Orthodontic prescription form, templates, and toolbar for digital orthodontics

A computing device comprising:

• a database to store data defining an electronic orthodontic prescription template, wherein the orthodontic prescription template associates each of a plurality of default virtual orthodontic appliances with a corresponding tooth of a generic dental arch, and wherein, for each of the default virtual orthodontic appliances, the orthodontic prescription template specifies a default location and orientation of the default virtual orthodontic appliance with respect to the corresponding tooth of the generic dental arch;
• a modeling software module to facilitate generation of an orthodontic prescription that is specific to a patient's teeth by modifying the template in response to input from a user to form a patient-specific orthodontic prescription;
• and
• a user interface to display the patient-specific orthodontic prescription and a virtual representation of the patient's teeth within a three-dimensional (3D) environment,
• wherein the user interface comprises:
• a template editing form displaying a tooth chart of the generic dental arch and listing bracket attributes of the default orthodontic appliances associated with the teeth of the generic dental arch, wherein the template editing form allows the user to modify the bracket attributes of the default orthodontic appliances to create a custom orthodontic prescription template for the generic dental arch;
• and
• a prescription form displaying a 3D model of the patient's teeth with brackets that correspond to the default orthodontic appliances and bracket attribute values specified by the custom orthodontic prescription template for the generic dental arch, wherein the prescription form allows the user to further modify the brackets and bracket attribute values to create the patient-specific orthodontic prescription.