Patent ID: 9375297
Filing Date: 2016-06-28
CPC Classification: A61B,A61C,B33Y,F04C

Claim Text:
1. A method of pre-operatively forming a surgical splint configured to receive a patient's dentition when the patient's skull is in a post-operative shape, the method comprising: obtaining a 3-D facial computer model in a computer of at least the patient's maxilla, mandible, and dentition, the 3-D facial computer model including first virtual dentition, wherein at least a portion of the first virtual dentition has a first virtual surface geometry that defines at least one first fiduciary marker, the at least one first fiduciary marker defining a first location that identifies a first anatomical feature of the first virtual dentition; obtaining a 3-D optical intra-oral scan of the patient's dentition in the computer so as to produce second virtual dentition, wherein at least a portion of the second virtual dentition has a second surface geometry that defines at least one second fiduciary marker, the at least one second fiduciary marker defining a second location that identifies a second anatomical feature of the second virtual dentition; aligning the first fiduciary marker with the second fiduciary marker; after the aligning step, replacing the first virtual dentition of the 3-D facial computer model with the second virtual dentition to form a composite 3-D virtual model, the composite 3-D virtual model having third virtual dentition in a planned post-operative configuration; and constructing a surgical splint having a negative impression of at least a portion of the third virtual dentition.