Automatic placement of precision cuts

• US 10,136,964 B2
• Filed: 07/26/2016
• Issued: 11/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Align Technology Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Align Technology Incorporated
• Inventors: Borovinskih, Artem, Terekhov, Anton, Sterental, Rene, Minchenkov, Mikhail, Pavlov, Ivan
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Yogesh
• Application Number:
  US15/219,779
• Publication Number:
  US 20160331492A1
• Time in Patent Office: 854 Days
• Field of Search: 433 6- 24
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 19/05 for determining occlusion
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 2007/004 Automatic construction of a set of axes for a tooth or a plurality of teeth
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 7/002 Orthodontic computer assisted systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 7/08 Mouthpiece-type retainers or positioners, e.g. for both the lower and upper arch arch-shaped medicament applicators for teeth or gums A61C19/063; mouthguards for protecting the teeth of sportsmen A63B71/085
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 7/36 Devices acting between upper and lower teeth
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 80/00 Products made by additive manufacturing

Abstract

An orthodontic positioning device and methods for making an orthodontic positioning device including a first patient removable orthodontic tooth positioning appliance having teeth receiving cavities shaped to receive and apply a resilient positioning force to a patient'"'"'s teeth provided in one of an upper jaw and a lower jaw. The first appliance includes a hook configured to receive an orthodontic elastic band. The orthodontic positioning device also includes a second patient removable orthodontic tooth positioning appliance having teeth receiving cavities shaped to receive and apply a resilient positioning force to a patient'"'"'s teeth provided in the other of the upper jaw and the lower jaw. The second appliance includes a cutout operable to expose an orthodontic elastic band receiving member.

Claims

1. An orthodontic system for positioning a patient'"'"'s teeth, comprising:

a first patient removable orthodontic tooth positioning appliance having teeth receiving cavities shaped to receive and apply a resilient positioning force to a patient'"'"'s teeth provided in one of an upper jaw and a lower jaw, the appliance comprising a hook configured to receive an orthodontic elastic band; and

a second patient removable orthodontic tooth positioning appliance having teeth receiving cavities shaped to receive and apply a resilient positioning force to a patient'"'"'s teeth provided in the other of the upper jaw and the lower jaw, the appliance comprising a cutout operable to expose an orthodontic elastic band receiving member wherein the cutout is operable to be disposed over a tooth, is shaped to extend between a first point of a gingival line of the tooth and a second point of the gingival line of the tooth, and has a gingival-facing surface arrangeable between the elastic band receiving member and an occlusal surface of the tooth.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the gingival-facing surface is shaped to conform to the shape of at least a portion of the elastic band receiving member.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the hook has a shape at least partially defined by a hook cutout in the first patient removable orthodontic tooth positioning appliance, where the hook cutout extends in a linear direction toward the elastic band receiving member when the patient'"'"'s teeth are in occlusion.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the hook cutout is a gingival-facing cutout of the orthodontic positioning appliance.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the hook is shaped to follow a contour of a patient'"'"'s teeth.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the cutout defines a gingival-facing opening in the orthodontic positioning appliance.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the cutout is shaped to avoid interference with elastic band receiving member.