Orthodontic repositioning appliances having improved geometry, methods and systems
AssigneeAlign Technology, Inc.
InventorsHeng Cao, Vadim Matov, John Y. Morton, Jon Moss, Ryan Kimura
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention provides methods and systems including orthodontic tooth positioning appliances. An exemplary appliance can include teeth receiving cavities shaped such that, when worn by a patient, repositioning the patient's teeth from a first arrangement toward a subsequent or target arrangement. Appliances can include a cavity having one or more shaped features or protrusions shaped and/or positioned so as to apply a desired force to a patient's tooth received in the cavity and move the tooth along a desired path or direction.
Claims21
1-26. (canceled)
An orthodontic appliance, comprising:
- a polymeric shell;
- teeth receiving cavities comprising opposing sidewalls formed of the polymeric shell and shaped to receive teeth and apply a resilient repositioning force to move the patient's teeth towards a target arrangement;
- an elongate ridge formed in a sidewall of a first of the teeth receiving cavities, the elongate ridge configured to apply a portion of the repositioning force to a patient's tooth corresponding to a selected tooth movement towards the target arrangement;
- and
- a modification to a portion of the polymeric shell selected to compensate for an undesirable force vector imparted by the shell with the patient's tooth due to positioning of the ridge in the sidewall of the cavity.
A system for repositioning a patient's teeth according to an orthodontic treatment plan, the system comprising:
- a plurality of appliances shaped to receive and resiliently reposition teeth through a plurality of planned successive tooth arrangements so as to move the patient's teeth along a treatment path from an initial position toward a final position, the appliances each comprising a polymeric shell having teeth receiving cavities comprising opposing sidewalls formed of the polymeric shell and wherein the cavities of successive appliances have different geometries shaped to receive teeth and apply a resilient repositioning force to move the patient's teeth to a successive position, wherein at least one appliance of the plurality comprises:
- an elongate ridge formed in a sidewall of a first of the teeth receiving cavities of the at least one appliance, the elongate ridge configured to apply a portion of the repositioning force to a patient's tooth corresponding to movement to the successive position, and
- a modification to a portion of the polymeric shell to compensate for an undesirable force vector imparted by the polymeric shell with the patient's tooth due to positioning of the ridge in the sidewall of the cavity.
An orthodontic appliance, comprising:
- a polymeric shell;
- teeth receiving cavities comprising opposing sidewalls formed of the polymeric shell and shaped to receive teeth and apply a resilient repositioning force to move the patient's teeth from a current arrangement toward a target arrangement;
- an elongate ridge-shaped protrusion having a generally semi-circular cross-sectional shape formed in a sidewall of a first of the teeth receiving cavities, the elongate ridge-shaped protrusion configured to apply a portion of the resilient repositioning force to a patient's tooth corresponding to a selected tooth movement;
- and
- a modification to a portion of the shell selected to compensate for an undesirable force vector imparted by the shell to the patient's tooth due to positioning of the elongate ridge-shaped protrusion in the sidewall of the cavity.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.