# US 10,945,609 B2 · Systems and methods for accounting for changes in surface topology when scanning a patient's teeth > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,945,609 B2 - Document ID: US10945609B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/930,374 - Filed: 2020-05-12 - Published: 2020-10-08 - Granted: 2021-03-16 - Earliest claimed: 2010-07-19 - Assignees: Align Technology, Inc. - Applicants: Align Technology, Inc. - Inventors: Avi Kopelman - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10945609B2 ## CPC - A61B 5/0088: {for oral or dental tissue} - A61B 1/0004: {for electronic operation} - A61B 5/0062: {Arrangements for scanning} - A61B 5/4547: {Evaluating teeth} - A61C 5/77: Methods or devices for making crowns - A61C 7/002: {Orthodontic computer assisted systems} - A61C 9/0053: {Optical means or methods, e.g. scanning the teeth by a laser or light beam} - A61C 13/0004: {Computer-assisted sizing or machining of dental prostheses} - G06F 30/00: Computer-aided design [CAD] - G06F 30/20: Design optimisation, verification or simulation (optimisation, verification or simulation of circuit designs G06F30/30) - G06T 7/0012: {Biomedical image inspection} - G06T 19/00: Manipulating three-dimensional [3D] models or images for computer graphics - G06T 19/20: Editing of three-dimensional [3D] images, e.g. changing shapes or colours, aligning objects or positioning parts - A61B 1/00172: {with means for scanning} - A61C 19/04: Measuring instruments specially adapted for dentistry ({A61C5/44 takes precedence; testing vitality of teeth A61B5/0534;} radiation diagnosis specially adapted for dentistry A61B6/51) - B33Y 80/00: Products made by additive manufacturing - G06T 2200/04: involving 3D image data - G06T 2207/30036: Dental; Teeth - G06T 2210/41: Medical - G06T 2219/2004: Aligning objects, relative positioning of parts - G06T 2219/2021: Shape modification - G16H 20/40: relating to mechanical, radiation or invasive therapies, e.g. surgery, laser therapy, dialysis or acupuncture - A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D) - A61C: DENTISTRY; APPARATUS OR METHODS FOR ORAL OR DENTAL HYGIENE (non-driven toothbrushes A46B; {tongue scrapers A61B17/24;} preparations for dentistry A61K6/00; preparations for cleaning the teeth or mouth A61K8/00, A61Q11/00) - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL - B33Y: ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING - G16H: HEALTHCARE INFORMATICS, i.e. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE HANDLING OR PROCESSING OF MEDICAL OR HEALTHCARE DATA ## Abstract Systems and methods are provided for preparation of orthodontics and prosthodontics. A method may include scanning a patient's teeth to form first 3D data of the patient's teeth including a removable element that obscures part of the dental surfaces of the patient's teeth and non-obscured tooth surfaces, removing the removable element form the patient's teeth so that the removable element no longer obscures the part of the dental surfaces of the patient's teeth, and scanning the previously obscured part of the dental surfaces of the patent's teeth and the non-obscured tooth surfaces. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for accounting for changes in surface topology when scanning a patient's teeth for a dental procedure, the method comprising: receiving first scan data of a first surface portion and a second surface portion of the patient's intraoral cavity from a hand-held intraoral scanner, the first surface portion having a first surface topology, the first scan data associated with a first plurality of captured images of the patient's intraoral cavity; displaying, to a display, a first model of the patient's intraoral cavity, wherein the first model of the patient's intraoral cavity is based on the received first scan data of the patient's teeth and comprises surface data representative of the first surface portion and the second surface portion; receiving user input, via the displayed first model, demarcating the surface data representative of the first surface portion and the surface data representative of the second surface portion; receiving second scan data of the patient's intraoral cavity from the hand-held intraoral scanner, the second scan data including surface data of the first surface portion and the second portion, the second scan data associated with a second plurality of captured images of the patient's intraoral cavity; updating the first model by modifying only at least a portion of the surface data representative of the first surface portion according to the user input using at least a portion of the second scan data of the patient's intraoral cavity including the first surface portion; and outputting, to the display, the updated first model of the patient's teeth with the at least the portion of the surface data updated using the received second scan data. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the first surface topology comprises an obscuring material. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the obscuring material is saliva, blood, gums, cheek, tongue, dental instruments, or debris. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the first surface topology comprises the first surface portion having a first physical shape and the second scan data comprises data of the first surface portion having a second physical shape. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising marking an area on the displayed first model associated with the received user input. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the updating further comprises registering the second scan data with the first model by aligning identifying data of the second scan data with corresponding parts of the first model. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein the updating further comprises stitching the at least the portion of the second scan data with the first model. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein the updating placing further comprises discarding a remainder of the second scan data, including the identifying surface data, after stitching the at least the portion of the second scan data with the first model. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the updating further comprises removing or deleting at least the surface data representative of the first surface portion having the first surface topology according to the user input. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the updating further comprises registering the second scan data with the first scan data by aligning identifying data of the second scan data with corresponding parts of the first scan data. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the first model is an accurate representation of the first surface portion and the second surface portion. ### Claim 12 A system for accounting for changes in surface topology when scanning a patient's teeth for a dental procedure, the system comprising: a hand-held intraoral scanner; and a computer readable medium including instructions that when executed by a computer system, causes the computer system to: receive first scan data of a first surface portion and a second surface portion of the patient's intraoral cavity from the hand-held intraoral scanner, the first surface portion having a first surface topology, the first scan data associated with a first plurality of captured images of the patient's intraoral cavity; display a first model of the patient's intraoral cavity, wherein the first model of the patient's intraoral cavity is based on the received first scan data of the patient's teeth and comprises surface data representative of the first surface portion and the second surface portion; receive user input, via the displayed first model, demarcating the surface data representative of the first surface portion and the surface data representative of the second surface portion; receive second scan data of the patient's intraoral cavity from the hand-held intraoral scanner, the second scan data including surface data of the first surface portion, the second scan data associated with a second plurality of captured images of the patient's intraoral cavity; update the first model by modifying only at least a portion of the surface data representative of the first surface portion according to the user input using at least a portion of the second scan data of the patient's intraoral cavity including the first surface portion; and output the updated first model of the patient's teeth with the at least the portion of the surface data updated using the received second scan data. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The system of claim 12, wherein the first surface topology comprises an obscuring material. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13, wherein the obscuring material is saliva, blood, gums, cheek, tongue, dental instruments, or debris. ### Claim 15 (depends on 12) The system of claim 12, wherein the first surface topology comprises the first surface portion having a first physical shape and the second scan data comprises data of the first surface portion having a second physical shape. ### Claim 16 (depends on 12) The system of claim 12, further comprising instructions for marking an area on the displayed first model associated with the received user input. ### Claim 17 (depends on 12) The system of claim 12, wherein the instructions that when executed by a computer system, causes the computer system to update the at least the surface data representative of the first surface portion further causes the system to register the second scan data with the first model by aligning identifying data of the second scan data with corresponding parts of the first model. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The system of claim 17, wherein the instructions that when executed by a computer system, causes the computer system to update at least the surface data representative of the first surface portion further cause the system to stitch the at least the portion of the second scan data with the first model. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The system of claim 18, wherein the instructions that when executed by a computer system, causes the computer system to update at least the surface data representative of the first surface portion further causes the system to discard a remainder of the second scan data, including the identifying surface data, after stitching the at least the portion of the second scan data with the first model. ### Claim 20 (depends on 12) The system of claim 12, wherein the instructions that when executed by a computer system, causes the computer system to update at least the surface data representative of the first surface portion further causes the system to remove or delete at least the surface data representative of the first surface portion having the first surface topology according to the user input. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The system of claim 20, wherein the instructions that when executed by a computer system, causes the computer system to update at least the surface data representative of the first surface portion further causes the system to register the second scan data with the first scan data by aligning identifying data of the second scan data with corresponding parts of the first scan data. ### Claim 22 (depends on 12) The system of claim 12, wherein the first model is an accurate representation the first surface portion and the second surface portion. ### Claim 23 A system for accounting for changes in surface topology when intraorally scanning a patient's teeth for a dental procedure, the system comprising: a hand-held intraoral scanner; and a computer readable medium including instructions that when executed by a computer system, cause the computer system to: receive first scan data of a first surface portion and a second surface portion of the patient's intraoral cavity from the hand-held intraoral scanner, the first surface portion having a first surface topology, the first scan data associated with a first plurality of captured images of the patient's intraoral cavity; display, to a display, a first model of the patient's intraoral cavity, wherein the first model of the patient's intraoral cavity is based on the received first scan data of the patient's intraoral cavity and comprises surface data representative of the first surface portion and the second surface portion; receive user input defining the surface data representative of the first surface portion having the surface data representative of the first surface topology; receive second scan data of the patient's teeth from the hand-held intraoral scanner, the second scan data comprising the first surface portion being associated with a second plurality of captured images of the patient's intraoral cavity; register the second scan data with the first model by aligning identifying data of the second scan data with corresponding parts of the first model; update the first model by modifying only at least a portion of the first surface portion having the first surface topology of the first model using at least a portion of the received second scan data of the patient's teeth including the first surface portion by removing at least the surface data representative of the first surface portion having the first surface topology and replacing at least a portion of the removed surface portion using at least a portion of the received second scan data of the patient's teeth; discarding a remainder of the second scan data, including the identifying data, after registering the second scan data with the first model; and display, to the display, the updated first model of the patient's teeth with the portion of the first surface portion having a first surface topology updated using the first surface portion of the second scan data. ### Claim 24 (depends on 23) The system of claim 23, wherein the hand-held intraoral scanner comprises a probing member with a sensing face, an illumination unit, a light focusing optics defining one or more focal planes forward the sensing face, and a translation mechanism for displacing the one or more focal planes relative to the sensing face. ### Claim 25 (depends on 24) The system of claim 24, wherein the system further comprises the computer system and the display; wherein the system further comprises a mouse or wherein the display comprises a touch screen display; and wherein the user input defining portion of the first model to be removed is received by the mouse or the touch screen display. ### Claim 26 (depends on 23) The system of claim 23, wherein the first surface topology comprises an obscuring material. ### Claim 27 (depends on 26) The system of claim 26, wherein the obscuring material is saliva, blood, gums, cheek, tongue, dental instruments, or debris. ### Claim 28 (depends on 27) The system of claim 27, wherein the first surface topology comprises the first surface portion having a first physical shape and the second scan data comprises the first surface portion having a second physical shape. ### Claim 29 (depends on 23) The system of claim 23, wherein the first model is an accurate representation the first surface portion and the second surface portion.