Visualizing and Manipulating Digital Models for Dental Treatment

1 . A method for visualizing and manipulating a three-dimensional digital dental model, the method comprising:

viewing the three-dimensional digital dental model; and

using hand gestures to instruct a computer to manipulate one or more teeth in the digital dental model.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the digital dental model comprises a digital model of a subject's tooth arch.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein manipulating one or more teeth in the digital dental model comprises rotating, translating, or rotating and translating one or more teeth in the digital dental model.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein a user selects a tooth movement with a gesture made with one hand and controls an extent of the movement with a gesture made with the other hand.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein using hand gestures comprises instructing the computer via at least one data glove that measures orientations, positions, or movements, or a combination thereof, of a user's fingers.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein using hand gestures comprises instructing the computer via at least one three-dimensional position sensing device that measures the three-dimensional position, or a change in the three-dimensional position, of at least one of a user's hands.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein using hand gestures comprises instructing the computer via at least one data glove that measures orientations, positions, or movements, or a combination thereof, of a user's fingers and at least one three-dimensional position sensing device that measures the three-dimensional position, or a change in the three-dimensional position, of at least one of the user's hands.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein manipulating the one or more teeth in the digital dental model comprises a user receiving force feedback relating to the forces necessary to manipulate one or more corresponding teeth in a subject's mouth in the same manner.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein

using hand gestures comprises instructing the computer via at least one data glove that measures orientations, positions, or movements, or a combination thereof, of a user's fingers and at least one three-dimensional position sensing device that measures the position, or a change in the position, of at least one of the user's hands; and

the user receives force feedback relating to the forces necessary to manipulate one or more corresponding teeth in a subject's mouth in the same manner.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein viewing comprises stereoscopically viewing the digital dental model.

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein stereoscopically viewing the digital dental model comprises viewing left-eye and right-eye images of the digital dental model presented on a same screen through a stereoscopic viewing device that transmits left-eye images to a user's left eye, transmits right-eye images to the user's right eye, blocks left-eye images from the user's right eye, and blocks right-eye images from the user's left eye.

12 . The method of claim 10 , wherein stereoscopically viewing the digital dental model comprises viewing different images presented directly to a user's left and right eyes.

13 . The method of claim 10 , wherein using hand gestures comprises instructing the computer via at least one data glove that measures orientations, positions, movements, or a combination thereof, of a user's fingers.

14 . The method of claim 10 , wherein using hand gestures comprises instructing the computer via at least one three-dimensional position sensing device that measures the three-dimensional position, or a change in the three-dimensional position, of at least one of a user's hands.

15 . The method of claim 10 , wherein using hand gestures comprises instructing the computer via at least one data glove that measures orientations, positions, movements, or a combination thereof, of a user's fingers and at least one three-dimensional position sensing device that measures the three-dimensional position, or a change in the three-dimensional position, of at least one of the user's hands.

16 . The method of claim 10 , wherein manipulating the one or more teeth in the digital dental model comprises a user receiving force feedback relating to the forces necessary to manipulate one or more corresponding teeth in a subject's mouth in the same manner.

17 . The method of claim 10 , wherein

the hand gestures are detected by at least one data glove that measures orientations, positions, movements, or a combination thereof, of a user's fingers and by at least one three-dimensional position sensing device that measures the three-dimensional position, or a change in the three-dimensional position, of at least one of the user's hands; and

the user receives force feedback relating to the forces necessary to manipulate one or more corresponding teeth in a subject's mouth in the same manner.

18 . A dental treatment method comprising:

acquiring a three-dimensional digital model of a current arrangement of a subject's teeth;

viewing the three-dimensional digital model of the current arrangement;

using hand gestures to instruct a computer to manipulate one or more teeth in the digital model of the current arrangement to generate a three-dimensional digital model of a modified arrangement of the subject's teeth; and

fabricating one or more dental aligners configured to reposition the subject's teeth into the modified arrangement.

19 . The method of claim 18 , wherein acquiring the digital model of the current arrangement comprises digitizing at least one of: the subject's tooth arch, a negative impression of the subject's tooth arch, and a positive model of the subject's tooth arch.

20 . The method of claim 18 , wherein acquiring the digital model of the current arrangement comprise acquiring images of at least one of: the subject's tooth arch, a negative impression of the tooth arch, and a positive model of the tooth arch.

21 . The method of claim 18 , wherein acquiring the digital model of the current arrangement comprises:

acquiring a negative impression of the subject's tooth arch;

casting a positive model of the tooth arch from the negative impression; separating the positive model into the plurality of physical tooth models;

generating a plurality of digital tooth models from the plurality of physical tooth models;and

generating the digital model of the current arrangement from the digital tooth models.

22 . The method of claim 18 , wherein viewing comprises stereoscopically viewing the digital model of the current arrangement.

23 . The method of claim 18 , wherein using hand gestures comprises instructing the computer via at least one data glove that measures orientations, positions, movements, or a combination thereof, of a user's fingers.

24 . The method of claim 18 , wherein using hand gestures comprises instructing the computer via at least one three-dimensional position sensing device that measures the three-dimensional position, or a change in the three-dimensional position, of at least one of a user's hands.

25 . The method of claim 18 , wherein manipulating the one or more teeth in the digital dental model comprises a user receiving force feedback relating to the forces necessary to manipulate one or more corresponding teeth in a subject's mouth in the same manner.

26 . The method of claim 18 , wherein fabricating one or more dental aligners comprises: arranging a plurality of physical tooth models to form a physical model of the modified arrangement; and forming a dental aligner over the physical model of the modified arrangement.

27 . The method of claim 18 , wherein fabricating one or more dental aligners comprises:

manufacturing a physical model of the modified arrangement by computer numerical controlled manufacturing based on the digital model of the modified arrangement; and

forming a dental aligner over the physical model of the modified arrangement.

28 . The method of claim 18 , wherein fabricating one or more dental aligners comprises:

generating a digital model of a dental aligner from the digital model of the modified arrangement; and

manufacturing a dental aligner by computer numerical control manufacturing based on the digital model of a dental aligner.

29 . The method of claim 18 , wherein fabricating one or more dental aligners comprises;

generating one or more digital models of intermediate arrangements of the subject's teeth from the digital model of the current arrangement and the digital model of the modified arrangement, wherein the one or more intermediate arrangements are intermediate between the current arrangement and the modified arrangement in a dental treatment; and

fabricating the one or more dental aligners from the one or more digital models of intermediate arrangements.

30 . A dental treatment method comprising:

stereoscopically viewing a three-dimensional digital model of an arrangement of a subject's teeth;

manipulating one or more teeth in the digital model to generate a three-dimensional digital model of a modified arrangement of the subject's teeth; and

fabricating one or more dental aligners to reposition the subject's teeth into the modified arrangement.

31 . The method of claim 30 , wherein manipulating one or more teeth comprises using hand gestures to instruct a computer to manipulate the one or more teeth.

32 . The method of claim 30 , wherein manipulating one or more teeth comprises using a conventional keyboard to instruct a computer to manipulate the one or more teeth.