DentalPause

🦷 A smart break tracker app for orthodontic patients using AI-powered advice

What is DentalPause?

DentalPause is a web application designed to help orthodontic patients manage their daily breaks and track progress with their aligners or braces. The app provides personalized AI-powered advice using Google's Gemini API and integrates with MongoDB for secure data storage.

Key Features:

• 📊 Track dental pause sessions (automatic or manual logging)
• 🤖 AI-powered daily advice based on your progress
• 🔐 Secure authentication with JWT tokens
• ⚙️ Customizable settings (patient name, gender, aligner details)
• 📈 Progress tracking by aligner stage
• 🔔 Optional app reminders

Run Locally

Prerequisites: Node.js

1. Install dependencies: npm install
2. Set the GEMINI_API_KEY in .env.local to your Gemini API key
3. Run the app: npm run dev

Backend (Express + MongoDB Atlas)

1. Copy .env.example to .env and set:
   • MONGODB_URI for your MongoDB Atlas cluster
   • JWT_SECRET for signing auth tokens
   • Optional: PORT (defaults to 5000) and CLIENT_ORIGIN (allowed frontend origin)
   • Optional frontend helpers: VITE_API_BASE_URL (defaults to http://localhost:5000/api) and VITE_GEMINI_API_KEY fallback if you don't want the key in settings
2. Start the API server: npm run server
3. Available endpoints (all prefixed with /api):
   • POST /auth/register – body { email, password }
   • POST /auth/login – body { email, password }
   • GET /settings – requires Authorization: Bearer <token>
   • PUT /settings – body { geminiApiKey?: string, aiAdviceEnabled?: boolean } with the same Authorization header
   • GET /sessions – returns sessions of the logged-in user
   • POST /sessions/start – starts an active break
   • POST /sessions/stop – ends an active break
   • POST /sessions/manual – adds a manual entry { startTime, endTime }
   • GET /advice/today – returns Gemini advice based on today's sessions (requires API key)

Frontend Connection to Backend

• Login/registration is performed via the API; JWT is stored in localStorage.
• In settings, you can enter your Gemini API key, name, and gender, and enable/disable AI advice (saved in MongoDB for your account).
• If you prefer to use a global key instead of settings, set VITE_GEMINI_API_KEY in .env.local; the backend also has a fallback to GEMINI_API_KEY.
• Additionally, you can set the start date of aligner wear, number of brackets for upper/lower arch, change day/time, enable in-app reminders, and track progress by arch in History.
• AI advice also uses bracket progress (percentages by arch) for more personalized responses.