Arch adjustment appliance

• US 10,449,016 B2
• Filed: 09/10/2015
• Issued: 10/22/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Align Technology Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Align Technology Incorporated
• Inventors: Kimura, Ryan, Morton, John, Shaw, Richard, Li, Chunhua
• Primary Examiner(s): Lucchesi, Nicholas D
• Application Number:
  US14/850,305
• Publication Number:
  US 20160081769A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,503 Days
• 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 7/10 Devices having means to apply outwardly directed force, e.g. expanders

Abstract

The present disclosure provides method, systems, and devices for adjusting an arch of teeth. An appliance includes a removable shell formed of a first material having a number of cavities formed therein, wherein the number of cavities are shaped to receive teeth of a patient, and an arch element extending from the removable shell in a lingual direction and across at least a portion of the arch width of the removable shell, wherein the arch element is designed to expand an arch of the teeth of the patient, wherein the arch element has a width specific to a stage of a treatment plan.

Claims

1. An appliance comprising:

a removable shell formed of a first material having a number of cavities formed therein;

wherein the number of cavities are shaped to receive teeth of a patient;

wherein the removable shell has an arch width between a first side of the removable shell positioned on a first side of the patient'"'"'s mouth and a second side of the removable shell positioned on a second side of the patient'"'"'s mouth;

a sheet of material forming an arch element extending from the removable shell in a lingual direction and across at least a portion of the arch width of the removable shell;

wherein the arch element is designed to expand an arch of the teeth of the patient and has a width specific to a stage of a treatment plan;

wherein the arch element is formed of the first material and a second material, and the second material is different in at least one material property than the first material and is more resilient than the first material; and

wherein at least a part of the arch element has a corrugated surface.

2. The appliance of claim 1, wherein the appliance provides a force when placed in the patient'"'"'s mouth by being formed with the width of the arch element being wider than an arch width of the teeth of the patient.

3. The appliance of claim 1, wherein the arch element is a first arch element and is releasable from the removable shell such that the removable shell can be used in the patient'"'"'s mouth without the arch element.

4. The appliance of claim 3, further comprising a second arch element that can be affixed to the removable shell in place of the first arch element.

5. The appliance of claim 4, wherein the second arch element possesses a different physical characteristic than the first arch element.

6. The appliance of claim 4, wherein the second arch element possesses a different physical characteristic than the removable shell and wherein the different physical characteristic is selected from the group including:

rigidity, resiliency, color, and thickness profile.

7. An appliance comprising:

a sheet of material forming an arch element shaped to span at least a portion of a surface of a patient'"'"'s palate;

wherein the arch element is designed to expand an arch of the patient'"'"'s teeth and has a width specific to a stage of a treatment plan;

wherein the arch element is formed of a first material and a second material, and the second material is different in at least one material property than the first material and is more resilient than the first material;

wherein at least a part of the arch element has a corrugated surface; and

one or more tooth engagement structures, wherein each tooth engagement structure contacts at least one of a surface of a tooth or a surface of the patient'"'"'s gingiva and imparts a force thereto.

8. The appliance of claim 7, wherein the one or more tooth engagement structures is a removable shell having a number of cavities formed therein, wherein the number of cavities are shaped to receive teeth of the patient.

9. The appliance of claim 7, wherein the one or more tooth engagement structures extends along a portion of the at least one side surface of a tooth.

10. The appliance of claim 7, wherein the one or more tooth engagement structures extends substantially around side surfaces of the tooth to surround the tooth.

11. The appliance of claim 7, wherein the one or more tooth engagement structures is constructed and arranged to impart force to move the tooth either positionally or orientationally while the appliance is expanding the patient'"'"'s palate.

12. A system, comprising:

a first appliance, of a series of appliances designed to incrementally implement a treatment plan, comprising;

a sheet of material forming a first arch element shaped to span at least a portion of a surface of a patient'"'"'s palate;

wherein the first arch element is designed to expand an arch of teeth of the patient and has a width specific to a first stage of the treatment plan;

wherein the first arch element is formed of a first material and a second material, and the second material is different in at least one material property than the first material and is more resilient than the first material; and

one or more first tooth engagement structures, wherein each first tooth engagement structure contacts at least one of a first surface of a tooth or a first surface of the patient'"'"'s gingiva and imparts a first force thereto; and

a second appliance, of the series of appliances, comprising;

a second arch element shaped to span at least a portion of the surface of a patient'"'"'s palate;

wherein the second arch element is designed to expand the arch of teeth of the patient and has a width specific to a second stage of the treatment plan;

wherein at least a part the first arch element or the second arch element has a corrugated surface; and

one or more second tooth engagement structures, wherein each of the one or more second tooth engagement structures contacts at least one of a second surface of a tooth or a second surface of the patient'"'"'s gingiva and imparts a second force thereto.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the second arch element possesses a different physical characteristic than the first arch element and wherein the different physical characteristic is selected from the group including:

rigidity, resiliency, color, and thickness profile.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the first appliance is designed to reposition a number of teeth of a first jaw of the patient concurrently as the first arch element expands the arch of teeth of the first jaw.