Aligner Case Sensor System for Dental Appliance Quality Monitoring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for monitoring dental appliance quality are inadequate, leading to delayed detection of issues such as warpage, deformation, and material changes, which can affect treatment outcomes and require additional treatment plans.
Innovation Solution
A monitoring system comprising a case with sensors, including contact sensors, accelerometers, pressure sensors, and optical sensors, that track changes in the dental appliance's shape and material properties over time, providing timely detection of quality issues without disrupting patient usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a patient visits a treatment professional occasionally to inspect the dental appliance, then the patient can receive professional guidance, but the detection of quality issues is delayed
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables the patient to self-monitor the dental appliance quality through automated sensors in the case that detect deformations, warpage, and material changes without requiring professional inspection. The processor analyzes sensor data and generates notifications when quality thresholds are exceeded, allowing continuous self-service monitoring.
Solution Approach 2:
The manual inspection process by treatment professionals is replaced with an automated electronic monitoring system comprising sensors, processors, and communication modules. This substitution enables continuous automated detection of appliance quality issues without human intervention.
2Measurement precision
If multiple sensors are added to the case to improve monitoring capability, then the detection accuracy improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The monitoring system uses multiple sensors (optical, capacitive, pressure, accelerometer) that serve various detection functions within a single integrated case structure. Each sensor type detects different aspects of appliance quality (shape, material properties, position, deformation), creating a multi-functional monitoring system.
Solution Approach 2:
The sensors, processors, and communication modules are integrated within the compact case structure that already houses the dental appliance. The monitoring system is nested within the existing case geometry, minimizing additional structural complexity while maximizing monitoring capability.
3Reliability
If the patient monitors the appliance frequently, then quality issues are detected earlier, but the patient's usage convenience is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs automated monitoring without requiring active patient participation. Sensors continuously detect appliance quality, and the processor automatically analyzes data and generates notifications only when issues are detected, maintaining treatment reliability while minimizing patient burden.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs monitoring at regular intervals (each time the appliance is placed in the case) but only requires patient action when notifications are generated. This periodic automated monitoring ensures reliable detection while maintaining ease of operation.
Data Source
AI summary
Embedded sensors and onboard or off-board processing in an aligner case can detect aligner material and/or quality. Material detection can be used for counterfeit detection, or to trigger material specific events. Quality detection can include detection of common aligner failures or defects. A case for a dental appliance may include a tray for supporting the dental appliance, a cover coupled to the tray, and at least one sensor to detect a deformation of the dental appliance. A case for a dental appliance may include a tray for housing the dental appliance, a cover coupled to the tray, and at least one sensor configured to detect a change in material of the dental appliance.