Systems and methods for providing orthodontic aligners and other dental appliances

A system for manufacturing an orthodontic aligner, the system comprising:

• a three-dimensional (3D) printer, to print a mold associated with a dental arch of a patient based on a digital model of the mold;
• thermoforming equipment, to thermoform the orthodontic aligner over the mold;
• trimming equipment, to trim the orthodontic aligner;
• an image capture device, to generate a digital representation of the orthodontic aligner;
• and
• a processor, to:
• receive the digital representation of the orthodontic aligner;
• analyze the digital representation of the orthodontic aligner to identify a quality-related property of the orthodontic aligner, wherein analyzing the digital representation of the orthodontic aligner comprises:
• comparing the digital representation of the orthodontic aligner with data generated based on the digital model of the mold over which the orthodontic aligner was formed;
• and
• calculating one or more difference between a feature determined from the data and a feature of the digital representation of the orthodontic aligner;
• determine, based on the quality-related property, that the orthodontic aligner comprises a manufacturing flaw;
• and
• classify the orthodontic aligner as defective based on determining that the orthodontic aligner comprises the manufacturing flaw.

A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a manufacturing system for orthodontic aligners, cause the manufacturing system to perform operations comprising:

• manufacturing an orthodontic aligner, wherein manufacturing the orthodontic aligner comprises:
• printing a mold associated with a dental arch of a patient based on a digital model of the mold;
• forming the orthodontic aligner over the mold;
• and
• trimming the orthodontic aligner;
• and
• assessing a quality of the orthodontic aligner, wherein assessing the quality of the orthodontic aligner comprises:
• receiving a digital representation of the orthodontic aligner, the digital representation having been generated based on imaging of the orthodontic aligner;
• analyzing, by a processor, the digital representation of the orthodontic aligner to identify a quality-related property of the orthodontic aligner, the analyzing comprising:
• comparing the digital representation of the orthodontic aligner with data generated based on the digital model of the mold over which the orthodontic aligner was formed;
• and
• calculating one or more difference between a feature determined from the data and a feature of the digital representation of the orthodontic aligner;
• determining, based on the quality-related property, that the orthodontic aligner comprises a manufacturing flaw;
• and
• classifying the orthodontic aligner as requiring further inspection by a technician based on determining that the orthodontic aligner comprises the manufacturing flaw.