run applications and / or functions using a cloud-based computing system. All or part of the applications and / or functions can be distributed across multiple computing devices and are not required to be limited to a single computing device. In some embodiments, a cloud-based engine can execute functions and / or modules accessed by an end user through a web browser or container application without requiring the functions and / or modules to be installed locally on the end user's computing device.

[0054] As used herein, "datastore" can include a store having any applicable data organization, including tables, comma-separated value (CSV) files, traditional databases (e.g., SQL), or other applicable known or convenient organization formats. A datastore can be implemented, for example, as software embodied in a physical computer-readable medium on a dedicated machine, as firmware, hardware, a combination thereof, or an applicable known or convenient apparatus or system. Datastore-related components, such as database interfaces, can be considered as "part" of the datastore, part of another system component, or a combination thereof, although the physical location and other characteristics of the datastore-related components are not critical to understanding the techniques described herein.

[0055] Data repositories can include data structures. As used herein, a data structure is associated with a specific way of storing and organizing data in a computer so that it can be used efficiently in a given context. Data structures are typically based on the computer's ability to retrieve and store data at any location in its memory, specified by an address, which is a string of bits that can be stored in memory and manipulated by a program. Thus, some data structures are based on using arithmetic operations to compute the address of a data item; others are based on storing the address of the data item within the structure itself. Many data structures use both principles, sometimes combined in unconventional ways. Implementing a data structure typically requires writing a set of procedures for creating and manipulating instances of that structure. The data repository described in this paper can be a cloud-based data repository. A cloud-based data repository is a data repository compatible with cloud-based computing systems and engines.

[0056] The scan processing engine 360 ​​can implement one or more automated agents configured to interface with the scan system 354. The scan processing engine 360 ​​may include a graphics engine for acquiring scans of the dental arch. In some embodiments, the scan processing engine 360 ​​formats the raw data from the scan of the dental arch into a 3D dental mesh model of the dental arch. The 3D dental mesh model may include polyhedral objects that depict teeth and / or other elements of the dental arch in a format that can be rendered on the dental arch display system 356. The scan processing engine 360 ​​may provide the 3D dental mesh model and / or other data to other modules of the scan processing system 358.

[0057] The dental arch modeling engine 362 can implement one or more automated agents configured to model a 3D dental mesh model as a virtual representation of the dental arch. In some implementations, the dental arch modeling engine 362 assigns physical and / or geometric properties to the 3D dental mesh model associated with the physical / geometric properties of the dental arch. As an example, the dental arch modeling engine 362 can implement one or more automated segmentation agents that assign tooth identifiers (e.g., generic tooth numbers) to specific portions of the 3D dental mesh model. The dental arch modeling engine 362 can also evaluate the curves and / or other geometric properties of the 3D dental mesh model to determine whether a scan corresponds to the maxilla, mandible, or other portions of a patient's dentition.

[0058] The missing tooth processing engine 364 can be configured to identify and / or adapt one or more automated agents to missing tooth structures. As used herein, a “missing tooth structure” can include any tooth structure (e.g., a tooth or combination of teeth) that does not conform to the geometry of at least two teeth in a model dental arch. Missing tooth structures can include teeth missing due to various causes (genetic, traumatic, removal, etc.), unerupted teeth, etc. In a dental scan, a missing or unerupted tooth may appear as two teeth that are not normally adjacent to each other. In some embodiments, the missing tooth processing engine 364 is configured to analyze the gaps in a patient’s dental arch, such as determining whether the patient’s dental arch contains significant gaps between teeth (e.g., gaps exceeding a specified gap threshold). The missing tooth processing engine 364 can also be configured to assess whether adjacent teeth in a patient’s dental arch correspond to similar adjacent teeth in an ideal or model dental arch, or whether adjacent teeth in a patient’s dental arch correspond to teeth that are normally separated by one or more other teeth in an ideal or model dental arch. In some embodiments, the missing tooth processing engine is configured to identify erupted teeth and predict the type of erupted teeth. For example. The missing tooth processing engine 364 can extract tooth features from a target tooth and use the extracted features to predict tooth status, including tooth type and / or eruption status. Additional details regarding the method for detecting the eruption status of a target tooth are described in application PCT / US2018 / 037849, filed June 15, 2018, entitled "Automatic Detection of Tooth Type and Eruption Status," which is incorporated herein by reference. In various embodiments, the missing tooth processing engine 364 provides arch modeling engine 362 and / or other module instructions to "re-segment," such as re-numbering, teeth in a scan of the arch to accommodate missing teeth within that arch. An example of the missing tooth processing engine 364 is shown in... Figure 2B The missing tooth processing engine 364b is shown in the middle.

[0059] The optional treatment modeling engine 366 can be configured to store orthodontic treatment plans and / or the results of orthodontic treatment plans. The optional treatment modeling engine 366 can provide the results of orthodontic treatment plans on a 3D dental mesh model. The optional treatment modeling engine 366 can model the results of orthodontic appliances being applied to the patient's dental arch during orthodontic treatment planning.

[0060] Figure 2BThis is an illustration showing an example of a missing tooth processing engine 364. The missing tooth processing engine 364 may include a dental arch scanning engine 372, a tooth gap analysis engine 374, a tooth analysis engine 376, an analysis engine 378, a tooth resegmentation engine 380, a model dental arch data store 382, ​​and a resegmented dental arch data store 386. One or more modules of the abnormal tooth processing engine 364 may be coupled to each other or to modules not shown.

[0061] The dental arch scanning engine 372 can implement one or more automated agents configured to scan segmentation data of the dental arch. "Segmentation data," as used herein, may include location, geometric features (contours, etc.), and / or other data that may form the basis for segmenting the dental arch. The dental arch scanning engine 372 can implement automated agents to number the teeth in the dental arch. In some embodiments, the dental arch scanning engine 372 begins numbering the teeth at the anterior part of the dental arch (e.g., the midline) and continues numbering towards the posterior part of the dental arch.

[0062] The interdental space analysis engine 374 can implement one or more automated agents configured to analyze the presence or absence of spatial gaps in the dental arch. The interdental space analysis engine 374 can determine whether the space between two adjacent teeth in the dental arch meets or exceeds a gap threshold. As used herein, a "gap threshold" may include a minimum distance between two teeth from which the presence of an abnormal tooth is inferred. The gap threshold may include a general threshold for all patients, or it may include one or more specific thresholds depending on the patient's age or other attributes. The interdental space analysis engine 374 may also be configured to receive information about erupting teeth in the dental arch from other modules or engines, or alternatively, it may be configured to detect and identify erupting teeth in the dental arch that contain significant spatial gaps, abnormal adjacent teeth, or other attributes indicating the presence of erupting teeth. In various embodiments, the interdental space analysis engine 374 provides other modules (analysis engine 378, tooth resegmentation engine 380, etc.) with specific regions of the dental arch containing significant spatial gaps, such as those regions that meet or exceed one or more gap thresholds.

[0063] The tooth analysis engine 376 can implement one or more automated agents configured to determine the size of missing teeth in a dental arch. The tooth analysis engine 376 can collect tooth attributes (identifiers, dimensions, etc.), such as the buccal-lingual width and / or mesiodistal width of teeth adjacent to and / or opposite to the missing tooth, to determine or estimate the width of the missing tooth. The tooth analysis engine 376 can evaluate these attributes and / or compare them with the attributes of ideal or model teeth in an ideal or model dental arch. The attributes of ideal or model teeth in the ideal or model dental arch can be accessed, for example, from a model dental arch data store 378. The tooth analysis engine 376 can provide other modules (analysis engine 378, tooth resegmentation engine 380, etc.) with specific regions of the dental arch containing teeth that do not match similar teeth in the ideal or model dental arch.

[0064] The tooth analysis engine 376 can be configured to determine or estimate the width of missing teeth based on the type of missing tooth. For example, if the missing tooth is an incisor, the width of the missing tooth can be estimated based on the width of the contralateral incisor. If no contralateral incisor is present (i.e., the contralateral incisor is also missing), statistical proportions can be used to determine the width of the missing tooth. For example, a database of patient tooth widths can be used to generalize the width of each tooth. In this example, the width of the missing central incisor can be estimated based on the width of the lateral incisor, which typically has a different width from the central incisor by a specific amount. In one specific example, patient data has been used to determine that if the central incisor has a width of Y mm, the upper arch of the lateral incisor has a width of approximately Y–1.85 mm, and the lower arch has a width of approximately Y+0.5 mm. In another example, patient data has been used to determine that if the central incisor has a width of Y mm, the upper arch of the canine has a width of approximately Y+2.4 mm, and the lower arch has a width of approximately Y+1.5 mm.

[0065] In another example, if the missing tooth is a canine, the width of the missing tooth can be estimated based on the width of the contralateral canine. If the contralateral canine is absent (i.e., the contralateral canine is also missing), the width can be estimated using the Tanaka-Johnston ratio. For example, the width of the mandibular canine can be estimated using the following relationship: (1)

[0067]

[0068] Similarly, the width of the maxillary canines can be estimated using the following relationship: (2)

[0070]

[0071] In another example, if the missing tooth is a premolar, the width of the missing tooth can be estimated using the Tanaka-Johnston proportion. For example, the width of the mandibular premolar can be estimated using the following relationship: (3)

[0073]

[0074] Similarly, the width of the maxillary canines can be estimated using the following relationship: (4)

[0076]

[0077] Analysis engine 378 can implement one or more automated agents configured to perform analyses of the patient's teeth to provide one or more measures about the patient's teeth. For example, the analysis can provide measures of the relative size of the patient's teeth (e.g., ratios). In some variations, these relative sizes can be used to determine the difference between the sizes of the patient's maxillary and mandibular teeth, for example, determining the Bolton ratio for whole teeth or anterior teeth. When the patient has one or more missing teeth, analysis engine 378 can use estimated widths from tooth analysis engine 376, as described above. Analysis engine 378 can provide analytical ratios (including, but not limited to, the ratio of upper to lower teeth, including predicted or estimated measurements of any missing teeth) to other modules such as tooth resegmentation engine 380.

[0078] The tooth resegmentation engine 380 can implement one or more automatic agents configured to resegment the dental arch based on missing teeth identified in the arch. In some implementations, the tooth resegmentation engine 380 resegments the dental arch starting from the anterior midline. The tooth resegmentation engine 380 can continue resegmenting by moving segments toward the posterior part of the dental arch. The tooth resegmentation engine 380 can segment the sagittal portion independently. The tooth resegmentation engine 380 can skip identifiers / numbers / segments corresponding to missing teeth.

[0079] Model dental arch data store 382 can be configured to store data related to model dental arches, including segmented model dental arches. Model dental arch data may include segments of the ideal or model dental arch, including identifiers of teeth typically present in the ideal / model dental arch. Model dental arch data store 382 may also store data related to tooth widths for various tooth types from multiple patients, including incisor width, canine width, and premolar width. Resegmented dental arch data store 386 can be configured to store data related to resegmented dental arches. Resegmented dental arch data may include segments of the dental arch with missing teeth; resegmented dental arch data may have already been stored in resegmented dental arch data store 386 by tooth resegmentation engine 380.

[0080] Figure 3A An example of a graphical user interface 300 (which may be part of a device or method as described herein) is shown, displaying a 3D model of a patient's teeth (e.g., upper and lower dental arches) segmented to account for the missing tooth #6. The graphical user interface also displays the width of each tooth (e.g., mesial-distal width), including an estimated width of tooth #6 based on the techniques described above. In this example, the display (user interface) includes controls, shown as button 303, which the user can select to request the calculation and display of metrics such as Bolton analysis (e.g., Bolton ratio). Figure 3A In this context, the control is set to trigger the analysis calculation based on the mesial-distal width of teeth, including any missing teeth. Therefore, in... Figure 3A In the process, selecting the control (“Bolton button”) causes the processor to calculate the whole-tooth Bolton ratio based on the mesial-distal widths of the twelve maxillary and twelve mandibular teeth, including the missing tooth #6, and to calculate the anterior tooth Bolton ratio based on the mesial-distal widths of the six maxillary and six mandibular anterior teeth. Furthermore, the graphical user interface displays (from the Bolton analysis) the resulting measurements in display 305, including the tooth width of the missing tooth #6 and the estimated tooth width. The analysis shows the measurements of each tooth (e.g., mesial-distal width) and the estimated ratios of these widths.

[0081] Figure 3B This is an example where no gap was detected. As mentioned above... Figure 3A As described herein, the user interface displays a 3D model (image) of the patient's teeth. This model can be manipulated by the user, for example, using one or more controls, including controls for rotation, scaling, etc. The same controls (button 303) can be selected, and analysis can be performed and the resulting measurements displayed, as shown in the figure. Therefore, any method and device described herein can automatically detect one or more missing tooth structures (e.g., teeth) and can estimate or approximate the size of each tooth structure. If no missing teeth are detected, the method and device can perform analysis using measured / estimated dimensions (such as mesial-distal width).

[0082] Figure 4 A flowchart 400 is shown illustrating a tooth renumbering process for correctly numbering teeth in the case of missing teeth. This flowchart describes the steps that allow for the correct renumbering of teeth located after gaps in the dental arch. Referring to operation 402 of flowchart 400, this process includes performing a basic scan along the tooth curve to detect the distance or gap between adjacent teeth in the patient's dental arch. This scan can be performed, for example, using an intraoral scanner.

[0083] Next, at operation 404, the process includes identifying gaps where the distance between adjacent teeth is greater than a gap threshold. For example, the gap threshold can be defined as a gap where the distance between adjacent teeth is greater than 3 mm. It should be understood that additional gap tooth thresholds can be used, including distances between adjacent teeth greater than 2 mm, 3.5 mm, 4 mm, etc. Distances exceeding the gap threshold can indicate missing teeth. In a specific example, a distance greater than 3.3 mm can indicate more than one missing tooth.

[0084] Next, at operation 406, the process includes renumbering the teeth based on the distance of the gap. For example, if the gap threshold is set to 3 mm and the identified gap distance between adjacent teeth is 3.1 mm, the teeth can be renumbered such that teeth after the gap are considered missing teeth. As described in step 404, the gap tooth threshold can also be defined to indicate more than one missing tooth. For example, a gap threshold greater than 3.3 mm could indicate two missing teeth. In this example, the teeth can be renumbered to consider not one but two missing teeth.

[0085] Figure 5 A flowchart 500 is shown illustrating a method for automatically performing an analysis of a patient's dental arch (such as, but not limited to, Bolton analysis) when the patient has one or more missing teeth. At operation 502, the system can automatically collect a three-dimensional (3D) scan of the patient's dental arch. This 3D scan can be collected directly from the patient (e.g., using an intraoral scanner) or indirectly (e.g., by scanning a mold of the patient's dentition and / or receiving a digital model of the patient obtained by another person, etc.).

[0086] Next, at operation 504, the system can automatically identify missing teeth in the patient's dental arch. Missing teeth can be identified, for example, by recognizing gaps between adjacent teeth that exceed a gap threshold. The size of the gap can also be used to determine whether more than one tooth is missing.

[0087] Next, at operation 506, the system can automatically estimate the width of the missing tooth. As mentioned above, the technique used to estimate or determine the width of the missing tooth depends on the type of missing tooth. Therefore, Figure 6 A flowchart describing a method for estimating the width of a missing incisor is shown. Figure 7 A flowchart describing a method for estimating the width of missing canine teeth is shown, and Figure 8 A flowchart describing a method for estimating the width of a missing premolar is shown.

[0088] After estimating the tooth width based on tooth type (described in more detail below), at operation 508, the system can use the estimated width from operation 506 to perform an analysis of the patient's dental arch. When the analysis is a Bolton analysis, the system can determine the ratio of the sum of some or all of the widths of the maxillary teeth to the width of the mandibular teeth (including any missing teeth, the size of which can be estimated as described above). Finally, at operation 510, the system can output an analysis score (e.g., a metric).

[0089] Figure 6 This is a flowchart 600 describing a method for estimating the width of a missing incisor in a patient's dental arch. First, at operation 602, the system can determine the presence of a contralateral incisor. If a contralateral incisor is present, the system at operation 604 determines whether an eruption compensation geometry (EC) exists for the contralateral incisor. The eruption compensation geometry allows the appliance to adapt to the erupting tooth using a shape that does not interfere with the erupting tooth (e.g., a bubble). Therefore, the system can use information about the erupting tooth, or can detect and identify the erupting tooth as described above, to determine the presence of an EC. If no EC exists, at operation 606, the system can use the width of the contralateral incisor as an estimated width of the missing incisor.

[0090] If the opposing lateral incisor is absent, or if the opposing lateral incisor is present but has EC (excessive central incisor diameter), the system at operation 608 can use a statistical proportion from the nearest adjacent incisor to estimate the width of the missing tooth. As mentioned above, the widths of the central and lateral incisors differ by a predetermined amount (e.g., +1.85 mm in the maxillary arch and -0.5 mm in the mandibular arch). This calculation can be used by the system to estimate the width of the missing tooth.

[0091] If the estimated incisor required to be removed from the patient's dental arch is performed in operation 608, the system may display an error or "missing" message at operation 610.

[0092] Figure 7 This is a flowchart 700 describing a method for estimating the width of a missing canine in a patient's dental arch. First, at operation 702, the system can determine whether a contralateral canine is present. If a contralateral canine is present, at operation 704, the system determines whether an eruption compensation geometry (EC) exists for the contralateral canine. If no EC exists, at operation 706, the system can use the width of the contralateral canine as an estimated width of the missing incisor.

[0093] If the contralateral canine is absent, or if the contralateral canine is present but has EC (excessive occlusion), the system can use statistical proportions from the incisors to estimate the width of the missing tooth at operation 708. As described above, the canine width differs from the incisor width by a predetermined amount (e.g., +2.4 mm in the maxillary arch and +1.5 mm in the mandibular arch). This calculation can be used by the system to estimate the width of the missing tooth. If the analysis is unsuccessful (e.g., the required tooth is missing), the system can output an error or "missing" message at operation 710.

[0094] Figure 8 This is a flowchart 800 describing a method for estimating the width of a missing premolar or premolar in a patient's dental arch. First, at operation 802, the system can determine the presence of a contralateral canine. If a contralateral canine is present, at operation 804, the system determines whether the contralateral canine has an eruption compensation geometry (EC). If no EC is present, at operation 806, the system can use the width of the contralateral canine as an estimated width of the missing incisor.

[0095] If the contralateral premolar is absent, or if the contralateral premolar is present but has EC, the system can use a Tanaka-Johnston analysis at operation 808 to estimate the width of the missing tooth. A Tanaka-Johnston analysis of the premolar can be performed using a relation (e.g., as shown in (3) and (4) above) that uses the widths of the incisors and canines to determine or estimate the width of the premolar in the same quadrant. If the Tanaka-Johnston analysis is successful, the estimated width can be output at operation 810. If the analysis is unsuccessful (e.g., the tooth required for the analysis is missing or incomplete), the system can output an error or "missing" message at operation 812.

[0096] The methods described herein can be performed by a device such as a data processing system, which may include hardware, software, and / or firmware for performing many of the steps described above. For example, Figure 9 This is a simplified block diagram of a data processing system 900. The data processing system 900 typically includes at least one processor 902 that communicates with multiple peripheral devices via a bus subsystem 904. These peripheral devices typically include a storage subsystem 906 (memory subsystem 908 and file storage subsystem 914), a set of user interface input and output devices 918, and an interface to an external network 916, including a public switched telephone network. This interface is schematically represented in the figure as a "modem and network interface" block 916 and is coupled to corresponding interface devices in other data processing systems via a communication network interface 924. The data processing system 900 may include a terminal or low-end personal computer or high-end personal computer, workstation, or host.

[0097] User interface input devices typically include a keyboard, and may also include pointing devices and scanners. Pointing devices can be indirect, such as a mouse, trackball, touchpad, or graphics tablet, or direct, such as a touchscreen integrated into a display. Other types of user interface input devices, such as voice recognition systems, can also be used.

[0098] User interface output devices may include a printer and a display subsystem, which includes a display controller and a display device coupled to the controller. The display device may be a cathode ray tube (CRT), a flat panel display such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), or a projection device. The display subsystem may also provide non-visual displays, such as audio output.

[0099] Storage subsystem 906 maintains the basic programs and data structures that provide the functionality of this invention. The software modules discussed above are typically stored in storage subsystem 906. Storage subsystem 906 typically includes memory subsystem 908 and file storage subsystem 914.

[0100] The memory subsystem 908 typically includes multiple memories, including a main random access memory (RAM) 910 for storing instructions and data during program execution and a read-only memory (ROM) 912 for storing fixed instructions. In the case of Macintosh-compatible personal computers, the ROM will include a portion of the operating system; in the case of IBM-compatible personal computers, this will include the BIOS (Basic Input / Output System).

[0101] The file storage subsystem 914 provides persistent (non-volatile) storage for program and data files and typically includes at least one hard disk drive and at least one floppy disk drive (with associated removable media). Other devices, such as CD-ROM drives and optical disc drives (both with associated removable media), may also be included. Additionally, the system may include cassette tape type drives with removable media. The removable cassette tape may be, for example, hard disk cassette tapes sold by companies such as Syquest, and floppy disk cassette tapes sold by companies such as Iomega. One or more drives may be located at a remote location, such as a server on a local area network or a site on the World Wide Web of the Internet.

[0102] In this context, the term "bus subsystem" is used generally to include any mechanism for enabling various components and subsystems to communicate with each other as intended. Apart from input devices and displays, other components do not need to be in the same physical location. Thus, for example, parts of a file storage system can be connected via various local or wide area network media, including telephone lines. Similarly, input devices and displays do not need to be in the same location as the processor, although the present invention is expected to be implemented most frequently in the context of PCS and workstations.

[0103] The bus subsystem 904 is schematically shown as a single bus; however, a typical system has multiple buses, such as a local bus and one or more expansion buses (e.g., ADB, SCSI, ISA, EISA, MCA, NuBus, or PCI), as well as serial and parallel ports. Network connectivity is typically established via a device such as a network adapter on one of these expansion buses, or a modem on a serial port. Client computers can be desktop or portable systems.

[0104] Scanner 920 is responsible for scanning the casts of a patient's teeth obtained from the patient or an orthodontist, and providing the scanned digital dataset information to data processing system 900 for further processing. In a distributed environment, scanner 920 can be located remotely and transmit the scanned digital dataset information to data processing system 900 via network interface 924.

[0105] Manufacturing machine 922 manufactures dental instruments based on intermediate and final dataset information received from data processing system 900. In a distributed environment, manufacturing machine 922 can be located at a remote location and receive dataset information from data processing system 900 via network interface 924.

[0106] The dental instruments manufactured by manufacturing machine 922 can be designed to achieve at least part of a treatment plan, including a housing having multiple cavities designed to accommodate the teeth of the jaw.

[0107] In another embodiment, Figure 9 The system 900 may include a non-transitory computing device readable medium having instructions stored thereon that can be executed by a processor to cause the computing device to receive data representing multiple teeth and generate a series of incremental tooth arrangements to define the proposed orthodontic treatment.

[0108] Various alternatives, modifications, and equivalents can be used to replace the aforementioned components. Although computer-aided technology can be used to determine the final position of teeth, users can move teeth to their final positions by independently manipulating one or more teeth while simultaneously meeting the constraints of the prescription.

[0109] Furthermore, the techniques described herein can be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of both. These techniques can be implemented in a computer program that executes on a programmable computer, each programmable computer including a processor, processor-readable storage media (including volatile and non-volatile memory and / or storage elements), and suitable input and output devices. Program code is applied to data input using input devices to perform the described functions and generate output information. The output information is applied to one or more output devices.

[0110] Each program can be implemented in a high-level programming language or an object-oriented programming language to operate in conjunction with a computer system. However, if necessary, the program can be implemented in assembly language or machine language. In any case, the language can be a compiled or interpreted language.

[0111] Each such computer program can be stored on a storage medium or device (e.g., CD-ROM, hard disk, or magnetic disk) that can be read by a general-purpose or special-purpose programmable computer for setting up and operating the computer to perform the process when the storage medium or device is read by the computer. The system can also be implemented as a computer-readable storage medium on which a computer program is set, wherein such a storage medium causes the computer to operate in a specific and predefined manner.

[0112] Although preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have been shown and described herein, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that such embodiments are provided by way of example only. Many variations, modifications, and substitutions will now occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the invention. It should be understood that various alternatives to the embodiments of the invention described herein may be employed in the practice of the invention. Various different combinations of the embodiments described herein are possible, and such combinations are considered part of this disclosure. Furthermore, all features discussed in connection with any embodiment herein can be readily adapted for use in other embodiments herein. The appended claims are intended to define the scope of the invention and thus cover the methods and structures within the scope of these claims and their equivalents.

[0113] When a feature or element is referred to herein as being “on” another feature or element, it may be directly located on that other feature or element, and / or there may be intermediate features and / or elements present. Conversely, when a feature or element is referred to as being “directly on” another feature or element, no intermediate features or elements are present. It should be understood that when a feature or element is referred to as being “connected,” “attached,” or “coupled” to another feature or element, it may be directly connected, attached, or coupled to that other feature or element, or there may be intermediate features or elements present. Conversely, when a feature or element is referred to as being “directly connected,” “directly attached,” or “directly coupled” to another feature or element, no intermediate features or elements are present. Although described or illustrated with respect to one embodiment, the features and elements thus described or illustrated can be applied to other embodiments. Those skilled in the art will recognize that references to structures or features positioned “adjacent” to another feature may have portions overlapping with or below the adjacent feature.

[0114] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit this disclosure. For example, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” as used herein are intended to equally include the plural forms. It should be further understood that the terms “comprises” and / or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of the stated features, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof. As used herein, the terms “and / or” include any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items and may be abbreviated as “ / .”

[0115] Spatially related terms, such as “under,” “below,” “lower,” “over,” and “upper,” are used herein to describe the relationship between one element or feature and another element or feature, or multiple elements or features, as shown in the accompanying drawings. It will be understood that spatially related terms are intended to include different orientations of the device in use or operation, in addition to those depicted in the drawings. For example, if the device in the drawings is reversed, an element described as “under” or “below” other elements or features would be oriented as “over” other elements or features. Thus, the exemplary term “under” can encompass both above and below orientations. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations), and the spatially relative descriptive terms used herein are interpreted accordingly. Similarly, unless otherwise specifically stated, terms such as “upwardly,” “downwardly,” “vertical,” and “horizontal” are used herein for illustrative purposes only.

[0116] While the terms "first" and "second" may be used herein to describe various features / elements (including steps), these features / elements should not be limited by these terms unless the context otherwise requires. These terms may be used to distinguish one feature / element from another. Therefore, without departing from the teachings of the invention, the first feature / element discussed below may be referred to as the second feature / element, and similarly, the second feature / element discussed below may be referred to as the first feature / element.

[0117] In this specification and the appended claims, unless the context otherwise requires, the word "comprising" and variations such as "comprises" and "comprising" mean that various components (e.g., compositions and devices that include means and methods) may be used together in a method and article of manufacture. For example, the term "comprising" will be understood to imply the inclusion of any of the stated elements or steps, but does not exclude any other elements or steps.

[0118] Generally, any device and method described herein should be understood as inclusive, but all or a subset of components and / or steps may optionally be exclusive and may be expressed as “consisting of” or “mainly composed of” various components, steps, subcomponents or substeps.

[0119] As used herein in the specification and claims, including in the embodiments, unless otherwise expressly stated, all figures may be understood as if they begin with the words “about” or “approximately”, even if the term is not explicitly stated. The phrase “about” or “approximately” may be used when describing magnitude and / or location to indicate that the described value and / or location is within a reasonably expected range of the value and / or location. For example, a numerical value may have values ​​of + / - 0.1% of the value (or range of values), + / - 1% of the value (or range of values), + / - 2% of the value (or range of values), + / - 5% of the value (or range of values), + / - 10% of the value (or range of values), etc. Any numerical value given herein should be understood to include approximately or approximately that value unless the context otherwise requires. For example, if the value “10” is disclosed, “about 10” is also disclosed. Any numerical range described herein is intended to include all subranges contained therein. It should also be understood that, as would be properly understood by those skilled in the art, when a value is disclosed as "less than or equal to" that value, "greater than or equal to" that value and possible ranges between the values ​​are also disclosed. For example, if the value "X" is disclosed, then "less than or equal to X" and "greater than or equal to X" (e.g., where X is a numerical value) are also disclosed. It should also be understood that throughout the application, data is provided in a variety of different formats, and this data represents end points and start points, as well as ranges for any combination of data points. For example, if a specific data point "10" and a specific data point "15" are disclosed, it should be understood that greater than, greater than or equal to, less than, less than or equal to, and equal to 10 and 15, as well as ranges between 10 and 15, are considered disclosed. It should also be understood that each unit between two specific units is also disclosed. For example, if 10 and 15 are disclosed, then 11, 12, 13, and 14 are also disclosed.

[0120] While various illustrative embodiments have been described above, any of several changes may be made to the various embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention as described in the claims. For example, in alternative embodiments, the order in which the various described method steps are performed may typically be changed, and in other alternative embodiments, one or more method steps may be skipped together. Optional features of the various apparatus and system embodiments may be included in some embodiments but not in others. Therefore, the foregoing description is provided primarily for illustrative purposes and should not be construed as limiting the scope of this disclosure as set forth in the claims.

[0121] The examples and illustrations included herein are shown by way of illustration, not limitation, of specific embodiments in which the subject matter can be practiced. As mentioned, other embodiments can be utilized and derived therefrom, allowing for structural and logical substitutions and changes without departing from the scope of this disclosure. For convenience only, these embodiments of the inventive subject matter may be referred to herein individually or collectively by the term "disclosure" and are not intended to actively limit the scope of this application to any single invention or inventive concept if, in fact, more than one invention or inventive concept is disclosed. Therefore, while specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, it is contemplated that any arrangement for achieving the same purpose may substitute for the specific embodiments shown. This disclosure is intended to cover any and all modifications or variations of the various embodiments. Combinations of the above embodiments and other embodiments not specifically described herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the foregoing description.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computing device readable medium having instructions stored thereon, the instructions being executable by a processor to cause the computing device to perform the following operations: The processor collects scans of the patient's dental arch; The width of at least some of the patient's teeth is estimated based on the scan of the patient's dental arch; Determine if the patient has missing teeth in their dental arch; Estimate the mesial-distal width of the missing teeth; Determine the ratio of the mesial-distal width of all or some of the mandibular teeth to the mesial-distal width of all or some of the maxillary teeth, wherein the mesial-distal width of all or some of the maxillary teeth or the mesial-distal width of all or some of the mandibular teeth includes the estimated mesial-distal width of the missing teeth. A Bolton analysis of the patient's dental arch was performed using a ratio that included the estimated width of the missing teeth and the estimated width of at least some of the patient's teeth; and Output the Bolton analysis; The estimated mesiodistal width of the missing teeth includes: Determine if there are contralateral teeth; In the presence of a contralateral tooth, determine whether the contralateral tooth has an eruption compensation geometry; When the contralateral tooth does not have an eruption compensation geometry, the width of the contralateral tooth is used as the estimated mesiodistal width of the missing tooth; and In cases where the contralateral tooth has an eruption compensation geometry, the width estimated based on the teeth other than the contralateral tooth is used as the estimated mesial-distal width of the missing tooth.

2. The medium according to claim 1, wherein, The instructions can be executed to cause the computing device to create an orthodontic treatment plan to reposition at least one of the patient's teeth using a Bolton analysis of the patient's dental arch.

3. The medium according to claim 1, wherein, The width of the missing tooth is estimated by estimating the width based on the tooth type.

4. The medium according to claim 1, wherein, The missing tooth is determined by identifying gaps between adjacent teeth that exceed a gap threshold.

5. The medium according to claim 4, wherein, The gap threshold includes a distance of at least 1 mm, 2 mm, 3 mm, 4 mm or 5 mm.

6. The medium according to claim 4, wherein, The missing tooth is determined by automatically detecting the gap between adjacent teeth.

7. The medium according to claim 1, wherein, The Bolton analysis described is a global Bolton analysis.

8. The medium according to claim 1, wherein, The Bolton analysis mentioned is a front Bolton analysis.

9. The medium according to claim 1, wherein, The Bolton analysis is performed by calculating the ratio of the mesial-distal width of all or some of the patient's mandibular teeth to the mesial-distal width of all or some of the patient's maxillary teeth, wherein the mesial-distal width of all or some of the maxillary teeth or the mesial-distal width of all or some of the mandibular teeth includes the estimated mesial-distal width of missing teeth.

10. The medium according to claim 9, wherein, Tanaka-Johnston analysis was used to estimate the mesial-distal width of the missing teeth.

11. The medium according to claim 9, wherein, The Bolton analysis is performed by determining the difference in size between the maxillary and mandibular teeth, thereby establishing the relationship between the dental arches.

12. The medium according to claim 1, wherein, The instructions can be executed to cause the computing device to create a dental instrument configured to reposition at least one of the patient's teeth according to an orthodontic treatment plan.

13. The medium according to claim 1, wherein, The instructions can be executed to cause the computing device to segment a virtual representation of the patient's dental arch into multiple individual teeth based on a scan of the patient's dental arch, and to assign an anatomical identifier corresponding to each tooth in the virtual representation of the patient's dental arch.

14. The medium according to claim 1, wherein, The scan of the patient's dental arch is created by receiving a virtual representation of the patient's dental arch collected from one or more of the following: optical scans, oral scans, and image captures of the patient's physical impression.

15. A method, the method comprising: The processor collects scans of the patient's dental arch; The width of at least some of the patient's teeth is estimated based on the scan of the patient's dental arch; Determine if the patient has missing teeth in their dental arch; Estimate the mesial-distal width of the missing teeth; A Bolton analysis of the patient's dental arch was performed using the estimated width of the missing teeth and the estimated width of at least some of the patient's teeth. as well as Output the Bolton analysis; The estimated mesiodistal width of the missing teeth includes: Determine if there are contralateral teeth; In the presence of a contralateral tooth, determine whether the contralateral tooth has an eruption compensation geometry; When the contralateral tooth does not have an eruption compensation geometry, the width of the contralateral tooth is used as the estimated mesiodistal width of the missing tooth; and In cases where the contralateral tooth has an eruption compensation geometry, the width estimated based on the teeth other than the contralateral tooth is used as the estimated mesial-distal width of the missing tooth.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising creating an orthodontic treatment plan to reposition at least one of the patient's teeth using a Bolton analysis of the patient's dental arch.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein, The width of the missing tooth is estimated by estimating the width based on the tooth type.

18. The method according to claim 15, wherein, The missing tooth is determined by identifying gaps between adjacent teeth that exceed a gap threshold.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein, The gap threshold includes a distance of at least 1 mm, 2 mm, 3 mm, 4 mm or 5 mm.

20. The method according to claim 18, wherein, The missing tooth is determined by automatically detecting the gap between adjacent teeth.

21. The method according to claim 15, wherein, The Bolton analysis described is a global Bolton analysis.

22. The method according to claim 15, wherein, The Bolton analysis mentioned is a front Bolton analysis.

23. The method according to claim 15, wherein, The Bolton analysis is performed by calculating the ratio of the mesial-distal width of all or some of the patient's mandibular teeth to the mesial-distal width of all or some of the patient's maxillary teeth, wherein the mesial-distal width of all or some of the maxillary teeth or the mesial-distal width of all or some of the mandibular teeth includes the estimated mesial-distal width of missing teeth.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein, Tanaka-Johnston analysis was used to estimate the mesial-distal width of the missing teeth.

25. The method according to claim 23, wherein, The Bolton analysis is performed by determining the difference in size between the maxillary and mandibular teeth, thereby establishing the relationship between the dental arches.

26. The method of claim 15, further comprising creating a dental instrument configured to reposition at least one of the patient's teeth according to an orthodontic treatment plan.

27. The method of claim 15, further comprising, based on a scan of the patient's dental arch, segmenting a virtual representation of the patient's dental arch into a plurality of individual teeth, and assigning an anatomical identifier corresponding to each tooth in the virtual representation of the patient's dental arch.

28. The method according to claim 15, wherein, The scan of the patient's dental arch is created by receiving a virtual representation of the patient's dental arch collected from one or more of the following: optical scans, oral scans, and image captures of the patient's physical impression.

29. A dental analysis system using missing tooth prediction, comprising: One or more processors; A memory coupled to the one or more processors, the memory being configured to store computer program instructions that, when executed by the processors, cause the processors to perform a computer-implemented method, the method comprising: The processor collects scans of the patient's dental arch; The width of at least some of the patient's teeth is estimated based on the scan of the patient's dental arch; Determine if the patient has missing teeth in their dental arch; Estimate the mesial-distal width of the missing teeth; A Bolton analysis of the patient's dental arch was performed using the estimated widths of the missing teeth and the estimated widths of at least some of the patient's teeth; and Output the Bolton analysis; The estimated mesiodistal width of the missing teeth includes: Determine if there are contralateral teeth; In the presence of a contralateral tooth, determine whether the contralateral tooth has an eruption compensation geometry; When the contralateral tooth does not have an eruption compensation geometry, the width of the contralateral tooth is used as the estimated mesiodistal width of the missing tooth; and In cases where the contralateral tooth has an eruption compensation geometry, the width estimated based on the teeth other than the contralateral tooth is used as the estimated mesial-distal width of the missing tooth.

30. A non-transitory computing device readable medium having instructions stored thereon, the instructions being executable by a processor to cause the computing device to perform the following operations: The processor collects scans of the patient's dental arch; The width of at least some of the patient's teeth is estimated based on the scan of the patient's dental arch; Determine if the patient has missing teeth in their dental arch; Estimate the mesial-distal width of the missing teeth; Determine the ratio of the width of all or some of the patient's mandibular teeth to the width of all or some of the patient's maxillary teeth, wherein the width of all or some of the maxillary teeth or the width of all or some of the mandibular teeth includes the estimated width of any missing teeth; and Output a representation of the ratio; The estimated mesiodistal width of the missing teeth includes: Determine if there are contralateral teeth; In the presence of a contralateral tooth, determine whether the contralateral tooth has an eruption compensation geometry; When the contralateral tooth does not have an eruption compensation geometry, the width of the contralateral tooth is used as the estimated mesiodistal width of the missing tooth; and In cases where the contralateral tooth has an eruption compensation geometry, the width estimated based on the teeth other than the contralateral tooth is used as the estimated mesial-distal width of the missing tooth.

31. The medium according to claim 30, wherein, The instructions can be executed to cause the computing device to create an orthodontic treatment plan to reposition at least one of the patient's teeth using a representation of the ratio.

32. The medium according to claim 30, wherein, The width of the missing tooth is estimated by estimating the width based on the tooth type.

33. The medium according to claim 30, wherein, The missing tooth is determined by identifying gaps between adjacent teeth that exceed a gap threshold.

34. The medium according to claim 33, wherein, The gap threshold includes a distance of at least 1 mm, 2 mm, 3 mm, 4 mm or 5 mm.

35. The medium according to claim 33, wherein, The missing tooth is determined by automatically detecting the gap between adjacent teeth.

36. The medium according to claim 30, wherein, The width of the missing tooth and the width of at least some of the patient's teeth are the mesial-distal widths, respectively.

37. The medium according to claim 36, wherein, Tanaka-Johnston analysis was used to estimate the mesial-distal width of the missing teeth.

38. The medium according to claim 30, wherein, The ratio is represented by the Bolton ratio.

39. The medium according to claim 30, wherein, The instructions can be executed to cause the computing device to create a dental instrument configured to reposition at least one of the patient's teeth according to an orthodontic treatment plan.

40. The medium according to claim 30, wherein, The instructions can be executed to cause the computing device to segment a virtual representation of the patient's dental arch into multiple individual teeth based on a scan of the patient's dental arch, and to assign an anatomical identifier corresponding to each tooth in the virtual representation of the patient's dental arch.

41. The medium according to claim 30, wherein, The scan of the patient's dental arch is created by receiving a virtual representation of the patient's dental arch collected from one or more of the following: optical scans, oral scans, and image captures of the patient's physical impression.

42. A method, the method comprising: The processor collects scans of the patient's dental arch; The width of at least some of the patient's teeth is estimated based on the scan of the patient's dental arch; Determine if the patient has missing teeth in their dental arch; Estimate the mesial-distal width of the missing teeth; Determine the ratio of the width of all or some of the patient's mandibular teeth to the width of all or some of the patient's maxillary teeth, wherein the width of all or some of the maxillary teeth or the width of all or some of the mandibular teeth includes the estimated width of any missing teeth; and Output a representation of the ratio; The estimated mesiodistal width of the missing teeth includes: Determine if there are contralateral teeth; In the presence of a contralateral tooth, determine whether the contralateral tooth has an eruption compensation geometry; When the contralateral tooth does not have an eruption compensation geometry, the width of the contralateral tooth is used as the estimated mesiodistal width of the missing tooth; and In cases where the contralateral tooth has an eruption compensation geometry, the width estimated based on the teeth other than the contralateral tooth is used as the estimated mesial-distal width of the missing tooth.

43. The method of claim 42, further comprising creating an orthodontic treatment plan to reposition at least one of the patient's teeth using a representation of the ratio.

44. The method according to claim 42, wherein, The width of the missing tooth is estimated by estimating the width based on the tooth type.

45. The method according to claim 42, wherein, The missing tooth is determined by identifying gaps between adjacent teeth that exceed a gap threshold.

46. ​​The method according to claim 45, wherein, The gap threshold includes a distance of at least 1 mm, 2 mm, 3 mm, 4 mm or 5 mm.

47. The method according to claim 45, wherein, The missing tooth is determined by automatically detecting the gap between adjacent teeth.

48. The method according to claim 42, wherein, The width of the missing tooth and the width of at least some of the patient's teeth are the mesial-distal widths, respectively.

49. The method according to claim 43, wherein, Tanaka-Johnston analysis was used to estimate the mesial-distal width of the missing teeth.

50. The method according to claim 42, wherein, The ratio is represented by the Bolton ratio.

51. The method of claim 42, further comprising creating a dental instrument configured to reposition at least one of the patient's teeth according to an orthodontic treatment plan.

52. The method of claim 42, further comprising, based on a scan of the patient's dental arch, segmenting a virtual representation of the patient's dental arch into a plurality of individual teeth, and assigning an anatomical identifier corresponding to each tooth in the virtual representation of the patient's dental arch.

53. The method according to claim 42, wherein, The scan of the patient's dental arch is created by receiving a virtual representation of the patient's dental arch collected from one or more of the following: optical scans, oral scans, and image captures of the patient's physical impression.

54. A dental analysis system using missing tooth prediction, comprising: One or more processors; A memory coupled to the one or more processors, the memory being configured to store computer program instructions that, when executed by the processors, cause the processors to perform a computer-implemented method, the method comprising: The processor collects scans of the patient's dental arch; The width of at least some of the patient's teeth is estimated based on the scan of the patient's dental arch; Determine if the patient has missing teeth in their dental arch; Estimate the mesial-distal width of the missing teeth; Determine the ratio of the width of all or some of the patient's mandibular teeth to the width of all or some of the patient's maxillary teeth, wherein the width of all or some of the maxillary teeth or the width of all or some of the mandibular teeth includes the estimated width of any missing teeth; and Output a representation of the ratio; The estimated mesiodistal width of the missing teeth includes: Determine if there are contralateral teeth; In the presence of a contralateral tooth, determine whether the contralateral tooth has an eruption compensation geometry; When the contralateral tooth does not have an eruption compensation geometry, the width of the contralateral tooth is used as the estimated mesiodistal width of the missing tooth; and In cases where the contralateral tooth has an eruption compensation geometry, the width estimated based on the teeth other than the contralateral tooth is used as the estimated mesial-distal width of the missing tooth.

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