Holography-aided orthodontic archwire bending
OwnerNorbert Abels, Claus H. Backesinventors
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Mechanisms for facilitating and performing precision bending of an orthodontic bracket archwire. A digital representation of an ideal bent orthodontic bracket archwire is obtained. The digital representation is then used to generate a holographic image of the bent orthodontic bracket archwire. The orthodontist then has a three-dimensional image to use as a guide in properly bending an actual physical archwire.
Claims28
A method for facilitating precision bending of an orthodontic bracket archwire that is to be connected to orthodontic brackets that either are affixed or are to be affixed to the teeth of a patient, the method comprising the following:
- a step for obtaining a digital representation of a bent orthodontic bracket archwire that is bent in a manner that facilitates movement of the teeth towards a corrected position when connected to the orthodontic brackets;
- and
- an act of generating a holographic image of the bent orthodontic bracket archwire based on the digital representation.
A computer program product for implementing a method for facilitating precision bending of an orthodontic bracket archwire that is to be connected to orthodontic brackets that either are affixed or are to be affixed to the teeth of a patient, the computer program product comprising one or more computer-readable media having stored thereon the following:
- computer-executable instructions for obtaining a digital representation of a bent orthodontic bracket archwire that is bent in a manner that facilitates movement of the teeth towards a corrected position when connected to the orthodontic brackets;
- and
- computer-executable instructions for generating a holographic image of the bent orthodontic bracket archwire based on the digital representation.
A method for facilitating precision bending of an orthodontic bracket archwire that is to be connected to orthodontic brackets that either are affixed or are to be affixed to the teeth of a patient, the method comprising the following:
- an act of a computing system automatically identifying an estimated ideal bent configuration of the orthodontic bracket archwire;
- an act of generating the digital representation of the bent orthodontic bracket archwire based at least in part on the estimated ideal bent configuration;
- and
- an act of generating a holographic image of the bent orthodontic bracket archwire based on the digital representation.
A computer program product for implementing a method for facilitating precision bending of an orthodontic bracket archwire that is to be connected to orthodontic brackets that either are affixed or are to be affixed to the teeth of a patient, the computer program product comprising one or more computer-readable media having thereon the following:
- computer-executable instructions for identifying an estimated ideal bent configuration of the orthodontic bracket archwire;
- computer-executable instructions for generating the digital representation of the bent orthodontic bracket archwire based at least in part on the estimated ideal bent configuration;
- and
- computer-executable instructions for generating a holographic image of the bent orthodontic bracket archwire based on the digital representation.
A method for precision bending an orthodontic bracket archwire that is to be connected to orthodontic brackets that either are affixed or are to be affixed to the teeth of a patient, the method comprising the following:
- an act of viewing a holographic image of a bent orthodontic bracket archwire;
- and
- an act of manually bending an orthodontic bracket archwire using the holographic image as a guide.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.