3D-Fabricated Palate Expanders With Tailored Force and Fit
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing palate and arch expanders are often uncomfortable due to poor fit, require inconvenient daily adjustments, and are time-consuming and costly to manufacture, leading to decreased compliance and limited accessibility.
Innovation Solution
Customized palate and arch expanders are designed using 3D scanning to create precise, direct-manufactured appliances with tailored force-generating and teeth-engaging portions, utilizing crosslinked polymers and varying cross-linking to provide optimal fit and comfort, and can be fabricated using additive or subtractive manufacturing processes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If traditional palate expanders are used, then manufacturing cost and time are reduced, but fit and comfort are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs 3D scanning and digital modeling of the patient's oral cavity before manufacturing, creating a precise digital replica that guides the entire manufacturing process. This preliminary action ensures the expander is custom-fitted to the patient's anatomy, resolving the contradiction between improved fit and manufacturing complexity by establishing the design parameters upfront.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a digital copy (3D model) of the patient's oral cavity and uses this digital replica to manufacture the expander through additive or subtractive processes. This copying approach enables precise customization without requiring complex manual fabrication techniques, thus improving fit while managing manufacturing complexity through digital workflows.
2Reliability
If traditional palate expanders are used, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but patient compliance is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the expander with self-adjusting features that automatically adapt to the patient's oral structures and application forces. The expander includes compliance features that allow it to self-regulate during use, reducing the need for manual adjustments and improving patient compliance without significantly increasing manufacturing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates materials and structural features that change parameters such as stiffness and expansion force based on applied load and environmental conditions. This allows the expander to provide optimal performance across different patients and usage scenarios, improving compliance while using standard manufacturing processes.
3Ease of operation
If traditional palate expanders are used, then device simplicity is maintained, but adjustment convenience is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates dynamic features into the expander, including adjustable components that allow patients or clinicians to modify expansion forces and rates. The expander structure includes movable elements and adjustable mechanisms that enable easy modification of treatment parameters without requiring complex assembly or specialized tools, thus improving adjustment convenience while maintaining manageable device complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The customized expanders offer improved fit and comfort, ensuring accurate force application, increased manufacturing efficiency, and reduced costs, resulting in enhanced patient compliance and broader accessibility.
Implementation Method 1
The force generating portion comprises a hydratable polymer configured to expand when contacting saliva of the patient
Implementation Method 2
The force generating portion comprises a directly fabricated resilient structure
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, methods, and devices for producing appliances for expansion of the palate of a patient are provided. A palate expanding orthodontic appliance comprises a teeth engagement portion comprising a plurality of teeth engagement structures and a force generating portion coupled to the teeth engagement portion and configured to apply force to cause the patient's palate to expand. The orthodontic appliances can be designed according to the specifications provided herein and manufactured using direct fabrication methods.