Attachment structure
AssigneeAlign Technology, Inc.
InventorPeter WEBBER
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A series of appliances including a first shell and a second shell can be designed to incrementally implement a treatment plan. The first and second shells can have cavities designed to receive teeth of a jaw. The first shell can be designed to interface with a first surface of a plurality of surfaces of an attachment structure to provide a first engagement force specific to a first stage of the treatment plan. The second shell can be designed to interface with a second surface of the plurality of surfaces of the attachment structure attached to the at least one tooth of the first jaw to provide a second engagement force specific to a second stage of the treatment plan.
Claims20
An attachment structure comprising:
- a first side configured to be coupled to a tooth;
- a second side opposite the first side, the second side configured to interface with an interior surface of a plurality of orthodontic appliances provided as part of a sequential orthodontic treatment plan;
- and
- a plurality of opposing angled surfaces formed on the second side, the plurality of opposing angled surfaces configured to provide to the tooth a first repositioning force when coupled to an interior surface of a first orthodontic appliance of the plurality of orthodontic appliances, and configured to provide to the tooth a second repositioning force when coupled to an interior surface of a second orthodontic appliance of the plurality of orthodontic appliances, the second repositioning force being different than the first repositioning force.
An attachment structure comprising:
- one or more attachment components configured to be coupled to a tooth surface, each attachment component having raised sides that extend a height above the tooth surface, the one or more attachment components arranged radially around a central point, wherein the raised sides are configured to engage with an orthodontic appliance provided as part of a sequential orthodontic tooth repositioning treatment plan.
An attachment structure comprising:
- an annular-shaped base configured to be coupled to a surface of a tooth;
- and
- one or more raised structures extending from the annular-shaped base and away from the surface of the tooth, each of the raised structures having sides that extend a height above the base, the one or more raised structures arranged radially around a center of the annular-shaped base, wherein the sides of the one or more raised structures are configured to engage with an orthodontic appliance for applying a repositioning force to the tooth as part of an orthodontic treatment plan.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.