Orthodontic Aligner Stiffness via Selective Light Irradiation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional orthodontic aligners apply uniform forces to teeth, which may be unsuitable for different tooth regions, prolonging treatment duration and increasing costs, as they cannot accommodate varying tissue requirements for force magnitudes across different teeth.
Innovation Solution
A method of locally modifying the stiffness of aligners using irradiation with light sources, such as blue light and UV light, to create varying stiffness profiles, allowing for targeted force application to specific teeth, thereby expediting orthodontic treatment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If uniform stiffness aligners are used, then manufacturing is simple and consistent, but treatment duration is prolonged due to inability to accommodate varying tissue requirements across different teeth
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating regions of different stiffness within the aligner material through selective irradiation. Different portions of the aligner are exposed to varying doses of light (e.g., UV or blue light), causing localized changes in the polymer material's mechanical properties. This allows specific areas to have tailored stiffness values matched to the force requirements of individual teeth or tooth groups, resolving the contradiction between treatment effectiveness and device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes parameter changes by modifying the stiffness parameter of the aligner material through controlled irradiation. By adjusting irradiation parameters such as light wavelength, intensity, and exposure duration, the patent creates a gradient or discrete zones of stiffness within the aligner. This enables the aligner to provide appropriate force magnitudes for different tissue requirements while maintaining a single-piece structure, thus improving treatment speed without excessive complexity.
2Productivity
If uniform forces are applied to all teeth, then the aligner structure is simple, but treatment costs increase due to prolonged treatment duration
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-modifying the aligner stiffness profile before the aligner is fitted to the patient. The selective irradiation process creates the desired stiffness distribution in advance, allowing the aligner to immediately provide optimized force distribution when worn. This eliminates the need for complex multi-component systems or adjustable mechanisms, maintaining ease of manufacture while significantly improving treatment efficiency through customized force application.
3Manufacturing precision
If varying stiffness profiles are created through irradiation, then force distribution is optimized for each tooth, but manufacturing process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex mechanical systems for force control with optical field-based stiffness modification. Instead of using multiple components, joints, or mechanical adjustment mechanisms to achieve varying force application, the patent uses selective light irradiation to directly modify the material properties of the aligner. This substitution of mechanical complexity with optical processing achieves high manufacturing precision in force distribution while keeping the overall device structure simple and the manufacturing process relatively straightforward.
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 method enables precise control of forces applied to teeth, potentially shortening treatment duration and improving treatment outcomes by customizing force distribution based on individual tooth needs.
Implementation Method 1
irradiating at least a first portion of the aligner to achieve a stiffness of the at least a first portion of the aligner that is different from a stiffness of a different portion of the aligner
Data Source
AI summary
Devices and methods for orthodontic treatments are disclosed. An orthodontic treatment may include patient-specific aligners formed of a polymeric material and configured to rearrange a patient's teeth according to a treating clinician's treatment plan. In some embodiments, a portion of the aligner may be irradiated or otherwise exposed to a specific light treatment, which may serve to change the stiffness of that portion of the aligner. In this way, the aligner may have a non-uniform stiffness profile, which may serve to apply different forces to different teeth when stationed in a patient's mouth. Modifying the magnitude of forces applied to the teeth and more precisely tuning the spatial distribution of the forces may expedite the orthodontic treatment.