Patent ID: 7393208

Claim:
A method for facilitating the correct placement of one or more brackets on corresponding one or more teeth according to a predetermined treatment scheme, the method comprising: obtaining a virtual representation of a three-dimensional teeth arrangement of one or both jaws of the individual with brackets placed on said teeth, the position and orientation of the brackets on said teeth in the virtual representation, being designed so as to achieve a desired treatment outcome; processing said virtual representation to generate an output data, the output data driving a display to display a virtual image of at least one tooth with a bracket thereon, the displayed image having three-dimensional qualities indicative of said at least one tooth as viewed from a defined viewpoint, wherein said three dimensional representation is suitably coded so that said displayed image appears as a three dimensional virtual image when said displayed image is viewed via a suitable optical arrangement; and while placing said one or more brackets directly on corresponding said one or more teeth of said individual, using said displayed virtual image as a visual comparison guide to assist in proper positioning of said one or more brackets directly on corresponding said one or more teeth of said individual, wherein said three dimensional representation is color-coded, and said optical arrangement comprises suitably colored lenses.