US 2016/0095670 A1Published application

Tooth attachment placement device

AssigneeOraMetrix, Inc.

InventorsFrank Witte, Friedrich Riemeier, Rohit Sachdeva, Phillip Getto

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Abstract

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, tooth attachment placement (TAP) device or for assisting a user in placing one or more appliances or attachments on one or more teeth is disclosed. The TAP device comprises single tooth jigs connected through splines. The geometry of the device is automatically designed in the treatment planning unified workstation, thereby generating a digital STL file. Then the device is created from a non-flexible biocompatible material by a 3D printer in accordance with the digital STL file. Appliance, for example, may be a bracket or a bracket shim; and the attachment may be an aligner attachment or a pad. Different embodiments of the TAP device are disclosed. Methods for verifying the accuracy of the placements of the brackets on the teeth using the TAP device are disclosed.

Claims14

Dependent claims

A method for indirect bonding orthodontic brackets on a patient's teeth, comprising the steps of:

a) obtaining a virtual model comprising the dentition of a patient in a current stage and placement locations of virtual orthodontic brackets on the dentition in said current stage, including type and dimensions of said virtual orthodontic brackets;
b) defining the geometry of a bracket placement tray;
wherein the geometry is derived basically from the inverse shape of virtual the model with orthodontic brackets on;
c) wherein said bracket placement tray is designed for a plurality of real teeth of said patient based on said virtual model;
d) said bracket placement tray having features for placement of real orthodontic brackets thereby enabling bonding of said real orthodontic brackets to said real teeth at desired locations;
e) wherein said bracket placement tray is manufactured using generative manufacturing technologies (3D printing, 3D laser sintering, etc.);
f) wherein the real brackets will be put into the holding features of the indirect bonding tray;
g) bonding said real orthodontic brackets on said patient's real teeth using said bracket placement tray;

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.