Patent ID: 8417366

Claim:
A method of designing shape of a compensating orthodontic arch-wire during orthodontic treatment of a patient based upon progress observed during monitoring of the treatment, utilizing a workstation, comprising the steps of: a. retrieving a three-dimensional digital model of target positions of teeth of said orthodontic patient in said workstation; b. retrieving a three-dimensional digital model of initial design of archwire with customized shape to move said patient's teeth from malocclusion to said target positions in said workstation; wherein a real archwire is designed in accordance with said initial design and inserted into slots of brackets bonded to said patient's teeth to begin said orthodontic treatment; c. obtaining a three-dimensional digital progress model of current positions of said teeth of said orthodontic patient during said orthodontic treatment and storing it in said workstation; wherein said three-dimensional digital progress model is obtained when said real archwire loses said customized shape and is at or near equilibrium; d. computing differences in 3 translational degrees of freedom and 3 rotational degrees of freedom between said target positions of teeth and said current positions of teeth in said progress model using instructions in said workstation; and e. designing shape of said compensating orthodontic arch-wire based upon adding said differences to said initial design of said archwire using instructions in said workstation.