# US 11,998,415 B2 · System and method of forming a custom bleaching tray with trench and material reservoirs

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- Number: US 11,998,415 B2
- Document ID: US11998415B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/983,393
- Filed: 2022-11-08
- Published: 2023-05-11
- Granted: 2024-06-04
- Earliest claimed: 2021-11-08
- Assignees: SprintRay, Inc.
- Applicants: SprintRay Inc.
- Inventors: Mark Lorich; Amir Gordgi
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11998415B2

## CPC

- A61C 19/066: {Bleaching devices; Whitening agent applicators for teeth, e.g. trays or strips}
- B29C 64/188: involving additional operations performed on the added layers, e.g. smoothing, grinding or thickness control (surface shaping B29C59/00; after-treatment of articles without altering their shape B29C71/00)
- B29C 64/393: for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
- B33Y 10/00: Processes of additive manufacturing
- B33Y 30/00: Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor
- B33Y 50/00: Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing
- B33Y 50/02: for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
- B33Y 80/00: Products made by additive manufacturing
- G06T 7/0012: {Biomedical image inspection}
- B29L 2031/753: {Medical equipment; Accessories therefor (bloodbags, medical bags B29L2031/7148; artificial eyes B29L2011/0008)}
- G06T 2210/41: Medical
- A61C: DENTISTRY; APPARATUS OR METHODS FOR ORAL OR DENTAL HYGIENE (non-driven toothbrushes A46B; {tongue scrapers A61B17/24;} preparations for dentistry A61K6/00; preparations for cleaning the teeth or mouth A61K8/00, A61Q11/00)
- B29C: SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING (making preforms B29B11/00; making laminated products by combining previously unconnected layers which become one product whose layers will remain together B32B37/00 - B32B41/00)
- B33Y: ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING
- G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL
- B29L: INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASS B29C, RELATING TO PARTICULAR ARTICLES

## Abstract

A custom bleaching tray or device with trench and material pocket/reservoir is disclosed. The device comprises a trench to avoid leakage of bleaching material onto the gingiva and a reservoir to precisely hold the bleaching material on the surface of the tooth. A method for forming a 3D-printed custom bleaching tray may include: providing or accessing teeth scan data associated with a patent's mouth; generating a digital model of the patient's mouth based on the teeth scan data, including manipulating the teeth scan data to form: a trench between one or more teeth and a gingiva region of the teeth scan data, and a bleaching material reservoir on a surface of each of the one or more teeth of the teeth scan data; and 3D-printing, based on the digital model, a 3D-printed bleaching tray. A thermoforming process may be applied to the 3D-printed bleaching tray.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for forming a custom bleaching tray, comprising:
receiving a digital model of a patient's mouth, the digital model including an initial tooth model and an initial gingiva model;
moving at least one tooth in the initial tooth model and a corresponding gingiva portion in the initial gingiva model buccally, distally, and/or medially to form a moved tooth model and a moved gingiva model;
separating the moved tooth model from the moved gingiva model to form a separated moved gingiva model;
placing the initial tooth model onto the separated moved gingiva model to form a trench between the at least one tooth in the initial tooth model and the corresponding gingiva portion in the moved gingiva model to form an updated digital model;
producing a physical bleaching tray corresponding to the updated digital model of the patient's mouth, the physical bleaching tray including a bleaching material reservoir at an inner surface that corresponds to a buccal surface of the at least one tooth in the initial tooth model and a bleaching material barrier, wherein the bleaching material barrier is formed based on the trench.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 wherein the bleaching material reservoir is based on the moved tooth model.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one tooth in the initial tooth model is moved buccally to form a buccally moved tooth model, is moved distally to form a distally moved tooth model, and is moved medially to form a medially moved tooth model, and wherein the buccally moved tooth model, the distally moved tooth model, and the medially moved tooth model are combined to form the moved tooth model.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 wherein the corresponding gingiva portion in the initial gingiva model is moved buccally to form a buccally moved gingiva model, is moved distally to form a distally moved gingiva model, and is moved medially to form a medially moved gingiva model, and wherein the buccally moved gingiva model, the distally moved gingiva model, and the medially moved gingiva model are combined to form the moved gingiva model.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 wherein the producing a physical bleaching tray includes three-dimensionally (3D) printing and/or applying a thermoforming process.

### Claim 6

A method for forming a custom bleaching tray, comprising:
receiving a digital model of a patient's mouth, the digital model including an initial tooth model and an initial gingiva model;
separating the initial gingiva model from the initial tooth model to form a separated gingiva model;
moving a first gingiva portion in the separated gingiva model buccally, distally, and/or medially to form a moved gingiva model;
placing the initial tooth model onto the moved gingiva model to form a trench between at least one tooth in the initial tooth model and the first gingiva portion in the moved gingiva model to form an updated digital model;
producing a physical bleaching tray corresponding to the updated digital model of the patient's mouth, the physical bleaching tray including a bleaching material reservoir at an inner surface that corresponds to a buccal surface of the at least one tooth in the initial tooth model and a bleaching material barrier, wherein the bleaching material barrier is formed based on the trench.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6 wherein the first gingiva portion in the separated gingiva model is moved buccally to form a buccally moved gingiva model, is moved distally to form a distally moved gingiva model, and is moved medially to form a medially moved gingiva model, and wherein the buccally moved gingiva model, the distally moved gingiva model, and the medially moved gingiva model are combined to form the moved gingiva model.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6 further comprising:
moving at least one tooth in the initial tooth model to form a moved tooth model.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8 wherein the bleaching material reservoir is based on the moved tooth model.

### Claim 10 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8 wherein the at least one tooth in the initial tooth model is moved buccally to form a buccally moved tooth model, is moved distally to form a distally moved tooth model, and is moved medially to form a medially moved tooth model, and wherein the buccally moved tooth model, the distally moved tooth model, and the medially moved tooth model are combined to form the moved tooth model.

### Claim 11 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6 wherein the producing a physical bleaching tray includes three-dimensionally (3D) printing and/or applying a thermoforming process.