Orametrix, Inc.

3m Innovative Properties Company

Oramexrix, Inc.

Drametrix, Inc.

Geyer Medizin- Und Fertigungstechnik Gmbh

Natural Dental Implants Ag

Top-service Für Lingualtechnik Gmbh

Rüdger Rubbert

Thomas Weise

Rohit Sachdeva

Peer Sporbert

Hans Imgrund

Friedrich Riemeier

Stephan Maetzel

Werner Butscher

Dimitrij Kouzian

Peter See

Mario Leichner

Lutz Pfeil

Hans-Florian Geerdes

Ron Jennings

Ralf M Paehl

Dirk Wiechmann

Dimitij Kouzian

Friedrich Riemeirer

Jens Troeger

Michael Placke

Mathew Johnson

Matthew Johnson

Gary Sadow

David M Schaller

Thomas c/o Uwe Weinzierl Weise

A customized orthodontic bracket system is provided. The system can include a bracket having a customized bracket bonding pad for bonding the bracket to a tooth of a patient and a bracket slot adapted to receive a customized archwire. The customized archwire is adapted to be positioned in the bracket slot to form a precise bracket slot-archwire interface. The bracket slot and the archwire when positioned in the bracket slot can be positioned substantially adjacent the tooth surface to reduce induced vertical error in tooth positioning. The bracket slot can be configured to have a bracket slot width substantially matching a cross-section of the archwire to reduce torque rotation around an axis of the archwire when positioned therein to further enhance end-of-treatment tooth positioning and reduce overall treatment time.

Customized orthodontic bracket system

Disclosed is an optical imaging method and device enabling display and 3D measurement of tridimensional objects (), whereby at least two individual images are captured one after the other and the image conversion is controlled or regulated differently for these individual images. By employing adjustable optical means (-) for the illumination of the object or in the optical path for the imaging of the object on the image converter () it is possible to acquire a larger amount of visual information on the object observed than that which is available in an individual image due to the limitations imposed by the design of the converter used (). The invention relates to processes and design forms of the device enabling recording units to be designed, using simply and generally commercial components, which are able to display and measure larger objects () despite a reduced field of vision imposed by the design. This is especially useful for diagnosis in invasive applications in the bodies of humans or animals.

Method and device for carrying out optical pickup

Disclosed is an optical imaging method and device enabling display and 3D measurement of tridimensional objects, whereby at least two individual images are captured one after the other and the effective amount of radiation energy for the image conversion is controlled or regulated differently for these individual images. By employing adjustable optical means for the illumination of the object or in the optical path for the imaging of the object on the image converter it is possible to acquire a larger amount of visual information on the object observed than that which is available in an individual image due to the limitations imposed by the design of the converter used. The invention relates to processes and design forms of the device enabling recording units to be designed, using simply and generally commercial components, which are able to display and measure larger objects despite a reduced field of vision imposed by the design. This is especially useful for diagnosis in invasive applications in the bodies of humans or animals.

Method and device for carrying out optical pick up

Occlusal contact between upper and lower virtual three-dimensional teeth of a patient when the upper and lower arches are in an occlused condition are determined and displayed to the user on a user interface of a general purpose computing device. Various techniques for determining occlusal contacts are described. The areas where occlusal contact occurs is displayed on the user interface in a readily perceptible manner, such as by showing the occlusal contacts in green. If the proposed set-up would result in a interpenetration of teeth in opposing arches, such locations of interpenetration are illustrated in a contrasting color or shading (e.g., red). The ability to calculate distances and display occlusal contacts in a proposed set-up assists the user in planning treatment for the patient. The process can be extended to interproximal contact detection as well. The concepts also apply to dental prosthetics, such as crowns, fillings and dentures.

Three-dimensional occlusal and interproximal contact detection and display using virtual tooth models

Interactive, computer based orthodontist treatment planning, appliance design and appliance manufacturing is described. A scanner is described which acquires images of the dentition which are converted to three-dimensional frames of data. The data from the several frames are registered to each other to provide a complete three-dimensional virtual model of the dentition. Individual tooth objects are obtained from the virtual model. A computer-interactive software program provides for treatment planning, diagnosis and appliance from the virtual tooth models. A desired occlusion for the patient is obtained from the treatment planning software. The virtual model of the desired occlusion and the virtual model of the original dentition provide a base of information for custom manufacture of an orthodontic appliance. A variety of possible appliance and appliance manufacturing systems are contemplated, including customized archwires and customized devices for placement of off-the shelf brackets on the archwires, and removable orthodontic appliances.

Interactive orthodontic care system based on intra-oral scanning of teeth

A robotic bending apparatus for bending archwires and other types of elongate, bendable medical devices into a desired configuration includes a first gripping tool and a moveable gripping tool. The first gripping tool can be either fixed with respect to a base or table for the robot or positioned at the end of robot am. The moveable gripping tool is mounted to the end of a moveable robot arm having a proximal portion also mounted to the base. The robot preferably comprises a six axis bending robot, in which the distal end of the moveable arm can move relative to the fixed gripping tool about three translational axes and three rotational axes. The gripping tools preferably incorporate force sensors which are used to determine overbends needed to get the desired final shape of the archwire. The robot may also include a resistive heating system in which current flows through the wire while the wire is held in a bent condition to heat the wire and thereby retain the bent shape of the wire. A magazine for holding a plurality of straight archwires needing to be bent and a conveyor system for receiving the wires after the bending process is complete are also described. The robot bending system is able to form archwires with any required second and third order bends quickly and with high precision. As such, it is highly suitable for use in a precision appliance-manufacturing center manufacturing a large number of archwires (or other medical devices or appliances) for a distributed base of clinics.

Robot and method for bending orthodontic archwires and other medical devices

A customized orthodontic bracket system is provided. The system can include a bracket having a customized bracket bonding pad for bonding the bracket to a tooth of a patient and a bracket slot adapted to receive a customized archwire. The customized archwire is adapted to be positioned in the bracket slot to form a precise bracket slot-archwire interface. The bracket slot and the archwire when positioned in the bracket slot can be positioned substantially adjacent the tooth surface to reduce induced vertical error when the tooth is in a finished position and substantially parallel to the directly adjacent portion of the tooth surface to reduce bracket thickness. The bracket slot can also be configured to have a bracket slot width substantially matching a dimension of a cross-section of the archwire to reduce torque rotation around an axis of the archwire when positioned therein to further enhance end-of-treatment tooth positioning and reduce overall treatment time.

A set of customized orthodontic brackets are provided with slots that are arranged substantially parallel to the tooth surface. The archwire, in an as-manufactured condition, has a portion of substantial arcuate extent, which is canted relative to the occlusal plane. The brackets are designed on a computer as a combination of three-dimensional virtual objects comprising the virtual bracket bonding pad and a separate virtual bracket body retrieved from a library of virtual bracket bodies. The virtual brackets can be represented as a file containing digital shape data and exported to a rapid prototype fabrication device for fabrication of the bracket in wax or other material and casting the wax prototype in a suitable alloy. Other manufacturing techniques are also contemplated, including milling and laser sintering.

Modular system for customized orthodontic appliances

A robotic bending apparatus for bending archwires and other types of elongate, bendable medical devices into a desired configuration includes a first gripping tool and a moveable gripping tool. The first gripping tool can be either fixed with respect to a base or table for the robot or positioned at the end of robot am. The moveable gripping tool is mounted to the end of a moveable robot arm having a proximal portion also mounted to the base. The robot preferably comprises a six axis bending robot, in which the distal end of the moveable arm can move relative to the fixed gripping tool about three translational axes and three rotational axes. The robot bending system is able to form archwires with any required second and third order bends quickly and with high precision.

Disclosed is an optical imaging method and device enabling display and 3D measurement of tridimensional objects (), whereby at least two individual images are captured one after the other and the image conversion is controlled or regulated differently for these individual images. By employing adustable optical means (-) for the illumination of the object or in the optical path for the imaging of the object on the image converter () it is possible to acquire a larger amount of visual information on the object observed than that which is available in an individual image due to the limitations imposed by the design of the converter used (). The invention relates to processes and design forms of the device enabling recording units to be designed, using simply and generally commercial components, which are able to display and measure larger objects () despite a reduced field of vision imposed by the design. This is especially useful for diagnosis in invasive applications in the bodies of humans or animals.

A method is described for taking a three-dimensional virtual model of the dentition and associated anatomical structures of a patient and isolating individual teeth from the rest of the anatomical structure, e.g. gums, to thereby produce individual, virtual three-dimensional tooth objects. The individual tooth objects can be displayed on the display of an orthodontic workstation and moved independently from each other, and thereby form the basis of planning treatment for the patient. The individual, virtual three-dimensional tooth objects are created by comparing the virtual model of the dentition to virtual, three-dimensional template teeth that are stored in memory in a process described in detail herein. The template teeth can include roots as well as crowns. The template teeth can be stored objects acquired from some external source or alternatively developed from a database of patient scans. Virtual three-dimensional brackets are also stored in the memory of the workstation. The virtual brackets can be placed on the virtual teeth and moved relative to the teeth as needed in a preliminary step in treatment planning.

Method and workstation for generating virtual tooth models from three-dimensional tooth data

A method and apparatus for generating a orthodontic template that assists in the placement of an orthodontic apparatus includes processing that begins by obtaining a digital model of an orthodontic structure of an orthodontic patient. The processing continues by obtaining a selection of one of a plurality of orthodontic apparatuses for the orthodontic structure to produce a selected orthodontic apparatus. The processing then continues by obtaining a digital model of placement of the selected orthodontic apparatus on the digital model of the orthodontic structure. The processing then continues by retrieving a digital image of a tooth mounting apparatus (e.g., a bracket, a band, a headgear tube, etc.) of the selected apparatus for a given tooth. The processing then continues by generating a orthodontic template for holding a physical embodiment of the tooth mounting apparatus based on the digital image of the tooth mounting apparatus, the digital model of the placement, and at least a portion of the digital model of the orthodontic structure.

Method and apparatus for generating an orthodontic template that assists in placement of orthodontic apparatus

In accordance with a specific embodiment of the present invention, an image is projected upon a surface. The image can include a pattern having a plurality of individual shapes used to measure and map the surface. The plurality of individual shapes include features that are detectable in a direction parallel to the plane formed by a projection axis of the projected shapes and a point associated with a view axis. The image further comprises a feature containing an encoding information for identifying the plurality of shapes individually. The feature containing encoding information can be a separate feature from each of the plurality of individual shapes, or may be a feature integral to the plurality of individual shapes. The feature containing encoding information is oriented such that the encoding information is retrieved along a line perpendicular to a plane formed by the projection axis and the point along the view axis. The use of the feature is used to perform multiframe reference independent scanning.

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Berlin, Germany

Rüdger Rubbert