Abstract: System and methods for positioning 3D virtual brackets on teeth for the precise positioning of conventional brackets and wire. Various reference features may be calculated for the teeth and used to calculate a position for the virtual bracket. Reference features that are calculated include curve of Spee, Andrew's plane, and a facial axis of the clinical crown for the teeth.

Abstract: Methods for designing and fabrication of a series of apparatuses for expanding a patient's palate (“palatal expanders”). In particular, described herein are methods and apparatuses for forming palatal expanders, including rapid palatal expanders, as well as series of palatal expanders formed as described herein and apparatuses for designing and fabricating them.

Abstract: A dental appliance for positioning a patient's teeth includes a removable orthodontic tooth positioning appliance having teeth receiving cavities shaped to directly receive at least some of the patient's teeth and apply a resilient positioning force to the patient's teeth. The appliance includes a hard polymer layer having a hard polymer layer elastic modulus disposed between a first soft polymer layer having a first soft polymer layer elastic modulus and a second soft polymer layer having a second soft polymer layer elastic modulus. The hard polymer layer elastic modulus is greater than each of the first soft polymer layer elastic modulus and the second soft polymer layer elastic modulus. At least one of the first soft polymer layer and the second soft polymer layer has a flexural modulus of greater than about 35,000 psi.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for producing controlled tooth-moving forces are provided. An orthodontic appliance includes one or more occlusal surface features that modify bite forces between opposing teeth during intercuspation to aid in realignment of the teeth. The interception bite forces can be applied between appliance shells on opposing arches, or between an appliance shell and an opposing tooth. These modified bite forces can be used to supply or augment tooth-moving forces, and the tooth moving forces can produce moments to urge rotational movement of a tooth. Also described herein are orthodontic appliances having an occlusal outer surface contours that are distinct from the occlusal inner surface contour within the dental appliance and may be configured to selectively intercuspate.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and devices for producing appliances for expansion of the arch of a patient are provided. An arch expanding appliance comprises a force generating portion to apply an arch expansion force and a retention portion to hold the force generating portion on the teeth. The retention portion comprises a flexible portion and a stiff portion. The force generating portion applies a force to move teeth associated with the flexible portion, while the stiff portion resists movement of its associated teeth. The orthodontic appliances can be designed according to the specifications provided herein and manufactured using direct fabrication methods.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for monitoring either or both the performance of an orthodontic appliance for repositioning a patient's teeth and/or the user compliance in wearing the appliance using a biosensor. The apparatuses described herein may include one or more sensors, including biosensors, electrical sensors, or both, configured to generate sensor data related to user compliance and/or repositioning of the patient's teeth by an orthodontic appliance.

Abstract: Embodiments relate to an aligner breakage solution that tests probability of aligner breakage at weak points. A method includes gathering a digital model representing an aligner for a dental arch of a patient, receiving material property information for a material to be used to manufacture the aligner, and analyzing one or more regions of the aligner. Analyzing a region of the aligner comprises simulating application of a load around the region, determining at least one of a stress, a strain or a strain energy density at the region, evaluating a strength of the aligner at the region, and determining whether the region satisfies a damage criterion based on the strength of the aligner at the region.

Abstract: The present invention relates to systems and methods of developing and tracking delivery and patient progression through an orthodontic treatment plan. One method includes identifying deviations from an orthodontic treatment plan, including receiving a digital representation of an actual arrangement of a patient's teeth after an orthodontic treatment plan has begun for the patient and prior to completion of the orthodontic treatment plan. The method further includes comparing the actual arrangement to a pre-determined planned arrangement to determine if the actual arrangement substantially deviates from the planned arrangement, the comparing comprising matching teeth from a previously segmented model to a surface of an unsegmented representation of the actual arrangement; and calculating one or more positional differences between the actual and planned arrangements of at least some of the corresponding teeth.

Abstract: Method and system for establishing an initial position of a tooth, determining a target position of the tooth in a treatment plan, calculating a movement vector associated with the tooth movement from the initial position to the target position, determining a plurality of components corresponding to the movement vector, and determining a corresponding one or more positions of a respective one or more attachment devices relative to a surface plane of the tooth such that the one or more attachment devices engages with a dental appliance are provided.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and devices for improved orthodontic treatment of a patient's teeth are provided herein. A method may include determining a movement path to move one or more teeth from an initial arrangement to a target arrangement, determining an appliance geometry for an orthodontic appliance comprising a shell and one or more integrally formed components, wherein the shell comprises a plurality of teeth receiving cavities shaped to move the one or more teeth from the initial arrangement to the target arrangement, and generating instructions for direct fabrication of the orthodontic appliance, wherein the instructions are configured to cause direct fabrication of the shell using a first material and direct fabrication of the one or more integrally formed components using a second, different material.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus's for improving orthodontic treatments. In an embodiment, an orthodontic tracking template is provided for assisting in determining whether a patient's teeth are in an appropriate tooth arrangement for transitioning between a wire and bracket orthodontic treatment to a patient-removable orthodontic appliance treatment. The tracking template may include a shell portion defining a plurality of tooth-receiving cavities arranged to fit over at least a portion of the patient's teeth in an intermediate tooth arrangement without applying a tooth-moving force to the teeth or to any brackets attached to the teeth.

Abstract: A method and system for thermal forming an object. A mold is provided, a shape of which corresponds to a desired shape of the object. A material is inserted into a heating area, and the material is heated using a plurality of independently controllable heat sources that heat different areas of the material. The heated material is then disposed over or into at least a portion of the mold so as to deform the material. The deformed material may then be trimmed so as to form the object.

Abstract: Releasable and removable palatal expander apparatuses for expanding a patient's palate (“palatal expanders”) and methods of using and making them. These releasable palatal expanders are adapted for ease in removal by the patient or caregiver, and may include a breach region configured to predictably bend or break when a pulling force is applied. The palatal expander apparatuses described herein may include one or more locks for locking the palatal expander onto the patient's teeth. The lock(s) may be unlocked to release the palatal expander from the teeth. A lock may include a control for manually unlocking the lock. Unlocking the locks may allow the palatal expander to automatically disengage from the patient's teeth.

Abstract: A method of multimodal scanning may include generating surface scan data of an intraoral structured using structured light. The method may include generating volumetric scan data of an internal structure of the intraoral structure with OCT scanning. The OCT scan data may be aligned with the surface scan data. A three-dimensional volumetric model of the patient's dentition may be generated based on the aligned OCT scan data and the surface scan data.

Abstract: The present disclosure includes method, system, apparatus, and indicator embodiments. One apparatus includes an appliance for placement over one or more teeth and a release agent receptacle including an outer portion provided on appliance surface, an inner portion provided within the outer portion, and one or more apertures formed in the outer portion.

Abstract: An image of a dental arch comprising a preparation tooth is generated by an image capture device associated with an augmented reality (AR) display. The image of the dental arch is registered to previous image data associated with the dental arch. A visual overlay associated with a dental prosthetic to be placed on the preparation tooth is generated based on the registering of the image of the dental arch to the previous image data associated with the dental arch. The visual overlay is output to the AR display, wherein the visual overlay is superimposed over a view of the preparation tooth on the AR display.

Abstract: A method for generating a 3D image includes driving structured light projector(s) to project a pattern of light on an intraoral 3D surface, and driving camera(s) to capture images, each image including at least a portion of the projected pattern, each one of the camera(s) comprising an array of pixels. A processor compares a series of images captured by each camera and determines which of the portions of the projected pattern can be tracked across the images. The processor constructs a three-dimensional model of the intraoral three-dimensional surface based at least in part on the comparison of the series of images. Other embodiments are also described.

Abstract: Methods, devices, systems, and series of appliances are provided for dental implant positioning. One method for positioning an implant with dental treatment includes determining an implant location based on a virtual model of an optimized dental occlusion, moving one or more teeth using a first number of a series of dental appliances, from a first orientation to a second orientation, the second orientation exposing the implant location, placing an implant at the exposed implant location using a landmark included in at least one of the series of dental appliances, repositioning one or more teeth using a second number of the series of dental appliances, from the second orientation to a successive orientation.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides methods, computing device readable medium, devices, and systems having a dental attachment formation structure. One dental attachment formation apparatus includes a body having a first surface shaped to conform to the contours of an exterior surface of a tooth and including a portion of the first surface shaped to accommodate an attachment that is to be attached to the exterior surface of the tooth and a light source attachment structure for attachment of a light source to the body.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method for generating a virtual depiction of an orthodontic treatment of a patient is disclosed herein. The computer-implemented method may involve gathering a three-dimensional (3D) model modeling the patient's dentition at a specific treatment stage of an orthodontic treatment plan. An image of the patient's face and dentition may be gathered. A first set of reference points modeled on the 3D model of the patient's dentition and a second set of reference points represented on the dentition of the image of the patient may be received. The image of the patient's dentition may be projected into a 3D space to create a projected 3D model of the image of the patient's dentition. Based on a comparison of the first reference points and projections of the second set of reference points, a plurality of modified images of the patient may be constructed to depict progressive stages of a treatment plan.