Patent ID: 7717708

Claim:
A method for orthodontic treatment planning of a patient with a workstation comprising a computing platform having a graphical user interface, a processor and a computer storage medium containing digitized records pertaining to a patient, said digitized records including image data, and a set of software instructions providing graphical user interface tools for access to said digitized records, the method comprising the steps of: a) developing a treatment strategy for the patient; b) using the graphical user interface to define a midline and an aesthetic occlusal plane in a two-or three-dimensional image of the patient and providing the user with the ability to move the midline and aesthetic occlusal plane; c) using the graphical user interface to define an occlusal plane on a two or three-dimensional image of the patient; d) using the graphical user interface to select a reference tooth; wherein said reference tooth is a tooth that is to be moved not at all; e) using the workstation to align two dimensional image data of the patient with a three-dimensional virtual model of teeth of the patient; and f) using the graphical user interface to i) design a desired arch form and evaluate and manage space in the arch form, and ii) move virtual teeth selectively in a three-dimensional model of the patient from an initial orientation relative to the desired archform so as to arrive at a proposed tooth arrangement for treatment of the patient.