Ceramic processing and design for the direct manufacture of customized labial and lingual orthodontic clear aligner attachments
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for creating custom ceramic labial/lingual orthodontic clear aligner attachments are inefficient and inaccurate, leading to shape alterations during attachment placement and removal, enamel damage, and excessive wear due to abrasion from aligner trays.
Innovation Solution
The use of ceramic slurry-based additive manufacturing (AM) technology to fabricate customized ceramic attachments with precise 3D CAD designs, allowing for direct tooth-matching retentive features and thinner adhesive layers, reducing shape variability and abrasion resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If bonding material is used to fabricate clear aligner attachments, then the attachments can be bonded to teeth, but excess bonding material creates flash that requires drilling to remove, altering the attachment shape
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the problematic bonding material entirely from the attachment fabrication process. Instead of using bonding material that creates flash requiring removal, the invention uses pre-formed ceramic attachments that are bonded without requiring flash removal, thus eliminating the shape alteration problem
Solution Approach 2:
The attachments are pre-formed with precise shapes before bonding to the teeth. The ceramic attachments are manufactured to exact specifications in advance, eliminating the need for post-bonding drilling and shape modification
2Ease of manufacture
If a drill is used to remove excess bonding material and flash, then the bonding material can be removed, but the drill bit inadvertently contacts and alters the attachment shape
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes the drilling step entirely from the attachment preparation process. By using pre-formed ceramic attachments without excess bonding material, the patent eliminates the harmful interaction between the drill bit and attachment shape
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary manufacturing process (precision ceramic fabrication) that produces attachments ready for bonding without requiring mechanical removal of material, thus avoiding direct contact between drilling tools and the attachment surface
3Ease of repair
If high speed drill is used to grind off attachments and remove residual flash, then the attachments can be removed, but enamel is also removed from the tooth surface
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the harmful drilling operation from the attachment removal process. By using pre-formed ceramic attachments that bond cleanly without excess flash, the patent eliminates the need for high-speed drilling that damages enamel
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the potential harm of drilling into a benefit by designing attachments that require no drilling for removal. The ceramic material properties and bonding method are chosen specifically to enable clean removal without enamel damage
4Productivity
If aligner trays are repeatedly inserted and removed, then the orthodontic treatment can proceed, but the trays abrade and alter the CAA shape
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses ceramic material for the attachments, which provides superior abrasion resistance compared to previous materials. This composite approach maintains attachment shape stability while allowing repeated tray insertion and removal
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the material parameter of the attachment from softer materials to ceramic, which has higher hardness and abrasion resistance. This parameter change enables the attachment to withstand repeated mechanical stress without shape alteration
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
This approach minimizes excess bonding material, ensures precise shape accuracy, reduces enamel damage, and enhances durability by resisting indentation and abrasion, resulting in improved attachment retention and easier removal without damaging the tooth surface.
Implementation Method 1
ceramic slurry-based additive manufacturing (AM) technology... digital light processing (DLP), laser photopolymerization stereolithography
Data Source
AI summary
A method of manufacturing pre-formed, customized, ceramic, labial/lingual orthodontic clear aligner attachments (CCAA) by additive manufacturing (AM) may comprise measuring dentition data of a profile of teeth of a patient, based on the dentition data, creating a three dimensional computer-assisted design (3D CAD) model of the patient's teeth using reverse engineering, and saving the 3D CAD model, designing a 3D CAD structure model for one or more CCAA on various parts of each tooth, importing data related to the 3D CAD CCAA structure model into an AM machine, directly producing the CCAA in the ceramic slurry-based AM machine by layer manufacturing, enabling the provider to deliver patient-specific CCAA's by an indirect bonding method to the patient's teeth to improve the efficacy and retention of the clear aligners.