Abstract: Devices, methods, and systems for placing dental auxiliaries on teeth are provided. In some embodiments, for example, a dental auxiliary positioner for placing a dental auxiliary on a tooth includes: a registration element configured to receive a patient's tooth; and an auxiliary support coupled to the registration element and further coupled to an auxiliary, where the auxiliary support is configured to position the auxiliary against a surface of the tooth, and where the auxiliary support includes a frame extending at least partially around the auxiliary, one or more struts coupling the auxiliary to the frame, and a flexible bridge coupling the frame to the registration element, where the flexible bridge is configured to bend in one or more directions relative to the tooth to adjust the position of the auxiliary on the surface of the tooth.

Abstract: A series of patient-customized orthodontic aligners may be produced by a process including receiving a digital model of a patient's tooth, determining a force system for eliciting a tooth movement, and designing a patient-customized attachment configured to engage at least one of the series of patient-customized orthodontic aligners when worn by a patient and apply a repositioning force to the patient's tooth corresponding to the force system. The process may also include designing the at least one of the patient-customized orthodontic aligners to engage the patient-customized attachment when worn by the patient, the at least one of the patient-customized orthodontic aligners having a shape customized responsive to the attachment, the digital model and the force system. The process may also include fabricating the series of patient-customized orthodontic aligners including the at least one of the patient-customized orthodontic aligners.

Abstract: A method may include receiving a digital model of a dental appliance, the digital model may have a plurality of caps. Each cap of the plurality of caps may represent a set of contact points on a tooth. The digital model may have a plurality of links. Each link of the plurality of links may represent a connection between a plurality of caps. The method may include generating a relaxed model of a dental appliance using the digital model of the dental appliance. The method may also include generating a deformed model of the dental appliance using the digital model of the dental appliance and transforming the relaxed model to the deformed model to generate a plurality of parameters for moving the teeth of the patient towards a target tooth arrangement.

Abstract: A method of attachment design may include placing a virtual attachment having a shape at a location on a virtual tooth, generating attachment shape parameters for the virtual attachment, and determining whether the virtual attachment at the location and having the shape generates a solution that results in a desired movement of the virtual tooth for a stage of treatment in a treatment plan. The method may also include modifying, based on the determining, the shape of the virtual attachment or the location of the virtual attachment.

Abstract: A method includes to receive, via a computing device, data representing a plurality of teeth, identify data indicating which of the plurality of teeth are unerupted or erupting, predict at least one characteristic of a tooth of the unerupted or erupting teeth after they have fully erupted using one or more tooth eruption prediction factors, generate new data representing the unerupted or erupting teeth in multiple states of eruption based upon the predicted at least one characteristic of the fully erupted teeth, and generate a series of incremental tooth arrangements with the new data to define a proposed orthodontic treatment based on the new data representing the unerupted or erupting teeth in multiple states of eruption.

Abstract: Methods and systems for analysis of dental attachments. The dental attachments may be used in conjunction with a dental aligner worn by the patient to move the patient's teeth in accordance with a clinical treatment plan. A series of images may be taken while the patient is wearing the dental aligner. The series of images may be analyzed to confirm that the dental attachment(s) are present and bonded on the patient's tooth/teeth. Additionally or alternatively, the series of images may be analyzed to assess an interaction between the dental aligner and the attachment(s) bonded on the patient's tooth/teeth to determine if the attachment(s) have a defect. An indication of the status of the attachment(s) may be output to a user.

Abstract: Orthodontic systems and related methods are disclosed for designing and providing improved or more effective tooth moving systems for eliciting a desired tooth movement and/or repositioning teeth into a desired arrangement. Methods and orthodontic systems of the invention include tooth attachments having improved or optimized parameters selected or modified for more optimal and/or effective application of forces for a desired/selected orthodontic movement. Attachments of the present invention can be customized to a particular patient (e.g., patient-customized), a particular movement, and/or a sub-group or sub-set of patients, and configured to engage an orthodontic tooth positioning appliance worn by a patient, where engagement between the attachment and orthodontic appliance results in application of a repositioning force or series/system of forces to the tooth having the attachment and will generally elicit a tooth movement.

Abstract: Methods for and media with instruction to cause acquiring known dimensions of a tooth, applying a multivariant regression model using the known dimensions to calculate projected dimensions of the unerupted or erupting tooth, customizing a standard virtual geometry and/or a predefined virtual geometry using the projected dimensions of the unerupted or erupting tooth, and inserting the customized virtual geometry into a virtual model of the patient's jaw, and planning the movement of the teeth of the patient and designing a series of removable orthodontic aligners using the virtual model, the series of removable orthodontic aligners configured to be worn by the patient to incrementally align the teeth according to the planned movement.

Abstract: Methods and systems for imaging removable dental appliances. Image data taken while a removable dental appliance was worn on a patient's teeth may be used to identify one or more locations of undesirable contact between the removable dental appliance and the patient's teeth and/or one or more attachments on the patient's teeth. The one or more locations of undesirable contact can correlate with undesirable tooth movement compared to expected tooth movement according to a treatment plan. A three-dimensional (3D) model of the removable dental appliance and the patient's teeth may be displayed on a user interface, with the identified one or more locations of undesirable contact highlighted in the 3D model. An alert of the identified one or more locations of undesirable contact may be emitted via the user interface.

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 method for digital treatment planning may include defining a set of contact points on a tooth of a patient's dentition and a plurality of connections between pairs of the plurality of contact points. The plurality of connections may include Hookian stiffness parameters of a dental appliance between the plurality of contact points. The method may also include generating a relaxed model of a dental appliance using the plurality of contact points and the plurality of connections. The method may also include generating a deformed model of the dental appliance using the plurality of contact points and plurality of connections. The method may also include transforming the relaxed model to the deformed model to direct the patient dentition towards a target tooth arrangement.

Abstract: Systems and methods for designing additively manufactured objects are provided. In some embodiments, a method includes receiving a treatment plan for a patient's teeth, and determining a set of appliance parameters for a dental appliance configured to implement the treatment plan. The method can also include determining a set of manufacturing parameters for a fabrication system to be used to additively manufacture the dental appliance. The method can further include generating a 3D digital representation of an appliance geometry for the dental appliance. The appliance geometry can be configured to mitigate loss of fidelity at a target region of the dental appliance due to at least one manufacturing parameter of the fabrication system.

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: 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: A series of appliances including a first shell and a second shell can be designed to incrementally implement a treatment plan. The first and second shells can have cavities designed to receive teeth of a jaw. A first number of bite adjustment structures can be formed of a same material as the first shell, extending therefrom and designed to interface with teeth of a second jaw. The first number of bite adjustment structures can have a first shape and location specific to a first stage of the treatment plan. A second number of bite adjustment structures can be formed of a same material as the second shell, extending therefrom and designed to interface with teeth of the second jaw. The second number of bite adjustment structures can have a second shape and location, different than the first shape and location, specific to a second stage of the treatment plan.

Abstract: A series of appliances including a first shell and a second shell can be designed to incrementally implement a treatment plan. The first and second shells can have cavities designed to receive teeth of a jaw. A first number of bite adjustment structures can be formed of a same material as the first shell, extending therefrom and designed to interface with teeth of a second jaw. The first number of bite adjustment structures can have a first shape and location specific to a first stage of the treatment plan. A second number of bite adjustment structures can be formed of a same material as the second shell, extending therefrom and designed to interface with teeth of the second jaw. The second number of bite adjustment structures can have a second shape and location, different than the first shape and location, specific to a second stage of the treatment plan.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and devices for computer-aided design, digital treatment planning, and direct additive manufacturing of dental appliances are provided. In some embodiments, a method includes receiving a treatment plan for a patient's teeth, the treatment plan specifying a target arrangement for the teeth and a plurality of treatment stages to reposition the teeth from an initial arrangement toward the target arrangement. The method can include identifying appliance design parameters for one or more dental appliances to implement at least one treatment stage of the plurality of treatment stages. The appliance design parameters can include one or more manufacturability parameters corresponding to an additive manufacturing process to be used to directly fabricate the one or more dental appliances. The method can further include determining an appliance geometry for the one or more dental appliances using the set of appliance design parameters.

Abstract: Apparatuses and methods for assessing a dental x-ray image and predicting tooth eruption and/or exfoliation. The apparatuses may use one or more trained neural networks to assess a patient's x-rays as well as dental measurements determined from the patient's x-rays to predict approximately when a permanent tooth may erupt to replace a baby tooth. The neural networks may be trained using a data training set of x-ray images and accompanying dental measurement data.

Abstract: Dental attachment positioning apparatuses and methods of use. A dental attachment apparatus may include an orthodontic attachment having a surface shaped to conform to a contour of a buccal surface of a tooth, and one or more registration surfaces that are shaped to conform to one or more occlusal surfaces of the patient's teeth. The one or more registration surfaces may be configured to aid in proper positioning or orientation of the orthodontic attachment. When the attachment positioning apparatus is placed on the patient's dentition, the orthodontic attachment is positioned at a specified location with respect to the buccal surface of the tooth.

Abstract: Systems, devices, and methods for additive manufacturing of objects are provided. In some embodiments, a device for supporting an object during an additive manufacturing process includes a build platform having a surface, and a plurality of support structures extending above the surface of the build platform. Each support structure can be configured to couple to a portion of an additively manufactured object. The device can also include a plurality of actuators, each actuator being configured to adjust a position of a corresponding support structure relative to the build platform.