Dental wire attachment
AssigneeAlign Technology, Inc.
InventorsDouglas Brandt, Rick M. Matty
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Methods and devices utilizing a dental appliance for dental retainer wire attachment are disclosed. One such wire attachment appliance includes a shell having one or more cavities formed therein and shaped to receive one or more teeth, at least two wire attachment members provided on the shell, and at least one attachment material reservoir provided on the shell, wherein the attachment material is provided to attach a wire to a tooth adjacent to a particular reservoir of the at least one attachment material reservoir.
Claims26
A wire attachment appliance, comprising:
- a shell formed of a particular material having a plurality of cavities formed therein and shaped to receive one or more teeth;
- at least two wire attachment members located within at least two of the plurality of cavities;
- at least one attachment material reservoir formed with the shell and located on an interior surface of at least one other of the plurality of cavities, wherein attachment material, different than the particular material, is provided to attach a wire to a tooth adjacent to the at least one attachment material reservoir;
- and
- the wire, having portions positioned in the at least two wire attachment members and having other portions positioned within the at least one attachment material reservoir.
A method of forming a wire attachment appliance, the method comprising:
- forming a shell having a plurality of cavities shaped to receive a number of teeth of a patient, the shell having at least one attachment material reservoir within at least one of the plurality of cavities, wherein the at least one attachment material reservoir is positioned such that when an attachment material is provided thereto, the attachment material contacts a surface of a tooth adjacent to the particular reservoir to attach a wire to the tooth adjacent to the particular reservoir;
- and
- including at least two wire attachment members on an interior surface of at least two other of the plurality of cavities.
A method of attaching a wire, the method comprising:
- placing a number of portions of a wire into a corresponding number of wire attachment members located within a shell having a plurality of cavities shaped to receive one or more teeth and having at least one attachment material reservoir formed with the shell, and wherein portions of the wire are positioned within the attachment material reservoir;
- placing the plurality of cavities onto one or more teeth;
- providing attachment material to at least one of the at least one attachment material reservoir while the plurality of cavities are placed onto the one or more teeth to attach the wire to a tooth adjacent to the at least one reservoir to which attachment material has been provided;
- and
- removing the shell by removing the plurality of cavities from over the one or more teeth.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.