Abstract: The invention relates to a method for determining whether a tooth is correctly shaped and oriented to avoid interference with another tooth using virtual articulation. The method comprises a) receiving data indicative of a virtual dentition of an oral cavity of a patient by a computing device, the data indicative of the virtual dentition including data indicative of at least one of a virtual mandibular arch representing a mandibular arch of the patient or a virtual maxillary arch representing a maxillary arch of the patient; b) receiving data indicating a selected point on the virtual dentition of the oral cavity; and c) determining a tangent vector indicating a direction of motion of the selected point and determining whether the orientation of a tooth of the virtual dentition or the shape of the tooth is correctly shaped and oriented based on the determined tangent vector, wherein the tangent vector is based on a rotational axis of the virtual mandibular arch.

Abstract: The present disclosure describes articles, systems, and techniques including an additive manufactured orthodontic attachment including a body defining a retaining member configured to retain the article in a recess defined by a shell of a transfer tray; a coupling portion configured to engage a tool for insertion of the attachment into the recess of the transfer tray; and a bonding surface configured to bond the attachment to a portion of an outer surface of a tooth of a patient.

Abstract: An example removable dental appliance includes an appliance body configured to at least partially surround a plurality of teeth of a dental arch of a patient. The appliance body includes a shell shaped to engage a tooth in an initial position and a gingival ridge extending from a mesial interproximal region along a gingival edge of the shell to a distal interproximal region. The gingival ridge is configured to engage a lingual or labial surface of the tooth below a height of contour of the tooth to enable the appliance body to apply a force vector at a contact point on the tooth to cause movement of the tooth toward a desired position of the tooth when the removable dental appliance is worn by the patient.

Abstract: An orthodontic bracket can include a bracket body. The bracket body can include an outer body. The bracket body can also include an inner body coupled to the outer body. The orthodontic bracket can include a bracket base configured to couple to a tooth. The inner body of the outer body is disposed between the outer body and the bracket base.

Abstract: A method to combine dental anatomy data includes, by the use of a computing device: receiving volumetric dental data and superficial dental data; segmenting the crowns of the volumetric dental data from the roots of the volumetric dental data; segmenting the crowns of the superficial dental data from the gingiva of the superficial dental data; transforming superficial dental data of the crowns to substantially align with volumetric dental data of the crowns; stitching the transformed superficial dental data of the crowns to volumetric dental data of the crowns; and outputting for display an image data based on the combined dental data.

Abstract: A removable dental appliance may include an appliance body configured to at least partially surround a plurality of teeth of a dental arch of a patient. The appliance body may include a unitary material defining a shell shaped to receive at least one tooth of the patient and a spring member integrally formed with the shell. The spring member may be configured to receive an attachment. The attachment may be configured to affix to the at least one tooth. The spring member may be configured to apply a spring force to the attachment to cause at least one of a rotation, a translation, a tipping, a torqueing, an extrusion, or an intrusion of the at least one tooth toward a desired position of the tooth when the removable dental appliance is worn by the patient.

Abstract: A method for determining orthodontic brackets in order to use standard brackets or a combination of standard and custom brackets. The method determines which teeth in a digital 3D model of teeth have surfaces that will virtually fit to a base of a standard bracket within a tolerance. For those teeth that will virtually fit to one of the standard brackets, each of the teeth are associated with the corresponding standard bracket for later placement of the brackets on the surfaces of the patient's teeth. The method also identifies the teeth in the digital 3D model of teeth that will not virtually fit to a standard bracket, and brackets with custom bases can be designed and made for those teeth.

Abstract: A dental article such as a dental tray aligner or a dental crown that includes a substrate including a polymeric material having a modulus of elasticity that reduces upon exposure to water and a water-resistant coating on the substrate, where the water-resistant coating comprises parylene. In some examples, the water-resistant coating may include one or more layers that include parylene.

Abstract: A method includes wire driven phase in which a plurality of attachments are bonded to teeth, the attachments including a wire-retaining region and an engagement region. The engagement region has a shoulder configured to releasably engage a corresponding indentation in an aligner tray. An archwire is inserted in to the wire-retaining regions to move a first malaccluded tooth from a first position to a second position. An aligner phase follows the wire driven phase, in which the archwire is removed, and an aligner tray is applied over the teeth of the patient. The aligner tray includes cavities shaped to receive and resiliently position the first maloccluded tooth from the second position to a third position, and further includes indentations configured to releasably engage at least a portion of the engagement regions on the attachments.

Abstract: An indirect bonding device includes a first tray and a second tray. The first tray is configured to be detachably coupled to a tooth having a tooth surface. The second tray is configured to be detachably coupled to the first tray. The first tray includes a cavity at least partially extending from a first inner surface to a first outer surface along a longitudinal axis. An orthodontic appliance is at least partially and detachably received within the cavity. An adhesive layer is disposed on a base surface of the orthodontic appliance. Upon detachable coupling of the first tray to the tooth, the adhesive layer is spaced apart from the tooth surface. Furthermore, upon detachable coupling of the move the orthodontic appliance towards the tooth surface, such that the adhesive layer contacts the tooth surface.

Abstract: A removable dental appliance may include an appliance body at least partially surrounding a plurality of teeth and an interproximal reinforcement. The appliance body may include a first shell shaped to engage a first tooth and a second shell shaped to engage a second tooth. The interproximal reinforcement extends from a first gingival edge on a labial side of the appliance body along an interproximal region between the first tooth and the second tooth to a second gingival edge on a lingual side of the appliance body. The interproximal reinforcement is configured to engage at least one of a lingual surface or labial surface of the first tooth below a height of contour to enable the appliance body to cause movement of the first tooth toward a desired position.

Abstract: An example removable dental appliance includes an appliance body configured to at least partially surround a plurality of teeth of a dental arch of a patient. The appliance body includes a shell shaped to engage a tooth in an initial position and a gingival ridge extending from a mesial interproximal region along a gingival edge of the shell to a distal interproximal region. The gingival ridge is configured to engage a lingual or labial surface of the tooth below a height of contour of the tooth to enable the appliance body to apply a force vector at a contact point on the tooth to cause movement of the tooth toward a desired position of the tooth when the removable dental appliance is worn by the patient.

Abstract: The invention relates to a 3D printing system comprising a 3D printing device for manufacturing at least two workpieces. The invention also relates to a method for manufacturing at least two workpieces by means of the 3D printing system. Furthermore, the invention relates to an adapter set for attaching workpiece holders to a 3D printing device.

Abstract: An example removable dental appliance includes an appliance body configured to at least partially surround a plurality of teeth of a dental arch of a patient. The appliance body includes a shell shaped to engage a tooth in an initial position and a gingival ridge extending from a mesial interproximal region along a gingival edge of the shell to a distal interproximal region. The gingival ridge is configured to engage a lingual or labial surface of the tooth below a height of contour of the tooth to enable the appliance body to apply a force vector at a contact point on the tooth to cause movement of the tooth toward a desired position of the tooth when the removable dental appliance is worn by the patient.

Abstract: A dental appliance includes a first polymeric shell portion having one or more cavities shaped therein to removably conform to one or more teeth. The dental positioning appliance further includes at least one spacer. At least one spacer is coupled to the first polymeric shell portion. The dental appliance can also have a first arch member coupled to the at least one spacer and configured to provide at least some of a force needed to reposition one or more teeth from a first orientation to a second orientation different from the first orientation.

Abstract: A removable dental appliance may include an appliance body at least partially surrounding a plurality of teeth and an interproximal reinforcement. The appliance body may include a first shell shaped to engage a first tooth and a second shell shaped to engage a second tooth. The interproximal reinforcement extends from a first gingival edge on a labial side of the appliance body along an interproximal region between the first tooth and the second tooth to a second gingival edge on a lingual side of the appliance body. The interproximal reinforcement is configured to engage at least one of a lingual surface or labial surface of the first tooth below a height of contour to enable the appliance body to cause movement of the first tooth toward a desired position.

Abstract: An orthodontic bracket can include a bracket body. The bracket body can include an outer body. The bracket body can also include an inner body coupled to the outer body. The orthodontic bracket can include a bracket base configured to couple to a tooth. The inner body of the outer body is disposed between the outer body and the bracket base.

Abstract: The present disclosure describes articles, systems, and techniques including an additive manufactured orthodontic attachment including a body defining a retaining member configured to retain the article in a recess defined by a shell of a transfer tray; a coupling portion configured to engage a tool for insertion of the attachment into the recess of the transfer tray; and a bonding surface configured to bond the attachment to a portion of an outer surface of a tooth of a patient.

Abstract: A system and method for simulating orthodontic treatment using augmented reality. An electronic image of a user's face is received from a digital camera, and a region of interest in the image is identified where the region includes the user's teeth. Virtual orthodontic appliances are placed on the user's teeth in the image, and the user's image with the virtual orthodontic appliances is displayed on an electronic display device. The method occurs in real-time to provide the user with the augmented image simulating treatment when or shortly after the image of the user is received. The system and method can display a 3D representation of the user's face augmented with the virtual appliances. The user's augmented image or 3D representation can also be supplemented for display with an image or model of the user's facial anatomy such as an x-ray or a cone beam computed tomography image.

Abstract: A removable dental appliance may include an appliance body at least partially surrounding two or more teeth of a patient. The appliance body may include a first shell shaped to receive a first tooth; a second shell shaped to receive a second tooth; and at least one spring bellows that includes an arcuate displacement extending over and away from at least a portion of an interproximal region between the first tooth and the second tooth to join the first shell and the second shell. The spring bellows is configured to apply a force between the first shell and the second shell to cause movement of at least one of the first tooth and the second tooth toward a desired position when the removable dental appliance is worn by the patient.