Orthodontic Treatment Planning Software for Tooth Positioning
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current orthodontic treatment methods rely on manual adjustments and standard components, leading to prolonged treatment times, increased costs, and inaccuracies due to the difficulty in designing custom appliances that account for individual patient anatomy and optimal tooth positioning.
Innovation Solution
A software modeling tool that allows orthodontists to manipulate digital images of teeth to simulate tooth movements and adjust positions in six degrees of freedom, providing a platform for developing personalized treatment plans and animating tooth movements from initial to final positions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual adjustments and standard components are used in orthodontic treatment, then treatment can be performed with simple equipment, but treatment time is prolonged and accuracy is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical adjustment methods with computer-automated treatment planning software that calculates optimal tooth positions and appliance designs, eliminating time-consuming manual trial-and-error processes and significantly reducing treatment planning duration
Solution Approach 2:
The software performs preliminary calculation and simulation of treatment outcomes before actual treatment begins, allowing orthodontists to plan and visualize the complete treatment pathway in advance, thereby avoiding repeated adjustments and extending treatment time
2Ease of manufacture
If standard orthodontic components are used, then equipment cost is reduced, but treatment accuracy for individual patient anatomy is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The software enables customization of treatment plans and appliance designs tailored to each patient's specific anatomical features, tooth positions, and treatment requirements, allowing standard components to be precisely adapted to individual cases rather than forcing all patients into standardized templates
Solution Approach 2:
The system allows dynamic adjustment of treatment parameters such as tooth movement vectors, force magnitudes, and appliance geometry based on individual patient data, transforming fixed standard components into customized solutions through software-controlled parameter optimization
3Manufacturing precision
If custom appliances are designed for individual patient anatomy, then treatment accuracy is improved, but design complexity and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs computer-automated software to handle the complex calculations and design processes required for custom appliance fabrication, replacing manual design complexity with algorithmic precision and eliminating the need for orthodontists to manually compute complex treatment parameters
Solution Approach 2:
The software creates digital models and virtual simulations of patient anatomy and treatment outcomes, allowing orthodontists to work with accurate digital copies rather than physical models, thereby simplifying the design process while maintaining high precision
4Ease of manufacture
If manual treatment planning methods are used, then equipment cost is reduced, but treatment outcomes are less optimal due to inability to simulate and evaluate multiple scenarios
Solution Approach 1:
The software allows orthodontists to simulate and evaluate multiple treatment scenarios and predict outcomes before committing to a treatment plan, enabling selection of the most effective approach based on virtual testing rather than relying on experience alone
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides visual feedback and simulation results that show predicted treatment outcomes, allowing orthodontists to assess whether a planned treatment will achieve desired results and make adjustments before implementation, thereby improving reliability of treatment outcomes
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
Computer-implemented methods to plan, display and evaluate orthodontic treatment plans. A plurality of teeth (40, 42) in a representation on a computer display may be moved simultaneously in accordance with a mathematically defined pattern. Software tools available to generate the treatment path may include adjusting the smile teeth, moving teeth along a curve (62) fit to points (66, 68) in the mandible, individually moving a tooth, cross sectioning (74, 76) to check for interference and simulations of occlusal points (112), highlighting teeth (48) that have moved from their original position, making notations (94, 96) on the teeth, and generating and saving animation (152) sequences of before and after treatment tooth positions.