Methods of forming dental positioning appliances

Abstract

Methods of forming dental positioning appliances, such as removable mesh dental appliances. Methods may include forming one or more dies based on a digital three-dimensional model of one or more teeth. Methods may include applying a mesh material onto one or more dies having a three-dimensional shape corresponding to one or more teeth and shaping the mesh material via interaction with the one or more dies to conform to one or more surfaces of one or more teeth. The mesh material may be shaped to conform to an inside, an outside, and/or a biting surface of one or more teeth. The methods may include encapsulating the shaped mesh material into a polymer shell to form a dental positioning appliance.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of forming a removable mesh dental positioning appliance, the method comprising:
 forming one or more dies based upon a machine-readable three-dimensional model of at least one physical tooth;   applying a material onto at least one of the dies, wherein the material includes one or more portions oriented in a first direction and one or more portions oriented in a second direction, wherein the one or more portions oriented in the first direction and the one or more portions oriented in the second direction cross one another; and   shaping the material via interaction with each of the dies to form a mesh dental positioning appliance conforming to an inside, outside, and biting surface of the at least one physical tooth.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein applying the material includes applying a coating to at least a portion of the appliance. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the coating is a polymeric material. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein applying the material includes applying at least one wire. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein shaping the material includes pressing the material between at least two of the dies. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein forming one or more dies includes forming at least one die from at least one material selected from the group including: metallic and ceramic materials. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the method includes heating the material to change the material into a shape memory material. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein shaping the material includes bending the material into contact with at least one of the dies. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the method includes incorporating a shell into the dental positioning appliance. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the material is applied onto a portion of the at least one of the dies corresponding one or more first cavities of the mesh dental positioning appliance, the one or more first cavities shaped to conform to and resiliently apply a repositioning force on one or more teeth for repositioning. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein one or more second cavities of the mesh dental positioning appliance are shaped to fit over one or more anchoring teeth. 
     
     
         12 . A method of forming a removable dental positioning appliance, the method comprising:
 forming one or more dies based on a digital three-dimensional model of the one or more teeth;   applying a mesh material onto the one or more dies; and   shaping the mesh material via interaction with the one or more dies to form the removable dental positioning appliance conforming to one or more of an inside, an outside, and a biting surface of the one or more teeth.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the mesh material has a carrier material attached thereto when applying the mesh material onto the one or more dies. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein forming the one or more dies includes forming multiple dies that cooperate to shape the mesh material in accordance with the one or more teeth. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising encapsulating the shaped mesh material into a polymer shell. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the mesh material is formed as a one or more first cavities of the removable dental positioning appliance, and wherein one or more second cavities of the removable dental positioning appliance do not include the mesh material. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the mesh material is made of a shape memory material. 
     
     
         18 . A method of forming a removable dental positioning appliance, the method comprising:
 applying a mesh material onto one or more dies having a three-dimensional shape corresponding to one or more teeth;   shaping the mesh material via interaction with the one or more dies to conform to one or more of an inside, an outside, and a biting surface of the one or more teeth; and   encapsulating the shaped mesh material into a polymer shell to form the removable dental positioning appliance.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising forming one or more dies based on a digital three-dimensional model of the one or more teeth. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein forming the one or more dies includes forming multiple dies that cooperate to shape the mesh material in accordance with the one or more teeth.