Multiple material dental apparatuses and techniques for making the same

Abstract

Dental apparatuses, such as palatal expanders, and methods of forming them. The dental apparatuses may have multiple regions having different physical characteristics for performing different functions when worn by a patient as part of a dental treatment. The different regions may be made of different materials, or different combinations of materials, based on rigidity, flexibility and/or other physical characteristics. For palatal expanders, the different regions can include a tooth engagement region adapted to engage with the patient's teeth and a palatal region adapted to exert an expansion force across the patient's palate. The different regions may be joined together by a junction or a transition region configured to sufficiently hold adjacent regions together during use.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A palatal expander comprising:
 a palatal region shaped to fit in a patient's upper jaw and apply a translational force across a patient's palate, wherein the palatal region is made of a first polymer material having a rigidity configured to apply the translation force in accordance with a palatal expansion treatment plan;   a tooth engagement region having one or more cavities shaped to accommodate one or more corresponding teeth, wherein the tooth engagement region is made of a second polymer material that is less rigid than the first polymer material; and   a junction coupling the tooth engagement region and the palatal region.   
     
     
         2 . The palatal expander of  claim 1 , wherein the junction includes an adhesive to bond the palatal region with the tooth engagement region. 
     
     
         3 . The palatal expander of  claim 2 , wherein the adhesive chemically bonds the palatal region with the tooth engagement region. 
     
     
         4 . The palatal expander of  claim 2 , wherein one or both of the palatal region and the tooth engagement region includes a textured joining surface that enhances the bond between the palatal region with the tooth engagement region. 
     
     
         5 . The palatal expander of  claim 1 , wherein one or both of the palatal region and the tooth engagement region includes a joining mechanism that mechanically couples the tooth engagement region and the palatal region, the joining mechanism include one or more of a spring-type fastener, a press-fit fastening system, an interlocking system, a V-shaped press fit system, and a slotted feature system. 
     
     
         6 . The palatal expander of  claim 1 , wherein the palatal expander includes two tooth engagement regions each coupled to opposing sides of the palatal region. 
     
     
         7 . The palatal expander of  claim 1 , wherein the palatal expander is adapted to provide a force ranging from about 8 N and 120 N against either side of an upper palate and/or a lingual side of the teeth. 
     
     
         8 . A method of forming a palatal expander, the method comprising:
 forming a palatal region of the palatal expander using a first polymer material having a rigidity sufficient to apply a translation force in accordance with a palatal expansion treatment plan;   forming a tooth engagement region using a second polymer material that is less rigid than the first polymer material, wherein the tooth engagement region includes one or more cavities shaped to accommodate one or more corresponding teeth; and   forming the palatal expander by coupling the tooth engagement region to opposing sides of the palatal region.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , further comprising determining a relative shrinkage factor associated with the first and second polymer materials, and adjusting at least one three-dimensional model for forming the palatal region or the tooth engagement region based on the relative shrinkage factor. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the first polymer material is a composite polymer material including fibers or metal material integrated therein. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein coupling the tooth engagement region to opposing sides of the palatal region includes applying an adhesive to joining surfaces of the palatal region and the tooth engagement region. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein forming the palatal region includes forming a texture on the joining surfaces of the palatal region and the tooth engagement region, wherein the adhesive is applied on the textured joining surfaces. 
     
     
         13 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a set of instructions capable of being executed by a processor, that when executed by the processor causes the processor to perform a method of:
 forming a digital model of a palatal expander including a palatal region and a tooth engagement region;   setting a material of the palatal region to a first polymer material having a rigidity sufficient to apply a translation force to expand a patient's palate in accordance with a palatal expansion treatment plan;   setting a material of the tooth engagement regions to a second polymer material that is less rigid than the first polymer material, wherein the tooth engagement region includes one or more cavities shaped to accommodate one or more corresponding teeth; and   outputting instructions for forming the palatal expander in which the tooth engagement region is joined to the palatal region at a junction.   
     
     
         14 . The medium of  claim 13 , further comprising determining a relative shrinkage factor associated with the first and second polymer materials, and adjusting one or both of the palatal region or the tooth engagement region of the digital model of the palatal expander based on the relative shrinkage factor. 
     
     
         15 . The medium of  claim 13 , wherein setting the first polymer material comprise setting the first polymer material to a composite polymer material including fibers or metal material integrated therein. 
     
     
         16 . The medium of  claim 13 , further comprising determining the junction so that the translation force is distributed over a region of the tooth engagement region. 
     
     
         17 . The medium of  claim 13 , further comprising forming the palatal expander from the instructions by an additive manufacturing technique. 
     
     
         18 . The medium of  claim 13 , further comprising setting a texture on joining surfaces of the palatal region and the tooth engagement region. 
     
     
         19 . A dental device, comprising:
 a first region made of a first polymer material having a first rigidity;   a second region made of a second polymer material having a second rigidity that is less than the first rigidity; and   a transition region coupling the first region and the second region, the transition region including a mixture of the first polymer material and the second polymer material.