Deformed Dental Arch Model for Precision Orthodontic Analysis

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current methods for evaluating dental overhangs are inefficient and lack precision, impacting orthodontic treatment planning and effectiveness.

Innovation Solution

A method using a computer to generate a digital model of the dental arch, cutting it into tooth models, defining a support curve, deforming it to create a deformed model for enhanced analysis and measurement, and optionally using neural networks for hyperrealistic coloring and orthodontic appliance design.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If traditional methods are used to evaluate dental overhang, then the evaluation can be performed, but the speed and precision of analysis are insufficient

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprecision of dental analysisVSAvoidspeed of analysis
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent creates a digital 3D model (copy) of the patient's dental arch that can be manipulated and measured without affecting the actual teeth. This digital copy allows for precise measurements and transformations that would be difficult or impossible to perform on physical dental models, thereby improving both measurement precision and analysis speed.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

Solution Approach 2:

The patent transforms the dental arch evaluation from traditional 2D photographs or physical models into a 3D digital space. By working in three dimensions, the system enables more accurate spatial measurements and provides multiple viewing angles simultaneously, improving precision while reducing the time needed for comprehensive analysis.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Measurement precision

If multiple teeth are visualized simultaneously in the initial model, then comprehensive analysis is possible, but the complexity of the model makes detailed measurement difficult

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprecision of tooth measurementVSAvoidcomplexity of dental model
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the dental arch model into individual tooth models, each with its own reference curve. This segmentation allows the system to maintain the comprehensive 3D view of multiple teeth while enabling focused, precise measurements on individual teeth by isolating them through their respective reference curves, thereby reducing the effective complexity during measurement operations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces reference curves as intermediary elements between the complex dental arch model and the measurement process. These curves serve as simplified mediators that capture the essential geometry of each tooth, allowing precise measurements to be taken along these curves without dealing with the full complexity of the surrounding dental structures.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Ease of operation

If the dental arch model is deformed to create a deformed model, then visualization and measurement are improved, but the model deviates from the original dental structure

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveease of measurementVSAvoidaccuracy of model representation
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs preliminary actions by creating the digital 3D model and segmenting it into individual tooth models with reference curves before any deformation or measurement takes place. This preliminary structuring ensures that the original dental geometry is captured and preserved in the digital model, allowing subsequent deformations to be applied systematically while maintaining reference to the original structure for accuracy.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements feedback mechanisms by maintaining the ability to compare the deformed model with the original dental arch model. The system allows operators to verify measurements and transformations against the original structure, ensuring that while the model can be deformed for easier measurement, the reliability and accuracy of the representation are continuously validated against the original dental anatomy.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentEP3763319B1Method for assessing a dental situation with the help of a deformed dental arch model
Publication Date: 2024.05.08 DENTAL MONITORING
  • EP3763319B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3763319B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP3763319B1 patent drawingFigure 5

AI summary

A method for evaluating a patient's dental situation, comprising: 1) generating an initial model of at least one dental arch of the patient; 2) cutting the initial model to define a tooth model to obtain a cut-out model; 3) determining an initial support curve for the tooth models in the cut-out model; 4) virtually fixing each tooth model onto the initial support curve; 5) modifying the cut-out model by deforming the initial support curve along a deformed support curve, so as to obtain a first deformed model, in which the tooth models are aligned along the deformed support curve; 6) presenting the first deformed model.