Patent ID: RE42815

Claim:
A method to permanently apply a desired non-planar shape to an orthodontic archwire, the method comprising the steps of: obtaining a numerical description of a desired non-planar shape of an orthodontic archwire; generating a description of a deriving a design of a fixture reflecting said from the numerical description of an orthodontic archwire ; deriving numerical control data from the design; manufacturing a fixture based on the description of the design at least partially in response to the numerical control data so that at least a portion of the fixture is adapted to receive and constrain a wire has to a non-planar shape to thereby cause the wire to permanently adopt a shape matching the desired non-planar shape ; constraining a wire in the at least a portion of the fixture causing it to cause the wire to adopt have a non-planar shape as dictated by the fixture; and exposing the fixture with the wire constrained therein to certain conditions to thereby cause the wire to permanently adopt a shape matching the desired non-planar shape as dictated by the fixture constrained therein. ; and removing the wire from the fixture, the removed wire permanently having the desired non-planar shape.