Systems and methods of analyzing vibrations imparted to tissues and teeth
Systems and methods are disclosed for performing dental diagnostics by inducing vibrations in a first dental object using a vibratory transducer; picking up at a receiver vibrations transmitted by the vibratory transducers; capturing vibrations from an second dental object and comparing the captured vibrations against a database of known dental characteristics; and generating a dental diagnostic.
1. A dental diagnostic system, comprising
a. a vibratory transducer adapted to be coupled to a dental object to induce vibrations in the dental object;
b. a receiver adapted to be coupled to a second dental object to pick up delayed vibrations transmitted by the vibratory transducer;
c. a processor coupled to the receiver and configured to process captured vibrations, to detect type of tooth including Central Incisor, Lateral Incisor, Canine, Bicuspid and Molar, to detect a presence of one or more dental materials on the tooth, to compare the captured vibrations against a database of known dental characteristics and to generate a diagnostic.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the dental object comprises a tooth.
3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the receiver comprises an accelerometer.
4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is coupled to the vibratory transducer and configured to regulate frequency, phase, amplitude, and delay of energy provided by the vibratory transducer.
5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the vibratory transducer and receiver are housed in a mouthpiece or an appliance.
6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the vibratory transducer comprises a solenoid with a diaphragm in contact with a rod and wherein the vibratory transducer is suspended by springs.
7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the vibratory transducer has an adjustable frequency range.
8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the database is configured to store known reflections of restorations, disease states, and tissues.
9. A dental diagnostic method, comprising
a. inducing vibrations in a first dental object using a vibratory transducer;
b. picking up at a receiver vibrations transmitted by the vibratory transducer from a second dental object and comparing the captured vibrations against a database of known dental characteristics, type of tooth including Central Incisor, Lateral Incisor, Canine, Bicuspid and Molar, and type of dental material on the tooth; and
c. generating a dental diagnostic using a processor and correcting dental deficiencies based on the diagnostic.
10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the dental object comprises a tooth.
11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the dental object comprises tissue.
12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the vibratory transducer comprises a piezoelectric transducer.
13. The method of claim 9 , wherein the receiver comprises an accelerometer.
14. The method of claim 9 , wherein the processor is coupled to the vibratory transducer and configured to regulates frequency, phase, amplitude, and delay of energy provided by the vibratory transducer.
15. The method of claim 9 , wherein the vibratory transducer and receiver are housed in a mouthpiece or an appliance.
16. The method of claim 9 , wherein the vibratory transducer comprises a solenoid with a diaphragm in contact with a rod and wherein the vibratory transducer is suspended by springs.
17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the vibratory transducer has an adjustable frequency range.
18. The method of claim 9 , comprising processing captured vibration information to form an image or an anatomy of the object.
19. The method of claim 9 , wherein the first and second dental objects are part of one tooth.
20. The method of claim 9 , wherein the first and second dental objects comprise portions of two separate teeth.