Adjustment of tooth position in a virtual dental model

Abstract

The present disclosure provides computing device implemented methods, computing device readable media, and systems for adjustment of tooth position in a virtual dental model. Virtual dental modeling can include detecting space and/or collision between posterior teeth of an upper jaw and posterior teeth of a lower jaw in a virtual dental model that has been set in a preliminary target position. An energy function can be defined including the space and/or collision, tooth root movement, and align points. Weights can be assigned for each variable in the energy function. A position of the posterior teeth of the upper jaw and the posterior teeth of the lower jaw can be adjusted in six degrees of freedom to minimize the energy function. The detection, definition, assignment, and adjustment can be repeated until the energy function converges. The weights can be adjusted to reduce the space and/or collision.

1 . A system for adjustment of tooth position in a virtual dental model, the system comprising:
 a bite set module to bite set a first jaw with a second jaw in the virtual dental model;   a movement module to move the first jaw toward the second jaw from the bite set;   a force modeling and adjustment module to:
 model a number of repulsive forces for collisions between a number of points in the first jaw and a respective number of points in the second jaw; 
 identify one of the number of repulsive forces having a magnitude that is different than others of the number of repulsive forces by a statistically significant amount; 
 determine a positional adjustment to one of the number of points corresponding to the statistically significantly different repulsive force to reduce the difference; 
 assign a first allocation of the positional adjustment to the tooth including the one of the number of points; and 
 assign a second allocation of the positional adjustment to one of the first jaw and the second jaw including the tooth. 
   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the system further includes a treatment module to define a number of treatment steps between a first arrangement of teeth in the first jaw and the second jaw and a second arrangement of teeth in the first jaw and the second jaw based on the positional adjustment, wherein each of the number of treatment steps corresponds to an amount of adjustment to be performed by an orthodontic appliance. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the system is further configured to iteratively move the first jaw toward the second jaw, model the number of repulsive forces, identify one of the number of repulsive forces, determine a positional adjustment, and assign a first and a second allocation of the positional adjustment. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the system is further configured to iterate until none of the number of repulsive forces have a magnitude that is different than others of the number of repulsive forces by a statistically significant amount. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the force modeling and adjustment module is further configured to limit the second allocation based on a range of motion of the one of the first jaw and the second jaw. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the force modeling and adjustment module is further configured to maximize the second allocation within the limit of the range of motion. 
     
     
         7 . (canceled) 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein a collision in the virtual dental model is represented as a set of collision spots, where each collision spot of the set of collision spots is connected to a component of intersection between shapes of two different teeth of the first jaw and the second jaw. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the force modeling and adjustment module is further configured to calculate a mass center, normal, and depth for each collision spot. 
     
     
         10 . A computing device implemented method of adjusting a tooth position in a virtual dental model, the virtual dental model including a first jaw and a corresponding second jaw, the computing device implemented method comprising:
 modeling repulsive forces for collisions between points in the first jaw and respective points in the second jaw;   identifying one of the repulsive forces having a magnitude that is different than others of the repulsive forces by a statistically significant amount;   determining a positional adjustment to one of the points corresponding to the statistically significantly different repulsive force to reduce the difference;   assigning a first allocation of the positional adjustment to the tooth including the one of the points; and   assigning a second allocation of the positional adjustment to one of the first jaw and the second jaw including the tooth.   
     
     
         11 . The computing device implemented method of  claim 10 , further comprising defining treatment steps between a first arrangement of teeth in the first jaw and the second jaw and a second arrangement of teeth in the first jaw and the second jaw based on the positional adjustment, wherein each of the treatment steps is associated with an amount of adjustment to be performed by an orthodontic appliance. 
     
     
         12 . The computing device implemented method of  claim 10 , further comprising iteratively moving the first jaw toward the second jaw, modeling the repulsive forces, identifying one of the repulsive forces, determining a positional adjustment, and assigning a first and a second allocation of the positional adjustment. 
     
     
         13 . The computing device implemented method of  claim 10 , further comprising iteratively modeling the repulsive forces until none of repulsive forces have a magnitude that is different than others of the repulsive forces by a statistically significant amount. 
     
     
         14 . The computing device implemented method of  claim 10 , further comprising limiting the second allocation based on a range of motion of the one of the first jaw and the second jaw. 
     
     
         15 . The computing device implemented method of  claim 14 , further comprising maximizing the second allocation within the limit of the range of motion. 
     
     
         16 . The computing device implemented method of  claim 10 , further comprising representing a collision as a set of collision spots, where each collision spot of the set of collision spots is connected to a component of intersection between shapes of two different teeth of the first jaw and the second jaw. 
     
     
         17 . The computing device implemented method of  claim 16 , further comprising calculating a mass center, normal, and depth for each collision spot. 
     
     
         18 . The computing device implemented method of  claim 17 , wherein a repulsive force is implemented for pairs of collision points such that a particular collision spot is pushed along a corresponding normal where a tooth movement is equal to half of a corresponding depth. 
     
     
         19 . A computing device readable physical medium having instructions which can be executed by a processor to cause a computing device to implement a method of adjusting a tooth position in a virtual dental model, the virtual dental model including a first jaw and a corresponding second jaw, the instructions comprising:
 modeling repulsive forces for collisions between points in the first jaw and respective points in the second jaw;   identifying one of the repulsive forces having a magnitude that is different than others of the repulsive forces by a statistically significant amount;   determining a positional adjustment to one of the points corresponding to the statistically significantly different repulsive force to reduce the difference;   assigning a first allocation of the positional adjustment to the tooth including the one of the points; and   assigning a second allocation of the positional adjustment to one of the first jaw and the second jaw including the tooth.   
     
     
         20 . The computing device readable physical medium of  claim 19 , wherein the instructions further comprise defining treatment steps between a first arrangement of teeth in the first jaw and the second jaw and a second arrangement of teeth in the first jaw and the second jaw based on the positional adjustment, wherein each of the treatment steps is associated with an amount of adjustment to be performed by an orthodontic appliance. 
     
     
         21 . The computing device readable physical medium of  claim 19 , wherein the instructions further comprise iteratively moving the first jaw toward the second jaw, modeling the repulsive forces, identifying one of the repulsive forces, determining a positional adjustment, and assigning a first and a second allocation of the positional adjustment.