Dental appliance

Abstract

A method of producing a positioning guide for an orthodontic bracket is provided. The method includes determining and fixing a position of the orthodontic bracket in relation to a side surface of a corresponding tooth of a setup dental model, wherein the setup dental model has a dentition state of the patient's dental arch after orthodontic treatment; forming a rigid guiding structure with a first part covering the outer surface of each orthodontic bracket and a second part covering the occlusal surface of the corresponding tooth; and forming a flexible linking structure to connect the first part and the second part of the rigid guiding structure to obtain the positioning guide for the respective orthodontic bracket, wherein the rigid guiding structure is inflexible and the flexible linking structure is elastic and retains form.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A dental appliance, comprising:
 an orthodontic bracket having a bonding surface for adhering to a tooth of a patient; and   a positioning guide configured to position the orthodontic bracket on the tooth of the patient, wherein the positioning guide comprises:
 a rigid guiding structure including a first part and a second part separated from each other, wherein the first part is configured to cover a part of an outer surface of the orthodontic bracket opposite to the bonding surface, and the second part has a shape matching an occlusal surface of the tooth, and wherein the first part and the second part of the rigid guiding structure are separated, and the first part of the rigid guiding structure does not extend to engage an undercut of the orthodontic bracket; 
 a flexible linking structure configured to connect the first part and the second part of the rigid guiding structure, wherein the flexible linking structure fills a gap between the first part of the rigid guiding structure and a side of the orthodontic bracket on a first side, and the second part of the rigid guiding structure on a second side, wherein the flexible linking structure also does not extend to engage an undercut of the orthodontic bracket, wherein the rigid guiding structure is inflexible and the flexible linking structure is elastic and retains form, and wherein the rigid guiding structure is harder than the flexible linking structure; and 
 a rigid linking structure adjacent to the flexible linking structure to connect the first part and the second part of the rigid guiding structure, wherein the rigid linking structure is harder than the flexible linking structure. 
   
     
     
         2 . The dental appliance as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the second part of the rigid guiding structure includes a handle portion having a greater thickness than other portions of the second part. 
     
     
         3 . The dental appliance as claimed in  claim 2 , further comprising a plurality of the orthodontic brackets, a plurality of the positioning guides, and at least one holding part configured to integrate a number of the adjacent positioning guides at the handle portions of the plurality of the positioning guides. 
     
     
         4 . The dental appliance as claimed in  claim 3 , wherein the at least one holding part and the rigid guiding structure comprise a same material. 
     
     
         5 . The dental appliance as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the rigid guiding structure comprises a photopolymerizable material. 
     
     
         6 . The dental appliance as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein the photopolymerizable material of the rigid guiding structure comprises dental tray resin. 
     
     
         7 . The dental appliance as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the flexible linking structure comprises a photopolymerizable material. 
     
     
         8 . The dental appliance as claimed in  claim 7 , wherein the photopolymerizable material of the flexible linking structure comprises ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) resin. 
     
     
         9 . The dental appliance as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the flexible linking structure is formed to contact with a side surface of the tooth. 
     
     
         10 . The dental appliance as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the rigid linking structure and the rigid guiding structure comprise a same material. 
     
     
         11 . The dental appliance as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the first part of the rigid guiding structure does not extend into an archwire groove on the outer surface of the orthodontic bracket. 
     
     
         12 . The dental appliance as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein the handle portion has a circular cross-section.