Abstract: Series of apparatuses for expanding a patient's palate (“palatal expanders”), including rapid palatal expanders, wherein a left tooth engagement region and a right tooth engagement region are configured to add anti-tipping torque to at least one tooth. Left and right tooth engagement regions may include lingual surfaces with at least one lingual protrusion. Left and right tooth engagement regions may have buccally rotated cavities.

Abstract: Palatal expander systems and methods. A palatal expander includes a palatal region connecting tooth engagement regions, where the palatal region is configured to apply a lateral force across a patient's palate when the tooth engagement regions are worn over the patient's teeth. Attachment regions on buccal sides of the tooth engagement regions are shaped and sized to engage with dental attachments bonded to the patient's teeth. At least one breach region corresponding to a thinned region of the palatal expander extends anteriorly to posteriorly in the palatal region or an occlusal portion of one or both of the tooth engagement regions. The at least one breach region is configured to breach or bend when a pulling force is applied to one or both of the tooth engagement regions such that one or both of the attachment regions are detached from respective attachments.

Abstract: A method of 3D printing comprises extruding one or more photo-curable materials from a nozzle to form a first layer that has a first shape specified by the one or more digital files, wherein the first shape corresponds to a first minimum line width that is based on, and narrower than, a diameter of the nozzle. The method further includes directing a light beam onto the first layer according to the one or more digital files to cure a portion of the first layer to create a first cured layer, wherein the first cured layer corresponds to a second shape of a first layer of a 3D printed orthodontic aligner, wherein the light beam has a beam diameter that is smaller than the diameter of the nozzle, and wherein the second shape has a second minimum line width that is smaller than the first minimum line width.

Abstract: An apparatus for intraoral three-dimensional (3D) scanning comprises a light source, a spatial pattern, a beam splitter, an optical system comprising fewer than 10 lenses, a mirror, an image sensor, and a depth scanning module. The depth scanning module is configured to axially translate one or more lenses of the optical system in the optical axis to change a focus setting of the optical system, wherein the depth scanning module is configured to axially translate the one or more lenses by 0.1-5 mm to achieve a depth scanning range of 5-40 mm at a scan speed of about 5-50 scans per second.

Abstract: Computer readable media for predicting a tooth shape for at least partially un-erupted teeth and dental appliances formed therefrom. In some examples, methods include generating orthoscopic views of virtual representations of an identified tooth type in different orthogonal directions, representing bounding shapes around the orthoscopic views, and applying principal component analysis on the bounding shapes to predict a tooth shape. In some examples, methods include generating a spherical harmonic signature for virtual representations of an identified tooth type, calculating a distance between spherical harmonic signatures to predict the tooth shape. The predicted tooth shape of the at least partially un-erupted tooth may be incorporated into virtual dentition model(s) of a dentition in accordance with an orthodontic treatment plan for treating the dentition.

Abstract: A series of palatal expanders and methods of designing palatal expanders, including rapid palatal expanders, where outer occlusal surfaces of a palatal expander are shaped to conform to a geometry of corresponding teeth surfaces of the patient's lower jaw to provide occlusion between occlusal surfaces and the corresponding teeth surfaces.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides methods, systems, devices, and kits for creating composite materials from a single resin, the composite materials having multiple continuous phases. The disclosure includes a process to three-dimensionally print objects (e.g., orthodontic appliances) with composite properties. In some aspects, the composite properties are formed from a single formulation with components that, when processed, have hard and soft continuous phases. In some aspects, the composite properties are formed by separately processing the hard phase components and the soft phase components. In some aspects, the composite materials and devices are three-dimensionally printed using the processed material.

Abstract: Embodiments include receiving image data comprising contours of teeth of an individual and generating a new image based on the image data and one or more parametric functions associated with tooth color that comprise a first variable for a first image axis and a second variable for a second image axis, wherein a shape of the teeth in the new image is based on the image data and a color of the teeth in the new image is based on applying the one or more parametric functions to at least a portion of the image data.

Abstract: Provided herein are methods and apparatuses for recommending tooth leveling (e.g., one or more of anterior leveling, posterior leveling, and arch-shape recommendations) for orthodontic devices and methods for patients. Factors involved in the leveling of teeth can include symmetry, doctor preferences, preferences regarding gender, the country in which the patient is being treated, and other issues related to the aesthetics of the mouth and arch shape. The device can comprise an aligner configured to fit over a patient's teeth. Methods of designing and manufacturing aligners based on leveling recommendations are also provided.

Abstract: Methods and systems for digitally designing a plurality of aligners are provided. In some embodiments, a method includes receiving an intraoral scan of the patient's teeth, and generating 3D dental model of the patient's teeth using the intraoral scan. The method can include identifying a movement path to move the patient's teeth from an initial arrangement toward a target arrangement through a plurality of intermediate arrangements in accordance with a treatment plan. The method can also include identifying one or more appliance features of at least one aligner, the one or more appliance features including one or more feature regions having one or more feature thicknesses. The method can further include instructing an additive manufacturing machine to directly fabricate the at least one aligner in a layer-by-layer fashion.

Abstract: A processing device receives a plurality of intraoral scans of a dental arch. The processing device determines, from the plurality of intraoral scans, a first set of intraoral scans that depict a restorative object and a second set of intraoral scans that fail to depict any restorative object. The processing device generates a multi-resolution three-dimensional model of the dental arch, wherein a first portion of the multi-resolution three-dimensional model is generated from the first set of intraoral scans, has a first resolution and represents the restorative object, and wherein a second portion of the multi-resolution three-dimensional model is generated from the second set of intraoral scans, has a second resolution and represents a remainder of the dental arch, wherein the first resolution is greater than the second resolution.

Abstract: Computer-implemented methods and systems for modeling teeth. Methods include generating a clinical crown mesh including visible surfaces of a clinical crown of a tooth; generating a parametric tooth model representing an average of multiple etalon teeth of the same tooth type; fitting the clinical crown mesh with the parametric tooth model to create an interim tooth model; and morphing the interim tooth model to mimic an anatomical shape of the clinical crown mesh. Fitting the clinical crown mesh with the parametric tooth model includes coupling point pairs on surfaces of the clinical crown mesh and the parametric tooth model, where a weighting factor is assigned to each point of the clinical crown mesh or parametric tooth model, and transforming the point pairs according to their weighting factors to cause the point pairs to converge.

Abstract: A processing device receives an image and calculates a sharpness metric for a region of interest of the image. The processing device determines whether the sharpness metric satisfies a sharpness criterion, and one or more additional operations are performed responsive to determining that the sharpness metric satisfies the sharpness criterion.

Abstract: Methods for designing orthodontic appliances are provided. In some embodiments, a method includes receiving a treatment plan for a patient's dentition and generating an aligner model representing an aligner configured to implement a treatment stage of the treatment plan. The aligner model can include a thickness map having a thickness parameter for each location of the aligner model. The method can include adjusting the thickness map by using the aligner model to evaluate an outcome when the aligner is applied to the patient's dentition, and iteratively reducing the value of each thickness parameter of the thickness map based on the evaluation until a resulting thickness is determined for each thickness parameter. The method can also include providing instructions to manufacture the aligner based on the aligner model with the resulting thickness for each thickness parameter of the thickness map.

Abstract: An intraoral scanner generates 2D images of a dental site and 3D intraoral scans of the dental site. The computing device receives the 2D images of the dental site and the 3D intraoral scans of the dental site from the intraoral scanner, generates a 3D model of the dental site based on the 3D intraoral scans of the dental site, and processes at least one of a) one or more of the 2D images of the dental site, b) one or more of the 3D intraoral scans of the dental site, or c) data from the 3D model of the dental site to identify one or more intraoral areas of interest (AOIs) at the dental site. The computing device determines a dental condition associated with the one or more intraoral AOIs, and determines a manner for scanning the one or more intraoral AOIs.

Abstract: A mobile device comprises a display, an image capture device that generates image data of a face of a viewer of the display, and a processing device. The processing device receives the image data and sends the image data to a computing device. The computing device processes the image data to identify a position of a dental arch in the image data; determines a treatment outcome for the dental arch; generates a post-treatment image of the dental arch that shows the treatment outcome; generates updated image data comprising a superimposition of the post-treatment image of the dental arch over the received image data; and sends the updated image data to the mobile device. The mobile device outputs the updated image data to the display, wherein the post-treatment image of the dental arch is superimposed over the dental arch in the received image data such that the post-treatment image is visible in the display rather than a true depiction of the dental arch.

Abstract: Methods for controlling the sorting and sequencing of objects are provided. In some embodiments, a method includes receiving sensor data of a plurality of dental appliances, each dental appliance associated with an identifier including (a) group data indicating a group to which the dental appliance belongs, and (b) sequence data indicating a sequential position for the dental appliance within the group. The method can include controlling a sorting cell to direct each dental appliance into one of a plurality of buffer locations based on the group data for the dental appliance, where each buffer location is configured to hold a set of dental appliances belonging to the same group; and controlling a sequencing cell to sequence the set of dental appliances associated with each buffer location by placing each dental appliance into a position within the corresponding set of dental appliances based on the sequence data for the dental appliance.

Abstract: A method of generating a virtual 3D model of a dental arch is provided. The method includes receiving intraoral scans of a dental arch, determining a first depth of a first intraoral 3D surface in a first intraoral scan, and determining a second depth of a second intraoral 3D surface in the first intraoral scan, and wherein there is a fixed distance between the first intraoral 3D surface and the second intraoral 3D surface in the first intraoral scan. The method further includes stitching together the intraoral scans and generating a virtual 3D model of the dental arch from the intraoral scans, wherein the fixed distance between the first intraoral 3D surface and the second intraoral 3D surface is included in the virtual 3D model.

Abstract: A processor receives first intraoral scan data comprising a first depiction of a dental site; generates a virtual three-dimensional (3D) model of the dental site using the first intraoral scan data; and processes at least one of the first intraoral scan data or data from the virtual 3D model to identify an unclear feature. The processor outputs instructions to generate second intraoral scan data of the dental site depicting the portion of the dental site that is unclear; receives the second intraoral scan data; and updates the virtual 3D model of the dental site using the second intraoral scan data, wherein the portion of the dental site that was unclear in the virtual 3D model is replaced with information from the second intraoral scan data.