Elastic orthodontic appliance

Abstract

Provided herein is an orthodontic aligning appliance for moving tooth or teeth of a patient and methods of making and using the same. The orthodontic aligning appliance is formed of a material ("appliance forming material") having an elastic material in an amount that imparts to the aligner elastic properties such that the appliance exerts a continuous aligning force on a tooth or teeth, the elastic material is a material other than polyester, and the elastic material accounts for all or substantially all the elastic properties of the appliance.

Description

technical field [0001] The present invention generally relates to an orthodontic alignment appliance and methods of making and using the same. Background technique [0002] Orthodontic tooth movement is achieved by applying force to a tooth or set of teeth. This force results in a biological remodeling of the bone surrounding the tooth. This remodeling causes the teeth to deviate and move within the jawbone. The orthodontic force may be applied by fixed and / or movable appliances. One type of aligner that is becoming more popular is the orthodontic aligner or clear aligner. A clear aligner is a removable aligner that is used to move teeth by having the patient wear the aligner for 1 to 2 weeks, then switch to another sequence of trays and wear it for 1 to 2 weeks, and so on. [0003] Clear aligners are made by thermoforming heat-sensitive clear plastic sheets onto dental models. In the aforementioned tooth models, both the position and orientation of the teeth are offset...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

Current plastic tooth recalibration techniques using clear aligners apply intermittent alignment forces and, therefore, require at least several trays, often dozens of trays; and require lengthy treatment times (approximately 2 years) to realign the teeth to Desired location, resulting in wasted tray material and onerous consultation time for physicians, making the technique uneconomical and sometimes cost prohibitive

Additionally, clear aligners have a limited range of deflection before permanently deforming, so they can only move the teeth in small increments at a time

If large incremental movements are attempted, two things will usually happen: 1) the aligner will not be able to track the tooth and will not move the tooth into the suggested position or into the suggested orientation; or 2) the aligner will distort Exceeds plastic deformation and will be permanently deformed and may not fully fit the patient's mouth

Images