Patent ID: 8070488

Claim:
An orthodontic treatment method for a patient's teeth to which are installed orthodontic appliances that each include a support assembly bonded to a tooth and a corresponding corrective assembly with an archwire engaging portion removably coupled to the support assembly, the method comprising: removing a plurality of corresponding corrective assemblies from a plurality of support assemblies that are operatively coupled to a corresponding plurality of teeth of the patient while leaving the plurality of support assemblies operatively coupled to the corresponding plurality of teeth of the patient; coupling a marker assembly to at least one of the plurality of support assemblies, wherein the marker assembly includes a marker portion from which the position of the archwire engaging portion of the corresponding corrective assembly of the least one of the plurality of support assemblies may be determined; forming, within the patient's mouth, a mold of the plurality of support assemblies and the patient's teeth to which the plurality of support assemblies are bonded, wherein the plurality of support assemblies includes the at least one of the plurality of support assemblies with the coupled marker assembly with the marker portion configured to represent the archwire engaging portion of the corresponding corrective assembly; removing the mold from the patient's mouth without damaging or debonding the plurality of support assemblies or damaging or permanently deforming the mold; and determining, from the mold, the position of the archwire engaging portion of the removed corrective assembly of the at least one of the plurality of support assemblies to which the marker assembly was coupled.