Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61C—DENTISTRY; APPARATUS OR METHODS FOR ORAL OR DENTAL HYGIENE
  • A61C7/00—Orthodontics, i.e. obtaining or maintaining the desired position of teeth, e.g. by straightening, evening, regulating, separating, or by correcting malocclusions
  • A61C7/08—Mouthpiece-type retainers or positioners, e.g. for both the lower and upper arch
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61C—DENTISTRY; APPARATUS OR METHODS FOR ORAL OR DENTAL HYGIENE
  • A61C7/00—Orthodontics, i.e. obtaining or maintaining the desired position of teeth, e.g. by straightening, evening, regulating, separating, or by correcting malocclusions
  • A61C7/002—Orthodontic computer assisted systems
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
  • B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
  • B29C33/00—Moulds or cores; Details thereof or accessories therefor
  • B29C33/38—Moulds or cores; Details thereof or accessories therefor characterised by the material or the manufacturing process
  • B29C33/3842—Manufacturing moulds, e.g. shaping the mould surface by machining
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
  • B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
  • B29C33/00—Moulds or cores; Details thereof or accessories therefor
  • B29C33/38—Moulds or cores; Details thereof or accessories therefor characterised by the material or the manufacturing process
  • B29C33/40—Plastics, e.g. foam or rubber
  • B29C33/405—Elastomers, e.g. rubber
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
  • B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
  • B29C64/00—Additive manufacturing, i.e. manufacturing of three-dimensional [3D] objects by additive deposition, additive agglomeration or additive layering, e.g. by 3D printing, stereolithography or selective laser sintering
  • B29C64/30—Auxiliary operations or equipment
  • B29C64/386—Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing
  • B29C64/393—Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B33—ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY
  • B33Y—ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING
  • B33Y10/00—Processes of additive manufacturing
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B33—ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY
  • B33Y—ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING
  • B33Y50/00—Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing
  • B33Y50/02—Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B33—ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY
  • B33Y—ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING
  • B33Y70/00—Materials specially adapted for additive manufacturing
  • B33Y70/10—Composites of different types of material, e.g. mixtures of ceramics and polymers or mixtures of metals and biomaterials
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B33—ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY
  • B33Y—ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING
  • B33Y80/00—Products made by additive manufacturing
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
  • G06T—IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL
  • G06T1/00—General purpose image data processing
  • G06T1/0007—Image acquisition
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
  • G06T—IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL
  • G06T17/00—Three-dimensional [3D] modelling for computer graphics
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
  • G06T—IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL
  • G06T19/00—Manipulating three-dimensional [3D] models or images for computer graphics
  • G06T19/20—Editing of three-dimensional [3D] images, e.g. changing shapes or colours, aligning objects or positioning parts
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G16—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR SPECIFIC APPLICATION FIELDS
  • G16H—HEALTHCARE INFORMATICS, i.e. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE HANDLING OR PROCESSING OF MEDICAL OR HEALTHCARE DATA
  • G16H30/00—ICT specially adapted for the handling or processing of medical images
  • G16H30/20—ICT specially adapted for the handling or processing of medical images for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G16—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR SPECIFIC APPLICATION FIELDS
  • G16H—HEALTHCARE INFORMATICS, i.e. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE HANDLING OR PROCESSING OF MEDICAL OR HEALTHCARE DATA
  • G16H30/00—ICT specially adapted for the handling or processing of medical images
  • G16H30/40—ICT specially adapted for the handling or processing of medical images for processing medical images, e.g. editing
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G16—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR SPECIFIC APPLICATION FIELDS
  • G16H—HEALTHCARE INFORMATICS, i.e. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE HANDLING OR PROCESSING OF MEDICAL OR HEALTHCARE DATA
  • G16H50/00—ICT specially adapted for medical diagnosis, medical simulation or medical data mining; ICT specially adapted for detecting, monitoring or modelling epidemics or pandemics
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
  • A61B18/00—Surgical instruments, devices or methods for transferring non-mechanical forms of energy to or from the body
  • A61B18/18—Surgical instruments, devices or methods for transferring non-mechanical forms of energy to or from the body by applying electromagnetic radiation, e.g. microwaves
  • A61B18/20—Surgical instruments, devices or methods for transferring non-mechanical forms of energy to or from the body by applying electromagnetic radiation, e.g. microwaves using laser
  • A61B2018/2035—Beam shaping or redirecting; Optical components therefor
  • A61B2018/20351—Scanning mechanisms
  • A61B2018/20353—Scanning in three dimensions [3D]
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61C—DENTISTRY; APPARATUS OR METHODS FOR ORAL OR DENTAL HYGIENE
  • A61C7/00—Orthodontics, i.e. obtaining or maintaining the desired position of teeth, e.g. by straightening, evening, regulating, separating, or by correcting malocclusions
  • A61C7/002—Orthodontic computer assisted systems
  • A61C2007/004—Automatic construction of a set of axes for a tooth or a plurality of teeth
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61C—DENTISTRY; APPARATUS OR METHODS FOR ORAL OR DENTAL HYGIENE
  • A61C2201/00—Material properties
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B22—CASTING; POWDER METALLURGY
  • B22F—WORKING METALLIC POWDER; MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES FROM METALLIC POWDER; MAKING METALLIC POWDER; APPARATUS OR DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR METALLIC POWDER
  • B22F1/00—Metallic powder; Treatment of metallic powder, e.g. to facilitate working or to improve properties
  • B22F1/10—Metallic powder containing lubricating or binding agents; Metallic powder containing organic material
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
  • B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
  • B29C45/00—Injection moulding, i.e. forcing the required volume of moulding material through a nozzle into a closed mould; Apparatus therefor
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
  • B29K—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES B29B, B29C OR B29D, RELATING TO MOULDING MATERIALS OR TO MATERIALS FOR MOULDS, REINFORCEMENTS, FILLERS OR PREFORMED PARTS, e.g. INSERTS
  • B29K2083/00—Use of polymers having silicon, with or without sulfur, nitrogen, oxygen, or carbon only, in the main chain, as moulding material
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
  • B29K—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES B29B, B29C OR B29D, RELATING TO MOULDING MATERIALS OR TO MATERIALS FOR MOULDS, REINFORCEMENTS, FILLERS OR PREFORMED PARTS, e.g. INSERTS
  • B29K2105/00—Condition, form or state of moulded material or of the material to be shaped
  • B29K2105/06—Condition, form or state of moulded material or of the material to be shaped containing reinforcements, fillers or inserts
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
  • B29L—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASS B29C, RELATING TO PARTICULAR ARTICLES
  • B29L2031/00—Other particular articles
  • B29L2031/753—Medical equipment; Accessories therefor
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B33—ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY
  • B33Y—ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING
  • B33Y70/00—Materials specially adapted for additive manufacturing
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
  • G06T—IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL
  • G06T2207/00—Indexing scheme for image analysis or image enhancement
  • G06T2207/30—Subject of image; Context of image processing
  • G06T2207/30004—Biomedical image processing
  • G06T2207/30036—Dental; Teeth
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
  • G06T—IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL
  • G06T2219/00—Indexing scheme for manipulating 3D models or images for computer graphics
  • G06T2219/20—Indexing scheme for editing of 3D models

Definitions

• the present invention generally relates to an orthodontic aligning appliance and methods of making and using the same.
• Orthodontic tooth movement is accomplished by applying force to a tooth or set of teeth. This force causes a biological remodeling of the bone surrounding the teeth. This remodeling causes the tooth to shift and move inside the jaw bones.
• This orthodontic force can be applied by fixed and/or removable appliances.
• One type of appliances that is gaining popularity is orthodontic aligners or clear aligners. Clear aligners are a type of removable appliances used to move the teeth by having the patient wear the said aligner for 1-2 weeks and then switching to another sequential tray where they wear it for 1-2 weeks and so on and so forth.
• Clear aligners are fabricated by thermoforming a heat sensitive clear plastic sheet onto a dental model of the teeth.
• the teeth are shifted by a small increment in position and orientation.
• the concept is that the when the patient wears the plastic trays they will flex and distort and apply force to the teeth forcing them into a new position similar to the dental model used to fabricate the tray. The process is repeated for the number of trays needed to place the teeth in an ideal position.
• aligners will lose track of the teeth and will not move them into the proposed position or orientation, or 2) the aligner will distort beyond plastic deformation and will be permanently deformed and might not fit into the patient's mouth all together.
• the nature of the material used in the aligner dictates the amount of force applied on the teeth and the rate at which the said force is dissipated.
• the plastic used in aligners applies a large amount of force initially and then it dissipates quickly. This is mainly due to the low flexibility of the material.
• Aligners have a uniform thickness on the occlusal surface of the teeth. This can cause the posterior teeth to get imbedded inside the jaw bone (Intrusion movement). This is a general side effect of aligners that is usually very apparent with longer treatment times.
• an orthodontic appliance formed of a material (appliance forming material) comprising an elastic material in an amount that imparts to the aligner elastic properties such that the appliance exerts a continuous aligning force on a tooth or teeth, wherein the elastic material is a material other than polyester, and wherein the elastic material accounts for all or substantially all the elastic properties of the appliance.
• the elastic material comprises at least 10 wt% of the appliance forming material.
• the elastic material comprises at least 20 wt% of the appliance forming material.
• he elastic material comprises at least 30 wt% of the appliance forming material.
• he elastic material comprises at least 40 wt% of the appliance forming material.
• he elastic material comprises at least 50 wt% of the appliance forming material.
• the elastic material comprises at least 60 wt% of the appliance forming material.
• the elastic material comprises at least 70 wt% of the appliance forming material.
• the elastic material comprises at least 80 wt% of the appliance forming material.
• the elastic material comprises at least 90 wt% of the appliance forming material.
• the elastic material comprises at least 95 wt% of the appliance forming material.
• the elastic material comprises between 0-100 %. e.g. 0 ⁇ x ⁇ 100, where x is the elasticity.
• the elastic material has an elasticity that it is capable of being stretched at least 300% of its original length.
• the elastic material is selected from the group consisting of silicone or orthodontic power chain material, and orthodontic rubber bands.
• the appliance forming material further comprises a reinforcing material to enhance stability and anchorage of the appliance.
• a method of forming an orthodontic appliance comprising:
• the appliance comprises an appliance forming material comprising an elastic material in an amount that imparts to the appliance elastic properties such that the appliance exerts a continuous aligning force on a tooth or teeth, and
• the elastic material is a material other than polyester, and wherein the elastic material accounts for all or substantially all the elastic properties of the appliance.
• moving a tooth or teeth of target comprises moving the tooth or teeth of target manually or using computer software.
• forming an appliance comprises forming the appliance by direct 3D printing (Additive manufacturing), CNC Machining
• forming the appliance by casting comprises:
• the appliance forming material comprises a reinforcing material to enhance appliance stability, anchorage, and force loading.
• forming the appliance comprises:
• the appliance comprises an appliance forming material comprising an elastic material in an amount that imparts to the appliance elastic properties such that the appliance exerts a continuous aligning force on a tooth or teeth, and
• the elastic material is a material other than polyester, and wherein the elastic material accounts for all or substantially all the elastic properties of the appliance.
• the appliance is according to any of the various embodiments disclosed herein.
• the prescribed position is an intermediate position toward a final prescribed alignment of the tooth or teeth of target of alignment prescribed by a treating doctor.
• an orthodontic aligner kit comprising at least one appliance according to the various embodiments disclosed herein.
• the aligner comprises a plurality of appliances, wherein each appliance is formed by a method according to the various embodiments of method of invention.
• Figure I is an image of an embodiment of the invention appliance showing a view of the top side (non-tooth contacting side) of the invention appliance.
• Figure 2 is an image of an embodiment of the invention appliance showing a view of the bottom side (tooth/teeth contacting side) of the invention appliance.
• Figure 3 shows an image of an embodiment of the invention appliance (top) being applied to teeth (bottom).
• Figures 4A-4D show one aspect of the invention appliance over traditional aligner appliances.
• the term "original position" of tooth or teeth refers to the position of the tooth or teeth of the target of treatment prior to the treatment using the appliance of invention; and the term “final position” refers to position of such tooth or teeth at the conclusion time point of an orthodontic treatment course prescribed by a treating doctor; and the term “intermediate position” refers to any position between the original position and the final position of the tooth or teeth of the target of treatment prescribed by a treating doctor.
• the term "appliance” or “aligner”, which is used interchangeably herein, refers to an orthodontic device for moving a tooth or teeth according to a prescription by a treating doctor.
• Clear orthodontic appliances refer to those made from a plastic material, which is generally a polyester material. Such clear appliances are exemplified by
• InvisalignTM aligners The InvisalignTM aligners, and methods of making and using the same, are described in general in ET.S. Patent Nos. Pat. Nos. 6,450,807, and 5,975,893, the teaching of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
• the term “elastic appliance” refers to an orthodontic appliance capable of being stretched to a substantially higher degree than traditional polymer based clear aligners, such as the InvisalignTM aligners.
• the term “intermittent aligning force” refers to an aligning force generated by an aligner that substantially or entirely loses its strength due to characteristics of the material forming the aligner, e.g., due to fatigue, aging, degradation, erosion, or breaking down of the material.
• “continuous aligning force” refers to an aligning force that is not intermittent, an example of“intermittent aligning force” being the aligning force generated by conventional plastic orthodontic aligners such as the InvisalignTM aligners.
• an orthodontic appliance formed of a material (appliance forming material) comprising an elastic material in an amount that imparts to the aligner elastic properties such that the appliance exerts a continuous aligning force on a tooth or teeth, wherein the elastic material is a material other than polyester, and wherein the elastic material accounts for all or substantially all the elastic properties of the appliance.
• the elastic material comprises at least 10 wt% of the appliance forming material.
• the elastic material comprises at least 20 wt% of the appliance forming material.
• he elastic material comprises at least 30 wt% of the appliance forming material.
• he elastic material comprises at least 40 wt% of the appliance forming material.
• he elastic material comprises at least 50 wt% of the appliance forming material.
• the elastic material comprises at least 60 wt% of the appliance forming material.
• the elastic material comprises at least 70 wt% of the appliance forming material.
• the elastic material comprises at least 80 wt% of the appliance forming material.
• the elastic material comprises at least 90 wt% of the appliance forming material.
• the elastic material comprises at least 95 wt% of the appliance forming material.
• the elastic material comprises between 0-100 %. e.g. 0 ⁇ x ⁇ 100, where xis the elasticity.
• the elastic material has an elasticity that it is capable of being stretched at least 300% of its original length.
• the elastic material is selected from the group consisting of silicone or orthodontic power chain material, and orthodontic rubber bands.
• the appliance forming material further comprises a reinforcing material to enhance stability and anchorage of the appliance.
• Appliance forming materials usable for forming the elastic appliance of invention can be any biocompatible elastic materials.
• the term "elastic material” generally refers to materials which possess high elasticity (i.e.) which can be stretched several times its original length (at least 300%) and upon releasing of the stress (stretching force), it returns back to its original shape and dimensions.
• Examples of elastic materials useful in the present invention include elastomers, which are the class of polymer materials with high elastic nature. Elastomers show entropy-dependent elasticity. The polymer chains return back to the original state because it prefers to be in the lowest state of entropy. Elastomers are the class of polymer materials with high elastic nature and they include natural rubber, synthetic rubber, nitrile rubber, silicone rubber, urethane rubbers, chloroprene rubber, Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA rubber), ethylene propylene diene monomer (M-class) rubber (EPDM), styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR), etc.
• EVA rubber Ethylene Vinyl Acetate
• EPDM ethylene propylene diene monomer
• SBR styrene-butadiene rubber
• the appliance forming materials can be substantially all elastic materials or, in some embodiments, can include other materials, such as a reinforcing material. In some embodiments, the appliance forming material specifically exclude a polyester material.
• reinforcing material refers to any material capable of enhancing appliance stability, anchorage, and force loading.
• such reinforcing material imparts attributes to the appliance that inhibits or prevents degradation or erosion of the appliance such that the appliance retains its elasticity and aligning force over the entire course of treatment or, alternatively, over a period of 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 6 weeks, 8 weeks, 12 weeks, 16 weeks, 20 weeks, 24 weeks, 26 weeks or 28 weeks, retaining at least 80% ( e.g., about 85%, 90%, 95%, 98%, or about 99%) of its elasticity and/or aligning force.
• such reinforcing material imparts, for example, attributes that allows the appliance to be anchored at a point or an area in the oral cavity.
• attributes can be, for example, adhesion, and thus, a reinforcing material that enhances adhesion of the appliance would be useful.
• Examples of such reinforcing materials can include a fiber material, which fiber material can be, for example, polyester fibers, or polyethylene fibers.
• the physical properties of the elastic material can be readily modified according to the type of orthodontic movement needed with any specific case.
• the appliance of invention of elastic material will have the shape of individual teeth so that it fits around individual teeth. Using the analogy of glover-fingers, the appliance of invention fits around individual teeth like a glove fits individual fingers, and using the same analogy, previous art plastic aligners cover teeth like a mitten covers the fingers where all the fingers are wrapped around with no internal boundary. The invention appliance covers individual teeth and wrap around them to eliminate the tracking error problem of prior art.
• the internal dimensions of the elastic appliance can have the same size of the teeth to provide perfect fit or they can be designed to be slightly smaller, which is made possible due to the elasticity of the elastic appliance forming material.
• the combination of smaller size and elastic material will entail that the aligner will be slightly stretched and hence provide a better grip on individual teeth.
• the appliance of invention can have very thin or no coverage in areas where upper and lower teeth interact or touch. This will eliminate the intrusion side effect mentioned earlier in the prior art.
• the elastic appliance of invention can have variable thickness either before fitting into the patient mouth or due to variable stretching that will happen after fitting into the patient mouth.
• An advantage of the invention appliance is that it can be made to exert a relatively lighter force that will span for a longer time period before dissipating and another activation is needed. This provided a more biologically compatible and favorable force loading leading to more efficient and comfortable tooth movement.
• Figure 1 shows an image of an embodiment of the invention appliance showing a view of the top side (non-tooth contacting side) of the invention appliance.
• Figure 2 is an image of an embodiment of the invention appliance showing a view of the bottom side
• an orthodontic aligner kit comprising at least one appliance according to the various embodiments disclosed herein.
• the aligner comprises a plurality of appliances, wherein each appliance is formed by a method according to the various embodiments of method of invention.
• the plurality of appliances have up to three appliances.
• a method of forming an orthodontic appliance comprising:
• the appliance comprises an appliance forming material comprising an elastic material in an amount that imparts to the appliance elastic properties such that the appliance exerts a continuous aligning force on a tooth or teeth, and wherein the elastic material is a material other than polyester, and wherein the elastic material accounts for all or substantially all the elastic properties of the appliance.
• moving a tooth or teeth of target comprises moving the tooth or teeth of target manually or using computer software.
• forming an appliance comprises forming the appliance by direct 3D printing or by casting.
• forming the appliance by casting comprises:
• the appliance forming material comprises a reinforcing material to enhance appliance stability and anchorage.
• the elastic material comprises at least 10 wt% of the appliance forming material.
• the elastic material comprises at least 20 wt% of the appliance forming material.
• he elastic material comprises at least 50 wt% of the appliance forming material.
• the elastic material comprises at least 80 wt% of the appliance forming material.
• the elastic material comprises at least 90 wt% of the appliance forming material.
• the elastic material comprises at least 95 wt% of the appliance forming material.
• the elastic material has an elasticity that it is capable of being stretched at least 300% of its original length.
• the elastic material is selected from the group consisting of silicone or power chain material, and orthodontic rubber bands.
• a method of aligning a tooth or teeth of target of a patient comprising:
• forming the appliance comprises:
• the appliance comprises an appliance forming material comprising an elastic material in an amount that imparts to the appliance elastic properties such that the appliance exerts a continuous aligning force on a tooth or teeth, and
• the elastic material is a material other than polyester, and wherein the elastic material accounts for all or substantially all the elastic properties of the appliance.
• the appliance is according to any of the various embodiments disclosed herein.
• the prescribed position is an intermediate position toward a final prescribed alignment of the tooth or teeth of target of alignment prescribed by a treating doctor.
• the elastic material comprises at least 10 wt% of the appliance forming material.
• the elastic material comprises at least 20 wt% of the appliance forming material.
• he elastic material comprises at least 50 wt% of the appliance forming material.
• the elastic material comprises at least 80 wt% of the appliance forming material.
• the elastic material comprises at least 90 wt% of the appliance forming material.
• the elastic material comprises at least 95 wt3 ⁇ 4 of the appliance forming material.
• the elastic material has an elasticity that it is capable of being stretched at least 300% of its original length.
• the elastic material is selected from the group consisting of silicone or power chain material, and orthodontic rubber bands.
• Figure 3 shows an image of an embodiment of the invention appliance (top) being applied to teeth (bottom).
• FIG. 1 shows an image of the appliance viewed from the non-tooth contacting side
• Figure 2 shows an image of the appliance viewed from the tooth contacting side.
• Figure 3 shows an image of an embodiment of the invention appliance (top) being applied to teeth (bottom).
• Figures 4A-4D show one aspect of the invention appliance over traditional aligner appliances in that the invention appliance significantly reduces the aligning steps in orthodontic treatment.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Materials Engineering (AREA)
• Public Health (AREA)
• General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Epidemiology (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Medical Informatics (AREA)
• Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery (AREA)
• Dentistry (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Animal Behavior & Ethology (AREA)
• Veterinary Medicine (AREA)
• Primary Health Care (AREA)
• Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Nuclear Medicine, Radiotherapy & Molecular Imaging (AREA)
• Computer Graphics (AREA)
• Radiology & Medical Imaging (AREA)
• Software Systems (AREA)
• Civil Engineering (AREA)
• Ceramic Engineering (AREA)
• Composite Materials (AREA)
• Structural Engineering (AREA)
• Architecture (AREA)
• Computer Hardware Design (AREA)
• Geometry (AREA)
• Biomedical Technology (AREA)
• Data Mining & Analysis (AREA)
• Databases & Information Systems (AREA)
• Pathology (AREA)
• Optics & Photonics (AREA)
• Dental Tools And Instruments Or Auxiliary Dental Instruments (AREA)

Priority Applications (7)

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=67393043

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (7)

Families Citing this family (2)

Citations (3)

Family Cites Families (27)

• 2018
  • 2018-03-07 US US15/914,932 patent/US20190231481A1/en not_active Abandoned
• 2019
  • 2019-01-29 KR KR1020207025116A patent/KR20210003724A/ko not_active Ceased
  • 2019-01-29 KR KR1020237027203A patent/KR102790010B1/ko active Active
  • 2019-01-29 CN CN201980022302.XA patent/CN112055571A/zh active Pending
  • 2019-01-29 EP EP19748460.3A patent/EP3745991B1/en active Active
  • 2019-01-29 BR BR112020015596-9A patent/BR112020015596B1/pt not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2019-01-29 WO PCT/US2019/015639 patent/WO2019152396A1/en not_active Ceased
  • 2019-01-29 JP JP2020564025A patent/JP2021512764A/ja active Pending
• 2025
  • 2025-02-17 JP JP2025023168A patent/JP2025065536A/ja active Pending

Patent Citations (3)

Also Published As

Similar Documents

Legal Events