Patents Represented by Attorney, Agent or Law Firm Bowning Bushman, P.C.
  • Patent number: 6671539
    Abstract: A method of forming a surgical splint to receive a patient's dentition and thereby align the upper jaw and the lower jaw during surgery includes generating a CT computer model of bone structure, generating a digital dental computer model of the patient's dentition, and then combining the CT computer model and the digital dental computer model to form a composite computer model. The composite computer model may be displayed, and at least one of the upper jaw and lower jaw repositioned relative to the patient's skull and the composite computer model to form a planned position computer model. Using this desired position computer model, a computer model surgical splint of the patient's dentition may be formed, which is then input into a fabrication machine to form a surgical splint. The method also includes forming and displaying the composite computer model. A workstation includes a CT machine, a digital scanner, a computer, an input command mechanism, a display, and a fabricating machine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2003
    Assignee: Board of Regents University of Texas System
    Inventors: Jaime Gateno, John F. Teichgraeber, James Xia