Patent ID: 11890160
Assignee: ALIGN TECHNOLOGY, INC.
Field: Medical technology (Instruments)
Classification: CPC A  B  G | IPC A  B  G

Claim 10:
11. An orthodontic aligner, the orthodontic aligner comprising:
an upper appliance, the upper appliance comprising:
a first plurality of teeth-receiving cavities configured to receive at least a portion of the patient's upper dentition,
a first protrusion extending buccally from the first plurality of teeth-receiving cavities, wherein the first plurality of teeth-receiving cavities and the first protrusion are formed together; and
a first hook formed on the first protrusion;

a lower appliance, the lower appliance comprising:
a second plurality of teeth-receiving cavities configured to receive at least a portion of the patient's lower dentition,
a second protrusion extending buccally from the second plurality of teeth-receiving cavities, wherein the first plurality of teeth-receiving cavities and the first protrusion are formed together, and
a second hook formed on the second protrusion;

wherein the first hook is configured to receive a first end of an elastic band, and the second hook is configured to receive a second end of the elastic band;
wherein securing the elastic band at the first hook and the second hook provides tooth-moving forces as part of an orthodontic treatment plan;
wherein the upper appliance comprises a locally reinforced portion connected with the first protrusion; and
wherein the locally reinforced portion comprises a curved geometry.