Temperature-Responsive Orthodontic Aligner Modulus for Comfort and Force
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional orthodontic aligners require constant wear due to limited flexibility, leading to discomfort and non-compliance, and increasing elasticity compromises the force needed for effective tooth movement.
Innovation Solution
Orthodontic appliances with mutable and anchoring shells made from polymers with different glass transition temperatures, allowing temporary flexural modulus adjustment through environmental exposure, such as heat, to enhance flexibility and compliance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the working elasticity of an aligner is increased to allow higher tooth drift, then the flexibility and comfort are improved, but the force required to move teeth is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The aligner incorporates a mutable shell made from temperature-responsive polymer material that can dynamically change its elastic modulus in response to temperature changes. When exposed to heat (e.g., from hot water or body temperature), the polymer transitions from a glassy state to a rubbery state, increasing flexibility and allowing the aligner to adapt to tooth movements. When cooled, it returns to a stiffer state to provide adequate force for tooth movement, thus resolving the contradiction between flexibility and force.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes temperature as a control parameter to change the physical properties of the polymer material. By changing the temperature, the elastic modulus of the mutable shell can be adjusted: at higher temperatures, the material becomes more elastic and flexible; at lower temperatures, it becomes stiffer and provides more force. This parameter change allows the aligner to have different mechanical properties at different times during wear.
2Reliability
If aligners are required to be worn constantly to maintain tooth alignment, then treatment effectiveness is improved, but patient comfort and compliance are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The mutable shell's temperature-responsive flexibility allows the aligner to accommodate temporary tooth drift during brief removal periods without losing overall treatment effectiveness. When the aligner is removed and the teeth drift slightly, the material's increased elasticity at body temperature allows it to flex and adapt. Upon reinsertion, the material's memory effect and gradual stiffening help guide teeth back to the intended position, enabling more flexible wear schedules while maintaining treatment reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The polymer material undergoes a glass transition phase change in response to temperature variations. During this phase transition, the material's mechanical properties change dramatically, allowing it to shift from a rigid, force-providing state to a flexible, adaptive state. This phase transition capability enables the aligner to be more tolerant of non-compliant wear patterns while still achieving treatment goals.
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
Enables extended break times and improved patient comfort by allowing flexible wear schedules, while maintaining effective tooth movement forces.
Implementation Method 1
a first polymer material with a first glass transition temperature... a second polymer material with a second glass transition temperature
Implementation Method 2
The mutable shell can be configured to plastically soften when heating the shells
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4A~4C
AI summary
An orthodontic appliance having a transitory flexural modulus, which lowers when applied to an environmental condition, such as heat. The lowered flexural modulus causes the appliance to become more flexible and therefore have less initial discomfort. As the appliance is worn, it cools to gradually increase the flexural modulus and apply greater orthodontic force to teeth.