IP Library Granted Patent US 12685615
Granted Patent B2
US 12685615 · App. 18/618,968 · Granted Jul 21, 2026

Systems and methods for forming eruption compensation features for accommodating erupting teeth

Inventors: Maria Lvova (Yerevan, AM); Vladimir Chistyakov (Moscow, RU); Mitra Derakhshan (Herndon, VA); Jeeyoung Choi (Sunnyvale, CA); Xi Cai (San Jose, CA); Palak Mittal (Sunnyvale, CA)
Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.
A61C7/002G06T7/11G06T17/00G06T2207/30036
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12685615
App. No.
18/618,968
Granted
Jul 21, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

Systems and methods for forming eruption compensation (EC) features in dental appliances for accommodating erupting teeth. Methods may include scaling a virtual tooth model by identifying a crown center line along a buccal-lingual axis of the virtual tooth model, enlarging a lingual side of the virtual tooth model relative to the crown center line by a first scaling factor, and enlarging a buccal side of the virtual tooth model relative to the crown center line by a second scaling factor, where the first scaling factor is greater than the second scaling factor. The scaled virtual tooth model may be added to a 3D dental model of the subject's dentition at an EC region to form a modified 3D dental model. The modified 3D dental model including the scaled virtual tooth model corresponding to the erupting tooth may be output.

Claims (42)

1 . A method, the method comprising:

defining, on a segmented three-dimensional (3D) dental model of a subject's dentition, an eruption compensation (EC) region for accommodating an erupting tooth in the 3D dental model by:

identifying a virtual tooth model corresponding to the erupting tooth;

scaling the virtual tooth model, wherein the scaling comprises:

identifying a crown center line along a buccal-lingual axis of the virtual tooth model;

enlarging a lingual side of the virtual tooth model relative to the crown center line by a first scaling factor; and

enlarging a buccal side of the virtual tooth model relative to the crown center line by a second scaling factor, wherein the first scaling factor is greater than the second scaling factor; and

adding the scaled virtual tooth model to the 3D dental model of the subject's dentition at the EC region to form a modified 3D dental model; and

outputting the modified 3D dental model including the scaled virtual tooth model corresponding to the erupting tooth.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the first and second scaling factors range between about 1.05 and about 1.3.

3 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising adjusting a size, a shape, or a size and shape of a root portion of the scaled virtual tooth model such that the root portion remains within a gingival region of the modified 3D dental model.

4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein adjusting the size, the shape or the size and shape of the root portion comprises tapering the root portion of the scaled virtual tooth model.

5 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising identifying that the subject's dentition includes an erupting tooth, wherein the erupting tooth is unerupted or partially erupted.

6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein identifying the virtual tooth model corresponding to the erupting tooth comprises identifying the virtual tooth model from one or more of: a library of virtual tooth models, a scaled-up scan of the erupting tooth, a tooth adjacent to the unerupted or erupting tooth, an opposing tooth to the erupting tooth, or a counterpart tooth to the erupting tooth.

7 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising generating a treatment plan using the modified 3D dental model, wherein the treatment plan includes one or more treatment stage operations to move the subject's dentition from a first arrangement toward a target arrangement.

8 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising fabricating a dental appliance including an EC feature having a shape corresponding to the scaled virtual tooth model to provide space for the erupting tooth when the subject wears the dental appliance.

9 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising receiving one or more images of the subject's dentition and generating the segmented 3D dental model of the subject's dentition.

10 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising adjusting the first scaling factor and/or the second scaling factor to avoid collision of the EC region with a tooth of the opposing dental arch of the subject when the subject bites.

11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein defining the EC regions is part of a porting process to generate a treatment plan.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the porting process comprises converting a first data file to a second data file, the second data file having a reduced size compared to the first data file.

13 . The method of claim 1 , wherein outputting comprises generating one or more dental appliances including the EC region.

14 . The method of claim 1 , wherein identifying the virtual tooth model comprises determining a geometry of the virtual tooth model based on a geometry of one or more teeth of the subject's dentition of the same type as the erupting tooth.

15 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising positioning the virtual tooth model within the 3D dental model of the subject's dentition prior to scaling the virtual tooth model.

16 . A system comprising:

one or more computing devices comprising:

one or more processors;

memory operationally coupled to the one or more processors, wherein the memory includes computer-program instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more computing devices to perform a computer-implemented method comprising:

defining, on a segmented three-dimensional (3D) dental model of a subject's dentition, an eruption compensation (EC) region for accommodating an erupting tooth in the 3D dental model by:

identifying a virtual tooth model corresponding to the erupting tooth;

scaling the virtual tooth model, wherein the scaling comprises:

 identifying a crown center line along a buccal-lingual axis of the virtual tooth model;

 enlarging a lingual side of the virtual tooth model relative to the crown center line by a first scaling factor; and

 enlarging a buccal side of the virtual tooth model relative to the crown center line by a second scaling factor, wherein the first scaling factor is greater than the second scaling factor; and

adding the scaled virtual tooth model to the 3D dental model of the subject's dentition at the EC region to form a modified 3D dental model; and

outputting the modified 3D dental model including the scaled virtual tooth model corresponding to the erupting tooth.

17 . A method, the method comprising:

defining, on a segmented three-dimensional (3D) dental model of a subject's dentition, an eruption compensation (EC) region for accommodating an erupting tooth in the 3D dental model by:

identifying a virtual tooth model corresponding to the erupting tooth;

asymmetrically scaling a lingual side and a buccal side of the virtual tooth model, wherein the asymmetrically scaling comprises identifying a crown center line along a buccal-lingual axis of the virtual tooth model, enlarging the lingual side relative to the crown center line by a first scaling factor, and enlarging the buccal side relative to the crown center line by a second scaling factor, wherein the first scaling factor is greater than the second scaling factor; and

adding the asymmetrically scaled virtual tooth model to the 3D dental model of the subject's dentition at the EC region to form a modified 3D dental model; and

outputting the modified 3D dental model including the asymmetrically scaled virtual tooth model corresponding to the erupting tooth.

18 . The method of claim 17 , further comprising adjusting the first scaling factor and/or the second scaling factor to avoid collision of the EC region with a tooth of the opposing dental arch of the subject when the subject bites.