Align Technology, Inc.

Srinivas Kaza

Chunhua Li

Allen R Boronkay

Avi Kopelman

Yan Chen

Shiva Prasad Sambu

Yaser Shanjani

Bob Grove

Jun Sato

Peter Webber

Michael J Doung

Long Phan

Kamesh Tata

Ryan Kimura

John Y Morton

Bruce Cam

Neil Brian Cramer

Mary Catherine Berard

Robert Liska

Christian Gorsche

Markus Kury

Vadim Matov

Jennifer Chavez

Siobhan O'leary

Viswanath Meenakshisundaram

Lance Robert Pickens

Brett E Kelly

Shawn Stromenger

Victor Chen

Huafeng Wen

James Clete Culp

Jürgen Stampfl

Peter Dorfinger

Craig E Farren

Zelko Relic

Kwan Ho

Samuel J Kass

Len Hedge

Sergey Nikolsky

György Harakaly

Oleg Mishin

Ken Wu

Sergey Nikolskiy

Subir Basu

Systems and methods for monitoring a patient's teeth during orthodontic treatment, which may include the use of a series of appliances according to a corresponding series of treatment stages. The system may include a device in communication with one or more sensors of a first appliance implementing a particular treatment stage. The device may be configured to receive monitoring data corresponding to sensor data captured at the one or more sensors, where the sensor data is associated with at least one parameter related to a change in position or movement of the teeth. The device may further be configured to predict tooth positions or movements based on the sensor data, and compare the predicted tooth positions or movements to expected tooth positions or movements. The device may additionally be configured to determine that the first appliance should be replaced with a second appliance based on the comparison.

Systems and methods for monitoring orthodontic treatment

Systems and methods for fabricating dental appliances are provided. In some embodiments, a method includes determining an appliance geometry for a dental appliance, where the appliance geometry includes a first region representing a first shell portion having a first set of cavities configured to receive one or more first teeth at a first side of a dental arch of a patient, a second region representing a second shell portion having a second set of cavities configured to receive one or more second teeth at a second side of the dental arch, and a third region representing an integrally formed arch expander configured to exert forces to increase a width of the dental arch. The method can also include generating instructions for fabricating the dental appliance having the appliance geometry via an additive manufacturing process, and using the instructions to instruct a fabrication system to fabricate the dental appliance.

Methods and systems for fabricating dental appliances with integrally formed arch expander

Dental appliances for treatment of a patient's dentition are provided. In some embodiments, a dental appliance includes a plurality of 3D printed polymer layers, where the plurality of 3D printed polymer layers includes a plurality of sequentially polymerized appliance cross-sections. The dental appliance can include an appliance shell formed from the plurality of sequentially polymerized appliance cross-sections. The appliance shell can include a plurality of tooth receiving cavities formed from the plurality of sequentially polymerized appliance cross-sections, the plurality of tooth receiving cavities arranged to receive a dentition and to exert one or more forces on the dentition, and a plurality of variable thickness regions formed from the plurality of sequentially polymerized appliance cross-sections. The plurality of variable thickness regions can include a corresponding plurality of different appliance thicknesses, and the plurality of variable thickness regions can be arranged to implement one or more treatment outcomes.

3D printed dental appliances with variable thickness regions

A method of treating a patient's dentition may include generating, from a first 3D model of a first physical impression of a first arch of a patient and a second 3D model of a second physical impression of a first arch of the patient, a reconstructed 3D model of the first arch of the patient by incorporating one or more portions of the first 3D model with one or more portions of the second 3D model and creating a treatment plan for the patient's dentition using the first 3D model. The method may also include fabricating a set of dental alignment devices configured to implement the treatment plan when the dental alignment devices in the set of dental alignment devices are sequentially worn on the patient's dentition.

Methods for generating dental models and appliances

Orthodontic appliance cases configured to receive the orthodontic appliance and systems including them may include: a first antenna configured to receive the data from the sensor module via near field communication (NFC) when the orthodontic appliance including the sensor module is within the orthodontic appliance case, a data store configured to store the data; and a second antenna configured to transmit the stored data to an external computing device via Bluetooth communication when the external computing device is within communication range of the second antenna; and may also include an NFC to Bluetooth transmission circuitry.

Systems including orthodontic appliance cases and methods of use

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

Systems for post-processing additively manufactured objects are disclosed herein. In some embodiments, a system includes a rotor configured to support a plurality of additively manufactured objects having excess material thereon, an actuator configured to spin the rotor so as to remove the excess material from the plurality of additively manufactured objects, and an energy source configured to apply energy to the plurality of additively manufactured objects to selectively alter a material property of a portion of each of the plurality of additively manufactured objects.

Systems for post-processing additively manufactured objects

Systems, methods, and devices for post-processing additively manufactured objects are disclosed herein. In some embodiments, a system includes a plurality of containers configured to receive a plurality of additively manufactured object having excess material thereon. The system can include a rotor having a central shaft and a plurality of arms, each arm having a first end and a second end opposite the first end. The first end of each arm can be coupled to the central shaft and a second end of each arm can be coupled to a respective container of the plurality of containers. The system can also include an actuator configured to spin the rotor so as to remove the excess material from the plurality of additively manufactured objects. The system can further include at least one heat source carried on the rotor to heat the excess material to decrease a viscosity thereof.

Systems, methods, and devices for post-processing additively manufactured objects are disclosed herein. In some embodiments, a method includes receiving a plurality of additively manufactured objects having excess material thereon. The method can include removing the excess material from the plurality of additively manufactured objects by rotating the plurality of additively manufactured objects. The method can also include adjusting an environmental temperature while rotating the plurality of additively manufactured objects according to a dynamic temperature profile that facilitates removal of the excess material from the plurality of additively manufactured objects. The dynamic temperature profile can include (a) a first temperature configured to decrease a viscosity of the excess material, and (b) a second temperature configured to increase a stiffness of the plurality of additively manufactured objects.

Systems and methods for post-processing additively manufactured objects

Systems, methods, and devices for post-processing additively manufactured objects are disclosed herein. In some embodiments, a method includes receiving a plurality of additively manufactured objects having excess material thereon. The method can include removing the excess material from the plurality of additively manufactured objects by rotating the plurality of additively manufactured objects. The method can also include receiving sensor data indicative of a cleaning status of the plurality of additively manufactured objects. The method can further include adjusting, based on the sensor data, an operational parameter that enhances removal of the excess material from the plurality of additively manufactured objects.

Methods for post-processing additively manufactured objects with sensor feedback

Systems for determining patient compliance with an orthodontic treatment or retention plan may include a polymeric shell appliance for receiving the patient's teeth, a sensor module on the polymeric shell appliance having a temperature sensor, a proximity sensor, a power source, and a communication antenna for communicating with an external case, and a processor configured to determine that the polymeric shell is being worn by the patient based on temperature data from the temperature sensor and proximity data from the proximity sensor, by determining that a measured temperature is within a body temperature range and that a measured proximity value is within a threshold proximity to an intraoral target. Methods of manufacturing these dental appliances are also described herein.

Systems for determining patient compliance with an orthodontic treatment or retention plan

Intraoral systems and methods including aligners having soft tissue sensors. The soft tissue sensors may detect protein biomarkers to determine effectiveness of the aligners for causing tooth movement according to a treatment plan. One or more microneedles may be configured to pass the protein biomarker to the soft tissue sensor. A processor may be configured to compare a detected level of the protein biomarker to an expected lever of the protein biomarker, and determine whether an aligner should be replaced. A bias may be configured to apply continuous force to hold the microneedle(s) against a patient's soft tissue. A controller may be configured to apply a biasing force to move the microneedles(s) from a retracted position to an extended position to penetrate the patient's soft tissue.

Intraoral systems and methods for sampling soft-tissue

Provided herein are photopolymerizable monomers, optionally for use as reactive diluents in a high temperature lithography-based photopolymerization process, a method of producing polymers using said photopolymerizable monomers, the polymers thus produced, and orthodontic appliances comprising the polymers.

Polymerizable monomers and method of polymerizing the same

Methods and systems for digitally designing a plurality of aligners are provided. In some embodiments, a method includes receiving an intraoral scan of the patient's teeth, and generating 3D dental model of the patient's teeth using the intraoral scan. The method can include identifying a movement path to move the patient's teeth from an initial arrangement toward a target arrangement through a plurality of intermediate arrangements in accordance with a treatment plan. The method can also include identifying one or more appliance features of at least one aligner, the one or more appliance features including one or more feature regions having one or more feature thicknesses. The method can further include instructing an additive manufacturing machine to directly fabricate the at least one aligner in a layer-by-layer fashion.

Methods for direct fabrication of dental appliances with varying feature thicknesses and associated systems

Provided herein are curable compositions for use in a high temperature lithography-based photopolymerization process, a method of producing crosslinked polymers using said curable compositions, crosslinked polymers thus produced, and orthodontic appliances comprising the crosslinked polymers.

Growing community of inventors

San Francisco, CA, United States of America

Srinivas Kaza