Abstract:
This disclosure relates to system and method for digitally obtaining, recording utilizing and customizing dental data and features needed in providing customized dentures.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. Nos. 61/030,810, 61/030,795, 61/030,826, 61/030,831, and 61/030,842, all filed on Feb. 22, 2008, the contents of each of which are incorporated by reference herein. In addition, this application is related to International Application Serial Nos. PCT/US09/34645, [Attorney Docket No. 0005583WOU], [Attorney Docket No. 0005584WOU], PCT/US09/34670, and [Attorney Docket No. 0005586WOU], all filed contemporaneously with the present application, the contents of each of which are incorporated by reference herein. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for providing customized dentures. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to systems and methods that automate and standardize the collection of denture prescription data of an edentulous patient in digital form, as well as automatically providing this digital prescription data to a denture manufacturing lab for use in denture fabrication, and the fabrication of dentures by the denture factory. 
         [0004]    2. Description of Related Art 
         [0005]    Dentures are worn in the mouth to replace missing teeth. The term “denture(s)” is used herein to refer to full dentures or partial dentures, both upper and lower types, artificial teeth, removable orthodontic bridges and denture plates, both upper and lower types, orthodontic retainers and appliances, protective mouthguards, nightguards to prevent bruxism and/or temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder, and the like. 
         [0006]    Current edentulous patients have, in essence, two options for obtaining dentures. 
         [0007]    The first option is to purchase non-customized or semi-customized dentures. Such non-customized dentures are used by many edentulous patients due to their low cost, quick availability (e.g., single visit to the dental practitioner), and ease of purchase. Unfortunately, non-customized dentures typically provide the edentulous patients with poor or uncomfortable fit and, often, poor aesthetics. 
         [0008]    Alternately, edentulous patients can elect to purchase dentures customized to their mouth. Such customized dentures are used by many edentulous patients due to their comfortable fit and pleasing aesthetics. Unfortunately, current customized dentures suffer from drawbacks that include high cost, multiple visits to the dental practitioner, and long lead times to obtain the denture. 
         [0009]    Furthermore, the current processes for collecting denture prescription data, as well as manufacturing customized dentures, involve multiple steps that require the dental practitioner to manually obtain patient data and translate this patient data into a written prescription for the denture. This written prescription is then forwarded to a denture lab, where a denture laboratory technician deciphers the written prescription and builds the customized denture. Because the data collection and the denture manufacturing are labor-intensive processes and have a great deal of subjective measuring and interpretation on the part of the dental practitioner and the denture technician, respectively, the fit and finish of customized dentures is often times highly dependent on the skill of those professionals. Thus, many customized dentures, even though more costly and time consuming to prepare, often suffer from many of the drawbacks suffered by those edentulous patients who purchase non-customized dentures, such as poor or uncomfortable fit and, often, poor aesthetics. 
         [0010]    Accordingly, it has been determined by the present disclosure that there is a need for systems and methods for providing customized dentures that overcome, alleviate, and/or mitigate one or more of the aforementioned and other deleterious effects of prior art customized denture processes (e.g., high cost, multiple dental visits, long lead times, and process subjectivity), while affording one or more of the aforementioned and other advantageous effects of prior art non-customized denture processes (e.g., low cost, quick availability, and ease of purchase), yet maintaining or improving upon the aforementioned and other advantageous effects of prior art customized denture processes (e.g., comfortable fit and pleasing aesthetics). 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0011]    The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for streamlining the manual process of obtaining, recording, processing and manipulating the mouth data of an edentulous patient. The system and method use digital technology to enable dental practitioners to provide consistent and better quality care, and better quality dentures (referring to the form, fit and function of the dentures), to their patients. The systems and methods of the present disclosure also allow for quantitative analysis of the data, standardization of care and appropriate treatment guidance, making the dental office efficient and reducing errors that can affect patient treatment. 
         [0012]    In one aspect, the present disclosure relates to systems and methods for obtaining, recording, processing and/or manipulating digital data of an edentulous patient. In a further aspect, the present disclosure relates to methods for utilizing digital data of an edentulous patient to formulate a data protocol for manufacturing a denture. In still a further aspect, the present disclosure relates to methods for transferring digital data of an edentulous patient to a dental laboratory for use in manufacturing a denture. 
         [0013]    The present disclosure also relates to pre-fabricated, dental arch-shaped molds containing one or more artificial teeth attached thereto. In a further aspect, the present disclosure relates to methods for constructing a denture using a pre-fabricated, dental arch-shaped mold containing one or more teeth attached thereto. Using the disclosed pre-fabricated device and method, the denture laboratory technician saves a great deal of time in fabricating a denture since the artificial teeth will be substantially in the proper arrangement for placement on the denture base. In addition, the devices and methods of the present disclosure standardize the process and reduce the variability in placement of teeth, which reduces the cost of dentures to the patient without compromising quality. 
         [0014]    Further, the present disclosure relates to apparatuses and methods for obtaining one or more digital images of an edentulous patient to provide varying images of the patient&#39;s facial features and measurements relative to measurements within the patient&#39;s mouth. 
         [0015]    A system for providing a customized denture for an edentulous patient is provided. The system includes a dental office module and a dental laboratory module in electrical communication with the dental office module via a communication medium. The dental office module collects digital denture prescription data of the edentulous patient and the dental laboratory module fabricates the customized denture based on the digital denture prescription data. 
         [0016]    A method for providing customized dentures for an edentulous patient is provided. The method includes collecting digital denture prescription data of the edentulous patient at an office of a dental practitioner; transmitting the digital denture prescription data to a denture laboratory; and fabricating the customized denture based on the digital denture prescription data. 
         [0017]    The above-described and other features and advantages of the present disclosure will be appreciated and understood by those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, drawings, and appended claims. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0018]      FIG. 1  is a first schematic depiction of an exemplary embodiment of a custom denture system according to the present disclosure; 
           [0019]      FIG. 2  is a second schematic depiction of the custom denture system of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0020]      FIG. 3  is an exemplary embodiment of a patient examination screen of an office module of the system of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0021]      FIG. 4  is an exemplary embodiment of a first quantitative measurement screen and a second quantitative measurement screen of the office module of the system of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0022]      FIG. 5  illustrates exemplary embodiments of images and measurements obtained by a third quantitative measurement screen of the office module of the system of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0023]      FIG. 6  illustrates an exemplary embodiment a digital data collection device for capturing the images and measurements of  FIG. 5 ; 
           [0024]      FIG. 7  is an exemplary embodiment of a tooth selection screen of the custom denture data collection system of  FIG. 3 ; 
           [0025]      FIG. 8  is an exemplary embodiment of a denture manufacturing laboratory during a denture manufacturing step according to the custom denture system of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0026]      FIG. 9  is an exemplary embodiment of a pre-fabricated, dental arch-shaped mold containing one or more artificial teeth for use with the custom denture system of  FIG. 1 ; and 
           [0027]      FIG. 10  is a schematic depiction of the pre-fabricated, dental arch-shaped mold of  FIG. 9  in use with the custom denture system of  FIG. 1 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0028]    Referring now to the drawings and in particular to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , an exemplary embodiment of a custom denture system according to the present disclosure is shown and is generally referred to by reference numeral  10 . System  10  includes a dental office module  12  and one or more dental laboratory modules  14  in electrical communication with the office module via a communication medium  16 . 
         [0029]    Advantageously, system  10  provides the dental practitioner with an easy to use and repeatable means to collect digital denture prescription data and transmit this digital prescription data to a dental laboratory technician. Additionally, system  10  provides the dental laboratory technician with an easy and repeated means to fabricate the desired denture using the digital denture prescription data. 
         [0030]    Dental office module  12  provides an interface to system  10  for the dental practitioner, allowing the dental practitioner to automate and standardize the collection of denture prescription data  18  of an edentulous patient in a digital form. The term “dental practitioner(s)” is used herein to refer to those practitioners resident at a dental office who interact with the edentulous patient. 
         [0031]    Dental laboratory module  14  provides an interface to system  10  for the denture laboratory technician, allowing the denture laboratory technician to retrieve the digital denture prescription data  18  and convert this digital data, using automated and/or semi-automated manufacturing processes, into the desired denture. The term “denture laboratory technician(s)” is used herein to refer to the workers involved with fabricating dentures based on prescription data provided by the dental practitioner. 
         [0032]    Communication medium  16  can be any known method of providing the digital prescription data  18  from office module  12  to laboratory module  14 . In the illustrated embodiment, communication medium  16  is a wired network  20  placing modules  12 ,  14  in electrical communication with one another. It is contemplated by the present disclosure for wired network  20  to include any wired network such as, but not limited to, the Internet, a wide-area network (WAN), a local-area network (LAN), and others. However, it is also contemplated by the present disclosure for communication medium  16  to be any wireless network sufficient to wirelessly transmit the digital prescription data  18  from office module  12  to laboratory module  14 . Further, it is contemplated by the present disclosure for communication medium to be any physical storage medium (e.g., a floppy disk, a compact disk, a flash drive) having the digital prescription data  18  stored thereon, which can be physically transferred from the location where office module  12  is resident to the location where laboratory module  14  is resident. 
         [0033]    System  10  reduces the complexity in the current process utilized by some of the well known dental practitioners and laboratory technicians. System  10  makes the denture process simpler and faster, take less time, require fewer appointments, while maintaining or enhancing the quality of dentures as compared to prior art standardized and customized dentures. The term “quality” as used herein refers to the form, fit, function and aesthetic properties of the dentures. Thus, system  10  provides systems and methods for providing customized dentures that are simpler and faster and require fewer steps to accomplish either the same or improved end result as compared to prior art customized denture systems. 
         [0034]    Office module  12  provides the dental practitioner an interface to a plurality of interactive data entry screens  22  resident on system  10  and/or the office module that lead the dental practitioner through the digital prescription process. 
         [0035]    Interactive data entry screens  22  include a plurality of digital prescription data collection steps, which can include one or more of examination of the patient, determine lip pull and vertical dimension, determine digital impression of the oral cavity, preparing custom base plates from the digital impression, determine an aesthetic blue print record base, determine a neutral zone record base, determining face bow records, determining articulator records, and any combinations thereof. 
         [0036]    Referring now to  FIGS. 3 through 7 , exemplary embodiments of interactive data entry screens  22  of office module  12  are shown. 
         [0037]      FIG. 3  provides one or more data entry screens  22  for patient examination and capturing all of the patient history and facial features and anatomical features of the oral cavity. Here, office module  12  presents examination screens  24  providing a series of medical questions to the dental practitioner related to the facial features and anatomical features of the oral cavity. Each question of examination screen  24  has pictorial examples  26  so that the dental practitioner can select the pictorial example that best approximates the patient&#39;s anatomy. It has been determined by the present disclosure that selection of pictorial examples  26  reduces the variability and minimize the subjectivity that currently exists in the examination process of prior art customized denture processes. 
         [0038]    Office module  12  also provides one or more data entry screens  22  for taking a plurality of quantitative measurements of the oral cavity for variables determined by the present disclosure to be key indicators of denture quality. The quantitative measurements can include measurements such as, but not limited to, the intercanthus, interala, tongue size, height and width of lower and upper ridges at several points, lip pull, bite requirements, vertical dimension, occlusal plane, and any combinations thereof. Such measurements allow for quantitative analysis of the data and standardization of care and allow for appropriate treatment guidance. 
         [0039]      FIG. 4  illustrates exemplary data entry screens  22  for quantitative measurement of lip pull and vertical dimension, respectively. More particularly, office module  12  provides the dental practitioner with a centerline, lip pull, and vertical dimension screen  28  that provides step-by-step instructions on how to measure or identify the patient&#39;s center line  30  and provides a location or field to enter this information digitally using these instructions. In addition, screen  28  provides step-by-step instructions on how to measure the patient&#39;s vertical dimension  32  and provides a location or field to enter the vertical dimension measurement digitally using these instructions. Further, screen  28  provides step-by-step instructions on how to measure the patient&#39;s lip pull dimension  34  and provides a location to enter the dimension measurement digitally using these instructions. 
         [0040]    In some embodiments, office module  12  can interface with a three-dimensional face scanning device  38  (shown in  FIG. 6 ) that facilitates assessment of lip pull, center line, and vertical dimension and directly enters this digital data into office module  12 . 
         [0041]    In other embodiments, office module  12  can interface with a scanning device such as that shown and described in commonly owned and assigned U.S. application Ser. No. 12/307,608 filed Jul. 2, 2007, the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein, where the scanning device uses an optical source to take data representing the shape of the patient&#39;s denture template. 
         [0042]      FIGS. 5 and 6  illustrate data entry screens  22  for quantitative measurement of the patient&#39;s occlusal plane. Here, office module  12  provides the dental practitioner with an occlusal plane screen  36  that instructs the dental practitioner to use one or more measuring devices such as a panoramic or three-dimensional scanning device  38  to provide one or more images  40  of the patient&#39;s anatomy. Office module  12  uses images  36  to develop a relationship of the patient&#39;s gums to the temporomandibular joint (TMJ), which eliminate the requirement for a face bow and electronically determines the occlusal plane and relationship of the upper jaw to the TMJ. In addition, office module  12  uses images  36  to determine the occlusal plane. The term “three-dimensional scanning device” is used herein to refer to devices such as, but not limited to, panoramic X-ray machines, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines, bone scan machines, and others. 
         [0043]    As shown in  FIG. 6 , office module  12  can transfer the occlusal plane data from occlusal plane screen  36  along with other data such as, but not limited to, face bow data directly to a programmable articulator  42  for use by the dental practitioner during the digital prescription data  18  collection process. In some embodiments, programmable articulator  42  can be as described in commonly owned International Patent Application No. [Attorney Docket No. 0005583WOU]. 
         [0044]    It should be recognized that the present disclosure illustrates by way of example the manual measurement and entry into office module  12  of certain quantitative attributes (e.g., lip pull, center line, and vertical dimension) and the automatic measurement and entry into office module  12  of other quantitative attributes (e.g., occlusal plane). Of course, it is contemplated by the present disclosure for all of the quantitative attributes to be manually measured and entered, all of quantitative attributes to be automatically measured and entered, or any combinations thereof. 
         [0045]    In some embodiments, office module  12  allows the dental practitioner to assess the rate of bone resorption by a particular patient. More particularly, it has been determined that the measurement of the height and width of the upper and lower gummy ridges can be stored and compared to one another during subsequent visits to the dental practitioner. In this manner, system  10  compares dimensions of the upper and lower gummy ridges over a period of time to assess the rate of bone resorption and, if necessary, allow the dental practitioner to provide therapeutic intervention. 
         [0046]    In addition to the one or more examination screen  24  (e.g.,  FIG. 3 ) and the one or more quantitative measurement screens  28 ,  36  ( FIGS. 4-6 ) discussed above, office module  12  can also include one or more patient qualitative data screens  44  as shown in  FIG. 7 . 
         [0047]    Patient qualitative data screens  44  allow the patient to select one or more qualitative attributes of the finished denture. For example, patient qualitative data screens  44  can allow the patient to select one or more features of the finished denture such as, but not limited to, tooth size, gum size, tooth placement, tooth color or tint, gum color or tint, and other features. 
         [0048]    In some embodiments, such as that disclosed in more detail in commonly owned International Patent Application No. PCT/US09/34645, patient qualitative data screens  44  can present the patient with their own picture or image  46  such that the selection of the qualitative features (e.g., tooth size, tooth placement, tooth color or tint) is made with relation to the patient&#39;s own face. Thus, picture  46  provides the patient with realistic visual images to help with selection of the various attributes of the completed denture. 
         [0049]    Office module  12 , via patient qualitative data screens  44 , allows the patient to look at him or herself before and after the dentures having the selected qualitative features are in place. Preferably, office module  12 , via patient qualitative data screens  44 , distorts or modifies picture  46  to simulate and adjust the vertical dimension, center line, and lip pull to reflect the patient&#39;s preference. In this manner, office module  12 , via patient qualitative data screens  44 , distorts or modifies picture  46  to provide a before picture  46 - 1  and an after picture  46 - 2  to better inform the patient of the effects of the qualitative features selected via data screens  44 . 
         [0050]    Having a choice of all of these features and the ability to visualize them enables the patient to make an appropriate selection based on their personal preferences. The selected qualitative features, as well as the resultant picture  46 - 2 , is included in the digital dental prescription data  18 . Since, the patient is able to view him or herself in various configurations and selects the preferred look; the resulting denture provides a much higher satisfaction than previously possible. In summary, office module  12  allows the patient to have a virtual “try-in” of dentures having different qualitative features, which reduces the number of visits to the dental practitioner. 
         [0051]    By way of example, it is contemplated by the present disclosure for image  40  provided by scanning device  38  discussed above with respect to  FIG. 6  to be used by office module  12  as picture  46 . 
         [0052]    Accordingly and as described above, office module  12  advantageously allows for standardization of the measurements and data collection necessary for the generation of digital prescription data  18 . Office module  12  allows the dental practitioner to populate all of the fields required by digital prescription data  18 . In this manner, at the end of the visit to the dental practitioner, the digital prescription data  18  is consistently gathered for provision to the laboratory technician and ensures that consistently good quality dentures are fabricated, while reducing the time required by the dental practitioner to prepare the digital prescription data  18 . 
         [0053]    Office module  12  guides the dental practitioner through each of the steps in obtaining digital prescription data  18 . Also, for each of the steps, the office module  12  provides the list of materials and tools required by the dental practitioner. 
         [0054]    The digital prescription data  18  will include information such as, but not limited to, the name of the patient, a digital photograph of the patient, the selected smile option, the color, shape, size of teeth, the selected customization of teeth placement etc. In addition, quantitative measurements taken for many of the key variables such as intercanthus, interala, tongue size, height and width of lower and upper ridges at several points, lip pull, bite requirements, vertical dimension etc., will be included in the digital prescription data  18 . 
         [0055]    In summary, office module  12  serves the comprehensive needs of the dental practitioner via automating the process of collecting digital prescription data  18 , eliminating errors that result from paper-based prescriptions, enhance the quality of dentures and reduce complexity for the dental laboratory. 
         [0056]    Once the digital denture prescription data  18  is collected by office module  12 , system  10  communicates the data to laboratory module  14  via communication medium  16 . 
         [0057]    Laboratory module  14  guides the dental laboratory technician through each of the steps in fabricating the dentures using the digital prescription data  18  captured by the dental practitioner. For example, and referring back to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , laboratory module  14  provides the dental practitioner an interface to a plurality of interactive data screens  48  resident on system  10  and/or the office module that lead the dental practitioner through the digital prescription process. 
         [0058]    By doing this, laboratory module  14  maintains the patient record up-to-date and at any given time, for any given patient, the patient record will indicate the steps that have been completed and the next task to be conducted. Also, for each of the steps, the laboratory module  14  provides the list of materials and tools required. 
         [0059]    As discussed briefly above with respect to  FIGS. 5 and 6 , office module  12  can transfer the occlusal plane data from occlusal plane screen  36  directly to a programmable articulator  42  for use by the dental practitioner during the digital prescription data  18  collection. In addition or in the alternate, system  10  can transfer the data  18  to laboratory module  14 , which is in communication with a programmable articulator  50  for use by the dental laboratory technician as shown in  FIG. 8 . 
         [0060]    In addition, programmable articulator  50  can assist the laboratory technician in determining teeth placement in accordance with Wilson and Spee curves, bite registration, and the aesthetic blue print from the digital prescription data  18 . In some embodiments, programmable articulators  42  and  50  can be as described in commonly owned International Patent Application No. [Attorney Docket No. 0005583WOU]. 
         [0061]    Referring now to  FIGS. 9 and 10 , laboratory module  14  can use digital prescription data  18  to select a pre-fabricated, dental arch-shaped mold  52  containing one or more artificial teeth attached thereto. 
         [0062]    In some embodiments, laboratory module  14  uses digital prescription data  18  to select a particular pre-fabricated, dental arch-shaped mold  52  from a plurality of molds  54 , where the selected mold  52  best approximates the aesthetic and other attributes present in the digital prescription data. Here, the plurality of molds  54  each include artificial teeth that are attached to the mold in various standardized configurations so that laboratory module  14  can select the best fit for the desired denture. 
         [0063]    In a different embodiment, the teeth are placed individually on the mold  52  using automated manufacturing methods, including, but not limited to, using a robotic arm  56  ( FIG. 2 ). Here, laboratory module  14  uses data  18  to set the teeth in the mold based on the size and shape of the dental arch and the desired size, style and color of teeth to be placed. 
         [0064]    Once the dental arch-shaped mold  52  is selected and/or robotically formed, the mold is shaped into a desired position using one or more layers  58  of wax or flexible and water-soluble material, including, but not limited to polyethylene glycol. 
         [0065]    In some embodiments, the dental arch-shaped mold  52 , including the preformed version and the robotically assembled version discussed above, is made of a wax, light cure polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), or flexible and water soluble material, including, but not limited to polyethylene glycol. 
         [0066]    Once the dental arch-shaped mold  52  is shaped using layers  58 , the mold is then bonded to a base plate  60  with the assistance of heat and wax. In one embodiment, a small layer of wax is melted with a hot spatula and adhered to the base plate and, while this wax layer is still in molten form, the wax tooth carrier  52  is placed on the denture base plate  60  and pressed to bond to a molten wax layer already on the base plate. Once the dental arch-shaped mold  52  is in place on base plate  60 , the laboratory technician is able to check occlusion of teeth and make any necessary adjustments to the relative position of the teeth using articulator  50 . The laboratory technician can also verify and make sure that the teeth are following the Wilson and Spree curves, which specify the angles of teeth from side to side and front to back. The resultant wax denture  62 , upon approval by the patient and dentist, is then processed to obtain the final denture using a known lost wax technique. 
         [0067]    Referring again to  FIG. 2 , laboratory module  14  can include one or more automated manufacturing devices. For example, laboratory module  14  can include robotic arm  56  such as, but not limited to, those manufactured by Denso Robotics, Fanuc, Mitsubhishi, and others. Laboratory module  14  can divide the fabrication process of dentures into many unit operations to simplify and automate the process. Each unit operation of laboratory module  14  is designed into a robotic cell with robotic arm  56  moving the denture in process among the unit operations. 
         [0068]    In summary, system  10  serves the comprehensive needs of both the dental practitioner and the laboratory practitioner and provides multiple benefits such as an examination tool, denture fabrication guide that takes the dental practitioner through each of the steps and a database that captures all pertinent data. 
         [0069]    In another embodiment, system  10  can also provide all of the financial analysis and accounting tools required for analyzing the effectiveness of denture practice and automate the receipt and payment of invoices. 
         [0070]    It should also be noted that the terms “first”, “second”, “third”, “upper”, “lower”, and the like may be used herein to modify various elements. These modifiers do not imply a spatial, sequential, or hierarchical order to the modified elements unless specifically stated. 
         [0071]    While the present disclosure has been described with reference to one or more exemplary embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the disclosure without departing from the scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the present disclosure not be limited to the particular embodiment(s) disclosed as the best mode contemplated, but that the disclosure will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.