Abstract: A dental appliance made of an olefin polymer is directly formed via rapid prototyping without the use of an intermediary physical mold. A polymer precursor solution includes one or more olefin-containing monomers and/or oligomers, an olefin polymerization catalyst, and a UV absorbing agent to limit penetration of the UV light through the polymer precursor solution. One or more reactions of the polymer precursor solution are modulated in response to UV light, and the polymer precursor solution may further include an inhibitor (quenching agent) configured to modulate those reactions. The polymer precursor solution can be deposited using UV-cured stereolithographic or 3D printing methods to form appliances exhibiting improved elongation at break characteristics and suitable stress resistance.

Abstract: Tooth-positioning appliances and apparatuses, components, methods, and techniques for producing and using tooth-positioning appliances are provided. An example tooth-positioning appliance for adjusting the position of teeth of a patient includes a tooth-clasping arrangement shaped to secure the orthodontic appliance to at least one tooth and a flexible arrangement connected to the tooth-clasping arrangement. The flexible arrangement is less rigid than the tooth-clasping arrangement.

Abstract: Systems and method for fabrication of dental appliances are provided. An example method includes receiving data identifying approximate locations of individual teeth in a three-dimensional digital dental model representing an impressioned position of a patient's dentition. The example method may also include generating component models corresponding to individual teeth for each of the identified approximate locations. The component models may be disposed at initial positions based on the impressioned position of the patient's dentition. The example method also includes determining target positions for the component models and generating a tooth-positioning appliance design based on the determined target positions for the component models. The method may also include causing a tooth-positioning appliance to be fabricated based on the tooth-positioning appliance design.