Custom orthodontic archwire forming method and apparatus

A method of fabricating a custom orthodontic archwire comprising the steps of:

• sensing anatomical shapes from an individual patient's mouth;
• producing a digitized record containing anatomical shape data corresponding to the sensed anatomical shapes;
• processing the anatomical shade data from the digitized record to derive at least one dental archform for the individual patient;
• calculating preferred finish positions of the patients' teeth based on the anatomical shapes from the digitized record to place the teeth in relation to the derived dental archform;
• deriving digital archwire shape data based on the derived dental archform and the calculated finish positions;
• generating a wire shape control signal containing information from the digital archwire shape data, such that, when the control signal is communicated to an archwire former, the archwire former produces a custom orthodontic archwire that is based on the anatomical shapes from the individual patient's mouth and urges the teeth toward the calculated finish positions;
• and
• forming, in response to the wire shape control signal, a length of orthodontic archwire material having a controlled shape that is based on the derived archwire shape data, to produce the custom archwire.

A method of fabricating a custom orthodontic appliance comprising the steps of:

• sensing anatomical shapes from an individual patient's mouth;
• producing a digitized record of the sensed anatomical shapes;
• producing a digitized record of the desired finish positions of the patient's teeth;
• deriving, from the digitized records based on the anatomical shapes and desired finish positions, the derived data including digital archwire shape data and digital orthodontic bracket configuration data, the archwire shape data being derived at least in part to optimize bracket configuration and the bracket configuration data being derived at least in part to optimize archwire shape;
• generating a wire shape control signal in response to the digital archwire shape data, such that, when communicated to an archwire former, the archwire former will produce a custom orthodontic archwire having an arcuate shape based on the anatomical shapes from the individual patient's mouth and the desired finish positions;
• generating a bracket shape control signal in response to the digital orthodontic bracket configuration data, such that, when communicated to a bracket former, the bracket former will produce custom orthodontic brackets based on the anatomical shapes from the individual patient's mouth and the desired finish positions;
• forming a length of orthodontic archwire material having a controlled shape in response to the wire shape control signal to produce the custom archwire;
• and
• forming orthodontic brackets having an orthodontic bracket configuration in accordance with the orthodontic bracket configuration data in response to the bracket shape control signal to produce custom orthodontic brackets which cooperate with the archwire to form a custom orthodontic appliance for the patient.

A method of designing and forming a custom orthodontic archwire conforming to individual anatomy of a patient and having an arcuate geometry for interconnecting a plurality of the teeth of the patient and for applying forces thereto to move the interconnected teeth to desired positions on at least one desired dental archform in the mouth of the patient, the method comprising the steps of:

• sensing shapes of anatomy of the patient's mouth;
• deriving at least one desired dental archform from the sensed shapes:
• digitizing data of sensed anatomy of the patient's mouth and of desired positions therein of the patient's teeth on the derived at least one desired dental archform;
• digitizing data of geometry of each of a plurality of brackets including, for each bracket, data of geometry of a wire connection interface between the bracket and an archwire and a tooth connection interface between the bracket and a tooth on which the bracket is to be mounted;
• calculating from the digitized anatomy data and bracket geometry data archwire geometry that will render an archwire made in accordance therewith connectable at the wire connection interfaces of a plurality of the brackets, when each bracket is mounted at its tooth connection interface to a tooth of the patient, so as to move the teeth of the patient to the desired positions on the desired archform;
• generating a machine control signal carrying machine control instructions for producing an archwire of the calculated archwire geometry and communicating the generated control signal to an archwire forming machine;
• producing, in response to the machine control signal and in accordance with the machine control instructions, a tangible representation of an archwire having the calculated archwire geometry;
• forming, based on the tangible representation, an archwire having the calculated archwire geometry.

A method of forming an individualized archwire for use with individualized brackets based on the anatomy of the mouth of a patient including anatomy of the patient's teeth, the method comprising the steps of:

• sensing anatomical shapes from the patient's mouth, including the shapes of the patient's teeth;
• digitizing the sensed anatomical shapes and producing thereby signals containing digitized anatomical shape data, including tooth shape data in three dimensions;
• deriving an ideal dental archform by processing the digitized anatomical shape data with a digital computer programmed to produce a digitized mathematical archform model that is at least in part dependent on the sensed anatomical shapes from the mouth of the patient;
• deriving, with a digital computer, tooth finish positions, from the anatomical shape data and the digitized mathematical archform model, to mesio-distally space the teeth along the derived ideal dental archform and to position and orient the teeth relative to the derived dental ideal archform to positions and orientations based at least in part upon the three-dimensional tooth shape data for the respective individual teeth;
• establishing a connection point of each of a plurality of teeth for mounting brackets thereon;
• calculating, with a digital computer, the geometry of individualized brackets and the shape of an individualized archwire such that the brackets and archwire operate in conjunction with each other, when the brackets are mounted on the teeth at their respective connection points and are interconnected by the archwire, to position the teeth to their respective derived tooth finish positions;
• generating machine control signals correlated to the calculated shape of the archwire and communicating the generated control signals to an archwire forming machine;
• and
• operating the archwire forming machine in response to the control signals to automatically form an individualized archwire having the calculated shape thereof.