Modular system for customized orthodontic appliances

A method of designing and manufacturing a custom orthodontic lingual bracket including a tooth facing surface and a bracket body, the method comprising the steps of:

• storing a digital representation of portions of a dentition for a specific patient in a computer memory;
• determining a shape of a lingual portion of a tooth of the specific patient to thereby form and graphically display a custom shaped virtual bracket bonding object having a tooth-facing surface conforming substantially to corresponding three-dimensional surfaces of the lingual portion of the tooth;
• forming the custom shaped virtual bracket bonding object to include forming the tooth-facing surface as a negative of the shape of a substantial portion of a tooth surface of the lingual portion of the tooth of the specific patient;
• graphically displaying the custom shaped virtual bracket bonding object;
• receiving a graphically displayed three-dimensional virtual description of a non-custom bracket feature from the computer memory, the non-custom bracket feature including a virtual bracket body;
• graphically displaying the received three-dimensional virtual description of a non-custom bracket feature;
• graphically designing a custom orthodontic lingual bracket using a computer, the designing including the step of virtually incorporating the graphically displayed custom shaped virtual bracket bonding object and the graphically displayed three-dimensional virtual description of a non-custom bracket feature into a combined three-dimensional virtual object describing the custom orthodontic lingual bracket;
• exporting digital data representing the designed custom orthodontic lingual bracket from the computer to a manufacturing system for manufacturing the custom orthodontic lingual bracket;
• and
• manufacturing the custom orthodontic lingual bracket to include shaping the tooth-facing surface and the bracket body of the custom orthodontic lingual bracket responsive to the digital data.

A method of designing for custom-shaping a custom orthodontic lingual bracket including a tooth-facing surface and a bracket body for an individual patient with the aid of a computer having access to a library of three-dimensional virtual descriptions of bracket features, the method comprising the steps of:

• determining a three-dimensional shape of a tooth-facing surface of a first graphically displayed three-dimensional virtual orthodontic bracket object, the tooth-facing surface conforming substantially to corresponding three-dimensional surfaces of a lingual portion of a tooth of a specific patient;
• receiving from the library at least one graphically displayed three-dimensional virtual representation of a bracket feature for the first graphically displayed three-dimensional virtual orthodontic bracket object;
• and
• graphically updating the graphically displayed first graphically displayed three-dimensional virtual orthodontic bracket object by adding the at least one graphically displayed three-dimensional virtual representation of the bracket feature, the graphically updated first graphically displayed three-dimensional virtual orthodontic bracket object defining a second three-dimensional virtual orthodontic bracket object to be used for shaping of the tooth-facing surface and of the bracket body of the custom orthodontic lingual bracket.

A method of designing for custom-shaping a custom orthodontic lingual bracket including a three-dimensional tooth-facing bonding surface and a bracket body for an individual patient with the aid of a computer having access to a library of three-dimensional virtual descriptions of bracket features, the method comprising the steps of:

• determining a three-dimensional shape of a lingual tooth-facing surface of a first graphically displayed three-dimensional virtual orthodontic bracket object responsive to data describing a three-dimensional shape of a corresponding lingual portion of a tooth surface of a specific tooth of a specific patient, the three-dimensional shape of the lingual tooth-facing surface of the first graphically displayed three-dimensional bracket object substantially matching the three-dimensional shape of the corresponding lingual portion of the tooth surface of the specific tooth to conform substantially thereto;
• receiving from the library at least one graphically displayed three-dimensional virtual representation of a feature for the first graphically displayed three-dimensional virtual orthodontic bracket object;
• and
• updating the first graphically displayed three-dimensional virtual orthodontic bracket object by subtracting the at least one graphically displayed three-dimensional virtual representation of the feature from the graphically displayed three-dimensional virtual orthodontic bracket object, the updated first graphically displayed three-dimensional virtual orthodontic bracket object defining a second graphically displayed three-dimensional virtual orthodontic bracket object configured to be used for shaping of the three-dimensional tooth-facing bonding surface and of the bracket body of the custom orthodontic lingual bracket.

A method of designing for custom-shaping a custom lingual orthodontic bracket including a three-dimensional tooth-facing bonding surface and a bracket body for an individual patient with the aid of a computer having access to a library of three-dimensional virtual descriptions of bracket features, the method comprising the steps of:

• determining a three-dimensional shape of a tooth-facing surface of a first graphically displayed three-dimensional virtual orthodontic bracket object responsive to data describing a three-dimensional shape of a corresponding lingual portion of a tooth surface of a specific tooth of a specific patient, the three-dimensional shape of the lingual tooth-facing surface of the first graphically displayed three-dimensional bracket object precisely matching the three-dimensional shape of the corresponding lingual portion of the tooth surface of the specific tooth to conform thereto;
• deriving from the library at least one graphically displayed three-dimensional virtual representation of a bracket feature for the first graphically displayed three-dimensional virtual orthodontic bracket object;
• and
• modifying the first graphically displayed three-dimensional virtual orthodontic bracket object to include the at least one graphically displayed three-dimensional virtual representation of a bracket feature to thereby form an updated three-dimensional virtual orthodontic bracket object configured to be used for shaping of the three-dimensional tooth-facing bonding surface and of the bracket body of the custom orthodontic lingual bracket.

A method of designing for custom-shaping a custom orthodontic lingual bracket including a three-dimensional tooth-facing bonding surface and a bracket body for an individual patient, with the aid of a computer having access to a library of three-dimensional virtual descriptions of bracket features, the method comprising the steps of:

• determining a three-dimensional shape of a lingual tooth-facing surface of a first graphically displayed three-dimensional virtual orthodontic bracket object responsive to data describing a three-dimensional shape of a corresponding lingual portion of a tooth surface of a specific tooth of a specific patient, the three-dimensional shape of the lingual tooth-facing surface of the first graphically displayed three-dimensional bracket object substantially matching the three-dimensional shape of the corresponding lingual portion of the tooth surface of the specific tooth to conform substantially thereto, the first three-dimensional virtual orthodontic bracket object including a bonding pad;
• deriving from the library at least one graphically displayed three-dimensional virtual representation of a bracket feature for the first graphically displayed three-dimensional virtual orthodontic bracket object;
• and
• modifying the first graphically displayed three-dimensional virtual orthodontic bracket object to include the at least one graphically displayed three-dimensional virtual representation of a bracket feature, the modified first graphically displayed three-dimensional virtual orthodontic bracket object defining a second three-dimensional virtual orthodontic bracket object configured to be used for shaping of the three-dimensional tooth-facing bonding surface and of the bracket body of the custom orthodontic lingual bracket during manufacturing of the custom orthodontic lingual bracket.

A method of designing for manufacturing a custom orthodontic lingual bracket for an individual patient with the aid of a computer having access to a library of virtual descriptions of bracket features, the method comprising the steps of:

• determining a three-dimensional shape of a lingual tooth-facing surface of a first graphically displayed virtual orthodontic bracket object at least substantially matching a corresponding three-dimensional shape of a lingual portion of a tooth surface of a tooth of the individual patient, the first graphically displayed three-dimensional virtual orthodontic bracket object including a bonding pad;
• deriving from the library at least one graphically displayed virtual representation of a feature for the first graphically displayed three-dimensional virtual orthodontic bracket object, the at least one graphically displayed virtual representation of a bracket feature including one or more of the following:
• a virtual archwire slot and a virtual auxiliary bracket device;
• and
• modifying the first graphically displayed virtual orthodontic bracket object to include the at least one graphically displayed virtual representation of a bracket feature, the modified first graphically displayed virtual orthodontic bracket object defining a second virtual orthodontic bracket object configured to be used for custom shaping of a three-dimensional bonding surface and a shaping a bracket body of the custom lingual orthodontic bracket during manufacturing of the custom orthodontic lingual bracket.

A method of designing and manufacturing a custom lingual orthodontic bracket including a tooth-facing bonding surface and a bracket body, the method comprising the steps of:

• storing a digital representation of portions of a dentition of a specific patient in a computer memory;
• determining a tooth-facing surface conforming substantially to corresponding three-dimensional surfaces of a lingual portion of a tooth of a specific patient to thereby form and graphically display a virtual object;
• receiving a graphically displayed virtual description of a non-custom bracket feature from the computer memory;
• graphically designing a custom orthodontic lingual bracket using a computer, the designing including the step of virtually combining the graphically displayed virtual description of the non-custom bracket feature and the graphically displayed virtual object associated with the determined tooth-facing surface into a combined three-dimensional object describing the custom orthodontic lingual bracket so that the custom orthodontic lingual bracket design incorporates a shape of the determined tooth-facing surface and a shape of the non-custom bracket feature;
• exporting digital data representing the designed custom lingual orthodontic bracket from the computer to a manufacturing system for manufacturing the custom orthodontic lingual bracket, the exporting including exporting digital data representing the combined three-dimensional object;
• and
• manufacturing the custom orthodontic lingual bracket at least substantially in its entirety to include the tooth-facing bonding surface and the bracket body, responsive to the digital data.

A method of designing and manufacturing a custom orthodontic lingual bracket including a tooth-facing surface and a bracket body, the method comprising the steps of:

• receiving a three-dimensional virtual description of a selected bracket bonding pad of a plurality of bracket bonding pads stored in memory of a computer, the virtual description of the selected bracket bonding pad to be graphically displayed;
• receiving a three-dimensional virtual description of a selected bracket body of a plurality of bracket bodies stored in the computer memory;
• graphically displaying the virtual description of the bracket body separate from the graphically displayed virtual description of the bracket bonding pad;
• graphically combining the graphically displayed virtual description of the bracket bonding pad and the graphically displayed virtual description of the bracket body by the computer to form a consolidated three-dimensional virtual object providing a virtual description of the custom orthodontic lingual bracket;
• exporting digital data representing the graphically displayed virtual description of the custom orthodontic lingual bracket from the computer to a manufacturing system for manufacturing the custom orthodontic lingual bracket;
• and
• manufacturing the custom orthodontic lingual bracket to include shaping the tooth-facing surface and the bracket body of the custom orthodontic lingual bracket together responsive to the digital data.