Disclosed is a method, user interface and system for detecting and monitoring development of a dental condition. In particular the invention relates to detecting and monitoring such a development by comparing digital 3D representations of the patient's set of teeth recorded at a first and a second point in time.

A body-attachable detection device includes a light-emitting unit; a photoelectric conversion unit; a control unit; and an attachment portion, wherein the attachment portion is provided to attach the light-emitting unit, the photoelectric conversion unit, and the control unit to a living body, the light-emitting unit is configured to project light onto a target part from which movements of the living body are to be detected, the photoelectric conversion unit is configured to receive light reflected by the target part and to generate photocurrent, and the control unit is configured to adjust, in accordance with the photocurrent generated in the photoelectric conversion unit, an amount of light to be projected onto the target part and to detect movements of the target part in accordance with changes in photocurrent that occur in the photoelectric conversion unit after the amount of light is adjusted.

An orthodontic system and method for aligning at least one tooth of an upper jaw or a lower jaw of a patient. In the system and method at least one orthodontic appliance can be provided which may include at least one force exerting member for applying a force to move the at least one tooth, a tooth movement sensor for obtaining tooth movement data, and a tooth movement monitor for calculating at least one of the distance the at least one tooth has moved and a current position of the at least one tooth from the tooth movement data. An electronic control console may be operatively connected to the force exerting member and in data communication with the tooth movement monitor, for controlling the operation of the force exerting member using the at least one of the distance the at least one tooth has moved and the current position of the at least one tooth.

An orthodontic system and method for moving and aligning at least one tooth of a set of teeth of at least one of an upper jaw and a lower jaw of a patient. In the system and method an orthodontic appliance can be provided which may include a force exerting member for applying a force to and moving the at least one tooth, a tooth movement sensor member for obtaining at least one of tooth movement data, tooth position data, and tooth identification data, and a tooth movement monitor for calculating at least one of an amount of tooth movement and tooth position from the at least one of the tooth movement data, the tooth position data, and the tooth identification data obtained with the tooth movement sensor arrangement. An electronic control console may be operatively connected to the force exerting member and in data communication with the tooth movement monitor, for controlling the operation of the force exerting member based on the at least one of the tooth movement data, the tooth position data, and the tooth identification data received from the tooth movement monitor.

A method for monitoring the position of the teeth of a patient includes the following steps: a) modeling a target position of the teeth in the form of a target model; b) after a time interval, modeling an updated position of the teeth in the form of an updated model; c) comparing the target and updated models.

A motion adjustment prediction system is described. A scan of a dentition is performed to generate a digital dental model from which a position and orientation of each tooth in the upper and lower dental arches of the dentition is determined with respect to each other tooth. A dentition motion assessment is performed to capture motion data representing a movement of the dental arches relative to each other. A dental treatment plan with dentition adjustment is determined based on the scan and the dentition motion assessment. The dentition adjustment can include a restoration preparation, such as a crown or a bridge, or can include an orthodontic alignment. A motion adjustment is predicted based on the dentition adjustment, and the dental treatment plan is modified based on the predicted motion adjustment.

Methods and apparatuses for monitoring either or both the performance of an orthodontic appliance for repositioning a patient's teeth and/or the user compliance in wearing the appliance using a biosensor. The apparatuses described herein may include one or more sensors, including biosensors, electrical sensors, or both, configured to generate sensor data related to user compliance and/or repositioning of the patient's teeth by an orthodontic appliance.

According to the techniques herein, one or more sensors coupled to an aligner are used to sense one or more physical qualities of the aligner to determine whether the physical qualities indicate that the aligner material has relaxed and has, e.g., reduced the force systems applied to teeth and/or that the teeth movement for the stage has slowed down. The sensors may provide a signal that represents whether or not the physical qualities fall below a threshold value. A treatment plan may be modified if needed. These techniques have the potential to make treatment plans faster and more effective by speeding up some stages while making sure some, perhaps other, stages are implemented only after the teeth are near the appropriate position.

Methods and apparatuses for monitoring either or both the performance of an orthodontic appliance for repositioning a patient's teeth and/or the user compliance in wearing the appliance using a biosensor. The apparatuses described herein may include one or more sensors, including biosensors, electrical sensors, or both, configured to generate sensor data related to user compliance and/or repositioning of the patient's teeth by an orthodontic appliance.

An example method for detecting stability of a medical implant is provided. The method includes (a) applying a force to the medical implant with a probe, (b) based on the applied force, determining a response signal associated with a vibration of the medical implant, (c) comparing the determined response signal with a computer model of the medical implant, and (d) based on the comparison, determining an angular stiffness coefficient of the medical implant, wherein the angular stiffness coefficient indicates a stability of the medical implant.