Patent ID: 8491305

Claim:
A manually adjustable physical 3-D model that has a plurality of tooth dies, wherein at least one tooth die can be selectively adjusted to a new position to allow formation of an aligner that is intended to be worn on teeth of the patient comprising: a first model part that is formed of a plurality of tooth dies; a second model part complementary to the first model part and being in the form of a base on which the first part rests; and a dowel pin and sleeve combination for use with the tooth die that is intended to be adjusted, the combination comprising: a dowel pin including: a tooth anchor section that is configured to be fixedly attached to the tooth die; a main body section having a bore formed therein and open at one end of the pin, the main body section having a slot that defines a living hinge formed therein that partitions the main body section into an upper pivotable portion that pivots about the hinge and a lower portion, wherein a section of the bore is threaded and the main body section includes an urging member that travels along the threaded bore section and can be driven into contact with the pivotable portion of the main body section, the bore forming an entrance into the slot that defines the living hinge to permit the urging member to be driven into contact with the pivotable portion, wherein the sleeve includes a longitudinal locating and locking rail formed along an outer surface thereof for locating and fixing the sleeve within a corresponding opening formed in the base; wherein the tooth die is pivotable about the living hinge and is prevented from rotating relative to the sleeve.