Primer aligner stages for lag issue resolution in low-stage clear aligner treatments

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016242871-A1
Application number	US-201615051390-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 23, 2016
Priority date	Feb 23, 2015
Publication date	Aug 25, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A set of primer appliances and a set of treatment appliances to be worn by a subject are provided. The primer appliances are first worn to prepare the local environment of the teeth for further repositioning of the teeth by the treatment appliances. The primer appliances may apply compression to the periodontal ligament, in a direction favorable for achieving the desired final position of a tooth. The compression may generate a biological response in the local environment of the teeth. The primer appliances may cause minimal or no repositioning of the teeth. The treatment appliances are worn to reposition the teeth from an initial position to an end position of a treatment stage. The primer appliances can improve the efficiency and accuracy of tooth movement by the treatment appliances.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method of repositioning teeth of a subject, the method comprising:
providing one or more primer appliances to be placed on a plurality of teeth of the subject to prepare support structures of the plurality of teeth for repositioning, wherein the one or more primer appliances comprise a plurality of tooth receiving cavities shaped to provide an amount of force or torque to the plurality of teeth sufficient to induce a biological response of the support structures.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of tooth receiving cavities is shaped to provide the amount of force or torque to the plurality of teeth without permanently moving the plurality of teeth when the biological response has been induced and the plurality of teeth is ready for repositioning.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more primer appliances are provided during an intermediate portion of treatment before a movement phase of the plurality of teeth.

4 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising providing a plurality of appliances of an intermediate portion of treatment, the intermediate portion of the treatment comprising a plurality of repositioning stages of treatment.

5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the intermediate portion of treatment comprises providing a plurality of repositioning appliances of a plurality of repositioning stages in order to incrementally move the plurality of teeth toward final positions, wherein one or more of the plurality of teeth moves between adjacent repositioning stages with a repositioning distance per unit time greater than a distance moved per unit time during a primer stage.

6 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising providing one or more finishing appliances for use in a finishing stage of treatment.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein an amount of movement of the plurality of teeth upon completion of a primer portion of treatment with the one or more primer appliances is not sufficient to have permanently moved the teeth more than about half a distance from initial positions of the plurality of teeth prior to placement of the one or more primer appliances to positions of the plurality of tooth receiving cavities of the one or more primer appliances.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein one or more of the plurality of tooth receiving cavities are shaped to displace one or more of the plurality of teeth in a pre-conditioning direction of the one or more primer appliances, the pre-conditioning direction away from a repositioning direction of an initial repositioning stage in order to facilitate movement in the repositioning direction with the initial repositioning stage.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more primer appliances are configured to move the plurality of teeth from a plurality of first positions to a plurality of second positions over a first amount of time, such movement from the plurality of first positions to the plurality of second positions corresponding to a first rate of movement, the method further comprising:
providing a plurality of repositioning appliances of repositioning stages of treatment to reposition the teeth with a second rate of movement greater than the first rate of movement.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more primer appliances lower resistance of a tissue of the subject to the repositioning of the plurality of teeth with a plurality of repositioning appliances.

11 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
placing the one or more primer appliances on the plurality of teeth; and placing one or more repositioning appliances on the plurality of teeth, wherein the one or more primer appliances are placed prior to the one or more repositioning appliances so as to reduce distortion of the one or more repositioning appliances when placed on the plurality of teeth.

12 . A system for repositioning teeth of a subject, the system comprising:
one or more primer appliances to be placed on a plurality of teeth of the subject to prepare support structures of the plurality of teeth for repositioning, wherein the one or more primer appliances comprise a plurality of tooth receiving cavities shaped to provide an amount of force or torque to the plurality of teeth sufficient to induce a biological response of the support structures.

13 . The system of claim 12 , wherein the plurality of tooth receiving cavities is shaped to provide the amount of force or torque to the plurality of teeth without permanently moving the plurality of teeth when the biological response has been induced and the plurality of teeth are ready for repositioning.

14 . The system of claim 12 , further comprising a plurality of appliances for an intermediate portion of treatment, the intermediate portion of the treatment comprising a plurality of repositioning stages of treatment.

15 . The system of claim 14 , wherein the plurality of appliances for the intermediate portion of treatment comprises a plurality of repositioning appliances of a plurality of corresponding repositioning stages in order to incrementally move the plurality of teeth toward final positions, and wherein the plurality of repositioning appliances is configured to move one or more of the plurality of teeth between adjacent repositioning stages with a repositioning distance per unit time greater than a distance moved per unit time during a primer stage.

16 . The system of claim 12 , further comprising one or more finishing appliances for use in a finishing stage of treatment.

17 . The system of claim 12 , wherein the one or more primer appliances are configured such that an amount of movement of the plurality of teeth upon completion of a primer portion of treatment with the one or more primer appliances is not sufficient to have permanently moved the plurality of teeth more than about half a distance from initial positions of the plurality of teeth prior to placement of the one or more primer appliances to positions of the teeth receiving cavities of the one or more primer appliances.

18 . The system of claim 12 , wherein one or more of the plurality of tooth receiving cavities are shaped to displace one or more of the plurality of teeth in a pre-conditioning direction of the one or more primer appliances, the pre-conditioning direction away from a repositioning direction of an initial repositioning stage in order to facilitate movement in the repositioning direction with the initial repositioning stage.

19 . The system of claim 12 , wherein the one or more primer appliances are configured to move the plurality of teeth from a plurality of first positions to a plurality of second positions over a first amount of time, such movement from the plurality of first positions to the plurality of second positions corresponding to a first rate of movement, wherein a plurality of repositioning appliances of corresponding repositioning stages of treatment are configured to reposition the teeth with a second rate of movement greater than the first rate of movement.

20 . The system of claim 12 , wherein the one or more primer appliances lowers resistance of a tissue of the subject to the repositioning of the plurality of teeth with a plurality of repositioning appliances.

Assignees

• Align Technology Inc

Inventors

• Morton John
• Maura Angelo
• Derakhshan Mitra

Classifications

• 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 Primary

  Orthodontic computer assisted systems · CPC title