Patent ID: 7874836

Claim:
A method for producing a series of incrementally sized expanders, having geometries selected to expand the palate of a patient wherein the method comprises: (a) forming an initial physical or electronic model of a patient's upper jaw; (b) forming a first expanded model by separating the initial model of the patient's upper jaw into two or more pieces in a manner such that the inter-molar distance between the pieces of the model is increased by a defined amount across the palatal portion of the model; (c) generating a first expander in the series approximating the dimensions of the first expanded model of the patient's upper jaw; (d) forming one or more intermediate expanded models by serially separating the first expanded model of the patient's upper jaw into two or more pieces at successively larger distances in a manner such that the inter-molar distance between the pieces of each expanded model is increased by a defined amount across the palatal portion; (e) generating one or more intermediate expanders in the series by sequentially approximating the dimensions of each intermediate expanded model of the patient's upper jaw; (f) forming a final model by moving the pieces of an intermediate expanded model further apart such that the inter-molar distance is increased to a final desired amount across the palatal portion of the final model; and (g) generating a final expander in the series by approximating the dimensions of the final model.