Patent ID: 7291011

Claim:
A method comprising: automatically determining positions of orthodontic objects along an archwire within a three-dimensional (3D) environment based on a proposed orthodontic prescription, wherein each of the orthodontic objects represents a tooth of patient's dental arch, and wherein the positions are determined such that the orthodontic objects do not intersect, wherein automatically determining positions of the orthodontic objects comprises: placing a first tooth within the 3D environment; and placing a second tooth within the 3D environment such that the second tooth is positioned within a desired tolerance of the first tooth, wherein placing the second tooth comprises: determining whether the first tooth and the second tooth intersect within the 3D environment; moving the second tooth in a mesial direction when the first tooth and the second tooth do not intersect; and moving the second tooth in a distal direction when the first tooth and the second tooth intersect; and displaying a digital representation of the orthodontic objects at the determined positions.