Interactive dental restorative network

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for assisting a dental practitioner in the dental restoration of a patient treatment area. The method includes forming a three-dimensional (3D) model represented in digital form of the treatment area to be restored, the model being formed during a first visit by the patient to a dentist's office; developing a preliminary treatment plan including a prostheses specification that is based, at least in part, on the 3D digital model of the treatment area; storing the 3D digital model and the preliminary treatment plan in a database along with the patient's record; and conferencing with other practitioners in order to determine whether the preliminary treatment plan is appropriate for the patient based on the dental data.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for assisting a dental practitioner in the dental restoration of a patient treatment area comprising:
 forming a three-dimensional (3D) model represented in digital form of the treatment area to be restored, the model being formed during a first visit by the patient to a dentist's office;   developing a preliminary treatment plan including a prostheses specification that is based, at least in part, on the 3D digital model of the treatment area;   storing the 3D digital model and the preliminary treatment plan in a database along with the patient's record; and   conferencing with other practitioners in order to determine whether the preliminary treatment plan is appropriate for the patient based on the dental data.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the preliminary treatment plan and prostheses specification are developed during consultation between the dentist's office, a dental laboratory, and a further dental professional, with the database being simultaneously accessible by each party during the consultation by means of a communication network. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising designing a dental prosthesis by means of computer-aided-design facilities that have access to the database, the prosthesis design being based, at least on part, on the preliminary treatment plan including the prosthesis specification and on the 3D digital model. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3  further comprising fabricating the dental prosthesis by means of computer-aided-manufacturing facilities that have access to the database, the prosthesis fabrication being based, at least on part, on the prosthesis design. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4  wherein the preliminary treatment plan including a prosthesis specification is presented to the patient during the same first patient visit to the dentist's office and the prosthesis is fabricated in the dentist's office during the same first patient visit to the dentist. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising simulating the course of treatment, the simulation including images of the stages of treatment. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the plurality of dental practitioners further comprises appropriate combinations of an orthodontist, an oral surgeon, a dental specialist, a dental restoration manufacturer, a technical sales rep, an authorized user, and the patient. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the communications network provides communication among appropriate combinations of a dental office, a dental specialist's office, a prosthetic laboratory, a dental laboratory and a dental restoration manufacturer. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1  which further comprises implementing one or more applications that displays the patient's dental data and record and provides direct communication over the Internet between the dentist and at least one other practicioner with respect to the restorative needs of the patient. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the dental data comprises one or more of a patient's dental records, an x-ray of a patient's tooth preparation, a digital image of a patient's tooth preparation, or a video image of a patient's tooth and is made available to the practitioners in real time. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the dentist accesses the dental data via a client application on his computer and the laboratory accesses the dental data via a client application on its computer, with each application comprising a web browser. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the storing of the dental data and patient record is over the Internet and the dentist and laboratory each have simultaneous access to the image and patient record. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the direct communication is performed in conjunction with having simultaneous access to the patient record or the image. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 9 , which further comprises providing a server at the dentist's office or dental laboratory for storing the dental data and patient record.