3m Innovative Properties Company

Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company

Oliver L Puttler

James D Cleary

David K Cinader, Jr

Richard E Raby

Evangelos G Georgakis

Russell A Jordan

Philip P Soo

John A Verdouw

John E Sanker

Ming-Lai Lai

Nicholas A Stark

Oscar M Binder

Raymond Patrick Johnston

Dwight W Jacobs

Jirina V Pospisil

John S Kelly

Joan V Brennan

David S Arney

David W Kuhns

Gail V Atkin

Sunghan Kim

Allen B Amundson

Frank C Lin

Dick Lee

David E Solid

David Cinader

David K Cinader

A removable dental appliance configured to reposition one or more teeth of a patient includes an appliance body forming an active band configured to surround two or more teeth of the patient. The appliance body includes a facial portion configured to register with facial sides of the surrounded teeth, a lingual portion configured to register with lingual sides of the surrounded teeth. The facial portion of the appliance body and the lingual portion of the appliance body form receptacles. Each receptacle is configured to accept at least one of the surrounded teeth. The receptacles separate the facial portion from the lingual portion at least along an anterior portion of the appliance body. The active band is configured such that occlusal surfaces of the surrounded teeth of the patient are exposed when the removable dental appliance is worn by the patient with the surrounded teeth positioned within the active band.

Dental appliance providing exposed occlusal surfaces

A method includes receiving, with a computer system, a digital representation of a 3D tooth structure providing initial positions of one or more teeth of a patient, determining dimensions and shapes of a removable dental appliance, the dimensions and shapes being configured to reposition the one or more teeth from their initial positions to adjusted positions when the dental appliance is worn, and transmitting a representation of the dental appliance to a computer-aided manufacturing system. The dental appliance includes an appliance body configured to surround two or more teeth of the patient with a facial portion configured to register with facial sides of the surrounded teeth, and a lingual portion configured to register with lingual sides of the surrounded teeth. The appliance body is configured such that occlusal surfaces of the surrounded teeth of the patient are exposed when the removable dental appliance is worn by the patient.

Computer system-aided design of dental appliances

An aesthetic, partially removable orthodontic appliance is described, including a polymeric body that conforms to the lingual soft tissue and at least one wire member extending from the polymeric body. Each wire member releasably engages with a respective anchor that is, in turn, connected to the lingual surface of a respective tooth when the polymeric body is moved in a generally gingival direction into abutting relationship with the lingual soft tissue. Other features of the appliance include self-guiding magnetic couplings and couplings based on interlocking mechanical structures that provide releasable engagement between the removable section and the anchors, as well as related methods for making and using the same.

Lingual orthodontic appliance with removable section

The appliances and methods provide a tab on a 'U'-shaped clip having a labial (i.e. toward the patient's lips or cheek) section and a lingual (i.e. toward the patient's tongue) section. The tab is located in a position that facilitates access by a practitioner and also reduces the moment applied to the clip when the clips is opened and closed. Advantageously, the tab can be positioned to account for the varying degree of resistance encountered by different sections of the clip and minimize the likelihood of either distorting the clip or torquing the appliance. The tab can be positioned coplanar with the sliding mechanism. Advantageously, these appliances can provide improved ease of use, reduced clip distortion over time, and greater patient comfort.

Self-ligating orthodontic appliance and related methods

A virtual model of a dental patient's dentition is provided by obtaining a digital data file of the patient's teeth and orthodontic appliances connected to the teeth, and then combining data from the data file with other data that represents surfaces of the teeth underlying the appliances. The virtual model is useful in preparing a physical model of the patient's current dentition that can be used, for example, to make a dental retainer. Advantageously, the retainer can be fabricated before the orthodontic appliances are disconnected from the patient's teeth and ready for use as soon as the patient's teeth have reached their desired positions in the oral cavity.

Methods of preparing a virtual dentition model and fabricating a dental retainer therefrom

A digital orthodontic treatment planning system provides a practitioner with digital representations of at least a part of a tooth of a patient and at least part of a coupling matrix within a three-dimensional environment. By interacting with the system, orthodontic practitioners are able to visualize a coupling matrix that results from a specific orthodontic appliance position relative to a tooth of the patient's dental arch. The digital representation of the coupling matrix represents a substance, such as a cured adhesive, that connects an orthodontic appliance to a tooth of a patient. The system determines a thickness of at least a portion of the coupling matrix. In one embodiment, the system indicates the total thickness via a thickness map, such as a color-coded thickness map. In another embodiment, the system indicates a deviation from a baseline thickness via a thickness map.

Digital orthodontic appliance coupling matrix

The present invention provides a method that uses digital data, such as that obtained from an intraoral scanner, to fabricate a wide range of customized laboratory appliances. The digital data is used to form a negative mold, which is in turn used to make a physical dental model. The negative mold is configured such that it can be flexed, stretched, fractured or disassembled to release the physical dental model. The physical dental model is then used for fabricating an orthodontic laboratory appliance.

Digitally forming a dental model for fabricating orthodontic laboratory appliances

In general, the invention relates to techniques for registering a three-dimensional (3D) coordinate system of a physical model of a patient's tooth structure to a 3D coordinate system of a virtual model of the same tooth structure. Techniques are described to register the complex geometries of the physical and virtual tooth structures by using a known physical characteristic of a pedestal associated with the physical model.

Registering physical and virtual tooth structures with pedestals

An indirect bonding tray for orthodontic bonding procedures has moisture control structure that is located next to the patient's teeth when the tray is placed over the patient's dental arch. The moisture control structure tends to draw moisture away from the adhesive used to bond the appliances to the teeth. As a consequence, the probability that the resulting bond between the appliances and the teeth is adversely affected by the presence of moisture, blood or other fluids in the patient's mouth is decreased.

Apparatus and methods for controlling moisture during orthodontic indirect bonding procedures

An indirect bonding apparatus is made by initially placing spacer material over a replica of the patient's tooth structure. A tray is then formed over the spacer material and hardened. Next, the spacer material is removed from the tooth replica and orthodontic appliances are placed on the replica at desired locations. A matrix material is placed between the tray and the replica and allowed to harden. Optionally, the apparatus includes features for facilitating removal of the transfer apparatus after the bonding procedure has been completed, and features for applying firm, uniform pressure to the appliances during the bonding procedure. Other aspects of indirect bonding are also described.

Method and apparatus for indirect bonding of orthodontic appliances

An orthodontic set-up tray includes at least two sections, and each section includes at least one receptacle for receiving an orthodontic appliance. A coupling movably connects the sections together to enable relative movement between the sections. The coupling advantageously permits the overall size of the set-up tray to be reduced or enlarged as may be desired by the practitioner. Optionally, the coupling is a releasable coupling that enables the sections to be detached from one another.

Orthodontic patient set-up tray

The relative orientation of an orthodontic appliance and a tooth is selected by providing a first relative orientation between the appliance and the tooth, and defining a first set of hypothetical reference lines or rays between the base of the appliance and the tooth in virtual three-dimensional space. The distance along each ray is then determined. Next, the relative orientation of the appliance and the tooth is changed to a second orientation. A second set of rays is defined between the appliance and the tooth, and the distance along each ray is determined. A mathematical computation is then carried out on the determined distances in order to help determine whether the first orientation or the second orientation provides a better fit between the base of the appliance and the tooth surface.

Growing community of inventors

La Crescenta, CA, United States of America

Oliver L Puttler