Dental Appliance Design Using Digital Facial Mass Modeling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for designing dental appliances struggle to reliably predict the effects on the entire dentition of tooth movement corrections and often require excessive radiation exposure, especially in children, due to limitations in anticipating and monitoring tooth root movements.
Innovation Solution
A method involving medical imaging and computer processing to create a digital model of the facial mass, including tooth crowns and roots, which allows for simulation of desired corrections and prediction of movement effects, while minimizing radiation exposure by using Cone Beam Computerized Tomography and 3D optical scanning to capture mandibular movements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If physical modeling and repeated x-rays are used to monitor root displacement, then prediction reliability is improved, but radiation exposure increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a digital copy (virtual model) of the patient's dentition and surrounding structures using CBCT and optical scanning. This digital replica allows for unlimited simulation and monitoring without exposing the patient to additional radiation, replacing the need for repeated physical x-rays while maintaining prediction reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/radiation-based monitoring system (repeated x-rays) with a computational system (digital simulations using finite element analysis). The virtual model allows for non-invasive, radiation-free monitoring of tooth movement and root displacement throughout treatment
2Device complexity
If current design methods are used, then device complexity is reduced, but prediction reliability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the dental structure into distinct components (teeth, roots, surrounding bone, periodontal ligament) within the digital model. This segmentation allows for individualized analysis of each tooth's movement and its effect on neighbors, improving prediction reliability while maintaining manageable design complexity through modular virtual representation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a digital intermediary (virtual model and simulation software) between the physical dentition and the treatment outcome. This intermediary allows for testing and prediction of various treatment scenarios without physical intervention, improving reliability while keeping the actual treatment process relatively simple
3Reliability
If comprehensive digital modeling is implemented, then prediction reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal digital platform that performs multiple functions: creating 3D models, simulating tooth movement, predicting outcomes, and guiding treatment. This multi-functional system consolidates what would otherwise require multiple separate tools and processes, improving reliability while managing complexity through integration
Solution Approach 2:
The digital model and simulation system are self-contained, allowing the treatment planning system to predict its own outcomes and identify potential issues without requiring additional external testing or monitoring equipment. The system serves itself by providing all necessary predictive capabilities within the virtual environment
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enables more reliable predictions of dental appliance behavior and reduces radiation exposure by simulating tooth movements and their effects on the entire dentition, improving the precision of corrections and allowing for early detection of joint pathologies using digital data.
Implementation Method 1
Open-beam cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) of the jawbones provides an image of the jawbone and therefore of the temporomandibular joint. Cone-beam computed tomography is used in dentistry to obtain a three-dimensional image of the mandibular joint due to its low radiation dose and three-dimensional nature
Implementation Method 2
a 3D optical camera capable of identifying the characteristic points of the facial structure in space to position the dental arches in relation to this facial structure
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a method for designing a dental appliance for a facial structure comprising dental arches, said method comprising the following steps: - acquisition of reference points (28) characterizing the facial structure, - determination of reference planes (8, 9) of the facial structure from said reference points, - obtaining a volumetric model (21) of each dental arch of said facial structure, - matching the volumetric models of the dental arches and said reference planes of the facial structure, - recording of the mandibular kinematics, - design of said dental appliance taking into account the recording of the mandibular kinematics during a plurality of movements of said mandible, and production of a file usable by numerically controlled machines capable of manufacturing a dental appliance.