On-Site Dental Appliance Adjustment via Digital Pixel Offset
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Solution Overview
Problem
The conventional process of manufacturing dental appliances is time-consuming and expensive due to the need for multiple iterations of impressions, models, and offsite production, leading to potential fit issues that require repeated cycles.
Innovation Solution
A system and method using additive manufacturing that allows for on-site production of dental appliances, where a digital model is modified by turning off or on pixels to adjust the size or design features, enabling automatic correction of fit issues and reprinting of the appliance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional offsite dental laboratory manufacturing process is used, then manufacturing precision can be achieved, but loss of time and productivity are significantly reduced due to multiple iterations and offsite production cycles
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by creating a digital model and printing a test appliance before the patient appointment to predict fit issues in advance. This allows the appliance to be adjusted or remade before the patient arrives, eliminating the need for multiple in-office adjustment visits and reducing overall production cycle time while maintaining fit quality
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback by using intraoral scans and fit testing results to inform subsequent appliance adjustments. The digital model is modified based on feedback from fit testing, and the adjusted appliance is reprinted and retested, creating a closed-loop system that rapidly converges on the optimal fit without requiring lengthy offsite laboratory cycles
2Manufacturing precision
If multiple iterations of impressions and models are performed to achieve proper fit, then manufacturing precision is improved, but device complexity and loss of substance increase due to repeated material consumption and process steps
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies copying by creating a digital replica of the patient's dentition through intraoral scanning, eliminating the need for physical impressions and models. The digital model can be copied, modified, and used to print appliances without requiring physical copies to be sent to laboratories, reducing both process complexity and material consumption while maintaining the ability to achieve precise fit through digital adjustments
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges multiple separate processes (impression taking, model creation, appliance fabrication, and adjustment) into a single integrated digital workflow. The intraoral scan serves as both the impression and the basis for appliance design, and the same digital model is used for both planning and manufacturing, eliminating redundant steps and reducing overall process complexity
3Manufacturing precision
If offsite laboratory production is used, then manufacturing precision can be maintained, but ease of operation and productivity are reduced due to the need for physical transport and coordination between multiple locations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a portable 3D printer and digital modeling software as intermediaries that bridge the gap between design and manufacturing. These tools allow the dentist to directly create and adjust appliances in the office without needing to send models to an offsite laboratory, maintaining manufacturing precision while dramatically improving ease of operation and enabling same-day appliance fabrication and adjustment
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method of adjusting a dental appliance by modifying a corresponding digital dental appliance model. The system includes an additive manufacturing system (e.g., a 3D printer system) and a controller running software. The system is designed to (i) 3D print a dental appliance using an initial digital dental appliance model, (ii) determine any portions of the printed dental appliance that may require modification, (iii) automatically adjust the appliance's digital model by performing pixel offsetting to implement a modification, and (iv) reprint the appliance using the modified digital model.