Patent Grant
11534974
All publications and patent applications mentioned in this specification are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety to the same extent as if each individual publication or patent application was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference.
The present application relates to dental retainer devices and methods for preparing dental retainer devices.
Currently patient-specific retainers are often made via thermoforming to a mold made from the patient's dental anatomy. Typically the mold is made of the patient dental anatomy while the patient is at the doctor's office. The thermoforming process limits the geometries that can be manufactured for the patient-specific retainer in many cases. Improved methods for making the patient-specific retainers with more complex geometry are desired. The additional geometries that can be employed for the patient-specific retainer allow the manufacture of improved patient-specific retainers. The additional customization can also provide an improved workflow for the doctor treating the specific needs of the patient. Thus, there is a need for improved patient-specific retainers and methods of making and using the same. Described herein are devices and methods that may address these needs.
Described herein are dental retainer devices, methods for making dental retainer devices, methods for using dental retainer devices, and methods for preparing patient-specific dental retainer devices.
Typically, these dental retainer devices are configured to be worn in a patient's mouth and may generally include: a unitary body formed of a retainer material, the unitary body including different thicknesses, the unitary body defining regions including: an anterior teeth region configured to hold a patient's anterior teeth within a pocket having lingual, occlusal, and buccal sides; a first posterior teeth region and a second posterior teeth region each configured to hold the patient's molars in a pocket having lingual, occlusal, and buccal sides; and a palatal region configured to extend between the posterior teeth regions, adjacent to the patient's palate. The buccal side includes the labial side (e.g., for anterior teeth), as used herein.
The unitary body may be fabricated as a single or uniform material (e.g., as a monolithic apparatus). Thus, the unitary body may be formed without any joins (e.g. joints) or connections, although it may include regions of different thicknesses; the minimum thicknesses through the uniform body (e.g., from a top surface to a bottom surface) may vary across the device, e.g., by 5% or more (e.g., 7% or more, 10% or more, 15% or more, 20% or more, 25% or more, 30% or more, 35% or more, 40% or more, 50% or more, etc.).
The unitary body is typically formed of a retainer material. The retainer material may be any material appropriate to act as a biocompatible retainer for use in a patient's mouth. For example, the retainer material may be a polymeric material (including plastics), metals, ceramics, etc. Polymeric materials, and in particular those that may be shaped using an additive printing (e.g., 3D printing) and may be formed of a material that resists bending and/or deformation. For example, the unitary body may have a hardness measured by ShoreA durometer of 70 or greater (e.g., 72 or greater, 75 or greater, 77 or greater, 80 or greater, 82 or greater, etc.), or a Shore D durometer of greater than 45, or a Rockwell R durometer of greater than 50. This may be contrasted with dental appliances (including dental retainers), which may typically be softer, and more elastic. For example, the retainer material may comprise nylon.
The unitary body may be configured to mate with the patient's upper or lower dental arch. Generally, the unitary body, while a unitary structure, may be observed to have different functional regions, which may have different structural characteristics. These different regions may include an anterior teeth region that is configured to hold a patient's anterior teeth within a pocket that may have lingual, occlusal, and/or buccal sides. The anterior teeth region may be customized specifically to mate with a particular patient's front teeth (e.g., incisors and/or canines). The pocket may refer to a channel, shell, receptacle, compartment, hollow, or cavity. The pocket may define interior walls that conform to one or more of the outer tooth surfaces (e.g., buccal, lingual and/or occlusal surfaces). In some variations, the pocket may be a plurality of connected individual tooth pockets that form a continuous channel, with the different individual pocket regions within the channel configured to fit against a particular tooth.
The unitary body may also include a first posterior teeth region and/or a second posterior teeth region that are configured to hold the patient's molars (and in some variations, premolars) in a channel or pocket having one or more of lingual, occlusal, and buccal sides. As with the anterior teeth region, the pocket of the first and second posterior teeth region may refer to a channel, shell, receptacle, compartment, hollow, or cavity, and may define interior walls that conform to one or more of the outer tooth surfaces (e.g., buccal, lingual and/or occlusal surfaces). In some variations, the pocket may be a plurality of connected individual tooth pockets that form a continuous channel, with the different individual pocket regions within the channel configured to fit against a particular tooth. The pockets of the individual regions (sub-regions) may be continuous; for example, in variations having both the first and second posterior teeth region and an anterior teeth region, the pocket of the first posterior teeth region and the pocket of the second posterior teeth region maybe continuous with the pocket of the anterior teeth region.
The unitary body may also include a palatal region configured to extend between the teeth-receiving cavities (e.g., the posterior teeth region) and adjacent to the patient's palate. The palatal region may extend and connect to any of the first and second posterior teeth region and an anterior teeth region (e.g., to a buccal side). The palatal region may be configured to be positioned against the palate, or offset from all or a portion of the patient's palate by some amount (e.g., 0.1 mm or more, between 0.1 mm and 10 mm, 0.2 mm and 5 mm, etc.). Thus, the palatal region may be configured to be adjacent to but not contact a palate of the patient when the patient is wearing the device.
The outer surface of the unitary body may be shaped to resemble the patient's teeth, or it may be shaped differently from the patient's teeth. In general, the outer surface of the unitary body may be colored and/or patterned (including patterns of one or more of: colors, shapes, text, images, icons, emojis, cartoon characters, pictures, etc.), or it may be transparent or translucent.
The dental retainer devices described herein may be configured so that one or more of the regions is missing or partial. For example, the dental retainer device may be formed of a unitary body that includes a first posterior teeth region and a second posterior teeth region and a palatal region (but no anterior teeth region, or a partial anterior tooth region comprising just a lingual side). A dental retainer device may be formed of an anterior teeth region, and a palatal region (but no first posterior teeth region and a second posterior teeth region, or a partial first posterior teeth region and partial second posterior teeth region having, e.g., just a lingual side). A dental retainer device may include an anterior teeth region, a palatal region and a partial first posterior teeth region and a partial second posterior teeth region, in which the first and second posterior teeth regions include just lingual and buccal (but not occlusal) sides. Other examples are described herein.
For example, a dental retainer device configured to be worn in a patient's mouth may include: a unitary body formed of a retainer material, the unitary body including different thicknesses, the unitary body defining regions including: an anterior teeth region configured to hold anterior teeth within a pocket having lingual, occlusal, and buccal sides; a first posterior teeth region and a second posterior teeth region, each having a lingual surface wherein the first posterior teeth region and the second posterior teeth region are open on an occlusal side, further wherein the lingual surface of the first and second posterior teeth regions are configured to conform to the patient's molars. The unitary body may further comprise a palatal region extending between the first and second posterior regions and the anterior teeth region, wherein the palatal region is configured to be worn adjacent to the subject's palate.
The palatal region may be solid, or it may comprise a plurality of strips extending between the first and second posterior regions. The first and second posterior teeth regions may comprise a buccal surface configured to conform the patient's molars. The retainer may be solid or it may include one or more pores, openings, gaps, etc. Any of the retainers described herein may be monolithic (e.g., formed of a single material) or may include additional materials.
A dental retainer device configured to be worn in a patient's mouth may include: a unitary body formed of a retainer material, the unitary body including different thicknesses, the unitary body defining regions including: an anterior teeth region configured to conform to the patient's anterior teeth at a lingual side but not on a buccal side; and a first posterior teeth region and a second posterior teeth region, wherein the first and second posterior teeth regions are each configured to hold molars in a pocket having lingual and buccal sides with an opening on an occlusal side. The unitary body may further include a palatal region extending between the first posterior teeth region and the second posterior teeth region, and wherein the palatal region is configured to be adjacent to the patient's palate when the patient is wearing the device.
A dental retainer device may be configured to be worn in a patient's mouth and may include: a unitary body formed of a retainer material, the unitary body including different thicknesses, the unitary body defining regions including: an anterior teeth region configured to conform to the patient's anterior teeth at a lingual side but not on a buccal side; and a first posterior teeth region and a second posterior teeth region, wherein the first and second posterior teeth regions are each configured to hold molars in a pocket having lingual, buccal and occlusal sides. The unitary body may further comprise a palatal region extending between the first posterior teeth region and the second posterior teeth region, and wherein the palatal region is configured to be adjacent to the patient's palate when the patient is wearing the device.
A dental retainer device configured to be worn in a patient's mouth may include: a unitary body formed of a retainer material, the unitary body including different thicknesses, the unitary body defining regions including: an anterior teeth region configured to hold anterior teeth within a pocket having lingual, occlusal, and buccal sides; a first posterior teeth region and a second posterior teeth region each configured to engage with molars on a lingual side; and a palatal region between the first posterior teeth region, the second posterior teeth region and the anterior teeth region, wherein the palatal region is configured to extend adjacent to the patient's palate when a patient is wearing the device.
A dental retainer device configured to be worn in a patient's mouth may include: a unitary body formed of a retainer material, the unitary body including different thicknesses, the unitary body defining regions including: an anterior teeth region configured to engage anterior teeth on a lingual side and a buccal side but open on an occlusal side; a first posterior teeth region and a second posterior teeth region each configured to hold molars in a between a lingual side and a buccal side, wherein the lingual and buccal sides are configured to conform to the patient's teeth when the patient is wearing the device.
Each of the first and second posterior teeth regions may further comprise an occlusal surface extending between the lingual side and the buccal side; further wherein the occlusal surface only partially covers the occlusal surface of the patient's molars when the patient is wearing the device. Any of these apparatuses may have one or more bridge regions (bridges) between the buccal and lingual portions of the apparatus that are configured to fit into the interproximal areas in order to connect the two sides (e.g. for stiffening) but that have a low profile such that they do not extend beyond the patient's occlusal surfaces, and are configured not to contact the opposing jaw before the opposing teeth make contact, thus avoiding the tendency for posterior open bite.
The unitary body may further comprise a palatal region extending between the first posterior teeth region and the second posterior teeth region, and wherein the palatal region is configured to be adjacent to the patient's palate when the patient is wearing the device.
A dental retainer device configured to be worn in a patient's mouth may include: a unitary body formed of a retainer material, the unitary body including different thicknesses, the unitary body defining regions including: an anterior teeth region configured to hold anterior teeth within a pocket having lingual and buccal sides, the anterior teeth region including an opening on an occlusal side; a first posterior teeth region and a second posterior teeth region each configured to hold molars in a pocket having lingual, occlusal, and buccal sides, wherein the first posterior teeth region and second posterior teeth region include openings on an occlusal side; and a palatal region configured to extend adjacent to a palate between the first posterior teeth region and the second posterior teeth region and the anterior teeth region.
A dental retainer device configured to be worn in a patient's mouth may include: a unitary body formed of a retainer material, the unitary body including different thicknesses, the unitary body defining regions including: an anterior teeth region configured to hold anterior teeth within a pocket having lingual, occlusal, and buccal sides; a first posterior teeth region and a second posterior teeth region each configured to hold molars in a pocket having lingual, occlusal, and buccal sides; and a palatal region extending between the first posterior teeth region and the second posterior teeth region and configured to be adjacent to the patient's palate when the device is worn by the patient, wherein the palatal region includes one or more openings between the anterior teeth region and the palatal region.
In general, the unitary body may include a protrusion, tab, hook, or other attachment structure configured to attach a rubber band. For example, the unitary body may include a slot configured to attach a rubber band.
The unitary body may include a mandibular advancement feature. For example, a mandibular advancement feature may be a block, ramp, or other surface shape extending from of the unitary body which may engage with another surface feature (e.g., block, ramp, etc.) on an opposite jaw (e.g., on a second unitary body worn on the opposite jaw).
In any of the apparatuses described herein, the unitary body may include a gingival support region. For example, the unitary body may include a region extending down to and at least partially over the gingiva. In some variations the gingival support region extends apart from the gingiva by some amount (e.g., between 0.1 mm and 10 mm, between 0.1 mm and 5 mm, between 0.1 mm and 3 mm, etc.).
In any of the apparatuses described herein, the unitary body may include a thickened base region. For example, the region near the gingiva may be thicker (e.g., >5%, >10%, >15%, >20%, >25%, >30%, >35%, >40%, >45%, >50%, etc. thicker) than the region(s) above this base region.
Any of the unitary bodies described herein may include a plurality of ridges. Alternatively or additionally, any of these apparatuses may include a bias (e.g., a bias element, spring, spring element, etc.) attached to or integral with the unitary body. A biasing element may be a spring (e.g., leaf spring, etc.) or other structure configured to apply a force.
The palatal region may be configured to engage with a palate of the patient when the patient is wearing the device. Any of these apparatuses may include an interproximal support feature, which may include one or more open spaces, and/or a second material that is less rigid than the retainer material (e.g. has a durometer that is less than the durometer of the retainer material). For example, the apparatus may include an interproximal support feature having a rigidity that is less rigid than the unitary body formed of the retainer material.
Also described herein are methods of making patient-specific dental retainer apparatus (e.g., device, system, etc.). For example a method of making a patient-specific dental retainer device may include: receiving a scan of a patient's dental arch, including a plurality of teeth; and manufacturing the patient-specific retainer based on the scan by additive manufacturing, wherein the patient-specific retainer is any of the retainers described herein.
Also described herein are methods of retaining the position of a patient's teeth following an orthodontic treatment. For example a method of retaining the position of a patient's teeth following an orthodontic treatment may include: wearing a series of aligners configured to progressively move the patient's teeth; and wearing a retainers such as any of the retainers described herein (which are configured specifically to fit the patient's teeth, and particularly the final position of the patient's teeth following treatment with the series of aligners).
Also described herein are methods of planning a patient-specific retainer device and apparatuses (including software, firmware, hardware, etc.) for implementing these methods. For example a method of planning a patient-specific retainer device may include: receiving a three-dimensional representation of a patient dental anatomy; displaying at least a portion of the three-dimensional representation of the patient dental anatomy; providing one or more options associated with retainer configurations, the one or more options including a palatal configuration, an anterior teeth coverage configuration, and a posterior teeth coverage configuration; providing one or more add-on options for the retainer; receiving responses or instructions to the one or more options and one or more add-on options; and preparing a model of a custom retainer based on the patient dental anatomy and the responses or instructions to the one or more options and one or more add-on options.
The method may be interactive. For example, the designer (e.g., dental professional) may be presented with an interactive display (e.g., 3D model) of the patient's oral cavity including the dental arch (one or more of: teeth, gingiva, palate, etc. for upper arch and/or one or more of teeth, gingiva, etc. for the lower arch) and/or a modified/projected display of the final position of the patient's teeth and/or palate. The designer may then select among various features for the retainer, including which regions (anterior teeth region, first and second posterior teeth regions, palatal regions, etc.) and more specifically, various shapes and configurations for these regions, to include. The regions may be customized to the 3D model of the patient's oral cavity.
Any of these methods may include: displaying an image of the custom retainer overlying the three-dimensional representation of the patient dental anatomy.
The anterior teeth coverage configuration and the posterior teeth coverage configuration may include options for buccal coverage, lingual coverage, and occlusal coverage for the anterior teeth and the posterior teeth.
These methods (and an apparatus implementing them) may include add-on options for the retainer include one or more of: a protrusion, tab, hook, or other attachment structure configured to attach a rubber band, a slot configured to attach a rubber band, a mandibular advancement feature, an interproximal support feature, a ramp, a gingival support region, a thickened base region, and a plurality of ridges.
In particular, described herein are method of forming a retainer, the method comprising: gathering a three-dimensional (3D) model of a patient's dentition; translating a target arrangement of the patient's teeth from the 3D model of the patient's dentition into a two-dimensional (2D) height map of the patient's dentition; defining a boundary of a retainer configured to fit onto the patient's dentition; building a 2D mesh of an upper surface of the patient's dentition from the 2D height map; converting the 2D mesh of the upper surface of the patient's dentition into a 3D mesh of the upper surface of the patient's dentition; forming a bottom surface of a digital model of the retainer using the 3D mesh of the upper surface; forming a top surface of the digital model of the retainer having different thicknesses between the top surface and bottom surfaces of the digital model of the retainer; and exporting the digital model of the retainer for 3D printing.
For example, a method of forming a retainer may include: gathering a three-dimensional (3D) model of a patient's dentition and a target arrangement of the patient's teeth; translating the target arrangement of the patient's teeth in from the 3D model of the patient's dentition into a two-dimensional (2D) height map of the patient's dentition; defining a boundary of a retainer configured to fit onto the patient's dentition when the patient's teeth are in the target arrangement; building a 2D mesh of an upper surface of the patient's dentition from the 2D height map using the boundary; converting the 2D mesh of the upper surface of the patient's dentition into a 3D mesh of the upper surface of the patient's dentition; forming a bottom surface of a digital model of the retainer using the 3D mesh of the upper surface; forming a top surface of the digital model of the retainer at different thicknesses between the top surface and bottom surface of the digital model of the retainer; adjusting one or more of the smoothness of the top surface of the distal model of the retainer and the thickness between the top surface and the bottom surface of the digital model of the retainer; and exporting the digital model of the retainer for 3D printing.
Also described herein are systems configured to perform any of the methods described herein. In general, these method may include one or more processors and a memory coupled to the one or more processors that is configured to store instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors perform the method. For example, described herein are systems comprising: one or more processors; a memory coupled to the one or more processors, the memory configured to store instructions, that, when executed by the one or more processors, perform a computer-implemented method comprising: gathering a three-dimensional (3D) model of a patient's dentition; translating a target arrangement of the patient's teeth from the 3D model of the patient's dentition into a two-dimensional (2D) height map of the patient's dentition; defining a boundary of a retainer configured to fit onto the patient's dentition; building a 2D mesh of an upper surface of the patient's dentition from the 2D height map; converting the 2D mesh of the upper surface of the patient's dentition into a 3D mesh of the upper surface of the patient's dentition; forming a bottom surface of a digital model of the retainer using the 3D mesh of the upper surface; forming a top surface of the digital model of the retainer having different thicknesses between the top surface and bottom surfaces of the digital model of the retainer; and exporting the digital model of the retainer for 3D printing.
For example a system (e.g., for forming or designing a retainer) may include: one or more processors; a memory coupled to the one or more processors, the memory configured to store instructions, that, when executed by the one or more processors, perform a computer-implemented method comprising: gathering a three-dimensional (3D) model of a patient's dentition and a target arrangement of the patient's teeth; translating the target arrangement of the patient's teeth in from the 3D model of the patient's dentition into a two-dimensional (2D) height map of the patient's dentition; defining a boundary of a retainer configured to fit onto the patient's dentition when the patient's teeth are in the target arrangement; building a 2D mesh of an upper surface of the patient's dentition from the 2D height map using the boundary; converting the 2D mesh of the upper surface of the patient's dentition into a 3D mesh of the upper surface of the patient's dentition; forming a bottom surface of a digital model of the retainer using the 3D mesh of the upper surface; forming a top surface of the digital model of the retainer at different thicknesses between the top surface and bottom surface of the digital model of the retainer; adjusting one or more of the smoothness of the top surface of the distal model of the retainer and the thickness between the top surface and the bottom surface of the digital model of the retainer; and exporting the digital model of the retainer for 3D printing.
Any of these methods and systems may include smooth the edges between the bottom surface and the top surface of the digital model of the retainer. Any of these methods and systems may be configured to add an identifying code on one or more surfaces of the digital model of the retainer (e.g., an alphanumeric code, QR code, etc.). Any of these methods and systems may be configured to build a matrix mesh of the digital model of the retainer, wherein exporting the digital model of the retainer comprises converting the matrix mesh into a stereolithographic (STL) file format.
In any of these methods and systems, building the 2D mesh of the upper surface of the patient's dentition may comprise building the 2D mesh from the 2D height map using the boundary. Building the 2D mesh of the upper surface of the patient's dentition from the 2D height map may include triangulating the 2D height map. Forming the bottom surface of the digital model of the retainer using the 3D mesh of the upper surface may comprise smoothing the bottom surface to remove any sharp corners. For example, forming the bottom surface of the digital model of the retainer using the 3D mesh of the upper surface may comprise smoothing the bottom surface by setting starting points forming the bottom surface that are initially on the 3D mesh of the upper surface and dilating and eroding the starting points at a minimum distance from the 3D mesh of the upper surface.
In any of these methods and systems, gathering the three-dimensional (3D) model of a patient's dentition may include gathering a digital scan of the patient's jaw and a treatment file including the target arrangement of teeth in the patient's jaw. In some variations, gathering the three-dimensional (3D) model of a patient's dentition comprises gathering a digital scan of the patient's jaw with the teeth in the target arrangement.
Translating the target arrangement of the patient's teeth from the 3D model of the patient's dentition into the two-dimensional (2D) height map of the patient's dentition may comprise rasterizing the 3D model of the patient's dentition as 2D height map points.
Any of these methods and systems may also include adding a filler shape so that the filler shape is present on the 3D mesh of the upper surface and reduces spaces between the teeth.
Further, any of these methods and apparatuses may include manufacturing the patient-specific retainer (e.g., by 3D printing the retainer from the digital model of the retainer).
Any of the dental retainer devices described herein may include any of: a unitary body formed of a retainer material, the unitary body having different thicknesses along its length, the unitary body defining multiple regions including: an anterior teeth region configured to hold a patient's anterior teeth within a pocket having lingual and occlusal sides; a first posterior teeth region and a second posterior teeth region each configured to hold the patient's molars in a pocket having lingual and occlusal sides; and a palatal region configured to extend between the first and second posterior teeth regions and adjacent to the patient's palate, wherein the palatal region is thicker than the occlusal side of the first and second posterior teeth regions; wherein a top surface of the palatal region is smoother than a bottom surface of the palatal region, further wherein the bottom surface is configured to be worn adjacent to the patient's palate.
For example, a dental retainer device may include: a unitary body formed of a retainer material, the unitary body having different thicknesses along its length, the unitary body defining multiple regions including: an anterior teeth region configured to hold a patient's anterior teeth within a pocket having lingual and occlusal sides; a first posterior teeth region and a second posterior teeth region each configured to hold the patient's molars in a pocket having lingual and occlusal sides; a palatal region configured to extend between the first and second posterior teeth regions and adjacent to the patient's palate, wherein the palatal region is thicker than the occlusal side of the first and second posterior teeth regions, and the thickness of the palatal region increase between the first and second posterior teeth regions; wherein a top surface of the palatal region is smoother than a bottom surface of the palatal region, further wherein the bottom surface is configured to be worn adjacent to the patient's palate; and an identifying code on one or more of: the bottom surface of the palatal region or a posterior edge of the palatal region.
Any of these devices may include an identifying code on one or more of: the bottom surface of the palatal region or a posterior edge of the palatal region.
The thickness of the palatal region may increase between the first and second posterior teeth regions. The palatal region may comprise a plurality of strips extending between the first and second posterior regions. The first and second posterior teeth regions may each comprise a buccal surface configured to conform the patient's molars. The first and second posterior teeth regions may each comprises a buccal surface configured to extend at least 2 mm over the patient's gingiva when worn. The unitary body may include an attachment structure configured to attach an elastic, a slot configured to attach an elastic, a mandibular advancement feature (e.g., a ramp surface extending from of the unitary body), a gingival support region, a plurality of ridges, a bias element attached to or integral with the unitary body, and/or an interproximal support feature. The interproximal support feature may comprise one or more open spaces and/or a second material, wherein the second material is less rigid than the retainer material. The interproximal support feature may have a rigidity that is less rigid than the unitary body.
In any of these variations, as mentioned, the retainer material may have a Young's modulus of between about 0.01 and 5 GPa. In some variations, the retainer material comprises nylon.
As mentioned, also described herein are methods of designing a patient-specific retainer device, the method comprising: receiving a three-dimensional (3D) representation of a patient dental anatomy and a treatment plan including an initial arrangement of the patient's teeth and a final arrangement for the patient's teeth; displaying at least a portion of the three-dimensional representation of the patient dental anatomy in one or more stages of the treatment plan including the initial arrangement and the final arrangement; providing one or more options associated with retainer configurations, the one or more options including a palatal configuration, an anterior teeth coverage configuration, and a posterior teeth coverage configuration; providing one or more add-on options for the retainer; receiving selections from a user for the one or more options and one or more add-on options; preparing a model of the patient-specific retainer based on the patient dental anatomy and the received selections to the one or more options and one or more add-on options; and interactively displaying the model of the patient-specific retainer so that the model and display of the model are updated as the user modifies the selections of the one or more options and one or more add-on options.
For example, a method of designing a patient-specific retainer device may include: receiving a three-dimensional (3D) representation of a patient dental anatomy including a final arrangement for the patient's teeth; displaying at least a portion of the three-dimensional representation of the patient dental anatomy in the final arrangement for the patient's teeth; providing two or more selectable options associated with retainer configurations, the selectable options including: a palatal configuration, an anterior teeth coverage configuration, and a posterior teeth coverage configuration; providing one or more selectable add-on options for the retainer, the selectable add-on options including: a protrusion, a tab, a hook, an attachment structure configured to attach a rubber band, a slot configured to attach a rubber band, a mandibular advancement feature, an interproximal support feature, a ramp, a gingival support region, a thickened base region, and a plurality of ridges; receiving selections from a user for the one or more options and one or more add-on options (though in some variation no add-on options may be chosen); preparing a model of the patient-specific retainer based on the patient dental anatomy and the received selections to the one or more options and one or more add-on options; and interactively displaying the model of the patient-specific retainer so that the model and display of the model are updated as the user modifies the selections of the one or more options and one or more add-on options.
These methods may include displaying an image of the patient-specific retainer overlying the three-dimensional representation of the patient dental anatomy. The anterior teeth coverage configuration and the posterior teeth coverage configuration may include options for buccal coverage, lingual coverage, and occlusal coverage for the anterior teeth and the posterior teeth. The add-on options for the retainer may include one or more of: a protrusion, tab, hook, or other attachment structure configured to attach a rubber band, a slot configured to attach a rubber band, a mandibular advancement feature, an interproximal support feature, a ramp, a gingival support region, a thickened base region, and a plurality of ridges.
Any of these methods may include interactively modifying a display of the patient-specific retainer as the user selects the one or more options and the one or more add-on options.
These methods may include receiving, from the user, a command to change the stage of the treatment plan being displayed as the at least a portion of the three-dimensional representation of the patient dental anatomy.
Any of these methods may include receiving, from the user, a command to rotate the at least the portion of the three-dimensional representation of the patient dental anatomy and/or to zoom in or out. Any of these method may include exporting the model of the patient-specific retainer as a digital file for fabrication.
Any of these methods and systems may include fabricating the patient-specific retainer from the model of the patient-specific retainer.
The novel features of the invention are set forth with particularity in the claims that follow. A better understanding of the features and advantages of the present invention will be obtained by reference to the following detailed description that sets forth illustrative embodiments, in which the principles of the invention are utilized, and the accompanying drawings of which:
Dental retainer devices, methods for making dental retainer devices, methods for using dental retainer devices, and methods for preparing patient-specific dental retainer devices are provided herein. The dental retainer devices can be custom made based on the patient's specific dental anatomy and/or the treatment plan developed by the patient's doctor. The dental retainer devices can be manufactured using additive manufacturing techniques, such as three dimensional printing. The use of three-dimensional printing allows for many customization options and configurations that cannot be made using in-office dental molding techniques. The improved customization allows for additional flexibility for treating each patient's unique dental anatomy.
The dental retainer devices can include custom coverage for each of the posterior, anterior, and palatal regions of the patient dental anatomy. The use of additive manufacturing allows for additional customization with material selection versus thermoforming and other conventional techniques. For example, the material for the retainer can be specifically selected based on the desired physical characteristics and properties based on the patient specific treatment plan.
In some embodiments the dental retainer devices include a unitary body formed of a retainer material with different thicknesses. The unitary body can include a variety of different geometries and configurations as described herein. The unitary body can also define different regions as described herein.
In some embodiments the unitary body can define regions including: an anterior teeth region configured to hold a patient's anterior teeth within a pocket having lingual, occlusal, and buccal sides; a first posterior teeth region and a second posterior teeth region each configured to hold the patient's molars in a pocket having lingual, occlusal, and buccal sides; and a palatal region configured to extend between the adjacent to the patient's palate.
In some embodiments the unitary body can define regions including: an anterior teeth region configured to hold anterior teeth within a pocket having lingual, occlusal, and buccal sides along with a first posterior teeth region and a second posterior teeth region, each having a lingual surface with the first posterior teeth region and the second posterior teeth region are open on an occlusal side. The lingual surface of the first and second posterior teeth regions can be configured to conform to the patient's molars. In some aspects the unitary body can also include a palatal region extending between the first and second posterior regions and the anterior teeth region. The palatal region can be configured to be worn adjacent to the subject's palate. In some examples the palatal region can include a plurality of strips extending between the first and second posterior regions. The first and second posterior teeth regions can each include a buccal surface configured to conform the patient's molars.
In some embodiments the unitary body can define several different regions including an anterior teeth region configured to conform to the patient's anterior teeth at a lingual side but not on a buccal side and a first posterior teeth region and a second posterior teeth region. The first and second posterior teeth regions can each be configured to hold molars in a pocket having lingual and buccal sides with an opening on an occlusal side. In some aspects the unitary body can include a palatal region extending between the first posterior teeth region and the second posterior teeth region. The palatal region can be configured to be adjacent to the patient's palate when the patient is wearing the device.
In some embodiments the unitary body can define several different regions including an anterior teeth region configured to conform to the patient's anterior teeth at a lingual side but not on a buccal side and a first posterior teeth region and a second posterior teeth region. The first and second posterior teeth regions can each configured to hold molars in a pocket having lingual, buccal and occlusal sides. In some aspects the unitary body includes a palatal region extending between the first posterior teeth region and the second posterior teeth region. The palatal region can be configured to be adjacent to the patient's palate when the patient is wearing the device.
In some embodiments the unitary body can define several different regions including an anterior teeth region configured to hold anterior teeth within a pocket having lingual, occlusal, and buccal sides; a first posterior teeth region and a second posterior teeth region each configured to engage with molars on a lingual side; and a palatal region. The palatal region can extend between the first posterior teeth region, the second posterior teeth region and the anterior teeth region. The palatal region can also be configured to extend adjacent to the patient's palate when a patient is wearing the device.
In some embodiments the unitary body can define several different regions including an anterior teeth region configured to engage anterior teeth on a lingual side and a buccal side but open on an occlusal side and a first posterior teeth region and a second posterior teeth region each configured to hold molars in a between a lingual side and a buccal side. The lingual and buccal sides can be configured to conform to the patient's teeth when the patient is wearing the device. In some aspects each of the first and second posterior teeth regions also include an occlusal surface extending between the lingual side and the buccal side. In some cases the occlusal surface only partially covers the occlusal surface of the patient's molars when the patient is wearing the device. In some aspects the unitary body also includes a palatal region extending between the first posterior teeth region and the second posterior teeth region. In some aspects the palatal region is configured to be adjacent to the patient's palate when the patient is wearing the device.
In some embodiments the unitary body can define several different regions including an anterior teeth region configured to hold anterior teeth within a pocket having lingual and buccal sides with the anterior teeth region including an opening on an occlusal side; a first posterior teeth region and a second posterior teeth region each configured to hold molars in a pocket having lingual, occlusal, and buccal sides with the first posterior teeth region and second posterior teeth region include openings on an occlusal side; and a palatal region configured to extend adjacent to a palate between the first posterior teeth region and the second posterior teeth region and the anterior teeth region.
In some embodiments the unitary body can define several different regions including an anterior teeth region configured to hold anterior teeth within a pocket having lingual, occlusal, and buccal sides; a first posterior teeth region and a second posterior teeth region each configured to hold molars in a pocket having lingual, occlusal, and buccal sides; and a palatal region extending between the first posterior teeth region and the second posterior teeth region and configured to be adjacent to the patient's palate when the device is worn by the patient. The palatal region can include one or more openings between the anterior teeth region and the palatal region.
In any of the embodiments described herein the unitary body can include a protrusion, tab, hook, or other attachment structure configured to attach an elastic bias (e.g., a rubber band, etc.).
In any of the embodiments described herein the unitary body can include a slot configured to attach a rubber band.
In any of the embodiments described herein the unitary body can include a mandibular advancement feature. The mandibular advancement feature can include a ramp surface extending from the unitary body.
Any of the apparatuses described herein may be configured to have a non-uniform thickness. Specifically, the thickness of the retainer apparatus may be thinner in the occlusal regions compared to the slides (lingual and/or buccal). In some variations the thickness may be correlated with the teeth, e.g., it may be thinner in more posterior regions (molars, pre-molars) and thicker more anteriorly (canines, bicuspids, etc.); alternatively the apparatus may be thicker in more posterior regions (molars, pre-molars) and thinner more anteriorly (canines, bicuspids, etc.). In some variations, the lateral extend of the retainer may extend over the buccal side of the teeth and over the patient's gingiva; alternatively or additionally, the lingual side may extend over the lingual side of the teeth and over the gingiva. The region over the gingiva may be configured not to touch the normal (e.g., non-inflamed) gingiva, but may be angled away from the patient's gingiva.
In any of the embodiments described herein the unitary body can include a gingival support region.
In any of the embodiments described herein the unitary body can include a thickened base region.
In any of the embodiments described herein the unitary body can include a plurality of ridges.
In any of the embodiments described herein the unitary body can include a non-transparent color and/or a pattern of colors.
In any of the embodiments described herein the dental retainer can further include a bias element attached to or integral with the unitary body.
In any of the embodiments described herein the palatal region can be configured to be adjacent to but not contact a palate of the patient when the patient is wearing the device.
In any of the embodiments described herein the palatal region can be configured to engage with a palate of the patient when the patient is wearing the device.
In any of the embodiments described herein the retainer can include an interproximal support feature. The interproximal support feature can provide additional support to the teeth to prevent relapse. In one aspect the interproximal support feature includes one or more open spaces. In some examples the interproximal support feature includes a second material where the second material is less rigid than the retainer material. In some cases the interproximal support feature has a rigidity that is less rigid than the unitary body formed of the retainer material.
In any of the embodiments described herein, the retainer material can have a Young's modulus that is relatively “stiff” (e.g., between about 0.01 and 5 GPa). Further, the hardness of the retainer material may be, e.g., between 60A to 85 D; the apparatus may have an ultimate tensile strength greater than 5000 psi, and/or an elongation at break greater than 200%. In one example the retainer material can be nylon.
Methods are also provided herein for making a patient-specific dental retainer device. The methods can include receiving a scan of a patient's dental arch that includes a plurality of teeth and manufacturing the patient-specific retainer based on the scan by additive manufacturing. The patient-specific retainer can be any of the retainers described herein. In one some cases additive manufacturing includes 3D printing.
In some embodiments methods of retaining a position of a patient's teeth following an orthodontic treatment are provided. The methods can include wearing a series of aligners configured to progressively move the patient's teeth and wearing any of the retainers described herein.
In some embodiments methods of planning a patient-specific retainer device are provided. The methods can include receiving a three-dimensional representation of a patient dental anatomy, displaying at least a portion of the three-dimensional representation of the patient dental anatomy, providing one or more options associated with retainer configurations, the one or more options including a palatal configuration, an anterior teeth coverage configuration, and a posterior teeth coverage configuration, providing one or more add-on options for the retainer, receiving responses or instructions to the one or more options and one or more add-on options, and preparing a model of a custom retainer based on the patient dental anatomy and the responses or instructions to the one or more options and one or more add-on options. The methods can further include displaying an image of the custom retainer overlying the three-dimensional representation of the patient dental anatomy. In some cases the anterior teeth coverage configuration and the posterior teeth coverage configuration include options for buccal coverage, lingual coverage, and occlusal coverage for the anterior teeth and the posterior teeth. In some aspects the add-on options for the retainer include one or more of: a protrusion, tab, hook, or other attachment structure configured to attach a rubber band, a slot configured to attach a rubber band, a mandibular advancement feature, a ramp, an interproximal support feature, a gingival support region, a thickened base region, and a plurality of ridges. In some embodiments the custom retainer can be any of the retainers described herein.
A number of modifications can be made to the retainers described herein. In some embodiments any of the retainers described herein can have a reduced thickness on the occlusal surface to help occlusal settling and/or prevent the development of an open bite.
In some embodiments any of the retainers described herein can include a hollow portion or a window on the buccal surface to reduce coverage and increase retainer aesthetics.
In some embodiments any of the retainers described herein can include added precision hooks and button cutouts. The added precision hooks and button cutouts can be designed based on the patient specific dental anatomy and made using additive manufacturing.
In some embodiments any of the retainers described herein can add one or more sensors or chips that are configured to track one or more of the following: patient compliance (e.g., the length of time the apparatus is worn), GPS, health, one or more biomarkers, etc.
In some embodiments any of the retainers described herein can be manufactured from an eco-friendly and dissolvable material.
In some embodiments any of the retainers described herein can be configured for use as a 24-hour mouth guard and/or for use during sports activities.
In some embodiments any of the retainers described herein can be made from a dishwasher safe material to facilitate cleaning.
In some embodiments any of the retainers described herein can have a tongue retaining features to aid with habit training.
In some embodiments any of the retainers described herein can be configured to be contacted during tooth brushing and related dental hygiene procedures.
In some embodiments any of the retainers described herein can include a grinding detector that can provide an indication of the patients grinding behavior. For example color patches can be embedded in the retainer and become visible as the retainer wears down during grinding. The patches can be shaped so the size of the visible portion of the patch indicates the level of wear.
The retainer 100 offers a number of advantages over prior art retainers, in particular retainers made by thermoforming. For example, although the retainers described herein may generally be made by any appropriate fabrication technique, in some variations they may be made by 3D printing, allowing additional customization. For example, the use of an additive manufacturing method to make the apparatuses described herein may allow for patient-specific retainers. In contrast to thermoforming, the use of additive manufacturing does not use a mold of the teeth. With a retainer made with additive manufacturing no molding needs to be done at the dentist's office. Instead the retainer can be made via additive manufacturing based on a scan of the patient's teeth and anatomy. Additive manufacturing is also a more efficient process versus molding and trimming the retainer. Retainers made via additive manufacturing typically do not require trimming (e.g., laser trimming). Additive manufacturing creates less waste than thermoforming processes. The additional customization allows for more complicated and specific designs to incorporate in the retainer. For example, the doctor or patient could modify the thickness regionally based on the preferences or needs. The coverage of the teeth for the retainer could also provide substantially full coverage all over the teeth to retain teeth alignment post treatment. Patients that grind their teeth may benefit from a retainer with occlusal coverage to provide protection against teeth grinding.
The additive manufacturing processes described herein allow for additional customization of the color and other aesthetic aspects of the retainer. For example, the colors of the retainer can be selected to match natural tooth colors or decorative colors can be used for improved aesthetics.
Both hard and soft materials can be used with the additive manufacturing process to improve the comfort of the retainer 1600 while still providing adequate mechanical support to the teeth. The use of multiple materials and additive manufacturing can also allow for the improved integration of the retainer with sleep appliances. For example, the retainer made via additive manufacturing can be designed to engage with or work with specific sleep appliance designs. Additive manufacturing also allows for the integration of additional items, such as sensors with the retainer configuration. In one example, one or more glucose sensors could be integrated into the retainer to measure glucose levels for patients with diabetes.
The retainers described herein can also be designed for use by patients who have mixed dentition where a full coverage is not recommended as some teeth might be in the process of eruption. The retainers can be used for patients where posterior open bites are present to allow for settling of the occlusion. The retainers can be also be used in cases where there was a deep bite that was improved by the treatment. Some retainers may not have occlusal coverage or reduced occlusal coverage for cases where a posterior force is undesirable. For example, a lack of posterior force may be desirable to avoid making teeth to intrude as that is not recommended for use with patients that have deep bite conditions. A current commercial version of a retainer that can be improved through the use of additive manufacturing is the Hawley retainer that is made from a stainless-steel wire and some acrylic that covers the palatal. The retainer illustrated in
Any of the apparatuses (e.g., retainers) described herein may be configured to include one or more gaps or spaces for erupting teeth and/or may be configured to constrain the movement of the adjacent teeth to prevent them from moving into the space where the erupting tooth should fit. For example, a retainer may include a space or gap near the gum line (when worn) but the region above the gum line may include a spacer to prevent movement of the adjacent teeth into this region.
As mentioned above, any of the retainer described herein may have regions of greater or lesser thickness. The thicknesses of regions around teeth that are more prone to relapse from orthodontic movement bay be greater than the thicknesses of other regions. For example if a particular tooth or teeth has been moved more than other teeth, the lingual, buccal, and in some variations occlusal regions of the retainer around this tooth or teeth may be thicker compared to regions around other teeth (e.g., based on how far the teeth has been moved during treatment). Alternatively or additionally, the dental professional (e.g., dentist, orthodontist, etc.) may select one or more teeth to provide additional support. An apparatus may highlight candidate teeth (e.g., based on the total movement during treatment) to the user (e.g., dental professional) for selection to have additional support/retention, e.g., by increasing the thickness in the regions around the tooth.
Thus, in general, the user interface for a user designing a retainer may include controls allowing the user to select teeth for additional support or retention, and/or for selecting the thickness of various regions and/or for selecting the material from which the appliance will be constructed. In some variations, the user interface may allow the user (dental professional) to select which regions to include in the retainer (e.g., anterior tooth engaging region, posterior tooth engaging region (s), palatal region, etc.).
Any of the methods described herein may include digital processes for designing and fabricating a removable retainer (e.g., a removable Phase I orthodontic retainer) such as those described herein. These processes may reduce or eliminate the need for taking an alginate impression of the maxillary arch and pouring a mold such as a quick-set plaster model. They may also eliminate or reduce the need for manual steps to thermoform, mark, trim and polish the device. As mentioned, described herein are additive manufacturing techniques that use materials with a higher modulus for rigidity and/or multi materials with a mix of high modulus and soft durometer for comfort. Retainer designs can have variable cross-sectional thickness as well as decorative and identifying features in the design of the retainer.
For example,
In general, as mentioned above, any of the retainers described herein may be helpful to maintain palatal expansion (after a palatal expansion procedure). Such procedures are often performed on children, for whom there are few permanent teeth.
In general, also described herein are digital process for designing and fabricating a removable orthodontic retainer. These processes may reduce or eliminate the need for taking impressions (e.g., an alginate impressions) of the maxillary arch and pouring a model (e.g., quick-set model). They may also eliminate the manual steps required to thermoform, mark, trim and polish the device. As mentioned, these method may include fabrication by additive manufacturing technology (e.g., 3D printing) using materials with a higher modulus for rigidity and/or multi materials with a mix of high modulus and soft durometer for comfort. Retainer designs can have variable cross sectional thickness as well as decorative and part identifying features in the design. For example, described herein are retainers made with the methods discussed above.
For example,
In general, the custom, patient-specific phase I retainers described herein may be made by digital processing, additive manufacturing and may be designed to: maintain permanent tooth position, allow for primary teeth eruption, provide space maintenance, prevent passive eruption, and/or maintain palatal expansion.
These retainers may include any combination of: full palatal width for rigidity (e.g., one size fits all or with control of: contacting the palate or offset from palate and/or thickness of the trans palatal arch), one or more holes in the palate (of any other shape for choking safety); one or more cut away regions in the palate to maximize room for tongue (e.g., enhancing comfort, including one size fits all or control of where the trans palatal arch covers), cut-away regions for primary tooth exfoliation (one size fits all or with control of where to cut away from teeth), encapsulate the permanent teeth to maintain tooth alignment, space maintenance, eruption compensation, and/or prevent passive eruption (one size fits all or control of tooth coverage), no buccal coverage of anterior teeth for esthetic (e.g., one design or control of how much anterior tooth will be covered), pre-made selections of different occlusal thickness or control of occlusal thickness, pre-made occlusal shape or control of occlusal shape (with cusps or flat), and/or including identifier (e.g., ID number) or data matrix in the design
These retainers may require less manual processing to make the retainer (e.g. eliminating or reducing the need for alginate impressions, plaster model, thermoforming, marking, trimming and polishing). Digitizing the retainer process will enable a menu of choices for retainers (palatal offset, clearance around exfoliating primary or erupting permanent dentition, occlusal thickness . . . etc.). The digital workflow may also enable tooth movement (treatment) in some oral regions while retaining in other areas. The use of additive manufacturing with superior material properties may enable more comfort to the patient (e.g. thinner cross sections with the same rigidity, accurate parts (no warping) and multi-material/different durometer capability. Unlike thermoforming, these methods may allow variable cross sectional thickness. Any of these apparatuses may also include decorative features and useful part identification numbers or data matrix information that can be included into the retainer design with additive manufacturing.
Fabrication of Retainers
As mentioned, any of the methods and apparatuses described herein may include apparatuses, including software and firmware, for running on a processor to perform any of the methods, including in particular, software for creating the retainers, including interactively creating the retainers with a dental professional, and fabricating the retainers. For example, described herein are methods and apparatuses (including in particular a set of non-volatile instructions that control a processor to create a retainer by 3D printing (direct fabrication), including creating the retainer shape automatically. The retainer type can be a Phase I retainer (e.g., for use after phase I treatment like rapid arch expansion), or after other orthodontic treatment.
The steps to building a retainer shape may include: building a scan basis (e.g., scan of the patient's teeth, gingiva and, for upper teeth, palatal region); create split curves (e.g., segment the scan); create scan axis curve; build a bottom grid of the retainer by scan palate and crown; build a top grid of retainer, from bottom grid; build a retainer shape from bottom grid and top grid; and export the result (e.g., as a digital file, such as an STL file) for fabrication.
In general, these methods and apparatuses may automatically create retainer shape from a digital file and/or an initial scan of the patient's teeth (e.g., a direct scan or an impression scan), and may save result as a digital file for 3D printing. The retainer shape may be customized for each patient. The user interface may allow customization. The retainer may cover full or partially palate surface, all/some tooth crowns, buccal gingiva side. The thickness of palate, crown and buccal can be set differently, and smoothly changed, in automatic way. The clearance of retainer to palate, tooth crown and gingiva can be set differently. A tag string and/or bar code may be included on the retainer for manufacture, shipping, and user tracking. These retainers may also include and allow space for partially erupted teeth, which may be selected by the user as well.
For example, a user interface may provide a variety of templates that may be modified for the retainer. The tools in the user interface may provide the user with options for including various regions, including tooth-enclosing regions (e.g., anterior tooth-containing region, posterior tooth-containing regions), palatal regions, etc. In addition, all or parts of these various regions may be interactively selected for removal. For example, the user interface may allow the removal of all or a portion of the lingual side of the tooth-enclosing regions, all or a portion of the buccal side of one or more of the tooth-enclosing regions, all or a portion of the occlusal side of one or more of the tooth-enclosing regions, and all or a portion of the palatal region. In addition, the tools may allow the user to select the thickness of these different regions and portions (e.g., the palatal region, the buccal/lingual/occlusal regions of the various tooth-enclosing regions, etc.) and may also be used to select or control the smoothness of these various regions, including in particular the smoothness of the lingual-facing surface of the palatal region.
The methods and apparatuses (including software) described herein may be used to modify region of any of the retainers described herein. For example, the user interface may be configured to allow a user to select controls to adjust the thickness and clearance for crown, buccal and lingual sides of the retainer. For example, the patient's dental arch(s) may be displayed in the user interface and controls may allow selection of various regions forming the dental retainer; the user may drag and drop, for example, these various portions onto the dental arch, or may select them from a pull-down menu, etc. A digital model of the retainer may be manipulated (rotated, enlarged, etc.) by the user, and regions may be modified for thickness, extent, etc. by selecting one or more controls (e.g., buttons, etc.). The user interface may be a visual or display user interface.
For example, a user interface may allow the user to create a retainer shape for 3D printing. The formation of the retainer may including preparing a digital model that can be manipulated. If a digital model of the patient's teeth, gingiva and palate (for upper arch) is not already included, the methods and apparatus may generate them from scan(s) of the patient's oral cavity and/or impressions of the patient's teeth. For example, one or more scans may be segmented to isolate the teeth (e.g., including tooth crowns) as separate objects, the gingiva can also be extracted from the initial scan(s), and morphed from the initial to a final (post-treatment) configuration following the tooth and/or palatal movement. The palate may be similarly modeled. Thus, the final model may include tooth crown, at least partial gingiva surfaces, and (for the upper arch) the palate. This model may be used to generate the retainer model(s).
The methods and apparatuses may include setting up and modify boundaries for the retainer. Boundaries may be set manually (e.g., by drawing lines on the 3D surface of tooth, gingiva and palate model build the boundary), fully automatically (e.g., from gingiva line and automatic detected curves, including posterior and cutout points), or semi-automatically (adjustable automatic, e.g., boundary is initially build by full automatic way, then adjusted manually around the surface manually). For example, this may include changing and adjusting the retainer coverage of the teeth, gingiva and palate in a variety of different ways. The user may create dental retainers that fit many different application and patient. As mentioned, in general, holes may also be added to create retainer. The hole(s) can be around the teeth, or in the palate surface.
For example,
The engines described herein, or the engines through which the systems and devices described herein can be implemented, can be cloud-based engines. As used herein, a cloud-based engine is an engine that can run applications and/or functionalities using a cloud-based computing system. All or portions of the applications and/or functionalities can be distributed across multiple computing devices, and need not be restricted to only one computing device. In some embodiments, the cloud-based engines can execute functionalities and/or modules that end users access through a web browser or container application without having the functionalities and/or modules installed locally on the end-users' computing devices.
As used herein, datastores are intended to include repositories having any applicable organization of data, including tables, comma-separated values (CSV) files, traditional databases (e.g., SQL), or other applicable known or convenient organizational formats. Datastores can be implemented, for example, as software embodied in a physical computer-readable medium on a specific-purpose machine, in firmware, in hardware, in a combination thereof, or in an applicable known or convenient device or system. Datastore-associated components, such as database interfaces, can be considered “part of” a datastore, part of some other system component, or a combination thereof, though the physical location and other characteristics of datastore-associated components is not critical for an understanding of the techniques described herein.
Datastores can include data structures. As used herein, a data structure is associated with a particular way of storing and organizing data in a computer so that it can be used efficiently within a given context. Data structures are generally based on the ability of a computer to fetch and store data at any place in its memory, specified by an address, a bit string that can be itself stored in memory and manipulated by the program. Thus, some data structures are based on computing the addresses of data items with arithmetic operations; while other data structures are based on storing addresses of data items within the structure itself. Many data structures use both principles, sometimes combined in non-trivial ways. The implementation of a data structure usually entails writing a set of procedures that create and manipulate instances of that structure. The datastores, described herein, can be cloud-based datastores. A cloud-based datastore is a datastore that is compatible with cloud-based computing systems and engines.
The retainer fabrication system 3100A may include a computer-readable medium and/or an input for receiving, for example, a 3D model of the patient's dentition, and in particular of the final (or anticipated final) configuration of the patient's teeth. The computer-readable medium 102 may include any computer-readable medium, including without limitation a bus, a wired network, a wireless network, or some combination thereof. In some variations the system may include an input for receiving a treatment plan (treatment file) including a scan, such as a 3D scan, of the patient's dentition; this input may be stored for access by the system later and/or immediately. For example, the 3D scan and treatment plan (or the final stage of the treatment plan) may be stored in a 3D dentition data store (not shown).
In
In some variations, the retainer to be formed is a thin shell shape, as described above. Thus, in some variations, the bottom surface may be constructed from jaw and tooth digital model of the final configuration, with some clearance added. The top surface may be constructed from the bottom surface, with a variable thickness. The bottom surface may be built, for example, by cutting from the original jaw scan. Alternatively, the bottom surface may be rebuild as a surface from a point cloud of crown and jaw. When rescanning the jaw and teeth as a 2D height map, the scan surface may be un-wrapped to 2D and the teeth and jaw rescanned to the height map, resulting in a bottom (e.g., palatal-facing) surface. The original jaw and crown points can be projected into the “scan surface”, and map to 2D. The distance to the “scan surface” is converted into height. The 3D shape/surface may be re-scanned (rasterized) as 2D height map points. The bottom surface mesh may be built from the 2D points, and the boundary.
The model of the patient's teeth may be segmented (automatically, manually or semi-automatically) into regions, such as tooth/crown regions, gingiva, and palate, etc.) and further into buccal, lingual, occlusal surfaces. Automatic segmentation may be improved by using scan axis curves and occlusal curves. The user may define, or may correct automatically defined, regions such as the crown region, palatal region and buccal regions.
Thus, any of the methods and apparatuses (e.g., systems) for designing and/or fabricating a retainer as described herein may collect (e.g., may access, may gather, may receiving, may import, etc.) a digital model of the patient's dentition (e.g., jaw(s)) either in a target final configuration to be retained, such as a 3D model of the patient's dentition (teeth, and in some variations palate and/or gingiva) in the target arrangement, or a 3D model of the patient's dentition with a key indicating the target arrangement. As mentioned above, this may include a treatment file and a scan (3D) of the patient's dentition. All of these variations may be described as collecting the 3D model of the patient's target dentition. The 3D model of the patient's target dentition may be represented as a digital 3D model from which the retainer may be designed. As described above in reference to
For example, in
In general, the methods and apparatuses described herein for forming and/or fabricating a retainer may map the 3D model of the patient's dentition in the target configuration into a 2D height map.
In any of these methods and apparatuses, the digital 3D scan (“jaw scan”) may be organized using a set of reference axes and/or split into various curves.
In addition, the original 3D scan (e.g., jaw scan or impression) may be split to palatal and buccal patches, as shown in
The scan axis curve is illustrated in
As shown in
As shown in
From the 2D height map, the surfaces to build the retainer may be determined, setting the tooth and/or gingiva and/or palate surfaces. For example, as shown in
Rescanning may include the palate patch, cut from the initial jaw scan, the buccal patch, e.g., the buccal gingiva strip cut from the initial jaw scan, and the tooth crown, from the cut tooth shape. As shown in
While or after the 2D height map has been completed (including any modification to the map, e.g., to include filler regions, etc.) the boundaries of the putative retainer may be defined. The boundaries may depend on the intended configuration of the retainer, including any of the retainers illustrated above (e.g., in
In one example of a retainer having an anterior pocket for anterior teeth and two posterior pocket for posterior teeth as well as a palatal region, the methods and apparatuses described herein may build a boundary from a buccal side gingiva line of molar, the middle edge point of crown, lingual cut out points of primary teeth, with a distance to tooth, for example, 2 mm, the buccal side gingiva line of anterior teeth, and a posterior boundary curve. This is illustrated in
In some variations, as shown in
The methods and apparatuses described herein may modify the boundary to remove discontinuities and loops. For example, the boundary curve is typically a smooth spline in 3D that may be resampled as polygon and mapped into to 2D height map as boundary for triangulation. In some case, a small loop/overlap of polygon regions may occur (see, e.g.,
Once the boundary has been established, a mesh may be built from the point cloud (based on the 2D height map) and boundary. For example, triangles forming a mesh of the top/outer surface of the patient's dentition may be built by any appropriate triangulation method (e.g., such as a constrained Delaunay triangulation algorithm), using rasterized points and boundary. In some variations, the original 3D points are used as mesh vertices, so the 2D mesh may be converted to 3D mesh.
The top surface of the patient's dentition may then be used to generate the bottom surface of the retainer.
The method or apparatus may then determine and set a clearance between the bottom surface of the putative retainer and the patient's dentition, including the teeth, gingiva and/or palate. For example,
Once the clearance between the putative retainer and the patient's dentition has been set, e.g., defining the shape of the bottom surface, the location and shape of the opposite (e.g., top) surface may be determined. Thus, the methods and systems for performing them may determine the thickness and smoothness of the top surface. For example, the top surface points may be copied from bottom surface, added with a thickness T in the scan direction, as shown in
The smoothness and thickness of the retainer may be adjusted. For example, as shown in
As shown in
Finally, the space of the retainer may be constructed by smoothing the edges of the digital model, as shown in
Optionally, in some variations, as shown in
Any of the variations described herein may include spaces for erupting teeth. For example,
Any of the apparatuses described herein may include one or more eruption guidance features for guiding erupting permanent teeth.
In any of the variations described herein, the retainer may include one or more retainer retention attachment regions for mating with an attachment on the patient's teeth (and/or in some variations, a TAD in the palate). For example, the retainer may be configured for coupling with one or more attachments affixed to the teeth; the attachment may be a protrusion, button, bump, hook, etc. that is affixed to the patient's teeth, on either or both the lingual and/or buccal sides.
In general, the retainer apparatuses described herein may help maintain permanent positions of the teeth and/or palate, in some variations may maintain the position of the palate while moving some of the teeth (e.g., anterior teeth). In some variations, these apparatuses may allow for primary teeth eruption, and/or may provide space for maintenance of the teeth position. The retainer apparatuses may prevent passive eruption. These apparatuses may also or alternatively be configured to maintain palatal expansion.
For example, as described above, the retainers described above may include any combination of features including full palatal width; covering the full palatal width may maintain the rigidity (e.g., for one size fits all variations, or with control of one or more of contacting the palate, offset from palate and/or the thickness of the trans palatal arch). These retainers may include one or more holes or openings, e.g., in the palatal region (which may prevent choking and reduce contact with the tissue). These retainers may include one or more cut away regions in the side or palatal region to maximize room for the patient's tongue, which may enhance patient comfort. This may be done as a generic, e.g., one size fits all variation or as part of a variation controlling where the trans-palatal arch covers. Any of these devices may include one or more cut-away regions arranged and/or configured for primary tooth exfoliation. These regions may include one or more eruption guidance features that may act as a guide for erupting permanent teeth. Any of these retainers may also be configured to encapsulate the permanent teeth to maintain tooth alignment, space maintenance, eruption compensation, and/or prevent passive eruption.
The retainers described herein may be free of buccal coverage of the anterior teeth (which may be for aesthetic reasons) or may have less anterior tooth coverage. In some variations the user (e.g., dental practitioner) may select the amount of coverage or no coverage. In the method of designing (e.g., automated or semi-automated, including user interface for user-guided or controlled design of retainers) the occlusal thicknesses may be user-selectable; pre-determined different occlusal thicknesses may be included or the user may manually select occlusal thickness. Similarly, the occlusal shape may be pre-selected or may be user-configured (e.g., the occlusal shape may include cusps or flat regions).
As described herein, any of these apparatuses may include a marking (e.g., alphanumeric marking, symbol marking, QR codes, etc.) indicating a unique identifier and/or a part with an ID number or data matrix included in the design.
When a feature or element is herein referred to as being “on” another feature or element, it can be directly on the other feature or element or intervening features and/or elements may also be present. In contrast, when a feature or element is referred to as being “directly on” another feature or element, there are no intervening features or elements present. It will also be understood that, when a feature or element is referred to as being “connected”, “attached” or “coupled” to another feature or element, it can be directly connected, attached or coupled to the other feature or element or intervening features or elements may be present. In contrast, when a feature or element is referred to as being “directly connected”, “directly attached” or “directly coupled” to another feature or element, there are no intervening features or elements present. Although described or shown with respect to one embodiment, the features and elements so described or shown can apply to other embodiments. It will also be appreciated by those of skill in the art that references to a structure or feature that is disposed “adjacent” another feature may have portions that overlap or underlie the adjacent feature.
Terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. For example, as used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items and may be abbreviated as “/”.
Spatially relative terms, such as “under”, “below”, “lower”, “over”, “upper” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if a device in the figures is inverted, elements described as “under” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “over” the other elements or features. Thus, the exemplary term “under” can encompass both an orientation of over and under. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly. Similarly, the terms “upwardly”, “downwardly”, “vertical”, “horizontal” and the like are used herein for the purpose of explanation only unless specifically indicated otherwise.
Although the terms “first” and “second” may be used herein to describe various features/elements, these features/elements should not be limited by these terms, unless the context indicates otherwise. These terms may be used to distinguish one feature/element from another feature/element. Thus, a first feature/element discussed below could be termed a second feature/element, and similarly, a second feature/element discussed below could be termed a first feature/element without departing from the teachings of the present invention.
As used herein in the specification and claims, including as used in the examples and unless otherwise expressly specified, all numbers may be read as if prefaced by the word “about” or “approximately,” even if the term does not expressly appear. The phrase “about” or “approximately” may be used when describing magnitude and/or position to indicate that the value and/or position described is within a reasonable expected range of values and/or positions. For example, a numeric value may have a value that is +/−0.1% of the stated value (or range of values), +/−1% of the stated value (or range of values), +/−2% of the stated value (or range of values), +/−5% of the stated value (or range of values), +/−10% of the stated value (or range of values), etc. Any numerical range recited herein is intended to include all sub-ranges subsumed therein.
Although various illustrative embodiments are described above, any of a number of changes may be made to various embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention as described by the claims. For example, the order in which various described method steps are performed may often be changed in alternative embodiments, and in other alternative embodiments one or more method steps may be skipped altogether. Optional features of various device and system embodiments may be included in some embodiments and not in others. Therefore, the foregoing description is provided primarily for exemplary purposes and should not be interpreted to limit the scope of the invention as it is set forth in the claims.
The examples and illustrations included herein show, by way of illustration and not of limitation, specific embodiments in which the subject matter may be practiced. As mentioned, other embodiments may be utilized and derived there from, such that structural and logical substitutions and changes may be made without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Such embodiments of the inventive subject matter may be referred to herein individually or collectively by the term “invention” merely for convenience and without intending to voluntarily limit the scope of this application to any single invention or inventive concept, if more than one is, in fact, disclosed. Thus, although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, any arrangement calculated to achieve the same purpose may be substituted for the specific embodiments shown. This disclosure is intended to cover any and all adaptations or variations of various embodiments. Combinations of the above embodiments, and other embodiments not specifically described herein, will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description.
This patent application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/588,303, filed on Nov. 17, 2017 (“ORTHODONTIC RETAINERS”) and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/598,454, filed on Dec. 13, 2017 (“ORTHODONTIC RETAINERS”), each of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20190152152 A1 | May 2019 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62588303 | Nov 2017 | US | |
| 62598454 | Dec 2017 | US |
