US 12,144,701 B2
Tooth segmentation based on anatomical edge information
Chao Shi, Morrisville, NC (US); Yingjie Li, Cary, NC (US); Vladislav Andreevich Miryaha, Engels (RU); Boris Aleksandrovich Vysokanov, Moscow (RU); and Andrey Bushev, Morrisville, NC (US)
Assigned to Align Technology, Inc., San Jose, CA (US)
Filed by Align Technology, Inc., San Jose, CA (US)
Filed on Aug. 8, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/446,445.
Application 18/446,445 is a continuation of application No. 17/334,599, filed on May 28, 2021, granted, now 11,759,291.
Application 17/334,599 is a continuation of application No. 16/418,879, filed on May 21, 2019, granted, now 11,020,206, issued on Jun. 1, 2021.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/674,964, filed on May 22, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2024/0033043 A1, Feb. 1, 2024
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. A61C 7/00 (2006.01); A61C 9/00 (2006.01); A61C 13/00 (2006.01)
CPC A61C 7/002 (2013.01) [A61C 9/0046 (2013.01); A61C 2007/004 (2013.01); A61C 13/0004 (2013.01)] 21 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method, the method comprising:
receiving a 2D representation of a face comprising teeth, wherein the 2D representation shows at least a portion of the teeth and at least a portion of a lip and at least a portion of gingiva;
detecting a plurality of anatomical edges in the 2D representation separating the teeth, lip, and gingiva from one another;
generating, from the plurality of anatomical edges, a soft tissue line separating the at least a portion of lip from the at least a portion of gingiva;
generating, from the plurality of anatomical edges, a tooth line defining one or more visible edges of the teeth;
forming a segmented tooth model from the 2D representation based on the soft tissue line and the tooth line;
simulating a treatment using the segmented tooth model to generate a simulated treatment outcome; and
outputting a simulated image of the face modified based on the simulated treatment outcome.