Various structured supports for 3D printed aligners/mouth pieces

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11534277-B2
Application number	US-202016829801-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 25, 2020
Priority date	Mar 25, 2019
Publication date	Dec 27, 2022
Grant date	Dec 27, 2022

Abstract

A support is coupled to an appliance to decrease warpage. The support may comprise a plurality of extensions coupled to the appliance to decrease warpage. The extensions can be coupled to the appliance at one or more of many locations, such as on an occlusal surface, a wall, an edge or an interior of the appliance. In some embodiments, the extensions are coupled to walls of the appliance such as a buccal wall and a lingual wall, and the extensions can be coupled to the walls of the appliance near edges of the walls, such as gingivally facing edges of the walls that are oriented toward the gingiva when the appliance is worn.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An orthodontic dental appliance precursor, comprising:
a dental appliance comprising a plurality of teeth receiving cavities shaped to receive and reposition a tooth of a patient, the appliance comprising a buccal wall and a lingual wall to at least partially define the plurality of teeth receiving cavities, the buccal wall and lingual wall having one or more gingivally facing edges; and
a support comprising a plurality of extensions coupled to the dental appliance at the one or more gingivally facing edges of the appliance, the support comprising a holder to couple to an additive manufacturing machine, the support extending between the holder and the appliance.

2. The dental appliance precursor of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of extensions couple to the appliance at a plurality of locations near one or more gingivally facing edges of the appliance.

3. The dental appliance precursor of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of extensions couple to the appliance at a plurality of locations with a plurality of weakened regions at the locations.

4. The dental appliance precursor of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of extensions couple to the appliance near a buccal gingivally facing edge of the appliance and a lingual gingivally facing edge of the appliance.

5. The dental appliance precursor of claim 1 , wherein the precursor appliance comprises a plurality of weakened regions extending between the plurality of extensions and the appliance.

6. The dental appliance precursor of claim 5 , wherein each of the plurality of weakened regions comprises one or more of one or more of a plurality of perforations, a channel, a plurality of channels, a groove, a plurality of grooves, a fillet, a cavity, a plurality of cavities, a reduced cross sectional area compared to a cross sectional area of the support, a reduced cross sectional area compared to the appliance, a weaker material compared to the appliance, a different material than the appliance, a different material that is weaker compared to the appliance, or a weaker material compared to the support.

7. The dental appliance precursor of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of extensions are coupled to an occlusal surface of the appliance at a plurality of locations.

8. The dental appliance precursor of claim 7 , wherein each of the plurality of extensions extends along a direction of fabrication from a holder to the appliance.

9. The dental appliance precursor of claim 8 , wherein the direction of fabrication extends from an occlusal surface of the appliance to an interior surface of the appliance to decrease over curing of material along the interior surface, the interior surface shaped to correspond to an occlusal surface of a tooth.

10. The dental appliance precursor of claim 7 , wherein the occlusal surface comprises a surface contour corresponding to a contour of the plurality of teeth receiving cavities.

11. The dental appliance precursor of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of extensions couple to the appliance along one or more of the buccal wall or the lingual wall.

12. The dental appliance precursor of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of extensions comprises sufficient stiffness to decrease warpage of the appliance between the buccal wall the lingual wall.

13. The dental appliance precursor of claim 12 , wherein the plurality of extensions comprises sufficient stiffness to decrease warpage related to a distance between the buccal wall and the lingual wall.

14. The dental appliance precursor of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of extensions includes a first plurality of extensions coupled to the buccal wall at a first plurality of locations and a second plurality of extensions coupled to the lingual wall at a second plurality of locations.

15. The dental appliance precursor of claim 14 , wherein the first plurality of extensions is coupled to the buccal wall near a gingivally facing edge of the buccal wall and the second plurality of extensions is coupled to the lingual wall near a gingivally facing edge of the lingual wall.

16. A dental appliance precursor, comprising:
a dental appliance comprising a plurality of teeth receiving cavities, the appliance comprising a buccal wall and a lingual wall to at least partially define the plurality of teeth receiving cavities;
a support comprising a plurality of extensions coupled to the dental appliance, the support comprising a holder to couple to an additive manufacturing machine, the support extending between the holder and the appliance
wherein the plurality of extensions are coupled to an occlusal surface of the appliance at a plurality of locations corresponding to a plurality of tooth receiving cavities.

17. The dental appliance precursor of claim 16 , wherein the plurality of locations corresponds to a plurality of local minima along a direction of fabrication of the appliance in order to decrease island formation at the plurality of locations.

18. The dental appliance precursor of claim 17 , wherein the plurality of local minima corresponds to a single tooth and the occlusal surface of the appliance corresponds to the occlusal surface of the tooth.

Assignees

• Align Technology Inc

Inventors

• Chavez Jennifer
• Webber Peter
• Yu Zhou (Jonelle)
• Lim Tzishing Jesse
• Cai Luyao
• Yau Eric

Classifications

• A61C13/0013 Primary

  using stereolithographic techniques · CPC title

• B33Y50/00

  Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing · CPC title

• B33Y70/00

  Materials specially adapted for additive manufacturing · 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

• B33Y40/20

  Post-treatment, e.g. curing, coating or polishing · CPC title