Dental appliances with shaped material components

The present disclosure provides method, computing device readable medium, and devices for dental appliances formed with folded material components. An example of a method of forming a dental appliance, includes forming a shell having a number of tooth apertures configured to receive and reposition a number of teeth of a patient along one jaw of a patient, the shell having a number of specialized components and wherein the number of specialized components are formed from folding multiple sections of the first sheet of material over each other.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure is related generally to the field of dental treatment. More particularly, the present disclosure is related to methods, instructions on a computing device readable medium, and devices formed with shaped material components.

Dental treatments may involve, for instance, restorative and/or orthodontic procedures. Restorative procedures may be designed to implant a dental prosthesis (e.g., a crown, bridge, inlay, onlay, veneer, etc.) intraorally in a patient.

Dental treatments also may include dental appliances in the form of trays that fit around the teeth of a jaw of a patient. These trays may hold medications to improve the health of the teeth or surrounding tissues or may be used to reduce a patient's sleep apnea of snoring.

Orthodontic procedures may include repositioning misaligned teeth and changing bite configurations for improved cosmetic appearance and/or dental function. Orthodontic repositioning can be accomplished, for example, by applying controlled forces to one or more teeth over a period of time.

As an example, orthodontic repositioning may be provided through a dental process that uses positioning appliances for realigning teeth. Such appliances may utilize a thin shell of material having resilient properties, referred to as an “aligner,” that generally conforms to a patient's teeth but is slightly out of alignment with a current tooth configuration.

Placement of such an appliance over the teeth may provide controlled forces in specific locations to gradually move the teeth into a new configuration. Repetition of this process with successive appliances in progressive configurations can move the teeth through a series of intermediate arrangements to a final desired arrangement.

Such systems and other dental appliances can utilize materials that are light weight and/or transparent. With respect to aligners, these devices provide a set of appliances that can be used serially such that, as the teeth move, a new appliance can be implemented to further move the teeth without having to take a new impression of the patient's teeth at every increment of tooth movement in order to make the successive appliance.

In various instances, teeth of a patient's upper jaw and teeth of the patient's lower jaw may contact in an incorrect or suboptimal manner (e.g., crowding, crossbite, deep bite). A dental appliance can be provided to correct such an issue.

In some embodiments, these types of dental appliances may have the need to reinforce some areas or the whole appliance or that a specialized feature may be needed in a certain area of the dental appliance. For example, it may be desired that an area be reinforced to provide more force, force in one or more specific directions, or to provide force for an extended period of time. However, as these devices are typically formed from one sheet of material having a uniform thickness, reinforcement may not be possible.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As discussed above, the present disclosure is related to methods, instructions on a computing device readable medium, and devices formed with folded material components. For example, one method of forming a dental appliance, includes forming a shell having a number of tooth apertures configured to receive and reposition a number of teeth of a patient along one jaw of a patient, the shell having a number of specialized components and wherein the number of specialized components are formed from folding multiple sections of the first sheet of material over each other to form the specialized component.

In this manner, specialized components such as thickened portions of a dental appliance, specially shaped portions like specialized cut areas, and/or spring type features can be created as will be discussed in more detail with respect to the figures provided herein.

The figures herein follow a numbering convention in which the first digit or digits correspond to the drawing figure number and the remaining digits identify an element or component in the drawing. Similar elements or components between different figures may be identified by the use of similar digits. For example,314may reference element “14” inFIG. 3, and a similar element may be referenced as414inFIG. 4.

As will be appreciated, elements shown in the various embodiments herein can be added, exchanged, and/or eliminated so as to provide a number of additional embodiments of the present disclosure. In addition, as will be appreciated, the proportion and the relative scale of the elements provided in the figures are intended to illustrate certain embodiments of the present disclosure, and should not be taken in a limiting sense.

FIG. 1Aillustrates an angled overhead view of a dental appliance for the lower jaw of a patient being formed according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.FIG. 1Ashows an example of a type of reinforcement that can be accomplished using the techniques described herein. In the embodiment ofFIG. 1A, the design includes a dental appliance100having a shell102with a tooth aperture104(although shown as an arch shape for simplicity of this application, the aperture can be tooth shaped to receive a number of teeth of a patient along one jaw of a patient). The shell has a specialized component in the form of a ribbed reinforcement106on the lingual side of the teeth of the jaw of the patient.

The specialized component can be used to form a reinforcement by folding multiple sections of the first sheet of material over each other as is shown inFIG. 1B. This formation can, for example, be accomplished by rolling a heated cylinder along the surface111of rib106to compress the rib thereby forming a reinforced structure.

As used herein, to be “folded over” may not mean above and below, but may also mean where the portions of the ribbed area (e.g., side walls110and111of rib106in the embodiment ofFIGS. 1A and 1B) and at least a portion of the lingual side of the cavity receiving teeth (e.g., side108of cavity104) would overlap each other as shown inFIG. 1B. In this manner, the ribbed section can be said to overlap the buccal side wall of the cavity for receiving teeth to reinforce the wall and/or add strength to other portions of the appliance or the appliance as a whole.

FIG. 1Billustrates an end view of a dental appliance for the lower jaw of a patient after formation according to the embodiment shown inFIG. 1A. This ribbed portion could be compressed in some embodiments such that the buccal (outer) surface of the cavity for receiving teeth and the outside surface of the inner s side of the rib can be touching or nearly touching as shown inFIG. 1B. Further, in some embodiments, the rib and the outer surface of the cavity can be connected together, such as by adhesive, mechanical attachment mechanisms, or other attachment processes to provide a reinforced surface.

FIG. 2Aillustrates an apparatus for forming a ribbed structure for providing reinforcement to a dental appliance surface utilizing a number of heating elements according to a number of embodiments of the present disclosure. In the embodiment ofFIG. 2A, a sheet of material214-1interacts with a set of heated elements212(in this case, six bar shaped elements each having a circular cross-section).

The set of elements can be comprised of one or more elements and their shape can be any suitable shape. For example, inFIG. 2A, the elements each have the same elongate length and circular cross-section, but in some embodiments, the cross-sectional shape may not be circular (e.g., solid triangle, a hollow triangle, a hollow circle, a semicircle, an arch, a rectangular shape, two angled surfaces that come together at a point, or any other suitable shape) and the elements may not be of the same shape (e.g., one or more of their elongate lengths may be different and/or their cross-sectional shapes may be different).

When the sheet interacts with the heated elements (in this example, when the heating elements are pressed onto the sheet or the sheet is pressed onto the elements, a resultant sheet216having a number of ribbed shapes (in some cases, the shape can be sinusoidal forming a number of peaks218and valleys220) results. Such a shaping process can be utilized before forming the appliance or after forming the appliance (e.g., this technique may be employed on a portion of the appliance such as a side wall of the cavity for receiving teeth). Such structures may be used as a reinforcement structure or may be used as spring type structure, allowing flexibility in a linear, bending, or twisting direction based on the direction of orientation of the ribs to the forces placed thereon and/or the materials used.

In the embodiment shown inFIG. 2A, the sheet of material214-1is bowed to allow for the ribs to be formed, but in some embodiments, the sheet can be planar and the material either thinned or the overall length of the sheet shortened to create the ribs. Even in embodiments where the material is thinned, the resultant structure may be thicker than a non-ribbed structure and/or be more reinforced than a non-ribbed structure, particularly in a direction perpendicular to the direction of elongation of the ribs.

FIG. 2Billustrates an apparatus for flattening the ribbed structure to create a thickened area of a dental appliance according to a number of embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown inFIG. 2B, the resultant ribbed structure (e.g., such as that formed by the process ofFIG. 2A) can be flattened to create a reinforced area.

This reinforced area is effectively made thicker by laying the ribs onto each other. Such a technique creates a surface that may comprise two or more layers of material onto each other.

Although not limited to this technique, as can be seen from the example ofFIG. 2B, the laying over of the ribs can be accomplished by positioning a flattening member222in contact with a surface of the ribbed sheet216causing the peaks218of the ribs to lay onto one or more other peaks and/or onto one or more of the valleys220. In this manner, multiple layers of material will be adjacent one another, thereby creating a thickened overall structure224that can provide reinforcement, for example.

FIG. 2Cillustrates an example of a flattened ribbed structure to create a thickened area of a dental appliance according to a number of embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown inFIG. 2Ca sheet of material216has been folded multiple times such that the structure when compressed will include multiple portions of the sheet along some portions (for example, as many as seven portions of the sheet are compressed together in some portions of the embodiment ofFIG. 2C).

FIG. 2Dillustrates an example of a ribbed structure formed from a cone or truncated cone to create ribbed area on one portion of a sheet of material that can be used to form a dental appliance according to a number of embodiments of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, a sheet in the form of a cone or truncated cone can be formed, for example, with elements212to create a structure that has a non-uniform pattern across its surface. For example, inFIG. 2D, a cone shaped sheet of material214-2and a truncated cone of material214-3are shown.

An example of a resultant formed sheet is shown in the top image ofFIG. 2D. In that image, the sheet216has a number of peaks218and valleys220that gradually diminish from a first edge of the sheet215to a second edge of the sheet217. Although the peaks and valleys are shown being generally parallel, it will be understood that the larger the radius of the base of the cone shape or truncated cone shape is as compared to the top of the cone or truncated cone, the more angled the peaks and valleys will be with respect to each other.

FIG. 3illustrates another apparatus for forming a ribbed structure for providing reinforcement to a dental appliance surface utilizing a number of heating elements according to a number of embodiments of the present disclosure. In the embodiment ofFIG. 3, a number of shaping elements326-1,326-2,326-3,326-4,326-5, and326-N are positioned on either side of the surface of the sheet of material to be structured (e.g., in the example shown inFIG. 3above and below the surface). In some embodiments, the shaping elements on one side of the sheet can be moved toward the sheet, thereby deforming the sheet as they interact with the surface of the sheet.

This movement can cause the sheet to interact with the shaping elements on the other side of the sheet which may cause further deformation. Further, in some embodiments, the shaping elements can be moved toward the sheet of material314, thereby creating an undulating surface. As discussed above, the shaping elements can be heated to encourage the formation of the sheet of material. A flattening member, such as that shown inFIG. 2Bcan be used on the shapes formed using the embodiments ofFIG. 3creating a thickened overall structure, such as that shown at224ofFIG. 2B.

FIG. 4illustrates another apparatus for forming a ribbed structure for providing reinforcement to a dental appliance surface utilizing a number of heating elements according to a number of embodiments of the present disclosure. In the embodiment ofFIG. 4, a sheet of material414is applied over a shape template428that has a desired shape for the formation of the sheet. In this example, the shape of the formed sheet is shown at416.

In order to get the sheet to engage the surface of the template428, the sheet can be force downward by a structure that has a mating shape to that of the template428(a shape similar to428, but with the peaks facing toward the valleys of the template428). In some embodiments, the template can include a number of apertures430that can allow the use of a vacuum force on the sheet to suck the sheet onto the surface of the template as is shown inFIG. 4.

As discussed in the above embodiments, a flattening member422can be used to create a thickened overall structure, as shown at414ofFIG. 4. As shown inFIG. 4, in some embodiments, the flattening member can rotate as it flattens the sheet414. The flattening member can also move along the surface of the sheet or the sheet can move along the surface of the flattening member to flatten the surface of the sheet.

FIG. 5illustrates a dental appliance having flaps that can be folded to create a thicker portion of the dental appliance according to a number of embodiments of the present disclosure. In the embodiment ofFIG. 5, the shell of the dental appliance has a first thickness of material504that forms the one or more cavities shaped to accommodate one or more teeth of a patient.

In the example ofFIG. 5, there is one cavity that accommodates all of the teeth on one jaw of a patient. The embodiment ofFIG. 5also includes a reinforced portion wherein the reinforcement is provided by excess material sections532-1and532-M that are bent onto a surface of the first thickness of material504. As shown in the right image ofFIG. 5, once bent onto the first thickness504(which is a cavity shape to accommodate a tooth), the excess material sections532-1and that532-M reinforce that section of the shell of the dental appliance. In various embodiments, more than one section of the shell can be reinforced in this manner. Further, in some embodiments, the reinforcement can be accomplished through use of one excess material section.

FIG. 6illustrates another dental appliance having a flap that can be folded to create a thicker portion of the dental appliance according to a number of embodiments of the present disclosure. In the embodiment ofFIG. 6, the shell602includes an excess material section638. The excess material section and the main part of the shell body are attached at transition636. This can allow for the excess material section638to be bent at transition636toward the shell602to reinforce a portion thereof.

In some embodiments, the transition636can include one or more physical characteristics to assist in allowing the excess material section to be bent with respect to the shell. For example, the material at the transition can be thinned, scored, or have any other suitable characteristic to better allow it to be bent such that it can reinforce a portion of the shell602.

FIG. 7illustrates another dental appliance having a flap that can be folded to create a thicker portion of the dental appliance according to a number of embodiments of the present disclosure. InFIG. 7, the shell702includes excess material sections738-1,738-2, and738-P. These portions are separated by transitions736-1,736-2, and736-K.

In this embodiment, the excess material portions are not used to thicken a portion of the shell having the cavities for accommodating teeth, but rather, are used to form an addition feature of the shell702. In the example ofFIG. 7, the excess material sections738-1,738-2, and738-P are folded to create an arch or palate expansion structure that can be used to expand the arch of the patient (through movement of the teeth) or expansion of the palate (through movement of the palate).

FIG. 8Aillustrates another dental appliance having a flap that can be folded to create a thicker portion of the dental appliance for use as a precision cut feature of the dental appliance according to a number of embodiments of the present disclosure. In the embodiment ofFIG. 8A, the excess material sections838-1and838-Q are used to form an additional type of feature to be used on the shell802.

In this example, a hook836is formed by having multiple specially shaped excess material sections folded over each other to form the hook shape shown. The dashed lines represent the shapes of the sections that were folded over to create the hook feature. Such a technique could be used to provide many features that are traditionally accomplished through use of precision post formation cutting. Such an approach can save time and reduce manufacturing steps, in some implementations.

FIG. 8Billustrates a structure that can be used in a dental appliance having a curled portion according to a number of embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in the bottom part ofFIG. 8B, a sheet of material (such as that used to form the dental appliance835) can be rolled over itself several times to form a curled design. As shown in the example ofFIG. 8B, a number of rolled formations can be made using this technique.

In the embodiment shown, the rolling is accomplished by positioning the sheet of material835between two rollers838and the rollers are turned to roll the material around the rollers. As discussed above, this can be utilized to accomplish a single roll of material (e.g., such as the left or right side of the top drawing ofFIG. 8B) or can be used to form multiple rolled structures as shown in the top image ofFIG. 8B.

FIG. 8Cillustrates a structure that can be used in a dental appliance having a squared roll portion according to a number of embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in the bottom part ofFIG. 8C, a sheet of material (such as that used to form the dental appliance835) can be rolled over itself several times to form a square rolled design.

In such embodiments, the squared design is bent at each of the dashed lines836to form portions that are angled with respect to each other as shown inFIG. 8C. For example, the bottom image ofFIG. 8Cshows bends836that form 90 degree angles between two adjacent portions of the sheet.

To accomplish such a design, the scored portions836(shown in the top image ofFIG. 8C), are staggered at different distances between each other such that a squared roll can be formed (shown in the bottom image ofFIG. 8C, not to scale). As shown in the example ofFIG. 8C, a number of rolled formations (in the example shown, two formations are created) can be made using this technique.

Such shapes can be accomplished, for example, by creating the sheet of material with one or more score lines to aid in the rolling of the sheet. For example, as shown in the example ofFIG. 8C, the score lines can be thinner portions836or can be perforations through the sheet835.

In various embodiments, folds can be created that are at an angle to a surface (e.g., 45 degrees to a surface). Also, in some embodiments, a sheet of material can be folded in a first direction and then that folded material can be folded in a second direction (e.g., folding a sheet parallel to an edge of the sheet and then folding that folded portion at an angle 35 degrees to the edge of the sheet). For example, inFIG. 8C, instead of bending the sheet to form a squared roll, the portions of the sheet can be folded over onto each other at lines836which are parallel to edge839to form a layered structure and then that resultant layered structure can be folded at an angle (e.g., 55 degrees) with respect to the edge839.

FIG. 9illustrates another dental appliance having a flap that can be folded to create a thicker portion of the dental appliance for use as spring features of the dental appliance according to a number of embodiments of the present disclosure. In the embodiment ofFIG. 9, the shell902includes a number of excess material sections938that can be bent at a number of transitions936to form one or more springs (in the example ofFIG. 9, three springs are formed). As shown in the images to the right, in such embodiments, the spring can be formed from folding the excess material sections as shown in the lower left image wherein an edge of one section contacts the surface of a tooth to provide the spring force.

In the upper left image embodiment, the spring is formed by material being bent toward the tooth, but continuing to an end that is not part of the spring, but rather forms a side of a cavity for placing a tooth therein. The springs can provide several functions. For example, the springs can function to provide specialized force for movement of teeth with a larger working range (i.e., distance that the tooth can be moved), they can also provide cushioning to make the appliance more comfortable. Springs can also be used in other ways, as shown inFIG. 10.

FIG. 10illustrates another dental appliance having a spring feature of a dental appliance according to a number of embodiments of the present disclosure. In the embodiment ofFIG. 10, the spring1044is formed between two tooth apertures for receiving teeth1042-1and1042-2. The apertures are part of the cavity for receiving teeth formed in the shell1002. In such an embodiment, the spring1044can be used to provide a cushioning force as the teeth are straightened or can provide a specialized force to assist in moving the teeth1042-1and1042-2.

FIG. 11illustrates a dental appliance having a hinge feature of a dental appliance according to a number of embodiments of the present disclosure. The techniques described herein can be utilized to create other specialized features. For example, a curl1146can be formed in the shell1102through use of a form created in a curled shaped wherein the sheet can be forced into the shape by folding the sheet through application of heat and a bending force to bend the sheet to create a fold or part of the sheet can be pulled into the form via a vacuum.

FIG. 12illustrates another dental appliance having a hinge feature of a dental appliance according to a number of embodiments of the present disclosure. As discussed with respect to the curled formation, the techniques described herein can be utilized to create other specialized features, such as that shown inFIG. 12. In this embodiment a T-shape1248can be formed in the shell1202through use of a form created in a T-shape wherein the sheet can be forced into the shape or can be pulled into the form via a vacuum.

FIG. 13Aillustrates a technique of forming a sheet to allow the sheet to be folded into specific three dimension shapes. In the examples shown inFIG. 13A, the top pattern1350can be formed on the sheet of material and the pattern can then be expanded into a three dimensional shape as shown at1352ofFIG. 13A.

As can be seen from the example ofFIG. 13A, the shapes made can be in many patterns and the resultant three dimensional shapes can be very diverse. In some embodiments, the pattern can be formed by scoring, thinning, or cutting through the material along the lines shown in any of the patterns at1350. The shapes can then be bent along the lines inward or outward with respect to the adjacent pieces to form desired three dimensional shapes.

FIG. 13Billustrates a dental appliance having a patterned surface similar to those shown inFIG. 13Aand formed according to a number of embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in this Figure, the shaped portion can be formed as described above to change the properties and/or the geometry (e.g., provide added rigidity) to the portion of the appliance on which it is applied (for example, the patterned surface1358can be formed on the palatal arch portion1356of the appliance1354ofFIG. 13Bamong other applications).

FIG. 14illustrates an example computing device readable medium having executable instructions that can be executed by a processor to perform a method according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. For instance, a computing device1464can have a number of components coupled thereto. The computing device1464can include a processor1466and a memory1468. The memory1468can have various types of information including data1470and executable instructions1472, as discussed herein.

The processor1466can execute instructions1472that are stored on an internal or external non-transitory computer device readable medium (CRM). A non-transitory CRM, as used herein, can include volatile and/or non-volatile memory. Volatile memory can include memory that depends upon power to store information, such as various types of dynamic random access memory (DRAM), among others. Non-volatile memory can include memory that does not depend upon power to store information.

Memory1468and/or the processor1466may be located on the computing device1464or off the computing device1464, in some embodiments. As such, as illustrated in the embodiment ofFIG. 14, the computing device1464can include a network interface1474. Such an interface1474can allow for processing on another networked computing device, can be used to obtain information about the patient, and/or can be used to obtain data and/or executable instructions for use with various embodiments provided herein.

As illustrated in the embodiment ofFIG. 14, the computing device1464can include one or more input and/or output interfaces1478. Such interfaces1478can be used to connect the computing device1464with one or more input and/or output devices1480,1482,1484,1486,1488.

For example, in the embodiment illustrated inFIG. 14, the input and/or output devices can include a scanning device1480, a camera dock1482, an input device1484(e.g., a mouse, a keyboard, etc.), a display device1486(e.g., a monitor), a printer1488, and/or one or more other input devices. The input/output interfaces1478can receive executable instructions and/or data, storable in the data storage device (e.g., memory), representing a virtual dental model of a patient's dentition.

In some embodiments, the scanning device1480can be configured to scan one or more physical dental molds of a patient's dentition. In one or more embodiments, the scanning device1480can be configured to scan the patient's dentition and/or dental appliance directly. The scanning device1480can be configured to input data into the computing device1464.

In some embodiments, the camera dock1482can receive an input from an imaging device (e.g., a 2D or 3D imaging device) such as a digital camera, a printed photograph scanner, and/or other suitable imaging device. The input from the imaging device can, for example, be stored in memory1468.

The processor1466can execute instructions to provide a visual indication of a treatment plan, a dental appliance, and/or a repositioning jaw element on the display1486. The computing device1464can be configured to allow a treatment professional or other user to input treatment goals. Input received can be sent to the processor1466as data1470and/or can be stored in memory1468.

Such connectivity can allow for the input and/or output of data and/or instructions among other types of information. Some embodiments may be distributed among various computing devices within one or more networks, and such systems as illustrated inFIG. 14can be beneficial in allowing for the capture, calculation, and/or analysis of information discussed herein.

The processor1466, in association with the data storage device (e.g., memory1468), can be associated with the data1470. The processor1466, in association with the memory1468, can store and/or utilize data1470and/or execute instructions1472for determining a shape of a shell of a virtual model of a dental appliance. Such data can include the virtual dental model. The virtual model of the dental appliance with the specialized shape can be used to create a physical dental appliance, for instance, as discussed further herein.

The processor1466coupled to the memory1468can cause the computing device1464to perform a method including, for example, designing a virtual template for the formation of a shell having a number of tooth apertures configured to receive and reposition a number of teeth of a patient along one jaw of a patient, the shell having a number of specialized components and wherein the number of specialized components are formed from folding multiple sections of the first sheet of material over each other. The multiple sections of the first sheet of material can be created in a virtual manner so that the designer of the appliance can determine the proper shape for those sections to be used to create the specialized components.

In some embodiments, the method of forming a dental appliance can include forming the shell having a first sheet of material for use in forming a particular specialized component and bending a portion of the first sheet of material over itself to form first and second folded layers of material. Such a method can be virtually tested to ensure that the bending of the portion of the first sheet will create the desired shape.

Forming the shell having a first sheet of material for use in forming a particular specialized component can, for example, include forming the first sheet with a score line thereon. The score line can, for example, be used for facilitating the folding of the sheet at the score line.

This can be accomplished while the sheet of material is still in a formable state. As used herein, the formable state of the material can be accomplished via use of an external stimulus to change the state of the material such as through use of chemical, temperature, microwave, and/or pressure. The formation of the score lines can be determined in a virtual model which may be beneficial, for example, in determining whether scoring of the dental appliance will allow for the proper folding characteristics.

The formation of the appliance can also include folding the sheet at the score line by applying heat to the score line to transition the material at the score line to a formable state.

A dental appliance can be made, for example, by thermal-forming a sheet of plastic over a physical dental mold. The physical dental mold, for instance, can represent an incremental position to which a patient's teeth are to be moved. The physical dental mold can be manufactured by downloading a computer-aided Design (CAD) virtual dental model to a rapid prototyping process, such as, for example, a computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) milling, stereolithography, and/or photolithography. The virtual dental mold can be hollowed out before being sent for manufacturing to save on material cost, for example.

The dental mold (e.g., set of molded teeth) can be created from a virtual model of a number of teeth of a patient. A virtual model, for example, can include an initial virtual dental model and/or intermediate virtual dental model. A dental mold can be formed in accordance with a unique treatment file that identifies a patient, a stage of a treatment plan, the virtual model of the number of teeth, and/or whether the dental mold is of the upper and/or lower dental arch.

In some embodiments, a treatment file can be accessed by a rapid prototyping apparatus machine, such as a SLA or 3D printing, to form and/or create the dental mold. The result of the dental mold can include a set of molded teeth. The set of molded teeth can include at least a replica of the number of teeth of the patient. The dental mold can be used to make a dental appliance, for example, by creating a negative impression of the dental mold using polymeric sheets of material and vacuum forming the sheets over the dental mold, as discussed above.

For instance, a dental appliance can be formed by layering a thermoformable sheet of material and/or multiple sheets of one or more materials over the dental mold. The materials can include a polymeric material, for instance. Generally, the dental appliance is produced and/or formed by heating the polymeric thermoformable sheet and vacuum or pressure forming the sheet over the dental mold (e.g., a number of molded teeth). The shape of the sheet of material can change thickness on some portions of the sheet as it conforms to the mold shape. A dental appliance can, for example, include a negative impression of the dental mold. The appliance and/or parts thereof may be transparent, semi-transparent, or opaque in such a way as to emulate a nature tooth shade.

However, embodiments in accordance with present disclosure are not so limited. For example, embodiments in accordance with the present disclosure can include forming a dental appliance utilizing a variety of techniques, such as SLA or 3D printing, among other techniques.

In a number of embodiments, the processor1466coupled to the memory1468can cause the computing device1464to perform the method of providing a treatment plan. One or more appliances, including positioners, retainers, removable dental appliances, and/or other appliances for finishing and maintaining teeth positioning, can be utilized by a treatment professional in performing a treatment plan. The treatment plan can include the use of one or more dental appliances, as described herein.

As discussed above, a computing device can be used to create a virtual model and/or machine executable instructions for creating a physical model or direct fabrication (three dimensional printing or other direct manufacturing process) for the creation of the shells described herein. For example, in one embodiment, a removable dental appliance formation system includes a non-transitory computing device readable medium storing instructions executable by a processor to cause a computing device to perform a method.

In some embodiments, the non-transitory computing device readable medium storing instructions include instructions for fabricating a physical model for forming at least the first shell. The system can also include a dental mold formation apparatus (thermo-forming device, three dimensional printing device, etc.) for receiving the instructions for fabricating the physical model and applying one or more materials to fabricate the physical model.

It is to be understood that the above description has been made in an illustrative fashion, and not a restrictive one. Combination 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. The scope of the various embodiments of the disclosure includes any other applications in which the above structures and methods are used. Therefore, the scope of various embodiments of the disclosure should be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with the full range of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.