Align Technology, Inc.

Shiva Prasad Sambu

Artem Borovinskih

Eric E Kuo

Srinivas Kaza

Anton Spiridonov

Maneesh Dhagat

Michael J Doung

Long Phan

Kamesh Tata

Alexey Vishnevskiy

Sergey Nikolskiy

Qinghui Lu

Dmitry Sultanov

Ivan Ionov

Vasily Ivanov

Evgeny Timofeyev

Mehdi Mojdeh

Peter Webber

Crystal Tjhia

Rohit Tanugula

Avi Kopelman

Rene M Sterental

Kwan Ho

Yan Chen

Michael Christopher Cole

Peter Dorfinger

Mauricio De Alencar Casa

Chunhua Li

James Clete Culp

David R Mason

Craig E Farren

Dennis Te

Samuel J Kass

Artem Boronvinskih

Sergey Nikolsky

Brett E Kelly

Mario Alfonso Rito Martinez

Luis Carlos Martínez González

Vasiliy Petrovich Ivanov

Rowan Fernando Garcia Saucedo

Ismael Núñez García

René David Alfaro

Andrey Cherkas

Stephan Albert Alexandre Dumothier

Anatoliy Parpara

Israel Velazquez

Alexey Kalinichenko

Jack Shaw

Ivan Kharpalev

Paren Shah

Enrique Soltero Borrego

Fangxiao Guan

Mauricio De Alancar Casa

Ari Siletz

Ben Castricone

Dennis McNamara

Methods of forming dental appliances for expanding dental arches. Methods may include forming first and second virtual dental appliances, each having: virtual teeth receiving cavities shaped to conform to representations of the teeth at a point during respective first and second stages of orthodontic treatment, and virtual arch elements that extend between respective virtual teeth receiving cavities and having widths that are wider than an anatomical arch width. The methods may include fabricating first and second dental appliances using the first and second virtual dental appliances, respectively. At least one of the dental appliances may be fabricated to vary in thickness along the respective arch element.

Methods of forming arch expanding appliances

A method includes determining a first shape of a main body of a mold associated with a dental arch for a patient. The method further includes determining a second shape of a separable feature of the mold. The method further includes determining a third shape and configuration of a receiving element of the main body to receive the separable feature. The method further includes outputting instructions for fabricating the separable feature and the main body that includes the receiving element for receiving the separable feature.

Mold with receiving element and separable features

Methods for controlling post-processing operations are provided. In some embodiments, a method includes detecting that a plurality of partially cured items have been loaded into a spin station. The plurality of partially cured items can be fabricated from a polymeric resin using a layer-by-layer build process. The method can also include controlling operation of the spin station. The operation can include rotating the plurality of partially cured items on a motor-driven platform so as to separate uncured polymeric resin from the plurality of partially cured items, and collecting the uncured polymeric resin separated from the plurality of partially cured items.

Methods for controling post-processing operations

A method of three-dimensional (3D) printing includes heating a photo-curable material and extruding the photo-curable material from a nozzle to form a first layer of an object according to a digital file, wherein the first layer has a first shape specified by the digital file, and wherein the first shape has a first minimum line width based on a diameter of the nozzle. The method further includes directing a light beam onto the first layer according to the digital file or an additional digital file to cure a portion of the first layer, wherein the cured portion of the first layer has a second shape, wherein the second shape may comprise features that are smaller than the first shape.

Hybrid 3d printing techniques

A method includes identifying one or more images of a mold of a dental arch, identifying a digital model corresponding to the mold of the dental arch, providing the one or more images and the digital model as input into a trained machine learning model, receiving, from the trained machine learning model, output, and determining, based on the output, whether the mold matches the digital model.

Dynamic thermoforming of dental appliances

A three-dimensional (3D) object comprises a plurality of layers representative of an additive manufacturing process, wherein each layer of the plurality of layers approximately has a first thickness. A first layer of the plurality of layers forms at least a portion of a first surface of the 3D object, the first layer comprising a support region and an overcure region, wherein the first layer approximately has the first thickness at the support region and a greater second thickness at the overcure region. A support mark is included at the support region, wherein the support mark is inset from a first surface profile of the 3D object defined by the overcure region.

3D printed object having overcure region

A mold includes a first section, a second section, and a weakened region that joins the first section to the second section. The weakened region is breakable, deflectable, or deformable in response to a first threshold force to enable the first section to be removed from a shell independently of the second section after the shell is formed over the mold. The first threshold force is less than a second threshold force that would damage or permanently deform the shell. The first section is a first mold of at least a portion of one or more first teeth of a dental arch and the second section is a second mold of at least a portion of one or more second teeth of the dental arch.

Generating a virtual 3D model of a mold

Methods for verifying manufacturing data are provided. In some embodiments, a method includes retrieving a fabrication data package including manufacturing data for one or more dental appliances, where the manufacturing data includes one or more treatment stages for repositioning a patient's teeth using the one or more dental appliances. The method can include determining whether there is an error in the manufacturing data of the fabrication data package. In response to a determination that there is an error in the manufacturing data, the method can include requesting a corrected fabrication data package, and transmitting the corrected fabrication data package to at least one fabrication terminal configured to execute a fabrication process for manufacturing the one or more dental appliances.

Methods for verifying manufacturing data

A method of 3D printing comprises extruding one or more photo-curable materials from a nozzle to form a first layer that has a first shape specified by the one or more digital files, wherein the first shape corresponds to a first minimum line width that is based on, and narrower than, a diameter of the nozzle. The method further includes directing a light beam onto the first layer according to the one or more digital files to cure a portion of the first layer to create a first cured layer, wherein the first cured layer corresponds to a second shape of a first layer of a 3D printed orthodontic aligner, wherein the light beam has a beam diameter that is smaller than the diameter of the nozzle, and wherein the second shape has a second minimum line width that is smaller than the first minimum line width.

Hybrid 3D printing with photo-curable materials

Orthodontic positioning devices, and related methods and systems, are disclosed for use with one or more orthodontic elastic members. The disclosed devices are configured to couple with an orthodontic elastic member so as to react a force from the elastic member into the appliance to, for example, generate traction forces on the patient's teeth to produce a desired occlusion. A positioning device includes a patient removable tooth positioning appliance having teeth receiving cavities shaped to receive and apply a resilient positioning force to a patient's teeth. The appliance includes a hook configured to interface with an orthodontic elastic member. The hook can be configured to be offset from a surface of a tooth when the appliance is coupled with the patient's teeth and no elastic member is coupled with the tooth. The hook can be curved so that the hook is more retentive on the aligner. The hook can be reinforced so that the reinforcement resists deformation when the elastic is in place.

Reinforced aligner hooks

Appliances for intraoral delivery of agents are provided. In some embodiments, an appliance includes a shell having an inner surface and an outer surface, the inner surface defining a plurality of tooth-receiving cavities configured to apply a repositioning force to a patient's teeth, and the outer surface oriented away from the patient's teeth. The appliance can also include a reservoir integrally formed in the outer surface of the shell, the reservoir being configured to store at least one agent. The appliance can further include a membrane covering at least a portion of the reservoir to control release of the agent into an intraoral cavity of the patient. The membrane can include a plurality of pores that are configured to open based at least in part on a temperature of the patient's intraoral cavity to allow the at least one agent to pass therethrough.

Appliances for intraoral delivery of agents

A method includes identifying first geometry of a first mold associated with a first dental arch and a second geometry of a second mold associated with a second dental arch. The method further includes determining, based on the first geometry and the second geometry that the first mold and the second mold are to be used for simultaneous forming of a first dental appliance and a second dental appliance on a plate in a dental appliance manufacturing system. The method further includes causing, based on the first geometry and the second geometry, one or more portions of the dental appliance manufacturing system to be configured to form the first dental appliance and the second dental appliance.

Orthodontic positioning devices, and related methods and systems, are disclosed for use with one or more orthodontic elastic members. The disclosed methods may comprise determining the geometries for a pair of orthodontic aligners for use as part of an orthodontic treatment plan. The geometries for the pair of orthodontic aligners may include an upper aligner with a first marking and a lower aligner with a second marking. The first marking may correspond to a position of a first hook, and the second marking may correspond to a position of a second hook. The first hook and the second hook may be configured to engage with an orthodontic elastic member so as to react a force to, for example, generate orthodontic forces on the patient's teeth.

Systems and methods for fabrication of orthodontic aligners

Orthodontic positioning devices, and related methods and systems, are disclosed for use with one or more orthodontic elastic members. The disclosed devices may comprise a pair of orthodontic aligners for use as part of an orthodontic treatment plan. The pair of orthodontic aligners may include an upper aligner with a first integrally formed hook and a lower aligner with a second integrally formed hook. The first integrally formed hook and the second integrally formed hook may be configured to engage with an orthodontic elastic member so as to react a force to, for example, generate orthodontic forces on the patient's teeth. Each of the first integrally formed hook and the second integrally formed hook may extend buccally from the upper aligner and the lower aligner, respectively.

Protruding aligner hooks

Growing community of inventors

Milpitas, CA, United States of America

Shiva Prasad Sambu