Dental appliance having ornamental design
First Claim
1. A method of providing a design on a dental appliance having a geometry configured to receive teeth, the method comprising:
- providing the appliance comprising a plurality of layers, wherein each of the plurality of layers is associated with a color; and
altering an appearance of at least a portion of the appliance to provide the design on the appliance by directing an etching device, heat, or light energy to at least a portion of the appliance to alter a material property of the at least a portion of the appliance, wherein altering the material property further comprises removing at least a portion of one of the plurality of layers from the appliance to reveal the color associated with an underlying layer of the appliance.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A dental appliance having an integrally formed reservoir and/or an ornamental design integrated thereon. The ornamental design can be selected or customized by a patient. The design can be created by directing energy to the dental appliance to alter a material property of at least a portion of the appliance to create the design. Alternatively, a groove or recess can be formed on a surface of the appliance to either mechanically retain an ornamental design or the groove or recess can be filled with ink to form the design. The appliance, including the integrally formed reservoir, can be formed using direct fabrication techniques.
234 Citations
13 Claims
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1. A method of providing a design on a dental appliance having a geometry configured to receive teeth, the method comprising:
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providing the appliance comprising a plurality of layers, wherein each of the plurality of layers is associated with a color; and altering an appearance of at least a portion of the appliance to provide the design on the appliance by directing an etching device, heat, or light energy to at least a portion of the appliance to alter a material property of the at least a portion of the appliance, wherein altering the material property further comprises removing at least a portion of one of the plurality of layers from the appliance to reveal the color associated with an underlying layer of the appliance. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method of fabricating a dental appliance having an ornamental design thereon, the dental appliance having a geometry shaped to receive teeth, the method comprising:
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forming the appliance from a sheet comprising a plurality of layers; and directing an etching device, heat, or light energy to at least a portion of the appliance to remove at least one layer of material from the appliance to reveal a portion of a layer of the appliance. - View Dependent Claims (12)
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13. A method of fabricating a dental appliance having an ornamental design thereon, the dental appliance having a geometry shaped to receive teeth, the method comprising:
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forming the appliance from a sheet comprising a plurality of layers, wherein one of the plurality of layers is printed or etched with an ornamental design before being assembled with the other layers; and directing an etching device, heat, or light energy to at least a portion of the appliance to remove at least one layer of material from the appliance to reveal a portion of a layer of the appliance.
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Specification