Dental Aligner Segmentation via Prior Treatment Plan Matching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current orthodontic treatment planning and aligner manufacturing face challenges in accurately segmenting patient teeth scans, leading to fit issues and increased time and expense due to the need for manual correction of automated segmentation results, especially when reusing previous treatment plans that no longer match the patient's current tooth position.
Innovation Solution
The method involves matching the arrangement of teeth from a prior treatment plan to the current tooth arrangement using reference points, allowing for the generation of a secondary treatment plan that corrects previous treatment results by identifying the best matching stage from the primary order treatment plan and applying a tooth-to-crown transformation to aligner production, thereby automating the segmentation process and improving accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If automated segmentation is used to process patient tooth scans, then processing speed and productivity are improved, but segmentation accuracy deteriorates leading to fit issues and customer complaints
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary process between automated segmentation and final aligner manufacturing. This intermediary involves using the automated segmentation results as initial guidance, then refining them through comparison with the prior treatment plan's segmented model. The system automatically identifies discrepancies and corrects them by referencing the established tooth geometry from the primary order, thereby maintaining high productivity while improving segmentation accuracy without requiring full manual re-segmentation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary action by performing automated segmentation first to quickly obtain initial tooth models, then using these results as a starting point for comparison with the prior treatment plan. This preliminary automated segmentation provides a baseline that can be rapidly refined rather than starting from scratch, thus maintaining high productivity while enabling accuracy improvements through subsequent automated comparison and correction steps.
2Manufacturing precision
If manual review and correction of segmented models is performed to improve accuracy, then segmentation quality is improved, but time and expense increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service by enabling the system to automatically detect and correct segmentation errors without requiring manual intervention. The system compares the newly segmented model with the prior treatment plan's segmented model, automatically identifies discrepancies in tooth geometry, and corrects them by referencing the established tooth models. This self-correcting mechanism maintains high segmentation quality while eliminating the time and expense associated with manual review and correction by a DDT CAD designer.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates feedback by continuously comparing the newly segmented tooth models with the prior treatment plan's segmented models and using this comparison information to automatically refine and correct the segmentation results. The system feeds back the discrepancies identified through comparison and automatically adjusts the segmentation to resolve them, creating a closed-loop process that improves accuracy without requiring external manual intervention, thus saving time and reducing costs.
3Measurement precision
If a secondary treatment plan is created without reusing the primary order treatment plan, then treatment accuracy for current tooth position is improved, but device complexity and processing time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by making the prior treatment plan's segmented model serve multiple functions: it acts as a reference for accuracy, a template for tooth geometry, and a baseline for comparison. The system reuses the established tooth segmentation from the primary order treatment plan and adapts it to the current tooth position through automated comparison and transformation, rather than creating an entirely new segmentation from scratch. This multi-functional reuse of the primary order data simplifies the overall process while maintaining accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs copying by creating a transformed version of the prior treatment plan's segmented model that matches the current tooth position. Instead of generating a completely new treatment plan, the system copies the established tooth geometry and segmentation from the primary order, then applies automated transformations to align it with the current scan data. This copying approach reduces device complexity and processing time while maintaining treatment accuracy by leveraging the already-validated segmentation from the primary order.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and apparatuses to determine the best (e.g., closest) match between a patient's current or jaw configuration and one actual or intended jaw configurations from a series of jaw configurations for the same patient that were previously generated. These methods and/or apparatuses may be used to transform a prior tooth model, from a prior stage or stages of a treatment plan, into a current tooth arrangement. This may include revising the digital model.