Orthodontic Bracket Positioning via Digital Twin Overlay
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for attaching tooth brackets are time-consuming and prone to errors due to reliance on dental practitioners' practical experience, affecting the accuracy and efficiency of orthodontic treatments.
Innovation Solution
A positioning guidance system that includes an image capturing unit, a processor, and a display unit, which captures oral images, determines the position of candidate teeth, accesses dental model information to set bracket positions, and provides real-time guidance indications to accurately position tooth brackets.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a dentist attaches brackets according to preoperative planning and practical experience, then the orthodontic treatment can be performed, but the attaching time is prolonged and the accuracy is affected by the dentist's experience
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preoperative planning and creates a digital twin model of the patient's teeth before the actual bracket attachment. The optimal bracket positions are predetermined and stored in the system, allowing the dentist to simply follow the pre-calculated guidance during the procedure, thus eliminating the need for real-time decision-making based on experience while maintaining high accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the manual mechanical method of bracket attachment based on dentist experience with an automated image recognition and processing system. The system uses oral cavity imaging, contour extraction, and digital model matching to automatically determine bracket positions, substituting human expertise with computational algorithms that provide consistent, accurate results without time variation.
2Reliability
If a dentist relies on practical experience for bracket attachment, then the procedure can be performed without additional equipment, but the number of re-attaching brackets and outpatient visits increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides real-time visual feedback by overlaying the predetermined bracket positions on the actual oral cavity images. The dentist can see the guidance indications directly on the displayed images, allowing for immediate verification and adjustment if needed. This feedback mechanism ensures high reliability by confirming that brackets are placed at the correct positions during the procedure itself.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a digital twin model as an intermediary between the patient's actual teeth and the bracket attachment process. This virtual model serves as a mediator that translates the complex requirements of precise positioning into visual guidance that the dentist can easily follow, reducing the need for complex physical measurement tools while maintaining high accuracy.
3Ease of manufacture
If manual bracket attachment based on dentist experience is used, then the equipment requirements are minimal, but the orthodontic effect may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates a digital copy (digital twin) of the patient's oral cavity and teeth structure. This virtual replica allows for precise measurement, planning, and simulation of bracket positions without requiring complex physical fixtures or measurement devices in the actual oral cavity. The digital model can be manipulated and analyzed computationally to determine optimal positions, then transferred back to guide the physical attachment process.
Data Source
AI summary
A positioning guidance method for tooth brackets is provided. The positioning guidance method includes: obtaining, via an image capturing unit, an oral image; obtaining, via a processor, a position of a candidate tooth according to the contour of a plurality of teeth in the oral image; obtaining, via the processor, a bracket setting position corresponding to the candidate tooth by accessing dental model information from a storage device according to the position of the candidate tooth; obtaining, via the processor, a bracket image corresponding to a bracket from the oral image; and displaying, via the processor, guidance indication on a display unit according to a bracket position corresponding to the bracket image and the bracket setting position.