Orthodontic Bracket Selection via Geometric Matching
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Solution Overview
Problem
The manual selection of pre-manufactured orthodontic appliance components by orthodontists is time-consuming and lacks the accuracy needed to fully utilize custom orthodontic treatment plans, as it relies on professional judgment and experience without the capability for precise analysis of patient anatomy.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that evaluates and selects standard or pre-manufactured orthodontic appliance components based on customized treatment plans using computerized analysis of patient anatomy data, comparing component geometries to determine the best fit, allowing for the assembly of appliances that approximate custom designs while considering cost, availability, and anatomical considerations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If manual selection of pre-manufactured appliance components is used, then cost and availability are improved, but selection time and accuracy are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates a digital copy or representation of the patient's anatomy and treatment requirements, then uses computer algorithms to evaluate and select components that best match the treatment plan. This digital modeling approach replaces manual visual assessment, significantly reducing selection time while improving precision through automated geometric comparisons and constraint satisfaction algorithms.
2Manufacturing precision
If custom appliance design is used, then treatment precision is improved, but manufacturing complexity and cost are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the appliance into discrete, pre-manufactured components (brackets, archwires, elastics) that can be independently selected from standardized inventories. By breaking down the custom appliance into modular segments, the system achieves treatment precision through computer-aided selection while avoiding the manufacturing complexity of fully custom appliances, as each component can be produced using standardized manufacturing processes.
3Reliability
If computerized component selection is used, then treatment plan accuracy is improved, but system complexity is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces the mechanical/manual process of component selection with a computerized information processing system. Software algorithms automatically evaluate patient anatomy data, treatment requirements, and component inventories to make optimal selections, substituting human judgment and manual procedures with automated computational processes that improve accuracy while managing system complexity through standardized interfaces and databases.
Data Source
AI summary
Computer analysis is made of individual patient related data in order to select standard or pre-manufactured orthodontic appliances or appliance components (10) that are most likely to provide orthodontic treatment suitable for the individual patient. This analysis can be made by the software of a custom orthodontic appliance designing system, without actually manufacturing the custom appliance. Geometric parameters (21-24, 28, 29) of a custom designed appliance may be compared with corresponding parameters of alternative standard appliances or appliance components so that the closest standard component can be used. The custom appliance can be designed to accommodate the geometries of one or more appliance components. Where custom mounting instructions that modify otherwise standard installation of an appliance or component will render the standard component more compatible with a custom appliance design, such instructions are provided to the orthodontist along with the selection. The invention is most useful in selecting orthodontic brackets, or combinations of standard brackets and standard archwires.