Mold with weakened areas
AssigneeAlign Technology, Inc.
InventorsPeter Webber, Rohit Tanugula, Shiva P. Sambu, Crystal Tjhia
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A mold includes a first section, a second section, and a weakened region that joins the first section to the second section. The weakened region is breakable, deflectable, or deformable in response to a first threshold force to enable the first section to be removed from a shell independently of the second section after the shell is formed over the mold. The first threshold force is less than a second threshold force that would damage or permanently deform the shell. The first section is a first mold of at least a portion of one or more first teeth of a dental arch and the second section is a second mold of at least a portion of one or more second teeth of the dental arch.
Claims25
A breakable mold of a dental arch, the breakable mold comprising:
- a first section of the breakable mold, the first section being of at least a portion of one or more first teeth of the dental arch;
- a second section of the breakable mold, the second section being of at least a portion of one or more second teeth of the dental arch;
- and
- a weakened region that joins the first section to the second section, wherein the weakened region is breakable in response to a first threshold force to enable the first section to be removed from a shell independently of the second section after the shell is formed over the breakable mold, the first threshold force being less than a second threshold force that would damage or permanently deform the shell.
A deflectable mold of a dental arch, the deflectable mold comprising:
- a first section of the deflectable mold, the first section being of at least a portion of one or more first teeth of the dental arch;
- a second section of the deflectable mold, the second section comprising a feature having an undercut, and the second section being of at least a portion of one or more second teeth of the dental arch;
- and
- a weakened region that joins the first section to the second section, wherein the weakened region is deflectable in response to a first threshold force to enable the first section and the second section to be removed from a shell after the shell is formed over the deflectable mold, the first threshold force being less than a second threshold force that would damage or permanently deform the shell.
A deformable mold of a dental arch, the deformable mold comprising:
- a first section of the deformable mold, the first section being of at least a portion of one or more first teeth of the dental arch;
- a second section of the deformable mold, the second section being of at least a portion of one or more second teeth of the dental arch;
- and
- a weakened region configured to join the first section to the second section, wherein the weakened region is configured to be deformed in response to a first threshold force to enable the first section and the second section to be removed from a removable orthodontic appliance after the removable orthodontic appliance is formed over the deformable mold, the first threshold force being less than a second threshold force that would damage or permanently deform the removable orthodontic appliance.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.