Patent ID: 7806687
Filing Date: 2010-10-05
Classification: A61C

Abstract:
1. An occlusal state correction-supporting apparatus for generating information necessary to surgically correct a tooth arrangement, the apparatus comprising: a shape-extracting means for extracting shape data of an upper jaw and a lower jaw, the upper jaw being an upper jaw model including an arch for the upper jaw having at least three reference points on the front side of the upper jaw model, and the lower jaw being a lower jaw model including an arch for the lower jaw having at least three reference points on the front side of the lower jaw model; a point-extracting means for specifying position data of an occlusal part of the upper jaw and the lower jaw; a memory means for storing the shape data of each of the upper jaw and the lower jaw including data of each part of an occlusal surface of the upper jaw and the lower jaw, and data of each of the reference points, in order to specify the upper jaw model and the lower jaw model with predetermined positional coordinates in six degrees of freedom; a condition setting and distance-computing means for reading the shape data from the memory means, for moving at least one of the upper jaw model and the lower jaw model within the positional coordinates in the six degrees of freedom, for sequentially computing a distance between the occlusal parts of the upper jaw model and the lower jaw model as the distance between respective corresponding reference points based on the reference points of the upper jaw model and the lower jaw model, for stopping a calculation of the approach movement between jaw models, when determining that each occlusal part is respectively contacted based on the calculated distance when the computed distance is less than a predefined value, for setting an allowable cutting condition of each area of the occlusal part of the upper and lower jaws, for starting the approach movement after setting the allowable cutting condition of each area of the occlusal part of the upper and lower jaws and for stopping the approach movement, if the computed distance achieves a predetermined maximum allowable cut value, before the computed distance becomes less than the predefined value; and a correction area and amount-determining means for determining a correction area and a correction amount of teeth according to the occlusal state of the upper jaw and the lower jaw at the time of stopping of the approach movement.