Dental preparation guide system with skirted dental bur and method of use

Abstract

The working tooth to be treated is prepared in the patient's mouth. A guide device is fastened onto the tooth to fix its position. A cutting device inserted into the guide device is moved, so that the flange of the cutting device slides along a slot extending within the guide device and makes contact with it, and the tool of the cutting device removes a portion of the working tooth, thereby forming the prepared surface of the working tooth. The tool includes a portion with a curved profile in the plane containing the axis of the tool, so that the working tooth is rounded by its tool portion. The cutting device and guide device are removed from the patient's mouth. A dental alignment device is fastened onto multiple teeth, including the working tooth, so that the prepared surface and the dental alignment device face each other.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Cross - Reference to Related Applications This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 534,405, filed Aug. 24, 2023, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 462,087, filed Apr. 26, 2023, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.

[0002] The present invention relates to devices, systems, and processes for removing tooth structure, and more particularly to systems and processes for preparing instruments, and such instruments for use in preparing teeth to be aligned using dental aligners or to receive dental restorations.

Background Art

[0003] The primary goal of a dental patient is to have perfectly intact teeth that are aesthetically desirable, evenly worn, and provide an overall balanced bite. Often, teeth are misaligned or positioned in a way that impairs these goals or, normally, proper dental function. The position and orientation of a patient's teeth within their dental arch can be altered by a tooth realignment and repositioning process using a set of removable realignment and repositioning devices. However, some patients have insufficient space within their dental arch or other symptoms that suggest the need for additional measures, such as black triangles in the anterior teeth, insufficient retention and stability of the teeth, or inaccurate curvature of Spee. In these cases, the dentist often performs an interproximal reduction (IPR) process to remove typically relatively small amounts of material between adjacent teeth in a patient, in conjunction with tooth realignment and repositioning, to create space or additional space between such adjacent teeth. In performing this process, air rotor stripping (ARS), which uses polishing metal strips, a diamond-coated disc rotating at high speed on the end of a handle, and a thin dental bur on a dental handpiece, is used to remove portions of tooth structure for IPR. However, the use of these instruments relies on the dentist's steady hand and skill to remove the minimum amount of tooth structure necessary to address the need for realignment and repositioning, and many dentists lack the skills or the time required to properly perform the IPR process.

[0004] Interdental removal templates have been introduced to provide some guidance to dental practitioners when removing tooth structure in the IPR process using tools. Such templates, such as those described in U.S. Patent No. 10,813,720, whose disclosure is incorporated herein by reference, include guide slots formed of a hard material such as zirconia or porcelain that come into contact with the cutting surface of the tool to limit the amount of tooth structure removed during the IPR process. By bringing a vibrating cutting tool into contact with these hard surfaces, a reverberation effect is induced that limits the control of the cutting tool. These hard surface materials are also relatively expensive, creating further barriers for practitioners and their patients.

[0005] Therefore, further improvements are needed to perform IPR or other tooth structure removal processes more cost-effectively, efficiently, and reliably. [Overview of the project]

[0006] In one embodiment, a working tooth to be treated in the patient's mouth may be prepared by a process. In this process, a first surface of a guide device may be fastened onto one or more teeth of the patient to fix the position of the guide device relative to one or more teeth. A cutting device inserted into the guide device fastened to one or more teeth may be moved so that the flange of the cutting device can slide along and contact a first guide slot extending within the guide device, and the cutting tool of the cutting device can remove a portion of the working tooth, thereby forming a first prepared surface of the working tooth. The cutting tool may include a first cutting tool portion having a curved profile in a plane containing the axis of the cutting tool, so that the working tooth is rounded by the first cutting tool portion as the cutting device moves, in forming the first prepared surface of the working tooth. After the first prepared surface of the working tooth is prepared, the cutting device and guide device may be removed from the patient's mouth. A first dentition alignment device may then be fastened onto a first group of teeth of the patient, including the working tooth. In this way, in some configurations, the first dental alignment device can face the first prepared surface. In some configurations, a portion of the first dental alignment device may fit to the first prepared surface, or at least substantially fit to it.

[0007] In some configurations of this embodiment, the working tooth may be any tooth in the patient's mouth. Therefore, the working tooth may be an incisor, canine, premolar, or molar.

[0008] In some of the configurations described above, the first surface of the guide device may be part of a tooth lap. In some configurations, the tooth lap may fit with one or more teeth to fasten the guide device, and the first guide slot may be part of a first guide block attached to the tooth lap.

[0009] In some of the aforementioned configurations, the cutting tool may include a rotary shaft and a second cutting tool portion. In such configurations, the first cutting tool portion may extend from the rotary shaft, and the second cutting tool portion may extend from the first cutting tool portion. In some such configurations, the rotary shaft, the first cutting tool portion, and the second cutting tool portion may be coaxial. In some such configurations, the first cutting tool portion may be skirt-shaped.

[0010] In some configurations, the cutting tool may include a rotary shaft. In some such configurations, the first cutting tool portion may extend from the rotary shaft and may be in the form of a disk defining a plane perpendicular to the rotary shaft.

[0011] In some configurations, the movement of the cutting device can remove the original margin of the tooth being worked on when forming the first prepared surface. In some such configurations, such movement can move the cutting tool from a position overlapping the original margin toward the patient's gingiva as a whole. In some such configurations, the original margin may include a portion of the occlusal surface of the tooth being worked on. In some other such configurations, the movement of the cutting device can move the cutting tool toward the original margin of the tooth being worked on in a buccal or lingual direction.

[0012] In some of the arrangements described above, as the cutting device moves, the cutting device can further remove a portion of another working tooth adjacent to the working tooth. In this way, the cutting device can form a first prepared surface on the working tooth and simultaneously form another first prepared surface on another working tooth adjacent to the first prepared surface on the working tooth, thereby the other working tooth may also be rounded by the first cutting tool portion as the curved profile of the first cutting tool portion forms another first prepared surface on the other working tooth during the movement of the cutting device.

[0013] In some of the arrangements described above, at least a portion of the cutting tool may extend through the flange.

[0014] In some of the arrangements described above, the movement of the cutting device can form one or both of the first prepared surface of a working tooth and another first prepared surface of another working tooth without the cutting tool coming into contact with the guide device.

[0015] In some configurations, the flange of the cutting device may be inserted into an opening that communicates with a first guide slot of the guide device. In some such configurations, the flange of the cutting device may be inserted into the first guide slot of the guide device in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis passing through the center of the cutting tool, or in other ways traversing it. In some such configurations, the first guide slot may have a width measured in a first plane of the first guide slot through which the flange of the cutting tool moves during the moving step, and in a first direction perpendicular to the cutting direction of the cutting tool as the cutting tool moves during the moving step. In some such configurations, the first guide slot may have a height measured in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and the cutting direction. In such configurations, the width and height of the first guide slot can define the range of movement of the flange, and therefore the cutting device, in the first and second directions.

[0016] In some of the aforementioned configurations, when moving the cutting device, the cutting tool shaft of the cutting tool extends, and the handle and drive assembly of the cutting device, which is the starting point from which the flange extends, may also move. In some such configurations, the cutting tool may have a dental bur. In such configurations, the shaft attached to the dental bur and drive assembly may rotate, thereby rotating the dental bur by activating the drive assembly of the handle and drive assembly.

[0017] In some of the configurations described above, the first tooth alignment device may be fastened to at least the teeth adjacent to the working tooth. In some such configurations, the teeth adjacent to the working tooth may be either adjacent teeth, adjacent teeth, or non-adjacent teeth separated from the working tooth by at least the adjacent teeth, or both.

[0018] In some of the arrangements described above, the first prepared surface of the working tooth may include the mesial or distal surface of the working tooth.

[0019] In some of the aforementioned configurations, the cutting tool may be located within the guide device while the cutting device is moving to remove a portion of the working tooth.

[0020] In some of the arrangements described above, after moving the cutting device to form a first prepared surface, the cutting device, which is inserted into a guide device fastened to one or more teeth, may be moved further so that the flange of the cutting device can slide along and contact a second guide slot extending within the guide device, and the cutting tool of the guide device can remove a second portion of the work tooth, thereby further rounding the work tooth by the curved profile of the first cutting tool portion while the flange is in contact with the second guide slot during the movement of the cutting device, thereby forming a second prepared surface of the work tooth. In some such arrangements, the second guide slot may be spaced apart from the first guide slot by a shared tool opening adjacent to each of the first and second guide slots. In such arrangements, the cutting tool may extend into the tool opening when the cutting tool is received into the first guide slot during the movement of the cutting device to form a first prepared surface, and the cutting tool may extend into the tool opening when the cutting tool is received into the second guide slot during further movement of the cutting device to form a second prepared surface. In some configurations, the first and second guide slots may extend within their respective parallel planes. In some other configurations, the first and second guide slots may extend within their respective intersecting planes.

[0021] In some configurations, the cutting tool may be separated from the guide device while the cutting device is moving.

[0022] In some of the arrangements described above, the working tooth may be rounded by the first cutting tool portion in a predetermined manner corresponding to a preferred but not necessarily required computer-aided design model, as the curvature profile of the first cutting tool portion forms the first prepared surface of the working tooth during the movement of the cutting device.

[0023] In some of the aforementioned configurations, at least one additional working tooth to be treated in the patient's mouth can be prepared. In some such configurations, the first surface of the guide device may be part of a tooth lap that fits onto one or more teeth to fasten the guide device, and the first guide slot may be part of a first guide block attached to the tooth lap. The cutting device may be removed from the first guide block of the guide device. The cutting device may then be inserted into a second guide block of the guide device. The cutting device inserted into the second guide block of the guide device fastened to one or more teeth may be moved so that the flange of the cutting device can slide along and contact the first guide block extending within the second guide block of the guide device, and the cutting tool of the cutting device can remove a portion of another working tooth spaced apart from the working tooth. In this way, the cutting tool can form the first prepared surface of another working tooth spaced apart from the working tooth.

[0024] In another embodiment, adjacent working teeth to be treated in the patient's mouth may be prepared by a process. In this process, a first surface of a guide device may be fastened onto one or more teeth of the patient to fix the position of the guide device relative to one or more teeth. A cutting device inserted into the guide device fastened to one or more teeth may be moved so that the flange of the cutting device can slide apically along a first guide slot extending within the guide device and contact the first guide slot, and the cutting tool of the cutting device can remove a portion of each of the adjacent working teeth without contacting the guide device. In this way, each prepared surface of the adjacent working teeth may be formed defining a minimum space between the adjacent working teeth. The cutting device and the guide device may be removed from the patient's mouth after each or both of the prepared surfaces have been formed. A first dentition alignment device may be fastened onto a first group of teeth of the patient, including the working teeth, such that the first prepared surface and the first dentition alignment device can face each other. In some configurations, a portion of the first dental alignment device may fit, or at least substantially fit, the first prepared surface.

[0025] In another embodiment, a system for preparing a set of adjacent working teeth to be treated in a patient's mouth may include a dental preparation guide, a tool opening, and a cutting device. The dental preparation guide may include a tooth lap and a first guide block that may extend from the tooth lap. The first guide block may include first and second guide slots and tool openings that may extend through the sides of the first guide block, e.g., occlusal, lingual, buccal, mesial, or distal surfaces, respectively. The first and second guide slots may be adjacent to the opposing ends of the tool opening. The cutting device may include a flange and a cutting tool that may extend from the flange. The cutting tool may include a first cutting tool portion that may have a curved profile in a plane containing the axis of the cutting tool. The first and second guide slots may be configured to receive the flange of the cutting device within the first and second guide slots. The first guide slot when the flange is received in the first guide slot, and the second guide slot when the flange is received in the second guide slot, can each contact the flange of the cutting device to prevent the respective movement of the flange of the cutting device. In this way, the flange, and therefore the cutting tool, can be limited to movement in only two sets of opposing directions corresponding to each of the first and second guide slots, for example, apical and coronal, buccal and lingual, or mesial and distal. The cutting tool portion may be configured to round each of the adjacent working teeth in a predetermined manner corresponding to a computer-aided design model by the curved profile of the first cutting tool portion, so as to remove a portion of the adjacent working tooth, in which case the adjacent working teeth are received in the first guide block, and the flange is received in the first guide slot and moved in one of two opposing directions corresponding to the first guide slot, for example, apical, or the flange is received in the second guide slot and moved in one of two opposing directions corresponding to the second guide slot, for example, apical.

[0026] In some configurations, the two opposing directions in each of the two sets of opposing directions may be the same. In some other configurations, the two opposing directions in one set of the two sets of opposing directions may be different from both of the two opposing directions in the other set of the two sets of opposing directions.

[0027] In some configurations, a system for preparing an adjacent set of working teeth to be treated in a patient's mouth may also be a system for preparing another adjacent set of working teeth. In such configurations, the dental preparation guide may further include a second guide block, which may extend from the tooth lap and be spaced apart from the first guide block. The second guide block may include first and second guide slots and tool openings, each of which may extend through the lateral surfaces of the second guide block, such as the occlusal, lingual, buccal, mesial, or distal surfaces. The first and second guide slots of the second guide block may be adjacent to the opposite ends of the tool openings of the second guide block. The first and second guide slots of the second guide block may be configured to receive flanges of cutting devices within the first and second guide slots of the second guide block. The first guide slot of the second guide block when the flange is received in the first guide slot of the second guide block, and the second guide slot of the second guide block when the flange is received in the second guide slot of the second guide block, can each contact the flange of the cutting device to prevent the respective movement of the flange of the cutting device. In this way, the flange, and therefore the cutting tool, can be restricted to movement in only two sets of opposing directions corresponding to each of the first and second guide slots of the second guide block, for example, apical and coronal, buccal and lingual, or mesial and distal.The cutting tool portion is configured to round each of the adjacent work target teeth of another set of adjacent work target teeth of a set of adjacent work target teeth, thereby, by the curved profile of the first cutting tool portion, in a predetermined manner corresponding to the computer-aided design model, so as to remove a part of another set of adjacent work target teeth. At this time, another set of adjacent work target teeth is received within a second guide block, and the flange is received within a first guide slot of the second guide block and is moved in one of two opposing directions corresponding to the first guide slot of the second guide block, for example, in the apical direction, or the flange is received within a second guide slot of the second guide block and is moved in one of two opposing directions corresponding to the second guide slot of the second guide block, for example, in the apical direction.

[0028] In some arrangements according to the foregoing aspects, the system for preparing a set of adjacent work target teeth may further include a first tooth alignment device, which is configured to be placed on and fastened to a first plurality of teeth of a patient's teeth including the adjacent work target teeth after removal of a part of the adjacent work target teeth, rather than before removal of a part of the adjacent work target teeth.

[0029] In some arrangements according to any of the foregoing arrangements of the foregoing aspects, the first and second guide slots may extend in respective parallel planes. In some other arrangements according to any of the foregoing arrangements of the foregoing aspects, the first and second guide slots may extend in respective intersecting planes.

[0030] According to another aspect, for example, dental instruments for use in restricting the removal of tooth structure during an interdental removal process may be prepared by a process. In this process, tooth arch data corresponding to a virtual model of the patient's dental arch may be stored by one or more processors. The virtual model of the patient's dental arch may be manipulated by one or more processes to remove virtual tooth structure from virtual adjacent teeth corresponding to the patient's physically adjacent teeth. In this way, a prepared curved surface of each of the virtual adjacent teeth may be formed, and modified tooth arch data corresponding to the manipulated digital model of the dental arch may be generated. The modified tooth arch data may be stored by one or more processors. A virtual cutting tool model of a cutting tool may be generated by one or more processors. The virtual cutting tool model may be disposed on and aligned with the prepared curved surface of each of the virtual adjacent teeth and may have a curved portion. The stored cutting tool corresponding to the generated virtual cutting tool model may be stored by one or more processors. A virtual dental preparation guide may be generated by one or more processors. The generated virtual preparation guide may be configured to conform to a portion of the virtual model of the patient's dental arch and may have a virtual tool opening configured to receive the virtual cutting tool model. The stored dental preparation guide data corresponding to the virtual dental preparation guide may be stored by one or more processors for use in a component file for three-dimensional printing.

[0031] In some arrangements of the foregoing aspects, the virtual dental preparation guide may include a pair of virtual guide slots adjacent to opposite ends of the virtual tool opening. In some such arrangements, a virtual cutting device model including a virtual flange model may be generated. In some such arrangements, the virtual flange model may be disposed within one of the virtual guide slots. In some such arrangements, the cutting tool model may extend from the virtual flange model.

[0032] In some configurations of the aforementioned configurations of the aforementioned embodiments, the virtual cutting tool model may be generated by one or more processors from pre-configured cutting tool data. In some other configurations of the aforementioned configurations of the aforementioned embodiments, the virtual cutting model may be custom generated by one or more processors.

[0033] In any of the configurations described above, a virtual dental alignment device may be generated by one or more processors based on the modified dental arch data. As an alternative to any of the above configurations, a virtual dental restoration, such as a virtual crown, virtual bridge, or virtual veneer, may be generated by one or more processors based on the modified dental arch data.

[0034] In any of the configurations described above, the dental instruments may be manufactured by three-dimensional printing. In some such configurations, the dental instruments may correspond to a virtual dental preparation guide.

[0035] In another embodiment, the dental bur may include a head section. The head section may include a skirt portion and an elongated shaft portion extending from the skirt portion. The skirt portion may be straight. The shaft portion may be longer than the skirt portion. The shaft portion may have an aspect ratio of up to 0.09.

[0036] In some of the configurations described above, the dental bur may further include a shank section, a neck section extending from the shank section, and a transition section extending from the neck section, the head section extending from the transition section.

[0037] In some of the configurations described above, the entire skirt portion may be roughened. In such configurations, the transition section may have a smooth outer surface, and the skirt portion may be adjacent to the transition section.

[0038] In some of the configurations described above, the shaft portion may have a length of at least 3.5 mm.

[0039] In some of the configurations described above, the skirt portion may include a curved section defining the main part of the skirt portion. In some such configurations, the curved section may be defined by a radius of at least 2.3 mm around the circumference of the curved section.

[0040] In some of the configurations described above, at least the entire portion of the head section facing outward from the transition section may be roughened.

[0041] In some of the configurations described above, the head section may further include a tip portion of the shaft portion that extends from the shaft portion on the side opposite to the skirt portion.

[0042] In another embodiment, the dental system may be configured to remove tooth structure from a molar. The dental system may include a dental preparation guide and a cutting device. The dental preparation guide device may be configured to fasten to the patient's tooth so that the guide device is fixed in place to the patient's tooth. The guide device may include a slot and an opening communicating with the slot. The opening may be configured to expose the molar for the removal of tooth structure from the molar. The cutting device may include a flange and a dental bur extending from the flange. The slot may be configured to receive the flange. The dental bur may include a skirt portion and an elongated shaft portion extending from the skirt portion. The skirt portion may have a curved profile in the plane containing the axis of the cutting tool. When the guide device is fastened to the patient's tooth and the flange of the cutting device is received in the slot of the guide device, movement of the shaft portion may be substantially prevented in a direction of advancement parallel to the axis of the dental bur, and the shaft portion of the dental bur may extend from the buccal side of the molar beyond the first portion of the opening of the buccal side guide device to the lingual side of the molar beyond the second portion of the opening of the lingual side guide device.

[0043] In some of the configurations described above, the shaft portion of the dental bur may have a length such that it can intersect with the contact points of the molar and adjacent molars when the flange is received in the slot.

[0044] In some of the configurations described above, the shaft portion of the dental bur may be straight and may have a uniform diameter along its length. In such configurations, the shaft portion may be longer than the skirt portion.

[0045] In some of the configurations described above, the shaft portion of the dental bur may include a roughened surface configured to remove tooth structure when the cutting device is activated.

[0046] In some of the configurations described above, the skirt portion of the dental bur may include a roughened surface configured to remove tooth structure when the cutting device is activated.

[0047] In another embodiment, a molar being treated in the patient's mouth may be treated by a process. In such a process, a first guide device may be fastened onto a first set of one or more teeth of the patient to fix the position of the first guide device relative to a first set of one or more teeth. A first cutting device inserted into the first guide device fastened to the first set of one or more teeth may be moved so that the flange of the cutting device slides along and contacts a guide slot extending within the first guide device, and an elongated shaft portion of the first cutting device extending from the buccal or lingual side of the molar removes a portion of the molar. In this process, the shaft portion may extend, during the moving step, from the buccal side of the molar beyond the first portion of the opening of the first guide device on the buccal side of the opening to the lingual side of the molar beyond the second portion of the opening of the first guide device on the lingual side of the opening.

[0048] In some of the configurations described above, the second guide device may be fastened onto a second set of one or more teeth to fix the position of the second guide device relative to a second set of one or more teeth. The first cutting device or the second cutting device having the same shaft portion as the shaft portion of the first cutting device may be moved to remove a portion of the patient's anterior teeth. In such configurations, either the first or second cutting device may include a dental handpiece and a dental bur, the dental bur may include a shaft portion that can be activated internally so that the dental handpiece rotates the shaft portion of the dental bur.

[0049] In another embodiment, the dental bur may include a head section having a skirt portion and an elongated shaft portion extending from the skirt portion. The shaft portion may be longer than the skirt portion and may have an aspect ratio of at most 0.09. In some arrangements, the dental system may include a dental preparation guide and a cutting tool which may include a dental bur. When the guide is fastened to the patient's tooth and the flange of the cutting tool is received in the slot of the guide, the shaft portion of the dental bur may extend from the buccal side of the molar beyond the first portion of the opening of the buccal guide of the opening to the lingual side of the molar beyond the second portion of the opening of the lingual guide of the opening, in order to remove tooth structure from the molar.

[0050] A more complete understanding of the subject matter of the present invention and its various advantages can be obtained by referring to the following detailed description, which is referenced in the attached figures below. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0051] [Figure 1A] This is a perspective view of a dental preparation guide for use in an interdental resection (IPR) process on a patient, according to one embodiment. [Figure 1B] This is another perspective view of a dental preparation guide for use in an interdental resection (IPR) process on a patient, according to one embodiment. [Figure 1C] This is another perspective view of a dental preparation guide for use in an interdental resection (IPR) process on a patient, according to one embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a perspective view of a dental cutting device for use in the dental preparation guide shown in Figures 1A-1C during the IPR process. [Figure 3A] This is a plan view of the computer-aided design (CAD) model of the patient's virtual dental arch before the IPR process. [Figure 3B] This is an elevation view of a computer-aided design (CAD) model of a patient's virtual dental arch before the IPR (Intra-proximal Resection) process. [Figure 4A]This is a plan view of a CAD model of a patient's planned virtual dental arch after an IPR process, according to one embodiment. [Figure 4B] This is an elevation view of a CAD model of a planned virtual dental arch of a patient after an IPR process, according to one embodiment. [Figure 5] Figures 4A and 4B show CAD models of plan view portions of the planned virtual dental arch of a patient after the IPR process according to another embodiment, where a virtual area for the removal of tooth structures has been identified. [Figure 6A] Figures 4A and 4B are plan views of a portion of a CAD model of a patient's planned virtual dental arch after an IPR process, in another embodiment, showing the location of a virtual cutting tool relative to a virtual lingual entrance, overlapping with the identified virtual area of ​​tooth structure removal. [Figure 6B] Figures 4A and 4B are plan views of a portion of a CAD model of a patient's planned virtual dental arch after an IPR process, in another embodiment, showing the location of a virtual cutting tool relative to a virtual buccal entrance, overlapping the identified virtual area of ​​tooth structure removal. [Figure 7] Figures 4A and 4B show a plan view of a CAD model of a virtual dental preparation guide of Figure 1A, which is placed on the planned virtual dental arch of a patient after the IPR process, according to another embodiment. [Figure 8A] Figures 4A and 4B show a plan view of a portion of a CAD model of a virtual dental preparation guide from Figure 1A, which is placed on a planned virtual dental arch of a patient after an IPR process in another embodiment, with the location of the virtual cutting tool shown relative to the virtual buccal entrance. [Figure 8B] Figures 4A and 4B show a plan view of a portion of a CAD model of a virtual dental preparation guide from Figure 1A, which is placed on a planned virtual dental arch of a patient after an IPR process in another embodiment, with the location of the virtual cutting tool indicated relative to the virtual lingual entrance. [Figure 9] This is an elevation view of a portion of a dental preparation guide and dental cutting tool according to another embodiment. [Figure 10]This is a process flowchart of a process for preparing dental instruments for use in limiting the removal of tooth structures during an interdental debridement process, according to another embodiment. [Figure 11A] This is a plan view of a dental bur according to another embodiment. [Figure 11B] Figure 11A is a perspective view of the dental bur being used to remove tooth structure from an adjacent molar in a patient. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0052] Referring next to the diagrams shown in Figures 1A-1C, the dental preparation guides 100, 200, and 300 are all configured to be used to restrict the movement of a cutting device for removing tooth structure from each margin of a patient's incisors. Although these examples are configured for incisors, the dental preparation guides according to this disclosure may be used to remove tooth structure from any one or any combination of incisors, canines, premolars, or molars in a patient's dental arch for use in, for example, an IPR process, or for preparing teeth to receive dental restorations such as crowns, bridges, or veneers. Using dental preparation guide 100 for illustration, the dental preparation guide includes a tooth lap portion 101, a first guide block 102 extending from a spaced portion of the tooth lap, and a second guide block 103 extending from another spaced portion of the tooth lap.

[0053] The tooth lap portion 101 has an inner surface corresponding to the outer surface of the tooth to which the dental preparation guide 100 is fastened. In this way, the dental preparation guide 100 may be placed on the outer surface of the corresponding tooth, so that the inner surface of the tooth lap portion may remain releasably fixed to the corresponding tooth in the same position relative to the tooth to which the inner surface of the guide is applied when pressure is applied to the dental preparation guide. Such releasable fixation is similar to that further discussed in now-abandoned U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010 / 0192375, U.S. Patent No. 8,640,338, U.S. Patent No. 11,033,356, U.S. Patent No. 11,007,035 and International Publication No. 2021 / 262336, the disclosures of each of these documents which are incorporated herein by reference in whole. In the examples shown in Figures 1A-1C, the inner surface of the tooth wrap portion wraps around the crown of the corresponding tooth in order to fix the tooth preparation guide 100 in a predetermined position relative to the tooth on which the guide is placed.

[0054] The first guide block 102 includes an opening 104A configured to receive a working tooth or an adjacent working tooth, a tool opening 105A, guide slots 106A, 107A adjacent to the opposite end of the tool opening, and entrance slots 108A, 109A adjacent to one of the guide slots on each side of the tool opening. The second guide block 103 similarly includes an opening 104B configured to receive a working tooth or an adjacent working tooth, a tool opening 105B, guide slots 106B, 107B, and opposing entrance slots 108B, 109B. However, the guide slots 106A, 107A of the first guide block 102 typically extend in the coronal and apical directions (based on the normal dentition direction) to define planes parallel to each other, while the guide slots 106B, 107B of the second guide block 103 typically extend in the coronal and apical directions to define planes intersecting each other. In the illustrated example, the orientation of the guide slots 106A, 106B, 107A, and 107B is determined by CAD modeling based on the tooth angle being changed during the IPR process and the angle of the approach made by the dental practitioner when using the guide slots. Each of the dental preparation guides 200 and 300 contains only a single guide block, as shown in Figures 1B and 1C, but each guide block contains a tool opening, a guide slot, and an opposing entry slot, similar to the first and second guide blocks 102 and 103.

[0055] As shown in Figure 2, the dental cutting tool 400 includes a handle 401, a flange 402 extending from the handle, and a cutting tool 414 (partially shown in the figure), such as a dental bur, including a skirt-shaped bur, or a rotating disc, such as a diamond-coated disc, as further described herein. As illustrated, the flange 402 may be in the form of a disc.

[0056] Next, referring together to Figures 1A-1C and Figure 2, when the dental preparation guides 100, 200, and 300 are placed on the corresponding dental arches of the patient and fastened, the flange 402 of the dental cutting device 400 may be inserted through the opening into each of the guide slots 106A, 106B, 107A, and 107B of the dental preparation guide 100 or the guide slots of the dental preparation guides 200 and 300, preferably by the dental practitioner manually moving the handle 401, while the cutting tool is inserted into the respective tool openings 105A and 105B. Once the flange 402 is inserted into one of these guide slots, the flange may be slid by a dental practitioner, preferably by manually moving the handle 401 along the guide slot in an apical direction, so that the flange 402 slides in this apical direction along one side of each entrance slot 108A, 108B, 109A, 109B within each guide block 102, 103, while the head of the handle 401 attached to the flange slides along both sides of each entrance slot on the outside of each guide block. The position of the cutting tool 414 is fixed relative to the flange 402 so that the cutting tool translates with the flange while the flange 402 is sliding. When the cutting device 400 is activated and the flange 402 slides within the guide slots 106A, 106B, 107A, and 107B, the cutting tool 414 received within the tool openings 105A and 105B is operated, for example, at a sufficient speed to remove tooth structure from the working tooth being treated, or from an adjacent working tooth being treated in the illustrated example, aligned with the cutting tool in the apical direction. In the configurations of the dental preparation guides 100, 200, and 300, each of the guide slots 106A, 106B, 107A, and 107B is spaced away from the patient's dentition so that no part of the handle 401 of the cutting device 400, including the flange 402, comes into contact with the tooth during the sliding of the flange within the guide slot and during the corresponding translation of the cutting tool when removing tooth structure from the working tooth. To avoid any doubt, the cutting tool 414, for example, a dental bur, is the only part of the dental cutting device 400 that comes into contact with the working tooth during a tooth structure removal process, such as the IPR process described herein.

[0057] Referring next to Figures 3A and 3B, a working CAD model 501 of the current dental arch of a patient requiring dental arch realignment and repositioning is prepared from an intraoral scan of the patient's dental arch, a scan of a physical model prepared from impressions of the dental arch, or other techniques known to those skilled in the art. As shown in Figures 4A and 4B, the working CAD model 501 may be manipulated, for example, using dental modeling software, such as that developed by 3Shape, which can be used in conjunction with modeling tools provided by FIRSTFIT software from Viax Dental Technologies LLC, as illustrated in the example, to form a working CAD model 502 showing the virtual configuration of the dental arch after the IPR process. When preparing the working CAD model 502, a CAD model operator, who may be in the dental practitioner's office or in a remote location, may identify target areas for tooth structure removal by markings on the working CAD model 501 (e.g., markings 512A to 512D), and may remove virtual tooth structure portions from the edges of virtual adjacent working teeth 513A and 513B to form virtual prepared surfaces 514A and 514B as the CAD model operator has determined to be appropriate, as illustrated by the contrast between the working CAD model 501 and the working CAD model 502.

[0058] As shown in Figure 5, in this example, the amount of virtual tooth structure is taken from the edges of the virtual adjacent working teeth 513A and 513B such that the minimum distance between the edges of the virtual adjacent working teeth is 0.500 mm. This distance corresponds to the desired physical distance between the patient's corresponding physically adjacent working teeth upon completion of the IPR process on the physically adjacent working teeth, and may correspond to the thickness of the tooth contact portion of the dental bur used to remove the physical tooth structure from the physically adjacent working teeth. This 0.500 mm distance may be changed as needed or desired if a dental bur with a thicker or thinner tooth contact portion is used. As further shown in Figure 5, working model 502 is changed to working model 503 by removing an additional virtual tooth structure, thereby the virtual adjacent working teeth 513A and 513B of the virtual working model 503 include virtual curved surfaces on the more lingual facing virtual surfaces of the virtual adjacent teeth. In this way, the patient's physical tooth surfaces corresponding to the virtual adjacent working teeth 513A, 513B can be rounded to more closely mimic natural teeth, for example, after the tooth structure removal process in the IPR process. Although not shown, similar virtual curved surfaces may also be formed on the more buccal-facing opposing virtual surfaces of the virtual adjacent teeth 513A, 513B (see Figure 6B), or only on such buccal-facing virtual surfaces. The virtual curved surfaces applied to one or both of the more lingual and more buccal-facing virtual surfaces may be customized virtual curved surfaces generated by the virtual model operator, or they may be pre-set virtual curved surfaces corresponding to standard-sized skirt-shaped dental burs.

[0059] Referring next to Figures 6A and 6B, working model 503 is modified to working models 504A and 504B by adding a virtual skirt-shaped bur 516 having a virtual shaft portion 515A of a bur that can be cylindrical and extends between virtual adjacent working teeth 513A and 513B, and a virtual bell-shaped portion 515B extending from the virtual shaft portion and aligning with a virtual curved surface facing the lingual side of the virtual adjacent tooth and a virtual curved surface facing the buccal side of the virtual adjacent tooth, respectively. In this way, the virtual skirt-shaped bur 514 provides a virtual model adapted to the configuration for cutting tools used in dental preparation guides 100, 200, and 300 for IPR or other tooth structure removal processes.

[0060] Next, referring to Figures 7, 8A, and 8B, the size and location of the virtual skirt-shaped bur 516 are established relative to the lingual entrance in working model 504A and relative to the buccal entrance in working model 504B, and the virtual dental preparation guides 150, and similarly the virtual dental preparation guides 250, 350 are generated as CAD models. The virtual tool openings 155A, 155B are generated so that the entire virtual bur 516 can move in and out of the tool opening in the virtual apical and virtual coronal directions, respectively, as needed, and translate within it. The virtual guide slots 156A, 156B, 157A, and 157B are generated to correspond to the width (the longer dimension shown on the virtual occlusal surface of the virtual guide blocks 152 and 153 in Figure 7) and height (the shorter dimension shown on the virtual occlusal surface of the virtual guide blocks in Figure 7) of the flanges used in the dental preparation guides 100, 200, and 300, and these dimensions are measured perpendicular to the direction in which the flange 402 of the dental cutting device 400 slides within the dental preparation guide. In some arrangements (not shown), the flange 402 or even the entire dental cutting device 400 may be modeled as a virtual flange.

[0061] Referring still to Figure 7, in some configurations, the virtual guide slots 156A, 156B, 157A, 157B and the virtual tool openings 155A, 155B may be prepared from corresponding virtual solid regions. In such configurations, virtual solid blocks corresponding to the virtual guide blocks 152, 153 may be generated and attached to the virtual tooth lap portion 151, which will be a separate CAD model. Then, in order to also form the virtual dental preparation guide 150 and similarly the virtual dental preparation guides 250, 350, Boolean operations may be performed between the combination of i) virtual solid regions corresponding to the virtual guide slots 156A, 156B, 157A, 157B and the virtual tool openings 155A, 155B, and ii) the virtual solid blocks. Similar Boolean operations are described for the formation of the digital guide device of U.S. Patent No. 11,007,035, which was discussed previously in this specification. Once the virtual dental preparation guides 150, 250, and 350 are generated, the corresponding physical dental preparation guides 100, 200, and 300 may be formed, but not limited to, by casting, more preferably by three-dimensional (3D) printing, or by other means according to suitable manufacturing processes known to those skilled in the art.

[0062] Referring now to Figure 9, in another configuration of the IPR process, one or more of the dental preparation guides 100, 200, 300 may be replaced by one or more dental preparation guides in the form of a dental preparation guide 600 attached to multiple teeth (not shown) in the illustrated example, and the dental cutting device 400 may be replaced by a dental cutting device 700. As illustrated, the dental cutting device 700 includes a cutting tool 714 in the form of a rotary disc bar, which may be a diamond-coated disc, and a rotary shaft 715 from which the center of the cutting tool extends in the illustrated example. With this configuration of the dental cutting device 700, the cutting surface of the cutting tool 714 is outside the dental preparation guide 600 when the dental cutting device is inserted into the guide. However, similar to the dental preparation guides 100, 200, and 300, the dental preparation guide 600 includes a tooth lap portion similar to the tooth lap portion 101 for fixing the guide to multiple teeth, and a single guide slot 606 into which the flange 702 of the dental cutting device 700 slides in the apical and coronal directions. Similar to the combination of the dental cutting device 400 and the dental preparation guides 100, 200, and 300, the dental cutting device 700 does not come into contact with the dental preparation guide 600 when properly inserted between adjacent physical teeth 613A, 613B in the preparation guide during the IPR process. Furthermore, the CAD modeling and fabrication of the dental preparation guide 500 is substantially the same as the modeling and fabrication of the dental preparation guides 100, 200, and 300 previously described herein.

[0063] Although the dental cutting devices 400 and 700 are shown to include flanges 402 and 702, respectively, that are slidable within the corresponding guide slots 106A, 106B, and 606, it should be understood that the opposite configuration is also possible, where the flanges are on the guide devices 100, 200, 300, and 600, and the slots are on the dental cutting device. However, it is preferable that the dental cutting device includes the flanges, in which case the housing of the dental cutting device including the flanges is made of a stronger, more durable material, such as metal. Furthermore, it should be understood that the gap shown between flanges 402 and 702 is for illustrative purposes only, and that such a gap is actually very narrow to avoid play between the dental preparation guide 600 and the dental cutting device 700, and thus to increase the certainty that the physical dental preparation guide 600 achieves the same results as the corresponding virtual dental preparation guide.

[0064] Next, referring to Figure 10, in process 800, dental instruments are prepared for use in limiting the removal of tooth structures during the interdental debridement process. In step 810 of the process, arch data corresponding to a virtual model of the patient's dental arch is stored by one or more processors (see, for example, Figures 3A and 3B). In step 820, the virtual model of the patient's dental arch is manipulated by one or more processors to remove virtual tooth structures from virtual adjacent teeth corresponding to the patient's physically adjacent teeth (see, for example, Figures 4A, 4B, and 5). In this way, a virtual prepared curved surface is formed for each of the virtual adjacent teeth, and modified arch data corresponding to the manipulated digital model of the dental arch is generated (see, for example, Figure 5). In step 830, the modified arch data is stored by one or more processors. In step 840, a virtual cutting tool model of the cutting tool is generated by one or more processors. The virtual cutting model has a curved portion that is positioned on and aligned with the virtual prepared curved surface of each of the virtual adjacent teeth (see Figures 6A and 6B). In step 850, stored cutting tool data corresponding to the generated virtual cutting tool model is stored by one or more processors. In step 860, a virtual dental preparation guide having a virtual tool opening configured to fit a portion of the virtual model of the patient's dental arch and to accept the virtual cutting tool model is generated by one or more processors (see, for example, Figures 7, 8A, and 8B). In step 870, stored dental preparation guide data corresponding to the virtual dental preparation guide is stored by one or more processors for use in component files for 3D printing.

[0065] Referring next to Figures 11A and 11B, the dental bur 900 may be used in conjunction with dental preparation guides having substantially the same form as those discussed herein, for example, the form of dental preparation guides 100, 200, and 300, except that the dental preparation guide for use with the dental bur 900 includes a guide block configured to overlap the patient's molars when the dental preparation guide is fastened to the patient's teeth, and may or may not include a guide block that overlaps other teeth of the patient, such as the guide block shown for dental preparation guides 100, 200, and 300. As shown in Figure 11A, the dental bur 900 includes a shank section 902, a neck section 904 extending from the shank section, a transition section 906 extending from the neck section 904, and a head section 910 extending from the transition section.

[0066] The shank section 902 is elongated for insertion into a dental cutting device, such as a dental cutting device 400, though not limited to this. The neck section 904 is surrounded by the shank section 902 and the transition section 906 and has a smaller diameter than these sections, thereby the neck section is configured to engage with a locking mechanism (not shown) of the dental cutting device to fasten the dental bur 900 to the dental cutting device in a fixed position relative to the dental cutting device. As in the illustrated example, the shank section 902 and the transition section 906 of the dental bur 900 may have the same diameter.

[0067] The head section 910 of the dental bur 900 includes a skirt portion, an elongated shaft portion 912 extending from the skirt portion, and a tip portion 914 extending from the shaft portion. In the illustrated example, the skirt portion includes an upper curved section 916, an intermediate curved section 917 extending from the upper curved section 916, and a lower curved section 918 extending from the intermediate curved section 917. As shown in Figure 11B, the shaft portion 912, which in the illustrated example may be cylindrical along at least a large part of its length, has sufficient length to extend from the buccal side of the molars 921 and 922 (located in the transition from the buccal to the mesial and distal sides of each molar) to the lingual side of the molars (located in the transition from the lingual to the mesial and distal sides of each molar). In this way, the shaft portion 912 intersects with and removes the contact points of the molars 921 and 922, i.e., the points where the molars come into contact with each other when the flange of the cutting device having the dental bur 900 is received in the dental preparation guide and slides along the slot of the guide.

[0068] In the illustrated example, the shaft portion 912 may be straight and may have a length of at least 3.5 mm, for example 3.66 mm, and a width of less than 0.32 mm, for example 0.30 mm. In some such arrangements, the shaft portion 912 may have an aspect ratio of up to 0.095, more preferably up to 0.09, and even more preferably up to 0.085. As further illustrated, the upper curved section 916 of the skirt portion may have a radius around its circumference of at least 2.3 mm, less aggressive than the skirt portion of dental burs known in the art, and the intermediate curved section 917 and the lower curved section 918 may have the same or different radii around their circumference as the upper curved section. For example, as in the illustrated example, the upper curved section 916 may have a radius of 2.5 mm, the intermediate curved section and the lower curved section 918 may have a smaller radius than the upper curved section, and the lower curved section may have a smaller radius than the intermediate curved section. In such a configuration, the dental bur 900 may be used, for example, to prepare the adjacent margins of adjacent anterior teeth, adjacent molars, and adjacent premolar-molar combinations in the interdental debridement process previously described herein. The different radii along the skirt portion of the dental bur 900 make it possible to impart different curvatures on the working teeth depending on the particular tooth, or in some cases, the particular tooth surface exposed to the bur. For example, if only the lower curved surface 918 of the skirt portion contacts the anterior teeth, as illustrated by the working model 504A in Figure 6A, these teeth are curved only by the sharper (i.e., smaller) radius of the lower section of the skirt portion. In contrast, for larger molars, the upper curved section 916 and the intermediate curved section 917 of the skirt portion can contact the molars such that these teeth are curved by each of the three sections of the skirt portion, giving them a different overall margin shape than that imparted to the anterior teeth.

[0069] In some configurations, any one or any combination of the upper curved section 916, the intermediate curved section 917, the lower curved section 918, the shaft portion 912, and the tip portion 914 may be sufficiently roughened or otherwise prepared as a cutting surface for tooth structure removal, such as a ground surface.

[0070] It should be understood that the disclosures described herein, whether or not they are disclosed in detail herein, include any possible combination of the specific features described above. For example, where a particular feature is disclosed in the context of a particular aspect, arrangement, configuration, or embodiment, that feature may also be used, to the extent possible, in combination with and / or in the context of other particular aspects, arrangements, configurations, and embodiments of the Invention, and also in general in the Invention.

[0071] Furthermore, while the invention disclosed herein has been described with reference to certain features, it should be understood that these features merely illustrate the principles and scope of the invention. Therefore, it should be understood that numerous modifications can be made to the exemplary embodiments, and other arrangements can be devised without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. In this regard, the invention encompasses numerous additional features in addition to the specific features described in the claims.

Claims

1. A method for preparing a working tooth to be treated in a patient's mouth, The steps include fastening the first surface of the guide device to one or more teeth of the patient to fix the position of the guide device relative to the one or more teeth, A step of moving a cutting device inserted into the guide device fastened to one or more teeth, wherein the flange of the cutting device slides along a first guide slot extending within the guide device and contacts the first guide slot, and the cutting tool of the cutting device removes a portion of the work tooth, thereby forming a first prepared surface of the work tooth, wherein the cutting tool includes a first cutting tool portion having a curved profile in a plane including the axis of the cutting tool, thereby rounding the work tooth by the first cutting tool portion as the curved profile of the first cutting tool portion forms the first prepared surface of the work tooth during the movement of the cutting device, The steps include removing the cutting device and the guide device from the mouth of the patient, A method comprising the step of fastening the first dental alignment device onto a first plurality of teeth of the patient, including the teeth to be worked on, such that the first prepared surface and the first dental alignment device face each other.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the cutting tool includes a rotary shaft and a second cutting tool portion, the first cutting tool portion extending from the rotary shaft, the second cutting tool portion extending from the first cutting tool portion, and the rotary shaft, the first cutting tool portion, and the second cutting tool portion are coaxial.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first cutting tool portion is skirt-shaped.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the cutting tool includes a rotary shaft, and the first cutting tool portion is in the form of a disk extending from the rotary shaft and defining a plane perpendicular to the rotary shaft.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the moving step removes the original edge of the tooth to be worked on when forming the first prepared surface.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the moving step moves the cutting tool from a position overlapping the original edge toward the patient's gingiva overall, and the original edge includes a portion of the occlusal surface of the tooth being worked on.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein the moving step involves moving the cutting tool in a buccal or lingual direction toward the original edge of the tooth to be worked on.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein during the moving step, the cutting device further removes a portion of another work tooth adjacent to the work tooth, thereby forming the first prepared surface of the work tooth and simultaneously forming another first prepared surface of the other work tooth adjacent to the first prepared surface of the work tooth, thereby the other work tooth is also rounded by the first cutting tool portion as the curvature profile of the first cutting tool portion forms the other first prepared surface of the other work tooth during the movement of the cutting device.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein at least a portion of the cutting tool extends through the flange.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising the step of inserting the flange of the cutting device into an opening that communicates with the first guide slot of the guide device.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the insertion step involves inserting the flange of the cutting tool into the first guide slot of the guide device in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the cutting tool, or in another transverse direction, the first guide slot having a width measured in a first plane of the first guide slot through which the flange of the cutting tool moves during the moving step, and perpendicular to the cutting direction of the cutting tool as the cutting tool moves during the moving step, the first guide slot having a height measured in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and the cutting direction, and the width and height of the first guide slot define the range of movement of the flange, and therefore the cutting device, in the first and second directions.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the moving step includes moving the handle and drive assembly of the cutting device, which is the starting point from which the cutting tool shaft of the cutting tool extends and the flange extends, the cutting tool is a dental bur, and the method further includes the step of rotating the dental bur by activating the drive assembly of the handle and drive assembly.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, further comprising the step of fastening the first tooth alignment device to at least adjacent teeth of the tooth to be worked on.

14. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the first prepared surface of the tooth to be worked on includes the mesial surface or the distal surface of the tooth to be worked on.

15. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the cutting tool is located within the guide device during the removal of the portion of the tooth to be worked on by the moving step.

16. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 15, further comprising the step of moving the cutting device, inserted into the guide device fastened to one or more teeth, after the moving step to form the first prepared surface, so that the flange of the cutting device slides along a second guide slot extending within the guide device and contacts the second guide slot, and the cutting tool of the guide device removes a second portion of the work tooth, thereby further rounding the work tooth to form a second prepared surface of the work tooth by the curvature profile of the first cutting tool portion during the movement of the cutting device, wherein the second guide slot is separated from the first guide slot by a shared tool opening adjacent to each of the first and second guide slots, and the cutting tool extends into the tool opening when it is received in the first guide slot during the moving step to form the first prepared surface, and the cutting tool extends into the tool opening when it is received in the second guide slot during the further moving step to form the second prepared surface.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the first and second guide slots extend in their respective parallel planes.

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein the first and second guide slots extend within their respective intersecting planes.

19. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 18, wherein the cutting tool is separated from the guide device during the moving step.

20. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 19, wherein the tooth to be worked on is rounded by the first cutting tool portion in a predetermined manner corresponding to a computer-aided design model as the cutting device moves, so as the first prepared surface of the tooth to be worked on is formed by the curved profile of the first cutting tool portion.

21. A method for preparing a working tooth to be treated in a patient's mouth, wherein the method is A method according to any one of claims 1 to 20, wherein the first surface of the guide device is part of a tooth wrap that fits into one or more teeth for fastening the guide device, and the first guide slot is part of a first guide block attached to the tooth wrap, The steps include removing the cutting device from the first guide block of the guide device, The steps include inserting the cutting device into the second guide block of the guide device, A method comprising the steps of moving the cutting device inserted into the second guide block of the guide device fastened to one or more teeth, thereby causing the flange of the cutting device to slide along a first guide slot extending within the second guide block of the guide device and to contact the first guide slot, and the cutting tool of the cutting device to remove a portion of another work tooth spaced apart from the work tooth, thereby forming a first prepared surface of the other work tooth spaced apart from the work tooth.

22. A method for preparing adjacent working teeth to be treated in a patient's mouth, wherein the method is The steps include fastening the first surface of the guide device to one or more teeth of the patient to fix the position of the guide device relative to the one or more teeth, A step of moving a cutting device inserted into the guide device fastened to one or more teeth, wherein the flange of the cutting device slides along the apical direction and contacts a first guide slot extending within the guide device, and the cutting tool of the cutting device removes a portion of each of the adjacent work teeth without contacting the guide device, thereby forming a prepared surface of each of the adjacent work teeth that defines a minimum space between the adjacent work teeth. The steps include removing the cutting device and the guide device from the mouth of the patient, A method comprising the step of fastening the first dental alignment device onto a first plurality of teeth of the patient, including the teeth to be worked on, such that the first prepared surface and the first dental alignment device face each other.

23. A system for preparing a set of adjacent working teeth to be treated in a patient's mouth, wherein the system is A dental preparation guide comprising a tooth wrap and a first guide block extending from the tooth wrap, wherein the first guide block includes first and second guide slots and tool openings, each extending through the side surface of the first guide block, the first and second guide slots being adjacent to the opposing ends of the tool openings, and the dental preparation guide, A cutting device comprising a flange and a cutting tool extending from the flange, wherein the cutting tool includes a first cutting tool portion having a curved profile in a plane including the axis of the cutting tool, The first and second guide slots are configured to receive the flange of the cutting device within the first and second guide slots, When the flange is received in the first guide slot, the first guide slot, and when the flange is received in the second guide slot, the second guide slot, each contact the flange of the cutting device to prevent the respective movement of the flange, thereby limiting the movement of the flange and, by extension, the cutting tool, to only two opposing sets of the first and second guide slots, respectively. The cutting tool portion is configured to round each of the adjacent working teeth in a predetermined manner corresponding to a computer-aided design model by the curved profile of the first cutting tool portion, so as to remove a portion of the adjacent working teeth, wherein the set of adjacent working teeth is received in the first guide block, and the flange is received in the first guide slot and moved in one of the two opposing directions corresponding to the first guide slot, or the flange is received in the second guide slot and moved in one of the two opposing directions corresponding to the second guide slot, in a system.

24. The system according to claim 23, further comprising a first tooth alignment device configured to be placed on a plurality of first teeth of the patient, including the adjacent teeth, after the removal of the portion of the adjacent teeth, rather than before the removal of the portion of the adjacent teeth, and thereby fastened to the first plurality of teeth.

25. The system according to claim 23 or 24, wherein the first and second guide slots extend in their respective parallel planes.

26. The system according to claim 23 or 24, wherein the first and second guide slots extend within their respective intersecting planes.

27. A system for preparing a set of adjacent working teeth to be treated in a patient's mouth, wherein the system is A system comprising the one described in any one of claims 23 to 26, The dental preparation guide further includes a second guide block extending from the tooth lap and spaced apart from the first guide block, the second guide block including first and second guide slots and tool openings, each extending through the side surface of the second guide block, the first and second guide slots of the second guide block adjacent to opposite ends of the tool openings of the second guide block, and the first and second guide slots of the second guide block are configured to receive the flange of the cutting device within the first and second guide slots of the second guide block. When the flange is received in the first guide slot of the second guide block, the first guide slot of the second guide block, and when the flange is received in the second guide slot of the second guide block, the second guide slot of the second guide block, each contact the flange of the cutting device to prevent the respective movement of the flange, thereby restricting the movement of the flange, and thus the cutting tool, to only two sets of opposing directions corresponding to each of the first and second guide slots of the second guide block. The cutting tool portion is configured to round each of the adjacent working teeth of the other set of adjacent working teeth in a predetermined manner corresponding to a computer-aided design model by the curved profile of the first cutting tool portion, such that the cutting tool portion removes a portion of another set of adjacent working teeth of the set of adjacent working teeth, wherein the other set of adjacent working teeth is received within the second guide block, and the flange is received within the first guide slot of the second guide block and moved in one of the two opposing directions corresponding to the first guide slot of the second guide block, or the flange is received within the second guide slot of the second guide block and moved in one of the two opposing directions corresponding to the second guide slot of the second guide block.

28. A method for preparing dental instruments for use in limiting the removal of tooth structure, The steps include storing dental arch data corresponding to a virtual model of the patient's dental arch using one or more processors, The steps include: manipulating the virtual model of the patient's dental arch using one or more processors to remove virtual tooth structures from virtual adjacent teeth corresponding to the patient's physically adjacent teeth, thereby forming a virtual prepared curved surface for each of the virtual adjacent teeth, and generating modified dental arch data corresponding to the manipulated digital model of the dental arch; The steps include storing the modified dental arch data using one or more processors, The steps include generating a virtual cutting tool model using one or more processors, of a cutting tool having a curved portion positioned on the virtual prepared curved surface of each of the virtual adjacent teeth and aligned with the prepared curved surface, The steps include storing the stored cutting tool data corresponding to the generated virtual cutting tool model using one or more processors, The steps include generating a virtual dental preparation guide using one or more processors, which is configured to fit a portion of the virtual model of the patient's dental arch and to have a virtual tool opening configured to accept the virtual cutting tool model, A method comprising the step of storing stored dental preparation guide data corresponding to the virtual dental preparation guide for use in component files for three-dimensional printing, using one or more processors.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising generating a virtual cutting device model including a virtual flange model, wherein the virtual dental preparation guide includes a pair of virtual guide slots adjacent to both ends of the virtual tool opening, the virtual flange model is positioned within one of the virtual guide slots, and the cutting tool model extends from the virtual flange model.

30. The method according to claim 28 or 29, wherein the virtual cutting tool model is generated from pre-configured cutting tool data.

31. The method according to claim 28 or 29, wherein the virtual cutting model is custom generated by one or more processors.

32. The method according to any one of claims 28 to 31, further comprising the step of generating a virtual dental alignment device based on the modified dental arch data by the one or more processors.

33. The method according to any one of claims 28 to 31, further comprising the step of generating a virtual dental restoration based on the modified dental arch by the one or more processors.

34. The method according to any one of claims 28 to 33, further comprising the step of manufacturing dental instruments by three-dimensional printing, wherein the dental instruments correspond to the virtual dental preparation guide.

35. It is a dental bur, A head section is provided, and the head section is The skirt part, A dental bur comprising: a long, straight shaft portion extending from the skirt portion, wherein the shaft portion is longer than the skirt portion and has a maximum aspect ratio of 0.

09.

36. The dental bur according to claim 35, further comprising a shank section, a neck section extending from the shank section, and a transition section extending from the neck section, wherein the head section extends from the transition section.

37. The dental bur according to claim 36, wherein the entire skirt portion is roughened, the transition section has a smooth outer surface, and the skirt portion is adjacent to the transition section.

38. The dental bur according to any one of claims 35 to 37, wherein the shaft portion has a length of at least 3.5 mm.

39. The dental bur according to any one of claims 35 to 38, wherein the skirt portion includes a curved section defining most of the skirt portion, and the curved section is defined by a radius of at least 2.3 mm around the circumference of the curved section.

40. The dental bur according to any one of claims 35 to 39, wherein at least the entire portion of the head section facing outward from the transition section is roughened.

41. The dental bur according to any one of claims 35 to 40, wherein the head section further comprises a tip portion extending from the shaft portion on the side opposite to the skirt portion of the shaft portion.

42. A dental system for removing tooth structures from molars, wherein the dental system is A dental preparation guide device configured to be fastened to the patient's tooth for being fixed in place to the patient's tooth, wherein the guide device includes a slot and an opening communicating with the slot, the opening being configured to expose the molar for removal of the tooth structure from the molar, The cutting device comprises a flange and a dental bur extending from the flange, The slot is configured to receive the flange, The dental bur includes a skirt portion and an elongated shaft portion extending from the skirt portion, the skirt portion having a curved profile in a plane including the axis of the cutting tool, A dental system in which, when the guide device is fastened to the patient's tooth and the flange of the cutting device is received in the slot of the guide device, movement of the shaft portion is substantially prevented in a direction of travel parallel to the axis of the dental bur, and the shaft portion of the dental bur extends from the buccal side of the molar beyond the first portion of the opening of the guide device on the buccal side of the opening to the lingual side of the molar beyond the second portion of the opening of the guide device on the lingual side of the opening.

43. The dental system according to claim 42, wherein the shaft portion of the dental bur has a length such that it intersects with the contact points of the molar and the molar adjacent to the molar when the flange is received in the slot.

44. The dental system according to claim 42 or 43, wherein the shaft portion of the dental bur is straight, has a uniform diameter along the length of the shaft portion, and the shaft portion is longer than the skirt portion.

45. The dental system according to any one of claims 42 to 44, wherein the shaft portion of the dental bur includes a roughened surface configured to remove tooth structures when the cutting device is activated.

46. The dental system according to claim 45, wherein the skirt portion of the dental bur includes the roughened surface configured to remove tooth structures when the cutting device is activated.

47. A method for preparing a molar tooth to be treated in the mouth of a patient, wherein the method is: The steps include fastening a first guide device to a first set of one or more teeth of the patient to fix the position of the first guide device relative to the first set of one or more teeth, The procedure includes the step of moving a first cutting device inserted into a first guide device fastened to one or more teeth, thereby causing the flange of the first cutting device to slide along a guide slot extending within the first guide device and to contact the guide slot, and the elongated shaft portion of the first cutting device extending from the buccal or lingual side of the molar to remove a portion of the molar, A method wherein, during the moving step, the shaft portion extends from the buccal side of the molar located beyond the first portion of the opening of the buccal side of the first guide device of the opening to the lingual side of the molar located beyond the second portion of the opening of the lingual side of the first guide device of the opening.

48. The steps include fastening a second guide device onto a second set of one or more teeth to fix the position of the second guide device relative to the second set of one or more teeth, The method according to claim 47, further comprising the step of moving the first cutting device, or a second cutting device having the same shaft portion as the shaft portion of the first cutting device, to remove a portion of the patient's anterior teeth.

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