Dental appliance reinforcement

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11026768-B2
Application number	US-15218808-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 13, 2008
Priority date	Oct 8, 1998
Publication date	Jun 8, 2021
Grant date	Jun 8, 2021

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatuses for dental appliance reinforcement are provided. One dental appliance includes a number of tooth apertures for the placement of teeth therein wherein the number of tooth apertures include an interior surface and an exterior surface, and a reinforcement rib positioned along the exterior surface.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A dental appliance system, comprising:
a series of dental appliances adapted to apply forces to a patient's teeth for moving the patient's teeth in accordance with a treatment path, the series of dental appliances including a first dental appliance associated with a first segment of the treatment path and a second dental appliance associated with a second segment of the treatment path, wherein each of the first and second dental appliances includes:
a shell formed from a polymeric material having tooth apertures arranged in an arch shape based at least in part on the patient's dental arch, the shell comprising:
at least one first arch-shaped rib integrally formed with the shell from the polymeric material and located on a lingual exterior surface of the shell, the at least one first arch-shaped rib following a contour of the lingual exterior surface of the shell along a first height of the shell; and
at least one second arch-shaped rib integrally formed with the shell from the polymeric material and located on a labial exterior surface of the shell, the at least one second arch-shaped rib following a contour of the labial exterior surface of the shell along a second height of the shell different than the first height,
wherein a thickness of the polymeric material of the shell at a location of the first arch-shaped rib or the second arch-shaped rib is larger than a thickness of the polymeric material of remaining portions of the shell that do not include the first or second arch-shaped rib;
wherein the first and second arch-shaped ribs of the first dental appliance cooperate and are digitally modelled with the shell of the first dental appliance to determine and apply a first set of forces onto the patient's teeth to achieve a first pre-calculated displacement of the patient's teeth in accordance with the first segment of the treatment path, wherein the first and second arch-shaped ribs of the second dental appliance cooperate and are digitally modelled with the shell of the second dental appliance to determine and apply a second set of forces onto the patient's teeth to achieve a second pre-calculated displacement of the patient's teeth in accordance with the second segment of the treatment path, wherein the first pre-calculated displacement is different than the second pre-calculated displacement.

2. The dental appliance system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first and second arch-shaped ribs is positioned on the lingual and labial exterior surfaces of the dental appliance between two tooth apertures.

3. The dental appliance system of claim 1 , wherein at least part of the at least one of the first and second arch-shaped ribs is positioned laterally and across a width of the tooth apertures.

4. The dental appliance system of claim 1 , wherein a first part of the at least one of the first and second arch-shaped ribs has a first shape, and a second part of the at least one of the first and second arch-shaped ribs has a second shape that is different than the first shape.

5. The dental appliance system of claim 4 , wherein the first and second arch-shaped ribs are positioned on the lingual and labial exterior surfaces of the dental appliance between two teeth apertures.

6. The dental appliance system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first and second arch-shaped ribs is sized to not interfere with an interface surface of the dental appliance that is to abut a portion of an exterior surface of one of the tooth apertures.

7. A dental appliance system, comprising:
a series of dental appliances adapted to apply forces to a patient's teeth for moving the patient's teeth in accordance with a treatment path, the series of dental appliances including a first dental appliance associated with a first segment of the treatment path and a second dental appliance associated with a second segment of the treatment path, wherein each of the first and second dental appliances includes:
a shell formed from a polymeric material and having a number of tooth apertures formed in an arch shape, the shell comprising:
a first arch-shaped rib integrally formed as part of the shell, the first arch-shaped rib following a contour of a lingual exterior surface of the shell along a first height of the dental appliance; and
a second arch-shaped rib integrally formed as part of the shell, the second arch-shaped rib follows a contour of a labial exterior surface of the shell along a second height of the dental appliance different than the first height,
wherein a thickness of the shell at a location of the first arch-shaped rib or the second arch-shaped rib is larger than a thickness of remaining portions of the dental appliance that do not include the first or second arch-shaped ribs; and
wherein the first and second arch-shaped ribs of the first dental appliance cooperate and are digitally modelled with the shell of the first dental appliance to determine and apply a first set of forces onto the patient's teeth to achieve a first pre-calculated displacement of the patient's teeth in accordance with the first segment of the treatment path, wherein the first and second arch-shaped ribs of the second dental appliance cooperate and are digitally modelled with the shell of the second dental appliance to determine and apply a second set of forces onto the patient's teeth to achieve a second pre-calculated displacement of the patient's teeth in accordance with the second segment of the treatment path, wherein the first pre-calculated displacement is different than the second pre-calculated displacement.

8. The dental appliance system of claim 7 , wherein at least one of the first and second arch-shaped ribs includes a number of torsional reinforcing ribs for reinforcing the dental appliance regarding one or more torsional forces.

9. The dental appliance system of claim 7 , further comprising one or more perpendicular force reinforcing ribs for reinforcing the dental appliance.

10. The dental appliance system of claim 7 , wherein at least one of the first and second arch-shaped ribs includes a reinforcing rib that provides reinforcing for the dental appliance regarding one or more torsional forces or one or more forces perpendicular to a line defined by two points comprising a center of one of the number of tooth apertures and a center of an adjacent tooth aperture.

11. The dental appliance system of claim 7 , wherein at least one of the first and second arch-shaped ribs has a semicircular cross-section.

12. The dental appliance system of claim 7 , wherein at least one of the first and second arch-shaped ribs includes a number of lateral reinforcing ribs for reinforcing the dental appliance regarding one or more translational forces.

13. A dental appliance system, comprising:
a series of dental appliances adapted to apply forces to a patient's teeth for moving the patient's teeth in accordance with a treatment path, the series of dental appliances including a first dental appliance associated with a first segment of the treatment path and a second dental appliance associated with a second segment of the treatment path, wherein each of the first and second dental appliances includes:
a shell formed from a polymeric material and having tooth apertures formed in an arch shape for a placement of teeth therein, the shell comprising:
a first arch-shaped rib integrally formed from the polymeric material on a lingual exterior surface of the shell and configured to reinforce the shell, and
a second arch-shaped rib integrally formed from the polymeric material on a labial exterior surface of the shell and configured to reinforce the shell, wherein a thickness of the shell

Assignees

• Moss Jon F
• Marzano Lou
• Kuo Eric E
• Wirth Kelsey D
• Align Technology Inc

Inventors

• Moss Jon F
• Marzano Lou
• Kuo Eric E
• Wirth Kelsey D

Classifications

• A61C9/00

  Impression cups, {i.e. impression trays}; Impression methods {(computer-assisted sizing A61C13/0004; instruments for determining occlusion A61C19/05)} · CPC title

• A61C7/08 Primary

  Mouthpiece-type retainers {or positioners, e.g. for both the lower and upper arch (arch-shaped medicament applicators for teeth or gums A61C19/063; mouthguards for protecting the teeth of sportsmen A63B71/085)} · CPC title

• A61C7/002

  Orthodontic computer assisted systems · CPC title

• A61C7/00 Primary

  Orthodontics, i.e. obtaining or maintaining the desired position of teeth, e.g. by straightening, evening, regulating, separating, or by correcting malocclusions · CPC title

• A61C13/0004

  Computer-assisted sizing or machining of dental prostheses · CPC title