Cranial Reference Point Template for Jaw Model Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for producing tooth and/or bone replacements fail to accurately align the lower jaw relative to the upper jaw, leading to misalignment in the jaw joint, which can cause craniomandibular dysfunction and associated issues like muscular tension and headaches.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the detection and storage of the relative spatial position of six cranial reference points when the teeth are intact, allowing for the creation of a template body that fixes the spatial position of these points, ensuring accurate alignment of the upper and lower jaw models, and a transfer device to facilitate this alignment during the production of tooth and/or bone replacements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional jaw modeling methods are used with empirical positioning, then the manufacturing process is simple and quick, but the positioning precision of the lower jaw relative to the upper jaw is insufficient, leading to jaw joint misalignment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by capturing the spatial positions of six cranial reference points on the patient's skull before any dental defects develop. These pre-captured coordinates are stored and later used to accurately position jaw models during denture production, eliminating the need for complex real-time positioning during manufacturing while achieving high precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses copying by creating a digital record (copy) of the six cranial reference point coordinates from the patient's original skull. This coordinate copy is then used to reproduce the accurate spatial relationship between upper and lower jaws in the model, avoiding the need to physically replicate the entire skull structure while maintaining positioning precision.
2Reliability
If empirical positioning methods are used by dental technicians, then the process is easy to operate, but the reliability of jaw alignment is compromised due to remaining degrees of freedom
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical/manual positioning system with an optical/scanning-based coordinate measurement system. Instead of relying on the dental technician's manual manipulation and experience, the system uses digital scanning to capture precise spatial coordinates of cranial reference points, which are then used to automatically determine the correct jaw positioning, eliminating degrees of freedom and ensuring consistent reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter basis for positioning from empirical anatomical landmarks to precisely measured three-dimensional spatial coordinates of six specific cranial reference points. This parameter transformation from qualitative anatomical references to quantitative coordinate data enables accurate and repeatable jaw alignment while simplifying the operational process through digital guidance.
Data Source
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Figure 4~5
AI summary
The method involves determining left and right direction points (3,4) and an induction point (2) of an upper jaw as three cranial reference point of the upper jaw and determining the left and right direction points (6,7) and the induction point (5) of a lower jaw as three cranial reference point of the lower jaw. The upper and lower jaw model halves (11,12) are fixed relative to each other, such that spatial positioning of six cranial reference points are provided according to stored spatial position. A dental- or bone replacement is formed based on model halves fixed spatial to each other. Independent claims are included for the following: (1) a template body for storing the relative spatial location of six cranial reference points of a dentition; and (2) a transfer device for placing an upper jaw model half relative to a lower jaw model half.