Orthodontic Aligner Super Contact Region Thickness Optimization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Orthodontic aligners cause discomfort and temporomandibular joint issues due to excessive material thickness, leading to reduced treatment adherence and potential long-term negative effects, as they force the jaw apart and lead to speech impairment.
Innovation Solution
The development of orthodontic aligners with thinned super contact regions determined by force or depth of penetration analysis, reducing material thickness at specific contact areas between teeth to enhance comfort and minimize joint problems, while a computer-implemented method generates a digital model for manufacturing aligners with optimized thickness profiles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If aligner material thickness is increased to provide sufficient orthodontic force, then the force application capability is improved, but subject comfort deteriorates and temporomandibular joint issues arise
Solution Approach 1:
The aligner is designed with non-uniform thickness distribution, featuring thicker regions (e.g., 0.75-1.0mm) at areas requiring strong orthodontic force and thinner regions (e.g., 0.3-0.5mm) at areas where excessive thickness causes discomfort or joint issues. This localized variation in material thickness allows the aligner to provide adequate force where needed while minimizing harmful effects in other areas.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the thickness parameter of the aligner material from a uniform value to a spatially varying value based on anatomical and functional requirements. By adjusting the thickness parameter across different regions of the aligner, the system optimizes both force application and subject comfort simultaneously.
2Ease of manufacture
If uniform thickness is maintained throughout the aligner for manufacturing simplicity, then manufacturing precision is improved, but subject comfort and joint health deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
Rather than maintaining uniform thickness for manufacturing simplicity, the invention deliberately introduces local variations in thickness to address subject comfort and joint health issues. The manufacturing process is adapted to produce these localized thickness variations through digital modeling and precision fabrication techniques.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If aligner thickness is reduced to improve comfort and reduce joint issues, then subject comfort is improved, but orthodontic force application capability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The aligner incorporates thicker material at specific locations where orthodontic force is required, while maintaining thinner material at other locations to improve comfort and reduce joint issues. This localized differentiation ensures that force application capability is preserved where needed without compromising subject comfort overall.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from considering thickness as a single uniform parameter to treating it as a two-dimensional spatial distribution across the aligner surface. This dimensional approach allows optimization of both force application and comfort by varying thickness across different regions rather than applying a single thickness value throughout.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method and system for making an orthodontic aligner, as well as an orthodontic aligner. The method comprising: determining at least one super contact region between upper teeth and lower teeth of a subject, the super contact region comprising identifying an area around an at least one contact region between the upper teeth and the lower teeth which exceeds a predetermined magnitude of contact between the upper and lower teeth during a predefined upper/lower teeth position; and generating a digital model of the aligner comprising applying the determined super contact region to a digital model of a pre-form aligner such that a thickness of the aligner body at the determined super contact region is less than a thickness of the aligner body at regions which are not determined super contact regions.