METHODS FOR ORTHODONTIC TREATMENT PLANNING AND APPLIANCE FABRICATION

A method for orthodontic treatment planning with aligners. The method includes determining an initial virtual pathway for each model tooth, calculating a space between adjacent pairs of model teeth at each stage, defining a minimum space between adjacent pairs of model teeth, and when a calculated space is less than the minimum space, creating a key-frame row in which each tooth position/orientation in the stage is a key frame. While a calculated space is less than the minimum space, iterating for each model tooth at the key-frame row, varying a position and/or orientation of the model tooth, and calculating a space between adjacent pairs of model teeth at each stage with the varied position and/or orientation of each model tooth at the key-frame row. A plurality of stages defines an orthodontic treatment plan. Each stage corresponds to an aligner for orthodontic treatment of a patient.