Activatable dental appliance

• US 8,348,665 B2
• Filed: 12/08/2010
• Issued: 01/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Align Technology Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Align Technology Incorporated
• Inventors: Kuo, Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): Rodriguez, Cris L
• Assistant Examiner(s): ROSEN, ERIC J
• Application Number:
  US12/963,419
• Publication Number:
  US 20110076635A1
• Time in Patent Office: 762 Days
• Field of Search: 433/6, 433/18, 433/24
• US Class Current: 433/24
• 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

Abstract

An activatable dental appliance. A concave trough conforms to a plurality of teeth when placed over the plurality of teeth. A first force applying region is configured to apply a first force to at least one tooth of the plurality of teeth for repositioning the tooth. A second force applying region is configured to be selectively activated, wherein when selectively activated the second force applying region applies a force to at least one tooth of the plurality of teeth.

Claims

1. A method for producing an appliance for repositioning teeth, the method comprising:

producing an activatable dental appliance comprising a shell having teeth receiving cavities shaped to receive and apply a resilient force to a patient'"'"'s teeth,

wherein producing the activatable dental appliance comprises forming a bump at a predetermined location in at least one of the teeth receiving cavities such that the bump is configured to deliver one or more forces to a tooth received in the at least one of the teeth receiving cavities, the bump being in a non-activated first state where the bump extends outward and away from the at least one of the teeth receiving cavities, and the bump further configured for inversion into an activated second state where the bump extends inward toward the at least one of the teeth receiving cavities so as to contact a received tooth, wherein the shape of the bump in the activated state is substantially the same as the shape of the bump in the non-activated state.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the bump is configured to apply a predetermined force to a tooth received in the at least one of the teeth receiving cavities when in the activated state.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the bump has a size, shape and location selected to apply a predetermined force.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the bump provides a radial length that is substantially the same in the activated state and non-activated state.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the bump has a concave shape in the activated and non-activated states.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the teeth receiving cavities is configured to apply a first force when the bump is in the non-activated state and a second force when the bump is in the activated state.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the shell comprises a plurality of different force applying regions.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein at least two of the plurality of different force applying regions are proximate to each other.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein at least two of the plurality of different force applying regions are disposed in the at least one of the teeth receiving cavities generally opposite each other.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the bump is operable for activation by an activation tool or a user'"'"'s finger.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the teeth receiving cavities is configured to elicit a rotation, translate, tilt, impound, or extract movement.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the teeth receiving cavities comprises a first force applying region residing on a buccal side of the at least one of the teeth receiving cavities and a second force applying region residing on a lingual side of the at least one of the teeth receiving cavities.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the teeth receiving cavities comprises a first force applying region residing adjacent to a gingiva region of the at least one of the teeth receiving cavities and a second force applying region residing adjacent to a cusp region of the at least one of the teeth receiving cavities.

14. The method of claim 1, the activatable dental appliance further comprises a relief portion space for accommodating tooth movement in response to contact force applied to a tooth received by the at least one of the teeth receiving cavities.

15. A method for positioning the teeth of a patient, the method comprising:

producing a series of incremental position adjustment dental appliances that when worn successively by the patient incrementally reposition the patient'"'"'s teeth from an initial arrangement toward a final arrangement,

wherein producing the series comprises forming an activatable dental appliance comprising a shell having teeth receiving cavities shaped to receive and apply a resilient force to a patient'"'"'s teeth, at least one of the teeth receiving cavities of the shell comprising a bump formed at a predetermined location in the at least one of the teeth receiving cavities such that the bump is configured to deliver one or more forces to a tooth in the at least one of the teeth receiving cavities, the bump being in a non-activated state where the bump extends outward and away from the at least one of the teeth receiving cavities, and the bump further configured for inversion into an activated state where the bump extends inward toward the at least one of the teeth receiving cavities so as to modify a tooth movement force applied to a received tooth, wherein the shape of the bump in the activated state is substantially the same as the shape of the bump in the non-activated state.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the bump is configured to apply a predetermined force to a tooth received in the at least one of the teeth receiving cavities when in the activated state.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the bump has a size, shape and location selected to apply a predetermined force.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises providing the dental appliances of the series to the patient, a practioner, or both.

19. A method of determining an orthodontic treatment plan for repositioning a patient'"'"'s teeth using incremental position adjustment dental appliances, the method comprising:

determining a plurality of successive intermediate tooth arrangements of the patient'"'"'s teeth, wherein the successive intermediate tooth arrangements represent different stages of the orthodontic treatment plan designed to move the patient'"'"'s teeth from an initial arrangement towards a final arrangement; and

producing a series of incremental position adjustment dental appliances corresponding to the successive intermediate tooth arrangements and that when worn successively by the patient incrementally reposition the patient'"'"'s teeth from the initial arrangement toward the final arrangement, the series comprising;

an activatable dental appliance forming a shell having teeth receiving cavities shaped to receive and apply a resilient force to a patient'"'"'s teeth, at least one of the teeth receiving cavities of the shell comprising a bump formed at a predetermined location in the at least one of the teeth receiving cavities, the bump being in a non-activated state where the bump extends outward and away from the at least one of the teeth receiving cavities, and the bump further configured for inversion into an activated state where the bump extends inward toward the at least one of the teeth receiving cavities so as to modify a tooth movement force applied to a received tooth, wherein the shape of the bump in the activated state is substantially the same as the shape of the bump in the non-activated state.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein one of the stages of the orthodontic treatment plan comprises inverting the bump into the activated state thereby modifying the tooth movement force applied to the received tooth.