Arch expanding appliance
First Claim
1. An appliance comprising:
- a removable shell formed of a first material having a first rigidity, the removable shell having a number of cavities formed therein, wherein the number of cavities are shaped to receive teeth of a patient; and
an arch element formed at least in part of a second material having a second rigidity, the second rigidity greater than the first rigidity, and the arch element extending from the removable shell in a lingual direction and continuing across an arch width of the removable shell from a first side of the removable shell to a second side of the removable shell.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present disclosure provides method, systems, and devices for expanding arch of teeth. A device for expanding an arch of teeth of a patient can include a removable shell formed of a first material having a number of cavities formed therein. The number of cavities are shaped to receive teeth of a patient. A device for expanding an arch of teeth of a patient can include an arch element extending from the removable shell in a lingual direction and across an arch width of the removable shell. The arch element can be formed of the first material and a second material that is a different material than the first material, can be designed to expand an arch of the teeth of the patient, and can have a width specific to a stage of a treatment plan.
488 Citations
18 Claims
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1. An appliance comprising:
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a removable shell formed of a first material having a first rigidity, the removable shell having a number of cavities formed therein, wherein the number of cavities are shaped to receive teeth of a patient; and an arch element formed at least in part of a second material having a second rigidity, the second rigidity greater than the first rigidity, and the arch element extending from the removable shell in a lingual direction and continuing across an arch width of the removable shell from a first side of the removable shell to a second side of the removable shell. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A system, comprising:
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a first appliance, of a series of appliances designed to incrementally implement a treatment plan, comprising; a first removable shell formed of a first material having a first rigidity, the first removable shell having a plurality of cavities therein designed to receive teeth of a patient, a first arch element formed at least in part of a second material having a second rigidity, the second rigidity greater than the first rigidity, and the first arch element having a first width specific to a first stage of the treatment plan, extending therefrom in a lingual direction and continuing across an arch width of the first removable shell from a first side of the first shell to a second side of the first removable shell; and a second appliance, of the series of appliances, comprising a second removable shell having a plurality of cavities therein designed to receive the teeth on the jaw of the patient, wherein the second appliance includes a second arch element with a second width different than the first width and specific to a second stage of the treatment plan. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A method of forming a dental appliance, comprising:
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gathering a virtual model of a palate of a patient and a virtual model of a jaw of the patient; identifying an arch width of the jaw of the patient using one or more of the virtual model of the palate of the patient and the virtual model of the jaw of the patient; forming a portion of an arch element using one or more of the virtual model of the palate of the patient and the virtual model of the jaw of the patient, the portion of the arch element having an arch element width greater than an arch width of the jaw of the patient, and the arch element formed at least in part of a second material having a second rigidity; and forming a removable shell over a molded jaw of the patient, wherein the removable shell includes a number of cavities formed therein, wherein the number of cavities are shaped to receive the teeth on the molded jaw of the patient, and the removable shell formed at least in part of a first material having a first rigidity less than the second rigidity. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18)
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Specification