3D DATA GENERATION FOR PROSTHETIC CROWN PREPARATION OF TOOTH

1 . A method for generating a preparation surface of a tooth of a subject, the method comprising:

a) receiving surface data of the tooth of the subject;

b) determining one or more parameters of the tooth of the subject by analyzing the surface data; and

c) generating the preparation surface using the one or more parameters;

d) wherein the preparation surface of the tooth comprises a three-dimensional model of the surface of the tooth, a cut region, or both.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the surface data comprise two-dimensional X-ray images of the tooth.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the two-dimensional X-ray images of the tooth are taken along at least two planes that are not parallel.

4 . The method of any one of claims 1 - 3 , wherein the surface data comprises two-dimensional Computed Tomography (CT) images of the tooth.

5 . The method of any one of claims 1 - 4 , wherein the surface data comprises three-dimensional images of the tooth.

6 . The method of any one of claims 1 - 5 , wherein the surface data comprises images of the tooth and other teeth of the subject.

7 . The method of any one of claims 1 - 6 , wherein the one or more parameters comprise one or more of: a top surface of the tooth, an edge of the tooth, an envelope of the tooth, and a central axis of the tooth.

8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the edge of the tooth, the envelope of the tooth, or both, is three-dimensional.

9 . The method of any one of claims 1 - 8 , wherein the edge connects a top surface of the tooth.

10 . The method of any one of claims 1 - 9 , further comprising, prior to b, determining an extent of tooth decay by analyzing the surface data.

11 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising determining a top surface of the preparation surface based on the extent of tooth decay.

12 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising determining an edge of the preparation surface based on the extent of tooth decay.

13 . The method of any one of claims 1 - 12 , further comprising selecting a marginal finish type, one or more draft angles of the preparation surface, or both, prior to c.

14 . The method of any one of claims 1 - 13 , further comprising, prior to c, determining a shape of a top surface of the preparation surface.

15 . The method of any one of claims 1 - 14 , further comprising, subsequent to c, automatically generating a crown cavity surface by adding a pre-determined gap space to the crown preparation surface.

16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the pre-determined gap space is based on a manufacturing tolerance of a crown cavity, a machining tolerance of the crown preparation surface, a desired marginal gap, or any combination thereof.

17 . The method of any one of claims 1 - 16 , further comprising, subsequent to c, transmitting the preparation surface to a system configured for toolpath generation, machining of the tooth, or both.

18 . The method of any one of claims 1 - 17 , further comprising, subsequent to c, transmitting the preparation surface to a system configured for a dental procedure.

19 . The method of claim 18 , wherein the system configured for the dental procedure is an automated dental drill (ADD) system configured for tooth cutting or tooth drilling.

20 . The method of claim 19 , wherein the ADD system comprises a laser generating source.

21 . The method of any one of claims 1 - 20 , wherein the surface data of the tooth is generated with an occlusion by an adjacent tooth, a gum, or both adjacent to the tooth.

22 . The method of any one of claims 1 - 21 , wherein the surface data of the tooth is generated without occlusion of the tooth by an adjacent tooth, a gum, or both.

23 . The method of any one of claims 1 - 22 , wherein the surface data of the tooth is generated when additional space is created between the tooth and an adjacent tooth, a gum via insertion of a dental wedge, a retraction cord, a string, or any combination thereof.

24 . The method of claim 23 , wherein the tooth is not occluded by the adjacent tooth, the gum, or both.

25 . The method of any one of claims 1 - 24 , further comprising, subsequent to a and prior to b, processing the surface data.

26 . The method of claim 25 , wherein processing the surface data comprises interpolating the surface data to estimate interproximal contact, occluded interproximal contact, occluded subgingival contact, or any combination thereof.

27 . The method of claim 26 , wherein processing the surface data comprises segmenting the surface data into one or more groups, wherein at least one group represents of the tooth of the subject.

28 . The method of claim 27 , wherein processing the surface data comprises intersecting a plane along an x-y direction with the surface data, to determine a width, a nominal center, or both, of the tooth.

29 . The method of claim 25 , wherein an error in the estimated interproximal contact is less than 20 μm.

30 . The method of any one of claims 1 - 29 , further comprising, generating one or more missing surface patches to replace an incomplete or missing scanned surfaces of the tooth.

31 . The method of any one of claims 1 - 30 , further comprising prior to a), inserting a separator between the tooth and an adjacent tooth thereof, the separator comprising one or more fiducial markers thereon; generating the surface data of the tooth with the one or more fiducial markers; and estimating the interproximal contact using the surface data with the one or more fiducial markers.

32 . The method of claim 31 , wherein the separator is a thin strip.

33 . The method of any one of claims 1 - 32 , wherein generating the one or more missing surface patches is performed by a machine learning algorithm.

34 . The method of claim 33 , wherein the one or more missing surface patches comprise an occluded region between teeth, an interproximal region between teeth, a subgingival tooth surface, or any combination thereof.

35 . The method of claim 33 , wherein the one or more missing surface patches are generated. by interpolation of an expected surface from existing scanned geometries.

36 . The method of claim 33 , wherein the one or more missing surface patches are generated by a machine learning algorithm, a neural network, or any combination thereof.

37 . The method of claim 33 , wherein the one or more missing surface patches are generated by normalized tooth geometries from marked samples.

38 . The method of claim 33 , wherein the one or more missing surface patches are generated by combining conventional dental scanning with optical coherence tomography of occluded or hidden (subgingival) surfaces.

39 . The method of any one of claims 1 - 38 , further comprising generating a prosthetic external surface based on a volumetric boundary for the prosthetic.

40 . The method of claim 39 , wherein, the prosthetic external surface includes a proximal contact of an adjacent tooth.

41 . The method of claim 39 or 40 , further comprising generating an internal surface of the prosthetic based at least on the prosthetic external surface.

42 . The method of claim 39 , 40 , or 41 , further comprising performing an iterative Finite Element Analysis (FEA) to optimize the shape of prosthetic internal surface for reduced stress forces.

43 . The method of any one of claims 1 - 42 , further comprising generating a crown preparation surface based on the surface data of the tooth, the one or more parameters of the tooth, the preparation surface, the three-dimensional model of the surface of the tooth, the cut region, or any combination thereof.

44 . A method for cutting prosthetic preparation margins of a tooth, the method comprising:

a) receiving diagnostic data of the tooth and a clinical parameter;

b) obtaining a geometrical shape of the prosthetic preparation margins of the tooth;

c) selecting a method of material removal;

d) using the selected method to automatically cut the tooth thereby generating the prosthetic preparation margins with the geometrical shape.

45 . The method of claim 44 , wherein the diagnostic data comprises one or more of:

observation data, surface mapping data, radiographic data, ultrasound data, or any combination thereof of the tooth, a tissue surrounding the tooth, or both.

46 . The method of claim 44 or 45 , wherein the geometrical shape comprises one or more of: a chamfer, a knife edge, a radial shape, a radial shape with bevel, and a square.

47 . The method of any one of claims 44 - 46 , wherein the tooth is automatically cut with a cutting bit, a cutting bur, laser ablation, a water jet, an air jet, an abrasive, or any combination thereof.

48 . The method of any one of claims 44 - 47 , wherein d) comprises using the selected method by a system configured for a dental procedure.

49 . The method of claim 48 , wherein the system configured for the dental procedure is an automated dental drill (ADD) system configured for tooth cutting or tooth drilling.

50 . The method of claim 48 or 49 , wherein the ADD system comprises a laser generating source.

51 . A method for cutting a tooth, the method comprising:

a) selecting one or more methods of material removal; and

b) applying the one or more methods to perform circumferential and occlusion reductions thereby obtaining a substantially consistent taper, a substantially consistent reduction, or both.

52 . The method of claim 51 , wherein one of the one or more methods of material removal comprises using a rotary stage to position a burr to a pre-determined taper.

53 . The method of claim 51 or 52 , wherein one of the one or more methods comprises using a pre-determined taper on a bur.

54 . The method of claim 51 , 52 , or 53 , wherein the circumferential and occlusion reductions are configured to provide equal gap thickness to a prosthetic crown to the tooth.

55 . The method of any one of claims 51 - 54 , wherein the circumferential and occlusion reductions are generated via an angled side-wall cut.

56 . The method of claim 55 , wherein the circumferential and occlusion reductions are generated by a system configured for a dental procedure.

57 . The method of claim 56 , wherein the system configured for a dental procedure is an automated dental drill (ADD) system configured for tooth cutting or tooth drilling.

58 . The method of claim 55 , wherein the ADD system comprises a laser generating source.

59 . The method of any one of claim 20 , 50 , or 58 , wherein the laser generating source is configured to generate a laser beam with a wave length in the range of about 5 μm to about 15 μm.

60 . The method of claim 59 , wherein the laser generating source is at or near a distal end of the system configured for the dental procedure.

61 . The method of claim 60 , wherein the laser generating source is at a headpiece.

62 . The method of any one of claims 51 - 61 , wherein the tooth is automatically cut with the cutting bur and wherein a torque applied by the tooth on the cutting bur is measured during the automatic cutting of the tooth.

63 . The method of claim 62 , further comprising receiving or obtaining a predetermined 3D data set of a tooth topography.

64 . The method of claim 62 , further comprising comparing the torque to the predetermined 3D data set of a tooth topography to determine a tissue type being cut.

65 . The method of claim 62 , further comprising shutting off the cutting bur if a torque below a set cutting threshold is measured.