# US 9,872,741 B2 · Customized orthodontic appliance and method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,872,741 B2 - Document ID: US9872741B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/658,781 - Filed: 2015-03-16 - Published: 2015-07-02 - Granted: 2018-01-23 - Earliest claimed: 2009-03-16 - Assignees: RMO, Inc. - Applicants: RMO, Inc. - Inventors: Christophe Gualano - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9872741B2 ## CPC - A61C 7/002: {Orthodontic computer assisted systems} - A61C 7/14: Brackets (A61C7/28 takes precedence); Fixing brackets to teeth - A61C 7/143: {Brackets with two or more recesses for arch wires} - A61C 7/145: {Lingual brackets} - A61C 7/16: specially adapted to be cemented to teeth - A61C 7/285: {Locking by rotation} - A61C 9/0006: {Impression trays} - A61C 9/004: {Means or methods for taking digitized impressions} - G06F 30/00: Computer-aided design [CAD] - A61C: DENTISTRY; APPARATUS OR METHODS FOR ORAL OR DENTAL HYGIENE (non-driven toothbrushes A46B; {tongue scrapers A61B17/24;} preparations for dentistry A61K6/00; preparations for cleaning the teeth or mouth A61K8/00, A61Q11/00) - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract An orthodontic bracket is disclosed having three archwire retention channels in the mesial-distal directions, a central channel and two side channels. The two side channels each include a pair of spaced apart inverted archwire retaining regions having a recess that opens generally towards the bracket base. Each such recess is for grasping or holding an archwire therein. Other aspects are directed to a self ligating orthodontic bracket system that includes a rotatable member for securing an archwire within a slot of a bracket; embodiments that include an orthodontic appliance and method of producing and using the same, and preferably employed in a lingual orthodontic system, that includes friction reducing features between an interior of an archwire slot portion of the appliance and an archwire placed within the archwire slot. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of producing a customized orthodontic appliance, the orthodontic appliance comprising brackets fixed to teeth of a dental arch of a patient, each bracket being fixed to a surface of a tooth of the dental arch by a bracket bonding pad of the bracket, and an orthodontic archwire fixed to the brackets in a housing of a bracket body of each bracket, the method comprising: constructing, by a processing device, a numerical representation of each bracket from a dental arch final numerical representation, the operation of constructing the numerical representation of each bracket comprising: positioning a numerical representation of an orthodontic archwire with respect to the dental arch final numerical representation, then for each tooth of the dental arch final numerical representation, positioning a second volume of a bracket blank comprising a first numerical representation of a volume representative of an envelope volume of a bracket body such that it interferes with the orthodontic archwire and in close proximity to the relevant tooth, and for each tooth of the dental arch final numerical representation, positioning a first volume of the bracket blank comprising a second numerical representation of a volume representative of an envelope volume of a bracket bonding pad such that it interferes with the second volume and with the volume of a relevant tooth, then determining, for each tooth in the first volume and in the second volume, volumetric exclusion zones which volumetric exclusion zones contain all of the volumes that interfere with the tooth for the first volume and all of the volumes that interfere with the orthodontic archwire for the second volume, wherein the numerical representation of the bracket of one tooth is determined by the volume of the bracket blank minus volumetric exclusion zones, wherein the volumetric exclusion zones of the first volume are defined in such a way as to determine a substantially constant thickness of the numerical representation of the bracket bonding pad; wherein the numerical representation of the bracket blank is chosen in relation to the shape of the relevant tooth so as to minimize the volume of the exclusion zones and wherein the numerical representations of the brackets are placed on lingual surfaces of the teeth of the dental arch final numerical representation; and wherein the numerical representation of the orthodontic archwire is positioned in such a way that a distance d, for each tooth of the dental arch final numerical representation, between the numerical representation of the orthodontic archwire and the surface of each tooth is greater than a minimum distance dmin that corresponds to a minimum thickness of the numerical representation of the brackets at their bracket bodies, and wherein, for each tooth of the dental arch final numerical representation, the numerical representation of the second volume is positioned in such a way that a reference point of the second volume corresponds to a point of intersection between the numerical representation of the orthodontic archwire and an orthogonal projection of a center of the relevant tooth. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the orthodontic archwire is flat. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the exclusion zones form an open slot in the numerical representation of the bracket body to accommodate the numerical representation of an orthodontic archwire self-ligating means. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the exclusion zones of the second volume determine a housing in the form of a tube. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the bracket is a lingual bracket and wherein said method further comprises receiving a 3D initial representation of the teeth such that an operator on a workstation can manipulate each tooth. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method as set forth in claim 5, further comprising producing a model, scanning said model using computer software to generate a 3D initial numerical representation of a dental arch. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The method as set forth in claim 5, further comprising obtaining a final representation of a desired end-of-treatment dental arch from the initial representation. ### Claim 8 (depends on 5) The method as set forth in claim 5, wherein said orthodontic archwire has a continuous flat curve that is substantially symmetric and has a parabolic outline. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising forming a three-dimensional representation of a dental arch. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising obtaining a final numerical representation that contains all of the teeth present at the end of the treatment in their established arrangements and anatomical relationships. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein said brackets comprise bracket bodies positioned individually with respect to each lingual surface of the teeth so that the orthodontic archwire passes through them. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising using a computer to represent graphically the shape of each bracket using the numerical representations. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising obtaining a numerical representation of a patient's end-of-treatment dental arch and storing it in a numerical memory. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising storing an initial numerical representation of the patient's current dental arch in a numerical memory. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising prior to the step of constructing a numerical representation of each bracket, taking an impression of the patient's dentition and producing a model thereof. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising prior to the step of constructing a numerical representation of each bracket scanning the patient's dentition directly in three dimensions. ### Claim 17 A method of producing a customized orthodontic appliance, the orthodontic appliance comprising brackets fixed to teeth of a dental arch of a patient, each bracket being fixed to a surface of a tooth of the dental arch by a bracket bonding pad of the bracket, and an orthodontic archwire fixed to the brackets in a housing of a bracket body of each bracket, the method comprising: constructing, by a processing device, a numerical representation of each bracket from a dental arch final numerical representation, the operation of constructing the numerical representation of each bracket comprising: positioning a numerical representation of an orthodontic archwire with respect to the dental arch final numerical representation, then for each tooth of the dental arch final numerical representation, positioning a second volume of a bracket blank comprising a first numerical representation of a volume representative of an envelope volume of a bracket body such that it interferes with the orthodontic archwire and in close proximity to the relevant tooth, and for each tooth of the dental arch final numerical representation, positioning a first volume of the bracket blank comprising a second numerical representation of a volume representative of an envelope volume of a bracket bonding pad such that it interferes with the second volume and with the volume of a relevant tooth, then determining, for each tooth in the first volume and in the second volume, volumetric exclusion zones which volumetric exclusion zones contain all of the volumes that interfere with the tooth for the first volume and all of the volumes that interfere with the orthodontic archwire for the second volume, wherein the numerical representation of the bracket of one tooth is determined by the volume of the bracket blank minus volumetric exclusion zones, wherein the volumetric exclusion zones of the first volume are defined in such a way as to determine a substantially constant thickness of the numerical representation of the bracket bonding pad; wherein the numerical representation of the bracket blank is chosen in relation to the shape of the relevant tooth so as to minimize the volume of the exclusion zones and wherein the numerical representations of the brackets are placed on lingual surfaces of the teeth of the dental arch final numerical representation; wherein for each tooth of the dental arch final numerical representation, the numerical representation of the second volume is positioned in such a way that a reference point of the second volume corresponds to a point of intersection between the numerical representation of the orthodontic archwire and an orthogonal projection of a center of the relevant tooth; wherein the bracket is a lingual bracket and wherein said method further comprises receiving a 3D initial representation of the teeth such that an operator on a workstation can manipulate each tooth; and forming a three-dimensional representation of a dental arch. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method as set forth in claim 17, further comprising storing an initial numerical representation of the patient's current dental arch in a numerical memory. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The method as set forth in claim 17, wherein said brackets comprise bracket bodies positioned individually with respect to each lingual surface of the teeth so that the orthodontic archwire passes through them. ### Claim 20 (depends on 17) The method as set forth in claim 17, wherein said orthodontic archwire has a continuous flat curve that is substantially symmetric and has a parabolic outline.