Methods and systems for dental procedures

1. A method for digitally aligning a patient's teeth with a reference portion of the patient, the method comprising:

acquiring, using a scanner, a first image of at least a portion of the patient's teeth;

positioning a device in a patient's mouth to align the device with a reference portion of the patient, the device comprising an occlusal portion and a non-occlusal portion, the occlusal portion comprising a bite plate held between the patient's teeth so as to secure the device in a position during a scanning procedure and the non-occlusal portion comprising a coded pattern for aligning scanned images of the patient, the occlusal portion and the non-occlusal portion being coupled together at an angle such that the coded pattern is outwardly oriented from the patient's mouth when the bite plate is positioned between the patient's teeth, so that the coded pattern is presented to permit scanning of the coded pattern simultaneously when scanning at least the portion of the patient's teeth;

acquiring, using the scanner, a second image of at least a portion of the coded pattern and at least the portion of the patient's teeth: and

processing the first image and the second image to determine a spatial relationship between at least the portion of the patient's teeth and the reference portion by calculating a first spatial relationship between at least the portion of the coded pattern and at least the portion of the patient's teeth and the alignment between the device and the reference portion.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising a lip displacement attachment configured to move a lip of the patient so as to expose at least some of the patient's teeth and allow scanning of the coded pattern in relation to at least some of the patient's teeth.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the coded pattern comprises a plurality of bars oriented in the coded pattern at predetermined distances from each other, intersecting at predetermined angles, or both.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the coded pattern comprises at least one portion that comprises a lengthwise portion forming a reference line for aligning images acquired during the scanning procedure.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the device further comprises at least one extension portion capable of being aligned with the reference portion, the reference portion comprising the sagittal plane of the patient, a plane orthogonal to the sagittal plane, or both.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the reference portion comprises the patient's temporomandibular joint.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the scanner is an optical scanner.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the optical scanner comprises confocal optics.

9. A system for digitally aligning a patient's teeth with a reference portion of the patient, the system comprising:

a device comprising an occlusal portion and a non-occlusal portion, the occlusal portion comprising a bite plate for securing the device positioned in a patient's mouth during a scanning procedure and the non-occlusal portion comprising a coded pattern for aligning scanned images of the patient, the occlusal portion and the non-occlusal portion being coupled together at an angle such that the coded pattern is outwardly oriented from the patient's mouth when the bite plate is positioned between the patient's teeth, so that the coded pattern is presented to permit scanning of the coded pattern simultaneously when scanning at least a portion of the patient's teeth, the device further comprising at least one extension portion capable of being aligned with the reference portion;

a scanner for acquiring a first image of at least the portion of the patient's teeth and a second image of the coded pattern and at least the portion of the patient's teeth; and

a computer comprising storage media comprising instructions that, when executed, cause the computer to determine a spatial relationship between at least some of the patient's teeth and the reference portion associated with the patient by calculating a first spatial relationship between the device and at least the portion of the patient's teeth and a second spatial relationship between the device and the reference portion.

10. The system of claim 9 , further comprising a lip displacement attachment configured to move a lip of the patient so as to expose at least some of the patient's teeth and allow scanning of the coded pattern in relation to at least some of the patient's teeth.

11. The system of claim 9 , wherein the coded pattern comprises a plurality of bars oriented in the coded pattern at predetermined distances from each other, intersecting at predetermined angles, or both.

12. The system of claim 9 , wherein the coded pattern comprises at least one portion that comprises a lengthwise portion forming a reference line for aligning images acquired during the scanning procedure.

13. The system of claim 9 , wherein the reference portion comprises the sagittal plane of the patient, a plane orthogonal to the sagittal plane, or both.

14. The system of claim 9 , wherein the scanner is an optical scanner.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the optical scanner comprises confocal optics.