CN106137416B - Combined tooth correcting system and manufacturing method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present application provides a combined dental appliance system, comprising: a first dental appliance and a second dental appliance, wherein the first dental appliance includes a first shell for receiving and positioning teeth and the second dental appliance includes a second shell for receiving and positioning teeth, characterized in that the first shell and the second shell have different geometries and elasticities. By applying the combined tooth correcting system, the individual requirements of different correcting stages and different types of malocclusion cases can be met, the tooth moving efficiency and the tooth moving controllability are improved, and the correcting comfort and the correcting effect are improved.

Description

Combined tooth correcting system and manufacturing method thereof

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of dental medical devices, and more particularly, to a combined invisible tooth correction system and a method of manufacturing the same.

Background

The traditional tooth correction technology generally adopts iron sheets and steel wires to move teeth, so as to achieve the purpose of correcting malocclusion. However, such iron pieces and steel wires are too many and conspicuous, which greatly affects the beauty and may cause oral cavity damage such as gum inflammation, tooth demineralization, discoloration, and the like.

On the basis, an invisible tooth correcting system is produced, and the system adopts an invisible tooth correcting device made of elastic transparent high polymer materials to realize the movement of teeth. The whole correcting process hardly influences daily life and social contact. Meanwhile, the patient can take off and wear the oral cavity by himself, so that the daily oral cavity health maintenance is facilitated, and the whole correction process is more convenient. The invisible dental appliance is a series of polymer shells with cavities capable of accommodating teeth, and the patient only needs to wear different invisible dental appliances at different periods according to a design program, so that the teeth of the upper jaw or the lower jaw can move according to a preset design, and finally the teeth are aligned. Generally, the entire orthodontic procedure requires at least 4 successive steps, sometimes at least 20 steps, and possibly 40 or more steps for complex cases. The time for use of a one-step dental appliance is typically approximately two weeks.

According to a conventional method for manufacturing a concealed appliance, as shown in fig. 1, first, a patient's teeth is scanned to obtain a basic tooth state. And then generating a series of tooth digital data models representing a series of tooth correcting states of all correcting steps through virtual correcting design according to the basic tooth state of the patient. Based on the tooth digital data model, a series of tooth models representing a series of tooth correcting states are manufactured according to a rapid forming method or a numerical control machine tool method, and then each tooth model is used as a male mold to manufacture a corresponding pair or a group of tooth correcting devices. Of course, one or more pairs of tooth appliances corresponding to a series of tooth correction states can be directly manufactured by a rapid prototyping method or a numerical control machine method. According to the prior art, the materials and the technological process of a series of tooth correcting devices corresponding to a series of tooth correcting states are basically the same, so that the individualized requirements of correcting different stages and different types of malocclusion and the like are difficult to meet, and the problems of poor comfort degree, poor tooth moving efficiency, poor tooth moving controllability and the like in the correcting process exist.

Disclosure of Invention

Correspondingly, the application provides a combined tooth correcting system and a manufacturing method thereof, which can meet the individual requirements of teeth correcting different stages, different malocclusion types, different malocclusion tissue health conditions and different pain sensitivity cases under the condition of not increasing or even reducing the number of manufactured tooth correcting devices, shorten the correcting period, save materials, and improve the correcting comfort level and the correcting effect.

Accordingly, according to one aspect of the present application, there is provided a combined dental appliance system comprising: a first dental appliance and a second dental appliance, wherein the first dental appliance includes a first shell for receiving and positioning teeth and the second dental appliance includes a second shell for receiving and positioning teeth, characterized in that the first shell and the second shell have different geometries and elasticities.

In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, the combined dental appliance system of the present invention further includes a third dental appliance including a third shell for receiving and positioning teeth, the first shell, the second shell, and the third shell all having different geometries but the first shell and the third shell having the same elasticity.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the shell elasticity of different teeth or different parts of the same tooth position of at least one of the first dental appliance and the second dental appliance is different.

And the geometry of the first shell and the second shell is different as determined by the first dental appliance and the second dental appliance applied to different orthodontic steps.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the elasticity of the first housing is greater than the elasticity of the second housing. Preferably, the first appliance is adapted to be worn on the patient's teeth during an initial stage of correction and the second appliance is adapted to be worn on the patient's teeth during a later stage of correction.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the elasticity of the first housing is different from that of the second housing due to at least one of a difference in thickness of the first housing and the second housing, a difference in elastic modulus of a material, a difference in post-processing method, and a difference in attachment arrangement.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the thickness of the first housing is smaller than the thickness of the second housing.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the material of the first housing has a lower modulus of elasticity than the material of the second housing.

According to a further embodiment of the invention, the method of post-treatment of the first and second housings is different, so that the elasticity of the first housing is greater than the elasticity of the second housing.

According to a further embodiment of the invention, the attachments on the first and second housings are arranged differently, so that the elasticity of the first housing is greater than the elasticity of the second housing.

And, the elasticity of the first and second housings may be determined based on one or more of the following personalization factors: the health of the accommodated teeth, the type of malocclusion, the oral health of the patient, age, gender, and pain sensitivity.

According to yet another aspect of the present application, there is provided a method for manufacturing a combined dental appliance system, comprising the steps of: a) acquiring a first tooth digital data model representing the tooth correcting state of the first correcting stage and a second tooth digital data model representing the tooth correcting state of the second correcting stage; b) manufacturing male molds of the corresponding first dental appliance and the second dental appliance according to the first dental digital data model and the second dental digital data model; and c) manufacturing a first dental appliance and a second dental appliance respectively based on the male mold of the first dental appliance and the male mold of the second dental appliance, wherein the first dental appliance comprises a first shell for accommodating and positioning teeth, and the second dental appliance comprises a second shell for accommodating and positioning teeth, characterized in that the first shell and the second shell have different geometries and elasticity.

According to yet another aspect of the present application, there is also provided a method for manufacturing a combined dental appliance system, comprising the steps of: a) acquiring a first tooth digital data model representing the tooth correcting state of the first correcting stage and a second tooth digital data model representing the tooth correcting state of the second correcting stage; b) and manufacturing a corresponding first dental appliance and a corresponding second dental appliance by a rapid prototyping method according to the first dental digital data model and the second dental digital data model, wherein the first dental appliance comprises a first shell for accommodating and positioning teeth, and the second dental appliance comprises a second shell for accommodating and positioning teeth, and the first shell and the second shell have different geometric shapes and elasticity.

By the combined tooth correcting system and the manufacturing method thereof, different tooth correcting forces and different tooth moving modes can be provided on the premise of not increasing the number of the tooth correcting devices, various manpower, materials and time costs are saved, so that the correcting period is shortened, and the correcting effect is improved.

Moreover, according to the difference of the health condition of teeth, the type of malocclusion, the oral health condition of patients, the age, the sex and the pain sensitivity, the combined tooth correction system and the manufacturing method thereof can also provide an individualized tooth correction form, greatly improve the comfort degree of the correction process, lighten the negative effect brought by tooth correction and improve the correction efficiency.

Drawings

The above and other features of the present application will be further explained by the following detailed description thereof taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is appreciated that these drawings depict only several exemplary embodiments in accordance with the disclosure and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope. The drawings are not necessarily to scale and wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts, unless otherwise specified.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a method for manufacturing a dental appliance according to the background art;

FIG. 2 illustrates a flow chart of a method for manufacturing the combined dental appliance system according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates a flow chart of a method for manufacturing the combined dental appliance system according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates a schematic view of a combined dental appliance system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification. The exemplary embodiments mentioned in the description and the drawings are only for illustrative purposes and are not intended to limit the scope of the present application. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that many other embodiments may be employed and that various changes may be made to the described embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. It will be understood that the aspects of the present application, as described and illustrated herein, may be arranged, substituted, combined, separated, and designed in a wide variety of different configurations, all of which are encompassed by the present application.

Method for manufacturing orthodontic appliance requiring male die

FIG. 2 illustrates a method for manufacturing a combined dental appliance system according to one embodiment of the present invention. Since in general, a combined dental appliance system is often composed of a series of dental appliances representing a series of orthodontic states, the first dental appliance and the second dental appliance corresponding to the orthodontic states of the first dental appliance and the second dental appliance are generally included in the series of dental appliances. Fig. 2 illustrates a combined dental appliance system comprising a series of dental appliances representing a series of dental appliances including a first dental appliance and a second dental appliance, according to an embodiment of the present invention. The combined dental appliance system of the present invention is not limited to being comprised of a series of dental appliances representing a series of dental appliances.

First, in step S101, a series of digital dental data models representing a series of dental correction states including a first digital dental data model and a second digital dental data model corresponding to the dental correction states of a first correction stage and a second correction stage are acquired. Here, the "series of digital data models of teeth representing a series of orthodontic states" means a computer digital data model for guiding the manufacture of a tooth model, which is a three-dimensional model of tooth states (which may also be referred to as tooth arrangement). The orthodontic state comprises a series of corrected tooth states, and each tooth state corresponds to one tooth digital data model. Each dental state includes the geometric shape of several teeth and the positional relationship between the teeth corresponding to one orthodontic step, and thus each corresponding dental digital data model includes a digital data set representing the geometric shape of several teeth and the positional relationship between the teeth.

In an exemplary embodiment, a physical tooth model (e.g., a plaster tooth model made by taking an impression) is first created based on the current tooth state of the patient, or the state of the teeth and their surrounding tissues (e.g., gums, soft facial tissues), and then the physical tooth model is scanned to generate a virtual tooth model (corresponding to the base tooth state) representing the original state of the patient's teeth. Of course, the image of the tooth, or the tooth and its surrounding tissue, can also be directly obtained by optical scanning, three-dimensional photography or medical CT scanning, and processed by a computer to generate an original virtual tooth model. This virtual tooth model can be digitally processed and displayed.

Next, at least one orthodontic parameter is set based on the original virtual tooth model and the orthodontic target of the patient's teeth, and a series of gradually progressive tooth orthodontic states (which may also be referred to as desired tooth states or orthodontic tooth arrangement models) are automatically formed by the computer system according to the original virtual tooth model and the set at least one orthodontic parameter. The series of orthodontic conditions reflect favorable changes to the tooth structure or arrangement after a series of orthodontic steps have been performed on the original tooth model. Generally, the whole orthodontic process includes at least one orthodontic step (for example, 20 to 40 orthodontic steps), each orthodontic step corresponds to one orthodontic state, and each orthodontic state corresponds to one digital dental data model, so that a series of digital dental data models can be obtained and stored by the computer system.

Further, the present invention is not limited to the method of gradually generating the target orthodontic state representing the tooth based on the original virtual tooth model and the orthodontic target, but the digital data model representing the orthodontic state in the present invention may be acquired by other methods, for example, by first determining the digital data model representing the original state of the tooth and the digital data model representing the final state of the tooth, and generating the digital data model representing the intermediate series of tooth states based on the digital data models of the original state and the final state of the tooth by a computer system.

Next, in step S102, a discrimination point of at least one orthodontic stage is determined in a series of digital dental data models representing a series of orthodontic states, the first digital dental data model being located before the orthodontic stage discrimination point, and the second digital dental data model being located after the orthodontic stage discrimination point.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the discrimination point of the correction stage is determined by combining the health condition of the teeth accommodated by the patient, the type of malocclusion, the oral health condition of the patient, the age, the sex, and the pain sensitivity. As described in step S101, the computer system automatically forms a series of gradually progressive tooth correction states (which may also be referred to as desired tooth states or corrected tooth arrangement models) according to the original virtual tooth model and the like. The series of orthodontic conditions reflect favorable changes to the tooth structure or arrangement after a series of orthodontic steps have been performed on the original tooth model. Generally, the entire orthodontic procedure includes at least one orthodontic step (e.g., 20-40 orthodontic steps). That is to say, the whole process of correcting includes at least the early stage of correcting and the later stage of correcting, because the patient is to the adaptation degree difference of ware is rescued to the tooth, correct the intensity that the early stage of correcting and the later stage of correcting is fit for, and different types of malocclusion deformity type and the required intensity of correcting of different patients are also inequality. Therefore, it is necessary to determine the orthodontic stage discrimination points for discriminating the initial stage and the later stage of orthodontic treatment, and further, the orthodontic stage discrimination points meeting the individual requirements can be determined in accordance with the health condition of the teeth accommodated by the patient, the type of malocclusion, the oral health condition of the patient, the age, the sex, and the pain sensitivity.

The type of malocclusion is an important reference factor in determining the discrimination point at the stage of correction. In practice, the type of malocclusion of the patient needs to be determined first. The most widely used method for classifying malocclusion internationally is the angstrom malocclusion classification method, which mainly classifies malocclusion into three major categories. The first category is neutral malocclusion, where the proximal and distal relationships of the maxilla and mandible and the arch are normal, i.e. when in the neutral position, the mesial buccal cusp of the upper first permanent molar bites into the mesial buccal sulcus of the lower first permanent molar. If there is no dislocation of the teeth, it is called normal combination; if there is malposition, it is called type I malocclusion. The type I malocclusion is mainly manifested by crowded anterior teeth, anterior protrusion of upper arch, anterior protrusion of double arch, contra-mandibular anterior and posterior buccal deviation, and lingual dislocation. The second type of malocclusion is the far middle malocclusion, where the lower arch and lower jaw are in the far middle position. If the mandible recedes by a distance of 1/4 molars or half of the premolar, i.e. the mesial buccal cusps of the upper and lower first permanent molars are opposite, a mild hypermandibular relationship is called. If the lower jaw is further retracted so that the mesial buccal cusp of the upper first permanent molar bites into the lower first permanent molar and the second premolar, a complete distal malocclusal relationship is established. The far-middle malocclusion can be further classified into labial inclination of maxillary incisors and lingual inclination of maxillary incisors according to specific conditions, and in any inclination condition, there is a condition that one side is far-middle malocclusion and the other side is neutral. Symptoms associated with class II malocclusion include deep coverage, deep coverage of the jaw, underdeveloped upper lip and tooth exposure in the open lip, inward-inclining deep coverage of the jaw, and the like. The third class of malocclusion is the mesial malocclusion, in which the lower dental arch and the lower jaw are in the mesial position. If the mandibular advancement 1/4 is by the distance of the molars or half of the premolars, i.e., the mesial buccal tip of the upper first constant molars is opposite the distal buccal tip of the lower first constant molars, a mild mesio-malocclusal relationship is called. A complete mesio-malocclusal relationship is provided if the lower jaw is medially displaced by a distance of 1/2 molars or 1 premolar such that the mesial buccal cusp bite of the first permanent molars of the upper jaw is between the lower first and second permanent molars. In the third type of malocclusion, there is also a single side near the middle malocclusion, and the other side is in a neutral relation. In a specific embodiment of the invention, the correction stage discrimination points are determined according to the malocclusion relationship and the malocclusion degree of different types of malocclusion.

For judging the type of malocclusion of a patient, oral and maxillofacial medical equipment is required to be used as diagnostic equipment. The currently commonly used oral maxillofacial medical imaging devices include: an oral dental film machine, a curved surface layer breaking machine, an X-ray head radiography measuring machine, an oral cavity and body cavity X-ray machine, an oral cavity 3D-CT machine and the like. In a specific embodiment, the oral maxillofacial medical imaging device is used to perform medical imaging on the oral maxillofacial region, and then the specific dental digital data model obtained in step S101 is combined to determine the specific malocclusion type and characteristics of the patient. At least one orthodontic stage distinguishing point is determined in a series of tooth digital data models representing tooth orthodontic states, and orthodontic appliances corresponding to the step are manufactured by adopting orthodontic appliance diaphragms with different elasticity moduli and different thicknesses before and after the distinguishing point, so that the multi-dimensional control and the system efficiency of tooth movement are improved.

In an exemplary embodiment, an oral 3D-CT is used to simulate an oral panoramic film and a cranial film. According to the image obtained by the oral 3D-CT machine and a series of tooth digital data models which are obtained in the step S101 and represent a series of tooth correcting states, the malocclusion type of the patient is determined to belong to neutral malocclusion, far malocclusion or near malocclusion according to an Andrews malocclusion classification method, the specific malocclusion degree belongs to mild malocclusion or complete malocclusion, and whether the condition of unilateral malocclusion exists or not. According to the analysis result of the malocclusion type, one or more orthodontic stage distinguishing points are determined in a series of tooth digital data models representing tooth orthodontic states, so that the elasticity of the shell of a first tooth appliance before the orthodontic stage distinguishing points is different from that of a second tooth appliance after the orthodontic stage distinguishing points, and the tooth orthodontic efficiency and comfort degree are controlled according to different malocclusion types.

Specifically, under the condition of mild or neutral malocclusion, a specific orthodontic stage discrimination point is selected, and in the process of manufacturing the dental appliance, the elasticity of a first dental appliance before the orthodontic stage discrimination point is larger than the elasticity of a second dental appliance after the orthodontic stage discrimination point. Therefore, when a patient wears the first tooth appliance before the discrimination point in the correction stage, the correction force on the teeth is relatively small, and the overall correction comfort degree is better on the premise of reaching the same treatment target. And under the condition of severe malocclusion such as complete malocclusion, selecting a specific correction stage distinguishing point, and in the process of manufacturing the dental appliance, enabling the elasticity of the shell (namely the second shell) of the second dental appliance after the correction stage distinguishing point to be larger than the elasticity of the shell (namely the second shell) of the first dental appliance before the correction stage distinguishing point, thereby improving the efficiency of tooth movement and finally achieving the ideal tooth movement effect.

In some embodiments, step S1021 is further added to step S102, and a pain sensitivity determination is performed on the patient, the pain sensitivity in general comprising a pain threshold and a pain tolerance threshold. Determining one or more discrimination points of the orthodontic stages according to the pain threshold and the pain tolerance threshold obtained by the test and a series of tooth digital data models representing a series of tooth orthodontic states obtained before, wherein the elasticity of the shell of the dental appliance before and after each discrimination point of the orthodontic stages is different.

The pain sensitivity measurement methods currently in common use include: mechanical stimulation, thermal stimulation, cold water stimulation, electrical stimulation, chemical stimulation, and exsanguination pain measurement. Among them, the mechanical stimulation method is to apply pressure to the bone tissue of a patient to determine the degree of pain. The thermal stimulation method is to move the focused light near the skin and record the heat when the patient feels pain. The cold water stimulation method is to immerse the forearm of the subject in cold water and record the time of pain occurrence. The electrical stimulation method records the current intensity when the patient feels pain by the increase of the current output. The chemical stimulation method comprises applying cantharidin plaster to make epidermis produce herpes, applying pain-causing substance to bottom of herpes, and measuring pain threshold. The hematemesis pain determination is performed by using the hematemesis belt to hematemesis in the front arm, and the time endured by a patient is taken as a pain threshold value.

In a specific embodiment, the pain sensitivity measurement is performed by electrical stimulation, specifically by continuously increasing the current, which is recorded as the pain threshold when the patient feels pain. The current is increased further and when the patient feels intolerant pain, the current value is recorded as the pain tolerance threshold. Comparing the measured pain threshold value and the pain tolerance threshold value with a current threshold value table which is made in advance, if the pain sensitivity of a patient is higher than the average standard, determining a distinguishing point in a correction stage, and enabling the elasticity of a shell of a first tooth correction device before the distinguishing point to be larger than that of a shell of a second tooth correction device after the distinguishing point, so that the size of the correction acting force of the tooth correction device in the correction step before the distinguishing point is relatively reduced, the pain is relieved, and the comfort level of the correction process is improved.

It should be noted that, although the method for measuring pain sensitivity is described in the present invention by taking the electrical stimulation method as an example, the method for measuring pain sensitivity of the present invention is not limited to the electrical stimulation method, and other methods for measuring pain sensitivity may be used to measure pain sensitivity of a patient.

After the pain sensitivity of the patient is measured, in a specific embodiment, one or more orthodontic phase discrimination points can be determined by combining the type of malocclusion and a series of digital dental data models representing a series of orthodontic states, and the overall elasticity of the dental appliance in the combined dental appliance system can be determined. Of course, one or more orthodontic stage discrimination points and the overall elasticity of the dental appliance in the combined dental appliance system can also be determined according to the type of malocclusion and a series of digital dental data models representing a series of orthodontic states. And correcting the positions of the distinguishing points in the correcting stage and the overall elasticity of the dental corrector in the dental correcting system by combining the oral pain sensitivity state of the patient.

In some embodiments, the elasticity of the first shell before the identification point is better than the elasticity of the second shell after the identification point. For patients with higher pain sensitivity, a relatively later position should be selected when determining the position of their orthosis phase discrimination points than for patients with lower pain sensitivity. Thereby make the patient wear the time that the better tooth of elasticity rescues the ware longer, the power of rescuing to the tooth is less relatively, and the comfort is stronger to can alleviate the painful sense of tooth rescues the ware.

In some embodiments, the overall elasticity of the dental appliances in the combined dental appliance system is determined. For patients with higher pain sensitivity, the overall resilience of the selected appliance is greater than for patients with lower pain sensitivity. Therefore, in the correcting process, the whole correcting acting force is relatively small, the whole comfortable sensation is improved, and the pain is relieved.

The elasticity of the appliance is related to various factors such as the thickness of the appliance, the modulus of elasticity of the material, the method of post-treatment and the placement of the attachment. In some embodiments, the overall thickness of the appliance in the combined dental appliance system is selected to be thinner for patients with higher pain sensitivity. In other embodiments, the combined dental appliance system is selected to have a lower modulus of elasticity for the overall material of the appliance for patients with higher pain sensitivity. In still other embodiments, all of the appliances in the combined dental appliance system are post-treated for patients with higher pain sensitivity so that the overall resilience of all appliances is improved. In other embodiments, for patients with higher pain sensitivity, all of the appliances in the combined dental appliance system include attachments so that the overall resiliency of all of the appliances is improved.

In some embodiments of the present invention, S102 may further include a substep S1022 of detecting the oral health condition of the patient. Common oral diseases include oral ulcer, periodontal disease, endodontic disease, abrasions, tongue disease, dental caries, oral candidiasis, and the like.

In a specific embodiment, the oral health condition of the patient is obtained in S1022, and then, the discrimination points of one or more orthodontic stages are determined by combining the type of malocclusion and a series of digital data models of teeth representing a series of orthodontic states, and the overall elasticity of the dental appliance in the combined dental orthodontic system can also be determined. Of course, one or more of the correction stage division points and the overall elasticity of the dental appliance in the combined dental correction system can be determined according to the type of malocclusion and a series of digital data models of teeth representing a series of dental correction states, and then the correction stage division points and the overall elasticity of the dental appliance in the dental correction system can be corrected according to the oral health state of the patient.

In some embodiments, the elasticity of the first shell before the identification point is better than the elasticity of the second shell after the identification point. For patients with severe periodontal disease, the location of the orthodontic phase discrimination points should be selected relatively late in comparison to patients without periodontal disease. Thereby allowing the patient to wear the more flexible dental appliance for a longer period of time. The elasticity is better, and is the less relatively to the power of correcting of tooth, and the comfort is stronger to can alleviate the tooth and correct the injury of ware to the oral injury affected part, eliminate the uncomfortable sense that the patient that has oral disease probably produced at the use tooth and correct the ware in-process.

In certain embodiments, the overall elasticity of the dental appliance in the combined dental appliance system is determined for patients with severe periodontal disease as compared to patients without periodontal disease. The overall resiliency of the appliance in the selected combined dental appliance system is greater. Thereby improving the overall comfort and reducing the influence on the affected part.

The elasticity of the appliance is related to various factors such as the thickness of the shell of the appliance, the modulus of elasticity of the material, the method of post-treatment and the placement of the attachment. In certain embodiments, the combined dental appliance system is selected to have a thinner overall thickness of the appliance for patients with severe periodontal disease. In other embodiments, the material of the shell of the dental appliance in the combined dental appliance system is selected to have a lower modulus of elasticity for patients with severe periodontal disease. In still other embodiments, all of the appliances in the combined dental appliance system are post-treated for patients with severe periodontal disease such that the overall resiliency of all appliances is improved. In other embodiments, all of the appliances in the combined dental appliance system include attachments for patients with severe periodontal disease, such that the overall resiliency of all appliances is improved.

It should be noted that the considerations in determining the point of discrimination between the orthodontic phases and the overall elasticity of the combined dental system of the present invention are not limited to just the type of malocclusion and the oral health of the patient, as well as the sensitivity to pain. The system also comprises all personalized requirements of the health condition, age, sex, individual requirement and the like of the teeth accommodated by the patient, so that the multi-dimensional control of the tooth moving efficiency, the moving mode and the moving comfort degree is realized in a targeted manner.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a stage discrimination point is determined by integrating the health condition of the teeth accommodated by the patient, the type of malocclusion, the oral health condition of the patient, the age, the sex, the pain sensitivity of the patient, and a series of digital data models of teeth representing a series of tooth correction states. The first tooth appliance is a tooth appliance corresponding to a tooth digital data model before the division point of the correction stage, the second tooth appliance is a tooth appliance corresponding to a tooth digital data model after the division point of the correction stage, and the elasticity of the shell of the first tooth appliance is larger than that of the shell of the second tooth appliance.

In other specific embodiments, two stage discrimination points are determined in conjunction with the health of the teeth accommodated by the patient, the type of malocclusion, the oral health of the patient, the age, sex, pain sensitivity of the patient, and a series of digital data models of the teeth representing a series of orthodontic conditions. The first dental appliance is a dental appliance corresponding to a dental digital data model of a first correction stage before a first correction stage discrimination point, the second dental appliance is a dental appliance corresponding to a dental digital data model of a second correction stage after the first correction stage discrimination point and before a second correction stage discrimination point, and the third dental appliance is a dental appliance corresponding to a dental digital data model of a third correction stage after the second correction stage discrimination point. Wherein the elasticity of the shells of the first dental appliance, the second dental appliance and the third dental appliance is different, and in other specific embodiments, the elasticity of the shells of the first dental appliance and the third dental appliance is the same.

It should be noted that the first dental appliance may correspond to all of the orthodontic steps prior to the orthodontic stage discrimination point, and may also correspond to only one or some of the corresponding steps prior to the orthodontic stage discrimination point. In another specific embodiment of the present invention, a total of 20 correction steps are finally determined according to the original states and correction targets of the patient' S teeth, and in step S101, 20 tooth digital data models corresponding to the 20 correction steps are obtained. And determining a correction stage distinguishing point by combining the health condition of teeth accommodated by the patient, the type of malocclusion, the oral health condition of the patient, the age, the sex and the pain sensitivity, wherein the tooth digital data model corresponding to the 6 th to the 9 th correction steps belongs to a first correction stage, the tooth digital data model corresponding to the 14 th correction step belongs to a second correction stage, and manufacturing a first tooth corrector and a second tooth corrector according to the tooth digital data models of the first correction stage and the second correction stage, so that the elasticity of the first tooth corrector is greater than that of the second tooth corrector.

It should be noted that step S102 is not necessarily located after step S101. In practice, step S102 may also be located before step S101. For example, the physician may first determine a specific stage discrimination point based on the type of malocclusion, oral health, and pain sensitivity of the patient. When a series of digital dental data models representing a series of dental orthodontic states are generated according to step S101, a corresponding accurate digital dental data model is determined according to the orthodontic stage discrimination point determined so far.

Next, in step S103, a physical tooth model (i.e., a positive model of the dental appliance) is generated from the tooth data model. I.e. a corresponding one of the physical tooth models is manufactured from one of the series of digital tooth data models.

Preferably, the male mold of the dental appliance is manufactured based on a rapid prototyping process. The rapid prototyping technology can be classified into the following typical forming processes: laser rapid prototyping (SLA), Layered Object Manufacturing (LOM), Selective Laser Sintering (SLS), Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), Three-Dimensional Printing (3 DP), and the like. At present, the molding materials are mainly organic polymer materials such as photocurable resin, nylon, wax, and the like. Laser rapid prototyping SLA is formed by a method of irradiating light curing resin point by laser and inducing materials to generate chemical changes so as to be cured, while layered entity manufacturing LOM is formed by cutting foils (paper, ceramic foil, metal foil and the like) by laser, the foils are bonded by hot melt adhesive under the pressure and heat transfer action of a hot roller, and are stacked layer by layer for forming; the selective laser sintering SLS adopts laser to irradiate powder materials point by point so as to melt material powder, or melts solid adhesive coated outside the powder materials to realize the connection forming of the materials, and the fused deposition manufacturing FDM is to continuously feed thermoplastic forming materials into a spray head, heat and melt the thermoplastic forming materials in the spray head, spray the thermoplastic forming materials out, and gradually stack and form the thermoplastic forming materials. Three-dimensional printing manufacturing SDP is formed by adopting a method similar to ink-jet printing to spray molten material for accumulation forming or spraying adhesive to bond powder material point by point.

In one embodiment, the SLA method is used to make a dental model, and in particular, to make a dental model, a liquid resin is scanned point by point along the profile of each layered cross-section of the dental model with a laser under computer control based on the polymerization of the photosensitive resin, causing the scanned resin thin layer to polymerize, forming lines from the points, eventually forming a cured cross-section of a thin layer of the dental model, while the unscanned resin remains in its original liquid state. When one layer is cured, the lifting workbench moves by the distance of one layer thickness, and a new layer of liquid resin is covered on the surface of the cured resin of the previous layer for scanning and curing again. The newly cured layer adheres firmly to the previous layer and so on until the entire dental model is completed. Typically, a mechanical knife is used to sweep across the surface of the photosensitive resin to ensure that the next layer is a flat resin layer. After the tooth model is formed, the lift table is lifted and the tooth model is removed from the apparatus. Typically, the preliminary tooth model is then washed in a solvent, such as acetone, which dissolves the uncured liquid resin and does not dissolve the already cured solid medium. The part is then subjected to high intensity uv radiation to complete the curing process to produce a dental model, a positive model or male mold for making an appliance.

It should be noted that although the rapid prototyping process steps of the present invention have been described in the context of a laser rapid prototyping SLA process, the present invention is not limited to a laser rapid prototyping SLA process, and other rapid prototyping processes may be used to make the tooth model.

After the dental model (positive mold) is formed by the rapid prototyping method, the dental appliance may be manufactured based on the positive mold of the dental appliance at step S104.

In one embodiment, the dental appliance is made by pressing an appliance sheet made of a transparent polymer material (a polymer having elasticity, such as polycarbonate) on the above-described dental model by a positive pressure lamination technique with the aid of a hot press forming apparatus to form a shell. However, the method of manufacturing the appliances based on the dental models of the present invention is not limited to the hot press molding, and other methods may be used to manufacture the appliances based on the dental models.

According to the prior art, a series of dental appliances manufactured on the basis of a dental model (i.e. a positive model of the appliance) either use diaphragms of the same thickness and modulus of elasticity, or simply use diaphragms of different thickness or different modulus of elasticity in the manufacture of the same shape of the appliance corresponding to one of the appliances steps.

However, according to the present invention, the step S104 may include more than two substeps of manufacturing the dental appliances according to the number of the determined points for distinguishing the orthodontic stages, and the thickness or elastic modulus of the diaphragm used in each step of manufacturing the dental appliances is different. The step S104 includes two substeps of manufacturing dental appliances, as an example, for determining only one stage discrimination point.

As an example, step S104 includes sub-steps S1041 and S1042 (not shown). In step S1041, a first dental appliance is manufactured by using a first polymer film according to a dental model before a differentiation point based on an appliance stage.

Then, in step S1042, a second dental appliance is manufactured by using a second polymer film based on the tooth model after the correction stage division point. The second polymer membrane may be the same type of membrane as the first polymer membrane or a different type of membrane, which will be described in detail below.

It is well known that the corrective force of invisible correction techniques is not only related to the geometry of the lumen of the appliance, but also to other factors. Therefore, the elasticity of the shells of the first dental appliance and the second dental appliance (i.e. the elasticity of the first shell and the second shell) can be different by selecting different thicknesses and materials of the first polymer membrane and the second polymer membrane and performing different post-treatments or different accessory setting conditions, and the influences of the thickness, the material, the post-treatments and the accessory setting conditions on the elasticity coefficient and the correction force of the dental appliance are listed below.

It should be noted that although the step S102 is described as an example in which one orthodontic stage discrimination point is determined, and the step S104 includes two sub-steps so that two different patches are respectively used to press the orthodontic appliances according to the positive molds before the orthodontic stage discrimination point and after the orthodontic stage discrimination point, it is obvious that the present invention is not limited thereto, and according to the present invention, the step S102 may determine more than one orthodontic stage discrimination point, and the step S104 may include more than two sub-steps so that two or more different patches may be used to press the orthodontic appliances according to the positive molds before each orthodontic stage discrimination point and after each orthodontic stage discrimination point. Although the following description will be given by taking the example of pressing the dental appliance with two different diaphragms according to the male mold before one orthodontic stage discrimination point and after the orthodontic stage discrimination point, the technical principle, technical scheme and technical features of the method are also applicable to pressing the dental appliance with more than two (for example, three or four) diaphragms according to the male mold for determining more than two orthodontic stage discrimination points, and the steps are not repeated here.

A. Tooth appliance manufactured by utilizing diaphragms with different thicknesses and arranged before and after division points in correction stage

First, diaphragms of different thicknesses have different elastic coefficients and stresses. For example, when mechanical experiments were performed using a Biolon membrane (manufactured by germany) having a thickness of 1.0mm, 0.75mm, 0.5mm, respectively, it was found that the elastic modulus and the maximum stress were the greatest for a membrane having a thickness of 1.0mm, and the elastic modulus and the maximum stress were the smallest for a membrane having a thickness of 0.5 mm. Therefore, the mechanical properties of the material change along with the change of the thickness of the material, the thicker the material is, the larger the elastic modulus and the maximum stress of the material is, and the thinner the material is, the smaller the elastic modulus and the maximum stress of the material are. Other brands or materials of membranes also have the above characteristics and are not repeated here.

Thus, in one embodiment, to achieve the desired orthodontic effect, a material of suitable thickness can be selected to separately fabricate the appliances before and after the orthodontic phase discrimination point in a series of appliances. The thinner the membrane, the more elastic the shell, the more comfortable it will be to wear initially, and the less stress (the orthodontic force) it will be, making the rate and amount of movement of the teeth smaller, so it is suitable for making appliances of prior use. And the thicker the diaphragm is, the smaller the shell elasticity is, but the correction force is larger, so that the movement rate and the movement amount of teeth are larger, and the appliance is suitable for being manufactured for later use, and the correction force in the later period can be increased.

That is, in step S1041, a first group of dental appliances, which are included in the first group of dental appliances, are manufactured using a thinner first polymer film based on the dental model before the orthodontic stage discrimination point, and then, in step S1042, a second group of dental appliances, which are included in the second group of dental appliances, are manufactured using a thicker second polymer film based on the dental model after the orthodontic stage discrimination point again.

Specifically, for a combined orthodontic system, in order to achieve a good orthodontic comfort and improve orthodontic efficiency, the thickness of the first orthodontic device and the thickness of the second orthodontic device should be in a fixed proportional relationship, and in some embodiments, the thickness of the first orthodontic device membrane is 70% to 95% of the thickness of the second orthodontic device, and preferably, the thickness of the first orthodontic device membrane is 70% to 90% of the thickness of the second orthodontic device membrane. According to an embodiment of the present invention, for example, in step S1041, based on the tooth model before the orthodontic phase discrimination point, a first group of dental appliances, including the first dental appliance, is manufactured by using a first polymer film sheet with a thickness of 0.5 to 0.65 mm. Then, in step S1042, based on the tooth model after the correction stage division, a second group of dental appliances, including a second dental appliance, is manufactured by using a second polymer film with a thickness of 0.70 to 0.80 mm.

Of course, more than two stage discrimination points may be determined. According to another exemplary embodiment of the invention, step S102 identifies two distinct points of the orthodontic phase and step S104 thus includes three substeps of manufacturing a dental appliance. For example, in step S1041, a first set of dental appliances, including the first dental appliance, is manufactured using a first polymer film sheet of 0.5 to 0.65mm based on the dental model before the first appliance stage differentiation point. Then, in step S1042, a second group of dental appliances, including the second dental appliance, is manufactured by using a second polymer film with a thickness of 0.70 to 0.80mm based on the dental model after the first orthodontic stage differentiation point and before the second orthodontic stage differentiation point. Finally, in step S1043, based on the tooth model after the second correction stage division, a third dental appliance is manufactured by using a third polymer membrane of 0.85 to 0.9mm, wherein the third dental appliance is included.

B. Tooth appliance made of different material film before and after division point in correction stage

In theory, thermoplastic multi-molecular materials with biocompatibility can be used to fabricate invisible appliances. For example, Polycarbonate (PC) is a colorless and transparent amorphous thermoplastic material that is colorless and transparent, heat resistant, impact resistant, flame retardant, and has good mechanical properties at ordinary use temperatures. Moreover, the processing property is good, so that the material is a common material for manufacturing invisible appliances.

Also, it is continually possible to make appliances from new materials. For example, Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) and Polyetherketoneketone (PEKK) belong to the family of Polyaryletherketones (PAEK), which is a relatively new family of high temperature resistant, non-toxic, and better thermoplastic polymers that include ketone and ether functional groups. PEEK resins, for example, can also be subjected to up to 3000 cycles of autoclaving at 134 ℃, a characteristic that makes them useful in the production of surgical and dental equipment that is sterilization critical and requires repeated use. PEEK not only has the advantages of light weight, no toxicity, corrosion resistance, etc., but also is the closest material to human skeleton at present, and can be organically combined with human body, so that PEEK resin is used for replacing metal to manufacture human skeleton, which is another important application in the medical field. In addition, PEEK is easy to extrude and injection mold, and has excellent processing performance and higher molding efficiency.

The PEKK is a high polymer formed by repeating units containing two ketone bonds and one ether bond in a main chain structure, belongs to a special high polymer material, and also has the excellent characteristics of a polyaryletherketone polymer.

Further, Polyoxymethylene (POM) is also expected to be used in a wide range. It is also known as an acetal resin, and has been introduced as a substitute for conventional polymethyl methacrylate. It has a relatively high ratio limit, so that its elasticity exhibits a sufficiently large range.

Thus, it is possible to find a variety of materials suitable for making invisible appliances either at the time of filing or in the future. Wherein the elastic modulus and the deformation stress of each material are different. For example, when PEEK, PEKK and POM are used as experimental subjects and the effects of the three materials having the same thickness on the orthodontic force of teeth are compared, it can be found that PEEK has the highest elastic modulus, thereby having the greatest orthodontic force for teeth. Followed by PEKK and POM. Different materials therefore have different properties and therefore produce different corrective forces when used to prepare the appliance.

In one embodiment, to achieve the desired orthodontic effect, more than two kinds of membrane materials with different elastic moduli may be selected to respectively manufacture the orthodontic device based on the tooth model with more than one orthodontic stage distinguishing point determined. The smaller the modulus of elasticity of the membrane material, the better the elasticity, the more comfortable the patient will be to wear at the beginning, and its deformation stress (the orthodontic force) is less, makes the rate of motion and the amount of motion of tooth less, so is fit for being used for making the orthodontic device that used earlier. The larger the elastic modulus of the membrane material is, the poorer the elasticity is, but the larger the stress is, so that the movement rate and the movement amount of the teeth are larger, and the membrane material is suitable for being used for manufacturing an appliance used later, so that the later correcting force can be increased.

It is to be noted here that the material properties in this context include not only the initial material properties of the raw material due to its composition or brand, but also the acquired material properties due to the pretreatment. For example, after soaking the same membrane of the same brand in artificial saliva for two weeks, the maximum stress and the elastic modulus of the membrane are increased, so that the acquired material characteristics are generated, so that when the membrane is used for pressing the appliance, the prepared appliance has different material characteristics from the appliance pressed by the untreated membrane, and the acquired material characteristics caused by the pretreatment belong to the material characteristics expressed by the invention.

C. Adding post-processing to make dental appliances before and after the differentiation point of the orthodontic phase

Various pre-or post-treatments (collectively "post-treatments") of the membrane or invisible appliance can result in a change in its resilience. Thus, the membrane or invisible appliance may be post-processed to change its elastic coefficient. For example, when the invisible appliance is soaked in artificial saliva for two weeks, the maximum stress and the elastic modulus of the invisible appliance are increased, which may be caused by that the material absorbs water to be thickened after being soaked in the artificial saliva, so that the mechanical property of the material is increased.

Therefore, according to another embodiment of the present invention, step S102 defines a stage discrimination point, step S104 may be to press the series of dental appliances with films of the same thickness and material, and then soak the dental appliances (including the second dental appliance) after the stage discrimination point in artificial saliva or similar solution for two weeks, so that the maximum stress and the elastic modulus are increased. Because the elasticity of the appliance membrane without post-treatment is better, the appliance is more comfortable when the patient wears the appliance at the beginning, and the stress is smaller, so that the movement rate and the movement amount of the teeth are smaller, and the appliance is suitable for the patient to use firstly. And the elasticity of the appliance diaphragm that has passed through aftertreatment is relatively poor, but its stress is great for the rate of motion and the amount of exercise of tooth are great, so be fit for letting the patient use after, make the later stage correct the power and can strengthen.

Also, as described in section a above, a series of appliances having different thicknesses of diaphragm are sequentially pressed based on a series of positive molds in S104. Then, a post-processing sub-step is added, in which the appliances (including the second dental appliance) after the orthodontic stage discrimination point are post-processed (for example, soaked in artificial saliva) so that the elastic modulus thereof is increased.

Of course, a series of dental appliances may be post-treated (e.g., soaked in artificial saliva), and the degree of post-treatment, such as the time of soaking in artificial saliva or the concentration of artificial saliva, may be controlled as long as it is ensured that the modulus of elasticity of the material of the shell of the second dental appliance worn after the stage discrimination point is greater than the first dental appliance before the stage discrimination point.

Therefore, the "applying different post-processing methods" used in the present invention includes applying the post-processing methods to each of the appliances before and after the discrimination point in the orthodontic phase, but the applied post-processing methods are different; the post-processing method is applied to only the dental appliance before the orthodontic stage discrimination point or the dental appliance after the orthodontic stage discrimination point, and certainly, the post-processing method is applied to only a specific step or specific steps in the orthodontic stage.

D. Adding attachments to make dental appliances before and after the differentiation point of the orthodontic phase

The type and shape of the appendages on the invisible appliance also cause variations in their spring force. The orthosis can include various attachments thereon, which can include at least one of a recess, aperture, opening and/or projection.

For example, in one embodiment, microprotrusions (which may also be referred to as corrective side stems) are formed on the inner side of the thin wall of the invisible appliance for generating lateral corrective forces, adjusting the distribution of the corrective forces and improving anchorage conditions. The position of the side peduncle is corrected on the appliance corresponding to the junction of two teeth or the nearby area of the undulation of the side face of the molar, and the acting force of the side peduncle is realized by the side convex-concave of the malocclusion of the junction of two teeth and the undulation of the side face of the molar and the friction force between the inner face of the side peduncle and the side face of the tooth.

In another embodiment, the thin wall of the appliance may be provided with a traction hook, and the existing traction device is usually attached to one or a few teeth, which is a less reasonable form of anchorage. The orthodontic towing hook of the invention can be arranged on the thin wall of the dental appliance, and can be integrally formed with the appliance or can be separately formed and connected together. The design of the traction hook can meet the traction requirement according to the conventional traction hook design method, and fully considers the additional traction force generated by the influence of the counterforce of the traction force on the traction hook in the use state to enable the appliance to generate additional elastic deformation and the additional correction force generated by the influence of the resilience force of the appliance on the traction device. What actually serves as the correction and traction is the coupling of these forces, and the appropriate use of these two additional forces results in a better anchorage distribution and a more rational distribution of the correction and traction forces, and thus a better correction.

In yet another embodiment, a plurality of openings may be formed in the orthosis, such as in the side walls of the orthosis, for adjusting the distribution of the orthosis. The shape, position and size of the opening are designed according to the distribution requirement of the corrective force. Generally, the opening is mostly located on the side wall of the appliance in the area where the elastic deformation is relatively small in the using state, or the area where the correction force should be generated little or not generated according to the treatment requirement, and also can be located on the occlusal surface of the appliance, and the size and the shape of the opening are determined according to the size and the shape of the corresponding area.

The correcting side ridge, the traction hook and the opening play a role in adjusting the distribution of the correcting force, and the correcting side ridge or the traction hook can be installed and trimmed or the opening can be machined and trimmed after the male die is used for pressing a correcting device blank by utilizing the diaphragm.

Therefore, according to another embodiment of the present invention, for example, in step S104, a series of differently shaped dental appliances may be stamped with a sheet of the same thickness and material, and then an attachment design substep may be added, such as adding an opening to the first dental appliance prior to the orthodontic stage discrimination point to reduce its orthodontic force. Since the orthodontic force of the appliance having the opening is small, the patient can feel comfortable when wearing the appliance at the beginning, and the stress is small, so that the movement rate and the movement amount of the teeth are small, and the appliance is suitable for the patient to use first. And the power of correcting of the ware is great not having the opening for the rate of motion and the amount of exercise of tooth are great, so be fit for letting the patient use after, make the power of correcting in later stage can increase.

For another example, a series of differently shaped dental appliances may be stamped with a sheet of the same thickness and material in step S104, and then a tow hook may be added to the second dental appliance after the stage differentiation point to create a lateral orthodontic force to optimize the orthodontic effect.

Furthermore, various attachments (including not only the various attachments listed herein but also those that may be applied later) may be combined arbitrarily according to actual conditions, and after a series of dental appliances having different shapes are pressed with films of the same thickness and material, the size of the orthodontic force of the dental appliance before and after the orthodontic stage division point is changed reasonably by adding the attachments, so that the orthodontic effect and the orthodontic comfort are optimized.

Also, as used herein, "with/with different attachments" includes adding attachments to each of a series of dental appliances, but not the same attachments; it also includes the case where attachments are added to some of the appliances in a series, but not to others.

It should be noted that in practical applications, the best effect can be achieved by considering a single method of the A, B, C, D methods alone or by applying a plurality of methods in a cross manner. For example, dental appliances that differ in thickness and material may be manufactured based on dental models before or after the orthodontic stage discrimination point, or dental appliances that differ in thickness and attachment arrangement may be manufactured, and so forth. Various combinations are included within the scope of the invention.

Method for manufacturing appliance without male mould

The appliance manufacturing process shown in FIG. 2 is merely an exemplary process and various modifications may be made by one skilled in the art. For example, negative mold (negative model) data can also be generated based on the dental target state data, and a correspondingly shaped invisible appliance can be manufactured directly by means of a rapid prototyping technique based on the negative mold data.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary process for a method of manufacturing a dental appliance by a "direct manufacturing process" according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. First, in step S201, a series of digital dental data models representing a series of orthodontic states are acquired. The method of specifically how to obtain a series of digital dental data models representing a series of dental correction states including the first digital dental data model and the second digital dental data model corresponding to the dental correction states of the first correction stage and the second correction stage may refer to step S101 above, and is not repeated here.

Next, in step S202, one or more correction stage differentiation points can be determined according to personalized requirements such as the health condition of the accommodated teeth, the type of malocclusion, the oral health condition of the patient, the age, the sex, and the pain sensitivity. Reference may be made to step S102 above as to how to determine one or more of the orthodontic phase discrimination points in particular, and will not be repeated here.

It should also be noted that step S102 is not necessarily located after step S101. In practice, step S102 may also be located before step S101. For example, the physician may first determine the stage discrimination points based on the type of malocclusion, oral health, and pain sensitivity of the patient. When a series of digital dental data models representing a series of dental orthodontic states are generated according to step S101, a corresponding accurate digital dental data model is determined according to the orthodontic stage discrimination point determined so far.

Because the dental appliance is designed to have the geometry of the cavity in which the teeth are received, i.e., it substantially conforms to one or more teeth on the jaw to which the appliance corresponds, to accommodate or closely replicate the inverse shape of each tooth. Therefore, a digital data model representing the inner surface of the dental appliance (female model) that substantially "fits" the outer contour of the orthodontic state can be obtained by shifting a certain distance (about 0.05mm or more) from the crown surface of each tooth by a conventional computer data processing method, such as a computer-aided design (CAD) method, based on the male model representing the orthodontic state obtained in step S201 and the orthodontic stage discrimination point determined in S202.

Specifically, first, different thicknesses of the dental appliances corresponding to the orthodontic stages before and after the orthodontic stage discrimination point can be further determined according to a series of tooth digital data models representing a series of tooth orthodontic states and the orthodontic stage discrimination point, in combination with the health condition of the teeth accommodated by the patient, the type of malocclusion, the oral health condition of the patient, the age, the sex, and the pain sensitivity, for example, the thickness of the dental appliances can be set to 0.2 to 1mm, but the thicknesses can be different according to different manufacturing materials and orthodontic requirements.

Next, the appliance digital data model is directly converted into a dental appliance through a rapid prototyping process in step S203.

The layered appliance digital data model may be processed to produce a physical dental appliance according to the rapid prototyping methods described above, such as laser rapid prototyping SLA, layered solid fabrication LOM, selective laser sintering SLS, fused deposition fabrication FDM, and three-dimensional printing fabrication 3 DP. For example, in one embodiment, a physical model of the dental appliance is made using a three-dimensional printing process to make 3 DP.

Also, specific details of performing the above-described steps S201-203 according to specific embodiments of a 'to E' are set forth in detail below.

A', according to an embodiment of the present invention, in step S202, according to a series of digital data models of teeth representing a series of tooth correction states and determined correction stage differentiation points, digital data models of tooth appliances with different thicknesses before and after the correction stage differentiation points are generated according to the health condition of teeth accommodated by a patient, the type of malocclusion, the oral health condition of the patient, the age, the sex, and the pain sensitivity, so that a first group of tooth appliances (including a first tooth appliance) and a second group of tooth appliances (including a second tooth appliance) with different thicknesses are manufactured in step S203. Namely, the digital data model of the basic dental appliance which is in 'fit' with the outline of the dental appliance can be micro-adjusted, and the digital data models of the dental appliances with different thicknesses can be individually designed.

For example, it is set that the digital data model of the dental appliance before the discrimination point in the correction stage is thin, and the digital data model of the dental appliance after the discrimination point in the correction stage is thick, so that the prepared dental appliance before the discrimination point in the physical correction stage is thin, and the dental appliance after the discrimination point in the correction stage is thick.

B' and according to yet another embodiment of the present invention, in step S203, the dental appliance before the orthodontic phase discrimination point and after the orthodontic phase discrimination point is made of materials having different elastic moduli. For example, a first set of dental appliances (including a first dental appliance) before the orthodontic phase discrimination point is made of a material having a large modulus of elasticity, and a second set of dental appliances (including a second dental appliance) after the orthodontic phase discrimination point is made of a material having a small modulus of elasticity.

C', according to another embodiment of the present invention, a post-processing sub-step is added in the step S203, and different post-processing methods are applied to a series of dental appliances manufactured by the rapid prototyping method, so that a first group of dental appliances (including the first dental appliance) before the orthodontic stage differentiation point and a second group of dental appliances (including the second dental appliance) after the orthodontic stage differentiation point have different orthodontic forces. Specific post-treatment methods can be referred to above in section C and will not be repeated here.

D', according to another embodiment of the present invention, an attachment design sub-step is added in the step S202, and based on the series of digital data models of teeth representing a series of tooth correction states obtained in the step S201, digital data models of dental appliances with different attachment settings before and after the orthodontic stage discrimination point are generated in accordance with the health condition of the teeth accommodated by the patient, the type of malocclusion, the oral health condition of the patient, the age, the sex, and the pain sensitivity, so as to manufacture the dental appliances with different attachment settings before and after the orthodontic stage discrimination point in the step S203.

Specifically, in step S202, a basic digital data model of the dental appliance may be generated for a digital data model of teeth before a discrimination point of a correction stage, and then digital data models of attachments may be added to the set of basic digital data models of dental appliances, so that attachment setting conditions of the designed digital data model of teeth before the discrimination point of the correction stage and the digital data model of teeth after the discrimination point of the correction stage are different, and thus, dental appliances with different attachment setting conditions before the discrimination point of the correction stage and those after the discrimination point of the correction stage may be manufactured in step S203.

E', according to another embodiment of the present invention, an attachment design sub-step is added in the step S203, after a series of dental appliances are directly manufactured according to digital data models of the dental appliances with the same attachment setting conditions, attachment processing and trimming are performed, so that the attachment setting conditions of a first group of dental appliances (including a first dental appliance) before the orthodontic stage discrimination point and a second group of dental appliances (including a second dental appliance) after the orthodontic stage discrimination point are different.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the use of different thicknesses or attachment configurations for different appliances. For different teeth positions on the same appliance and/or different parts of the same tooth position, the shell elasticity of some teeth positions or some parts can be customized individually (for example, the shell thickness of some teeth position or some part is different, the shell of some teeth position or some part is prepared by using materials with different elastic modulus, or different accessory settings are carried out on the shell of some teeth position or some part), so that the elasticity of different teeth generated by the appliance in elastic deformation is different, the size of the correction force applied to different teeth is controlled, and the purpose of controlling the moving speed and the moving amount of different teeth is achieved. For example, in a specific embodiment, according to the health condition of the teeth accommodated by the patient, the type of malocclusion, the oral health condition of the patient, the age, the sex, the pain sensitivity, and the like, before step S202, a sub-step of adjusting the shell elasticity of different teeth or different parts of the same tooth is added, so as to manufacture a dental appliance with different tooth positions or different thicknesses of different parts of the same tooth position or different attachment setting conditions, thereby realizing the difference between the correction force and the correction manner of the specific tooth position.

In summary, according to the method for directly manufacturing the dental appliance of the present invention, for a series of correction steps, only a series of digital data models of teeth need to be calculated and determined, and a series of dental appliances with different correction forces can be directly manufactured without a male mold, so that the design of the correction scheme is accelerated, the correction effect and the correction comfort level are improved, and the correction time is shortened.

Combined tooth correction system

A combined dental appliance system as shown in figure 4, the system comprising a first dental appliance comprising a first shell for receiving and positioning teeth and a second dental appliance comprising a second shell for receiving and positioning teeth, wherein the first shell and the second shell are of different geometry and elasticity.

According to the method for manufacturing the appliance, the invisible dental appliance is manufactured based on a series of digital data models of teeth which are successively positioned from the basic tooth state to the desired tooth state, and the dental appliance finally corresponds to the digital data models of teeth. In some embodiments, therefore, the combined dental appliance system includes a series of successive dental appliances having tooth-receiving cavities of different selected geometries for successively positioning teeth from a base dental state to a desired dental state.

Meanwhile, in a specific tooth correction process, the number of the appliances used by the whole tooth correction system is not constant. Generally, the whole correction process requires at least 4 correction steps, sometimes 20 correction steps, and for some complicated cases, 40 or more correction steps. And the number of the dental appliances corresponding to each correction step is one or more.

For the whole process of correcting teeth, at the initial stage of correcting teeth, a patient often has a longer adaptation process, and at the moment, the teeth with better elasticity are used for correcting the device, so that the patient is often more easily accepted and matched, and the comfort level of the whole process of correcting teeth is improved. At the later stage of correcting the process, because the patient has adapted to the use that the ware was rescued to the tooth gradually, adopt the relatively poor tooth of elasticity to correct the ware this moment, can improve the tooth and correct the power of correcting of ware to the tooth, improve the removal efficiency of tooth to reach ideal tooth mobility control. Therefore, in some specific embodiments, the elasticity of the first housing is greater than the elasticity of the second housing. A first appliance is adapted to be worn over a patient's teeth at an early stage of correction and a second appliance is adapted to be worn over the patient's teeth at a later stage of correction.

The elasticity of the appliance is related to various factors, such as the thickness of the appliance, the modulus of elasticity of the material, the method of post-treatment, and the placement of the attachments. The first dental appliance and the second dental appliance have different elasticity, which means that at least one of the thickness, the elastic modulus of the material, the post-processing method and the attachment setting condition is different between the first dental appliance and the second dental appliance, but not limited to any one of the first dental appliance and the second dental appliance.

The degree of elasticity and thickness of the dental appliance is a function of the method of making the appliance, as described above. The greater the thickness, the less elastic the dental appliance; the smaller the thickness, the more elastic the appliance is. In some embodiments, the first appliance is smaller in thickness than the second appliance and is proportioned. For example, in one particular combined orthodontic system, there are first and second appliances that differ in thickness, the diaphragm used in the first appliance having a thickness that is 70% to 95% of the thickness of the diaphragm used in the second appliance, and preferably, the diaphragm used in the first appliance has a thickness that is 82% to 88% of the thickness of the diaphragm appliance used in the second appliance. According to one embodiment of the present invention, for example, in step S1041, the thickness of the diaphragm used for the first dental appliance before the orthodontic phase discrimination point is 0.5 to 0.65mm, and the thickness of the diaphragm used for the second dental appliance after the orthodontic phase discrimination point is 0.70 to 0.80 mm.

The amount of elasticity of the shell of the dental appliance is also related to the material properties of the shell itself, as described above in the method of making the appliance. In theory, all biocompatible thermoplastic polymeric materials, such as Polyetheretherketone (PEEK), Polyetherketoneketone (PEKK), and Polyoxymethylene (POM), with different elastic moduli, can be used to manufacture the invisible dental appliance. In some embodiments, the modulus of elasticity of the material of the first appliance is less than the modulus of elasticity of the material of the second appliance. For example, in a specific combined orthodontic system, there are a first orthodontic device and a second orthodontic device which are made of different materials and have different elastic moduli, wherein the first orthodontic device is made of Polyoxymethylene (POM) or polyether ketone (PEKK) having a relatively small elastic modulus, and the second orthodontic device is made of polyether ether ketone (PEEK) having a relatively large elastic modulus. So that the elasticity of the first housing is greater than that of the second housing.

As described above in the appliance manufacturing process, the amount of elasticity of the shell of the dental appliance is related to the post-processing method in addition to the material and thickness of the shell. In some embodiments, the first dental appliance and the second dental appliance are different in post-treatment method, where the post-treatment method may be a post-treatment performed after the dental appliance is manufactured, or a treatment performed directly on a diaphragm used for manufacturing the dental appliance. For example, in a particular combination dental appliance system, the first appliance does not employ any post-treatment and the second appliance or the material from which the second appliance is made is soaked with artificial saliva or other similar solution for a period of time such that the elasticity of the second shell is less than the elasticity of the first shell.

The amount of elasticity of the dental appliance is also related to the post-treatment method, as described above for the appliance manufacturing method. Common attachments on dental appliances include depressions, apertures, openings, and projections. These attachments can cause the flexibility of the appliance to vary, and the attachments described herein can be provided in a variety of ways, including different types of attachments, different sizes of attachments of the same type, and certainly types where only one type of appliance is provided with attachments and another type is not provided with attachments. In some embodiments, in a particular combination dental appliance system, the first appliance has a plurality of openings formed in the side walls and the second appliance has no attachment formed in the side walls. Due to the open area, the elasticity of the appliance side walls is relatively good, so that the elasticity of the first dental appliance in the open area is better than that of the second dental appliance.

In some specific embodiments, the combined dental appliance system further includes a third dental appliance, the number of the first, second and third dental appliances is greater than or equal to 1, and the sum of the number of the first, second and third dental appliances is less than or equal to the total number of the dental appliances in the combined dental appliance system. In certain embodiments, the first, second and third appliances are of decreasing elasticity, and the first appliance is adapted to be worn over the patient's teeth first, the second appliance is adapted to be worn over the patient's teeth after the first appliance, and the third appliance is worn over the patient's teeth after the second appliance. The elasticity of the first dental appliance, the second dental appliance and the third dental appliance is decreased progressively, which means that at least one of the thickness, the elastic modulus of the material, the post-processing method and the accessory setting condition is different among the first dental appliance, the second dental appliance and the third dental appliance, but not limited to any one of the first dental appliance, the second dental appliance and the third dental appliance.

In some embodiments, the combined dental appliance system further includes at least one dental appliance, and different shell elasticity (for example, different thicknesses or attachment settings) is provided at different positions of the same tooth position and/or different positions of the same tooth position on the dental appliance, so that the elastic forces generated by the dental appliance when the dental appliance is elastically deformed are different for different teeth, thereby controlling the magnitude of the orthodontic force applied to different teeth and achieving the purpose of controlling the moving speed and the moving amount of different teeth.

For example, in one embodiment, the patient has dental caries for which excessive orthodontic forces are applied, which can increase the pain of the orthodontic procedure. The series of appliances for the combination appliance in this case includes at least one appliance. The appliance has a thickness corresponding to the carious tooth site that is less than the thickness of the other tooth sites or has openings. Therefore, the correction force for the decayed tooth is smaller in the wearing process of the patient, and the comfort degree in the correction process is improved.

In summary, compared with the prior art, the combined tooth correction system obtained by the manufacturing method is used for a patient, the correction acting force of the correction device worn in each correction stage can be set individually according to specific conditions such as malposition with different degrees and dimensions, oral health degrees with different degrees and different pain sensitivities, the correction comfort degree of the patient is improved obviously under the condition that the number of the correction devices is not increased, the cost is reduced, the treatment time is saved, the tooth moving efficiency and the tooth moving controllability are improved, the correction efficiency and the correction effect are improved greatly, and the combined tooth correction system is beneficial to popularization in malocclusion patient groups.

While various aspects and embodiments of the present application are disclosed herein, other aspects and embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The various aspects and embodiments disclosed herein are for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to be limiting. The scope and spirit of the application are to be determined only by the claims appended hereto.

Likewise, the various diagrams may illustrate an exemplary architecture or other configuration of the disclosed methods and systems that is useful for understanding the features and functionality that may be included in the disclosed methods and systems. The claimed invention is not limited to the exemplary architectures or configurations shown, but rather, the desired features can be implemented in various alternative architectures and configurations. In addition, to the extent that flow diagrams, functional descriptions, and method claims do not follow, the order in which the blocks are presented should not be limited to the various embodiments which perform the recited functions in the same order, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

Unless otherwise expressly stated, the terms and phrases used herein, and variations thereof, are to be construed as open-ended as opposed to limiting. In some instances, the presence of an extensible term or phrases such as "one or more," "at least," "but not limited to," or other similar terms should not be construed as intended or required to imply a narrowing in instances where such extensible terms may not be present.

Claims (12)

1. A method for manufacturing a combined dental appliance system, comprising the steps of:

a) determining orthodontic stage discrimination points in a series of dental digital data models representing orthodontic states, wherein a first orthodontic stage is located before the orthodontic stage discrimination points and a second orthodontic stage is located after the orthodontic stage discrimination points;

b) acquiring a first tooth digital data model representing the tooth correcting state of the first correcting stage and a second tooth digital data model representing the tooth correcting state of the second correcting stage;

c) manufacturing male molds of the corresponding first dental appliance and the second dental appliance according to the first dental digital data model and the second dental digital data model; and

d) respectively manufacturing a first dental appliance and a second dental appliance based on the male mold of the first dental appliance and the male mold of the second dental appliance,

wherein the first dental appliance comprises a first shell for receiving and positioning teeth and the second dental appliance comprises a second shell for receiving and positioning teeth, wherein the first shell and the second shell are different in geometry and elasticity;

the first correcting stage and the second correcting stage respectively correspond to tooth correcting states of a plurality of tooth correcting steps;

the shell of the first dental appliance corresponding to the plurality of teeth correction steps has the same elasticity, and the shell of the second dental appliance corresponding to the plurality of teeth correction steps has the same elasticity.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein in step d), a first appliance membrane is pressed to produce the first appliance based on a positive mold for the first appliance, and a second appliance membrane is pressed to produce the second appliance based on a positive mold for the second appliance.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein a thickness of the first appliance membrane is different than a thickness of the second appliance membrane.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the modulus of elasticity of the material of the first appliance membrane is different from the modulus of elasticity of the material of the second appliance membrane.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein step d) further comprises a post-processing sub-step, wherein different post-processing methods are used for the first and second housings.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein step d) further comprises an accessory setup sub-step of making different accessory setups for the first and second housings.

7. A method for manufacturing a combined dental appliance system, comprising the steps of:

a) determining orthodontic stage discrimination points in a series of dental digital data models representing orthodontic states, wherein a first orthodontic stage is located before the orthodontic stage discrimination points and a second orthodontic stage is located after the orthodontic stage discrimination points;

b) acquiring a first tooth digital data model representing the tooth correcting state of the first correcting stage and a second tooth digital data model representing the tooth correcting state of the second correcting stage;

c) manufacturing a corresponding first dental appliance and a corresponding second dental appliance by a rapid prototyping method according to the first dental digital data model and the second dental digital data model,

wherein the first dental appliance comprises a first shell for receiving and positioning teeth and the second dental appliance comprises a second shell for receiving and positioning teeth, wherein the first shell and the second shell are different in geometry and elasticity;

the first correcting stage and the second correcting stage respectively correspond to tooth correcting states of a plurality of tooth correcting steps;

the shell of the first dental appliance corresponding to the plurality of teeth correction steps has the same elasticity, and the shell of the second dental appliance corresponding to the plurality of teeth correction steps has the same elasticity.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said step c) further comprises: a substep of adjusting shell elasticity for different dental positions or different portions of the same dental position of at least one of the first and second dental appliances.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein in step c), the rapid prototyping process is controlled such that the thickness of the first shell is different from the thickness of the second shell.

10. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein in step c), the first and second housings are made of materials having different elastic moduli.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein step c) further comprises a post-processing sub-step of applying different post-processing methods to the first and second housings.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein step c) further comprises an accessory setup sub-step of making different accessory setups for the first and second housings.

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