Customized Ceramic Orthodontic Brackets via DLP for Precise Placement
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current orthodontic bracket manufacturing techniques lack efficient and accurate methods for creating custom ceramic brackets, particularly for lingual and labial applications, leading to errors in placement, increased treatment time, and aesthetic concerns due to the use of metal brackets.
Innovation Solution
Utilizing digital light processing (DLP) additive manufacturing to directly produce customized ceramic orthodontic brackets, ensuring high manufacturing accuracy and in-office fabrication, with materials like Aluminum Oxide (Al2O3) and Zirconium Oxide (ZrO2), and incorporating bracket guides for precise placement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If preformed brackets are used with manual adjustment, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but placement accuracy deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The bracket design and customization are performed in advance using digital imaging and CAD software, allowing precise planning of bracket position, angulation, and inclination before fabrication. This preliminary digital design phase enables custom brackets to be manufactured with high precision without requiring complex manual adjustments during placement.
Solution Approach 2:
The manual measurement and adjustment process is replaced with digital imaging technology and computer-aided design systems. The mechanical process of manually measuring teeth and adjusting brackets is substituted with optical scanning, digital modeling, and automated fabrication processes, significantly improving placement accuracy.
2Manufacturing precision
If custom metal lingual brackets are fabricated using selective laser melting, then customization is achieved, but surface finish and resolution deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The manufacturing process parameters are changed from selective laser melting to a combination of digital light processing and injection molding. This parameter change in the fabrication method achieves superior surface finish quality (5-20 micrometer accuracy) while maintaining ease of manufacture through automated digital processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite material approaches by combining digital light processing technology with injection molding techniques to create brackets with excellent surface finish. The process integrates multiple manufacturing methods to achieve both high precision and manufacturing efficiency.
3Adaptability or versatility
If indirect bonding is used for custom bracket placement, then positioning flexibility is improved, but inherent bracket errors are not eliminated
Solution Approach 1:
The bracket position, angulation, and orientation are predetermined through digital imaging and CAD design before fabrication. This preliminary digital planning ensures that the custom brackets are manufactured with precise slot positions and correct orientation, eliminating the need for compensatory adjustments during indirect bonding.
Solution Approach 2:
The digital imaging and scanning processes provide feedback on the actual tooth morphology and position, allowing the CAD software to accurately design bracket positions that account for individual patient anatomy. This feedback loop ensures high positioning accuracy while maintaining flexibility for custom cases.
4Strength
If metal brackets are used for durability, then mechanical strength is improved, but aesthetic appearance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The brackets are manufactured using composite materials that combine the durability of metal with the aesthetic appearance of tooth-colored materials. The digital light processing and injection molding process creates brackets that can be made from aesthetic materials while maintaining the structural strength required for orthodontic treatment.
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
Achieves improved bracket placement accuracy, reduces treatment time, and provides aesthetically pleasing ceramic brackets that can be customized in-office, addressing the limitations of existing methods.
Implementation Method 1
A digital light processing (DLP) machine includes a light source, such as a laser, for selectively curing layers of a photo-reactive slurry
Data Source
AI summary
A method of manufacturing customized ceramic labial/lingual orthodontic brackets by digital light processing, said method comprises measuring dentition data of a profile of teeth of a patient, wherein measuring dentition data is performed using a CT scanner or intra-oral scanner, 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 on a computer, designing a 3D CAD bracket structure model for a single labial or lingual bracket structure, importing the 3D CAD bracket structure model into a Digital Light Processing (DLP) machine, directly producing the bracket by layer manufacturing.