US-20260124026-A1 - SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PROVIDING ORAL DEVICES USING AT-HOME DENTAL IMPRESSION KITS

US20260124026A1US 20260124026 A1US20260124026 A1US 20260124026A1US-20260124026-A1

Abstract

Systems and methods for providing oral devices using at-home dental impression kits are disclosed herein. An example method includes scheduling an at-home dental impression kit to be sent to a user that includes at least (i) one or more dental trays and (ii) one or more sets of dental putty that are configured to capture the gingiva of the user without distorting the gum lines of the user. The example method further includes scanning a first impression that is representative of the user’s upper jaw, and a second impression that is representative of the user’s lower jaw. The example method further includes generating a digital rendering of an oral device, and uploading the digital rendering to an application for viewing by the user. The example method further includes fabricating the oral device based upon digital rendering, and scheduling the oral device to be sent to the user.

Inventors

Justin Spencer Marks
Clayton Adams Teufel
Mark Teufel

Assignees

Reset Technology Corporation

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20251219

Claims (20)

1 . A system for generating oral device renderings, the system comprising: one or more processors; and one or more non-transitory memories, wherein the one or more non-transitory memories store computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to: receive (i) a first scan file of a first impression that is representative of an upper jaw of a user and (ii) a second scan file of a second impression that is representative of a lower jaw of the user, generate a device digital rendering of an oral device based upon the first scan file and the second scan file, at least in part by: determining (i) a gingiva loss value or (ii) a socket dimension estimate corresponding to one or more digitally removed teeth from the first scan file or the second scan file, and determining, based on the gingiva loss value or the socket dimension estimate, a dimension of (i) a fabricated gingiva or (ii) a fabricated tooth to be included in the oral device that replace a gingiva of the user or a tooth of the user, display the device digital rendering on a display screen, and generate a control instruction including instructions to fabricate the oral device based upon the device digital rendering.
2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein: the first impression includes impressions representative of teeth of the upper jaw of the user, oral arches of the upper jaw of the user, and gingiva of the upper jaw of the user, the second impression includes impressions representative of teeth of the lower jaw of the user, oral arches of the lower jaw of the user, and gingiva of the lower jaw of the user, and a first set of dental putty configured to capture the first impression and a second set of dental putty configured to capture the second impression are further configured to capture the gingiva of the user without distorting gum lines of the user.
3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the oral device is a partial denture configured to replace one or more missing teeth of the user.
4 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising a scanner, and wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the system to: transmit a second control instruction to the scanner to cause the scanner to generate a third scan file of a third impression representative of a bite registration of the upper jaw of the user relative to the lower jaw of the user, receive, from the scanner, the third scan file, and generate the device digital rendering further based on the third scan file.
5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the system to: receive, from the user, an image of teeth of the user and a tooth shade guide, compare the teeth of the user featured in the image to the tooth shade guide, determine a tooth shade of the teeth of the user based on the comparison, and generate the control instruction to cause a fabrication device to fabricate the oral device such that any teeth included as part of the oral device are the tooth shade.
6 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising an application, wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the system to: determine a projected fit of the oral device based on at least one of: (i) the device digital rendering, (ii) the first scan file, (iii) the second scan file, (iv) the first impression, or (v) the second impression, display, via the application, at least one of: (i)-(v) on the display screen, including the projected fit of the oral device, receive, from the user via the application, either an approval or a denial corresponding to the oral device, responsive to receiving the approval from the user, transmit the control instruction to a fabrication device to fabricate the oral device, and schedule the oral device to be sent to the user.
7 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the system to: receive, from the user, responses to a pre-screening survey, determine whether the user is a candidate for treatment, and responsive to determining that the user is a candidate for treatment, scheduling an at-home dental impression kit to be sent to the user.
8 . The system of claim 7 , further comprising the at-home dental impression kit that includes a website link or a code configured to be scanned by a mobile device that provides video instructions to assist the user in taking the first impression and the second impression, and wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the system to: responsive to determining that the user is a candidate for treatment, scheduling the user for a real-time consultation with a dentist.
9 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising: a fabrication device configured to: receive the control instruction, and fabricate the oral device in accordance with the control instruction.
10 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising a finishing device, and wherein the computer-readable instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the system to: determine that a dimension of a portion of the oral device exceeds a deviation threshold relative to a corresponding dimension of the portion of the oral device specified within the device digital rendering; and generate a second control instruction configured to cause the finishing device to finish the portion of the oral device such that the portion is within the deviation threshold after finishing, wherein the finishing device is configured to finish the portion of the oral device in accordance with the second control instruction.
11 . A method for providing oral devices, the method comprising: receiving (i) a first scan file of a first impression that is representative of an upper jaw of a user and (ii) a second scan file of a second impression that is representative of a lower jaw of the user; generating, by one or more processors, a device digital rendering of an oral device based upon the first scan file and the second scan file at least in part by: determining, by one or more processors, (i) a gingiva loss value or (ii) a socket dimension estimate corresponding to one or more digitally removed teeth from the first scan file or the second scan file, and determining, by the one or more processors based on the gingiva loss value and the socket dimension estimate, a dimension of (i) a fabricated gingiva or (ii) a fabricated tooth to be included in the oral device that replace a gingiva of the user and a tooth of the user; displaying, by the one or more processors, the device digital rendering on a display screen; and generating, by the one or more processors, a control instruction including instructions to fabricate the oral device based upon the device digital rendering.
12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein: the first impression includes impressions representative of teeth of the upper jaw of the user, oral arches of the upper jaw of the user, and gingiva of the upper jaw of the user, and the first impression is captured by a first set of dental putty configured to capture the gingiva of the upper jaw of the user without distorting gum lines of the user, and the second impression includes impressions representative of teeth of the lower jaw of the user, oral arches of the lower jaw of the user, and gingiva of the lower jaw of the user, and the second impression is captured by a second set of dental putty configured to capture the gingiva of the lower jaw of the user without distorting gum lines of the user.
13 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the method further comprises: transmitting, by the one or more processors, a second control instruction to a scanner to cause the scanner to generate a third scan file of a third impression representative of a bite registration of the upper jaw of the user relative to the lower jaw of the user; receiving, from the scanner, the third scan file; and generating, by the one or more processors, the device digital rendering further based on the third scan file.
14 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the method further comprises: receiving, from the user, an image of teeth of the user and a tooth shade guide; comparing, by the one or more processors, the teeth of the user featured in the image to the tooth shade guide; determining, by the one or more processors, a tooth shade of the teeth of the user based on the comparison; and generating, by the one or more processors, the control instruction to cause a fabrication device to fabricate the oral device such that any teeth included as part of the oral device are the tooth shade.
15 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising: determining, by the one or more processors, a projected fit of the oral device based on at least one of: (i) the device digital rendering, (ii) the first scan file, (iii) the second scan file, (iv) the first impression, or (v) the second impression; displaying, via an application, at least one of (i)-(v) on the display screen, including the projected fit of the oral device; receiving, from the user via the application, either an approval or a denial corresponding to the oral device; responsive to receiving the approval from the user, transmitting, by the one or more processors, the control instruction to cause a fabrication device to fabricate the oral device; scheduling, by the one or more processors, the oral device to be sent to the user; automatically transmitting, by the one or more processors, the device digital rendering to a dentist; scheduling, by the one or more processors, a rendering review session with the user and the dentist to allow the user and the dentist to substantially simultaneously review the device digital rendering in real-time; and receiving, from the user via the application, either the approval or the denial during the rendering review session.
16 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising: receiving, from the user, responses to a pre-screening survey; determining, by the one or more processors, whether the user is a candidate for treatment; and responsive to determining that the user is a candidate for treatment, scheduling, by the one or more processors, an at-home dental impression kit to be sent to the user.
17 . The method of claim 16 , further comprising: responsive to determining that the user is a candidate for treatment, scheduling, by the one or more processors, the user for a real-time consultation with a dentist.
18 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising: scheduling, by the one or more processors, an at-home dental impression kit to be sent to the user, wherein the at-home dental impression kit includes a website link or a code configured to be scanned by a mobile device that provides video instructions to assist the user in taking the first impression and the second impression.
19 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising: fabricating, by a fabrication device, the oral device in accordance with the control instruction.
20 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising: determining, by the one or more processors, that a dimension of a portion of the oral device exceeds a deviation threshold relative to a corresponding dimension of the portion of the oral device specified within the device digital rendering; and generating, by the one or more processors, a second control instruction configured to cause a finishing device to finish the portion of the oral device such that the portion is within the deviation threshold after finishing, wherein the finishing device is configured to finish the portion of the oral device in accordance with the second control instruction.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is related to U.S. Patent Application No. 19/401,897, filed November 26, 2025, and entitled “SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PROVIDING ORAL DEVICES USING AT-HOME DENTAL IMPRESSION KITS,” both of which are continuations of U.S. Patent Application No. 17/847,153, filed June 22, 2022, and entitled “SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PROVIDING ORAL DEVICES USING AT-HOME DENTAL IMPRESSION KITS,” which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/213,509, filed June 22, 2021, and entitled “SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PROVIDING ORAL DEVICES USING AT-HOME DENTAL IMPRESSION KITS”, the entirety of which are incorporated herein by reference. BACKGROUND It is estimated that over 178 million Americans, approximately 50% of the adult population, are missing one or more teeth and require tooth replacement. These individuals may require full dentures to replace all teeth via a single removable prosthetic, partial dentures to replace one or several teeth via one or more removable or non-removable prosthetics, or dental implant(s) via an invasive surgical procedure that replaces one or more teeth via a non-removable prosthetic anchored into the individual’s jawbone. However, only one million or so Americans receive tooth replacements each year. The remainder generally lack access to dental services due primarily to prohibitively high costs (up to $6,000 per tooth for dental implants), fear of invasive surgical procedures, fear of going to a dentist, and/or lack of dental care within a reasonable commuting distance. While partial dentures offer a promising form of tooth replacement, conventional partial dentures generally require 4 to 5 dentist visits, significant adjustments, and a substantial amount of time at the dentist office to fit the prosthetic properly and comfortably. Typically, conventional partials require, at a minimum, a first dental office visit to take a dental impression or digital scan that gathers the oral aspects of the recipient’s mouth, and a second dental office visit to fit the partial into the recipient’s mouth to avoid damaging the surrounding teeth with an ill-fitted partial. Unfortunately, 2 to 3 additional dental office visits are normally required for adjustments, which can significantly increase the time and costs associated with a partial denture. Moreover, conventional at-home dental impression kits fail to adequately capture the necessary impressions of a patient’s mouth in order to fabricate a suitable partial denture. For example, conventional at-home dental impression kits normally fail to account for a patient’s gingiva and a patient’s total bite registration when fabricating oral devices. As a result, oral devices fabricated using conventional oral device fabrication techniques with at-home dental impression kits either cause the patient discomfort because the oral device painfully contacts the patient’s gum line, and/or the oral device negatively impacts the patient’s bite due to uneven contact with the opposing jaw. Consequently, conventional techniques generally fail to provide patients with oral devices that are quickly delivered, accurately fabricated, and affordable. This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. Generally, as previously mentioned, technology is allowing direct-to-consumer delivery of dental-related products and services to further reduce/eliminate in-office contact and cost. Specifically, the systems and methods for providing oral devices using at-home dental impression kits described herein allow consumers to independently submit dental impressions, which may be used to automatically fabricate oral devices that require little or no adjustment and can be inserted by the recipient to eliminate the need for a dental office visit. Through the systems and methods described herein, a patient may capture dental data (e.g., dental impressions) remotely, and may receive dentist approval and supervisory services remotely via the Internet or telephonically. Further, the systems and methods of the present disclosure may remotely manufacture (via 3D printing and finishing) a flexible and removable oral device (also referenced herein as a “prosthetic” a “partial denture” or a “denture”) that requires little or no user adjustment to replace one or several missing teeth, and may deliver the oral device directly to a patient. As a result of these systems and methods, the patient may insert the oral device themselves, thus eliminating the need to visit a dental office and significantly reducing the time and cost of tooth replacement. As such, the systems and methods disclosed herein provide a unique solution to the problems previously described (and other