Alternative bite adjustment structures

Abstract

A series of appliances including a first appliance and a second appliance. The first appliance can be configured to receive at least one tooth of a first jaw and have a first number of bite adjustment structures extending from the lingual surface of the first appliance. The first number of bite adjustment structures can have a first shape and location specific to a first stage of the treatment plan. The second appliance can be configured to receive at least one tooth of the second jaw, have a second number of bite adjustment structures extending from the second appliance and be designed to make contact with the first number of bite adjustment structures.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A non-transitory computing device readable medium having instructions stored thereon that are executable by a processor to cause a computing device to:
 determine whether a first number of virtual bite adjustment structures positioned on a surface of a corresponding number of virtual teeth of a virtual model of a first jaw result in ineffective positioning or orientation between the corresponding number of virtual teeth of the first jaw and a number of virtual teeth of a virtual model of a second jaw of the virtual model;   wherein, if there is ineffective positioning or orientation, determine what one or more factors of a number of factors indicate the ineffective positioning, then:
 adjust at least one of the position or orientation of the first number of virtual bite adjustment structures on the corresponding number of virtual teeth of the virtual model of the first jaw based on the one or more factors that indicate the ineffective positioning or orientation; and 
 provide the adjusted virtual model of the first jaw to a fabrication device for fabrication of a physical model corresponding to the first jaw for formation of a first appliance thereover such that the first appliance inherits a shape of the first number of virtual bite adjustment structures. 
   
     
     
         2 . The medium of  claim 1 , wherein the instructions to adjust the position of the first number of virtual bite adjustment structures comprise instructions to change a shape and an affixing location of the first number of virtual bite adjustment structures on the corresponding number of virtual teeth of the virtual model of the first jaw. 
     
     
         3 . The medium of  claim 1 , further including instructions to position the first number of virtual bite adjustment structures on the corresponding number of canine teeth of the virtual model of the first jaw. 
     
     
         4 . The medium of  claim 1 , further including instructions to:
 position a second number of virtual bite adjustment structures on a number of virtual teeth of a virtual model of the second jaw according to the determination that there is ineffective alignment between the corresponding number of virtual teeth of the first virtual model of the first jaw and the number of virtual teeth of the virtual model of the second jaw; and   provide the second virtual model of the second jaw to the fabrication device for fabrication of physical model corresponding to the second jaw for formation of a second appliance thereover such that the second appliance inherits a shape of the second number of virtual bite adjustment structures.   
     
     
         5 . The medium of  claim 1 , further including instructions to:
 adjust the position of the number of first virtual bite adjustment structures on the corresponding number of virtual teeth of the virtual model of the first jaw at a second stage of a treatment plan that is incremented in stages according to changes to the virtual model of the first jaw between a first stage of the treatment plan and the second stage of the treatment plan; and   provide the virtual model of the first jaw to the fabrication device for fabrication of physical model corresponding to the first jaw at the first and the second stages of the treatment plan for formation of a first appliance from the first stage and a second appliance from the second stage such that the first appliance inherits a shape of the first number of virtual bite adjustment structures.   
     
     
         6 . The medium of  claim 1 , wherein the instructions to position the first number of virtual bite adjustment structures incorporate a result of instructions to model a first number of forces used to reposition the corresponding number of virtual teeth a first distance according to a first stage of a treatment plan that is incremented in stages. 
     
     
         7 . A method, comprising:
 determining whether a first number of virtual bite adjustment structures positioned on a lingual surface of a corresponding number of virtual teeth of a virtual model of a first jaw result in ineffective positioning or orientation between the corresponding number of virtual teeth of the first jaw and a number of virtual teeth of a virtual model of a second jaw of the virtual model;   wherein, if there is ineffective positioning or orientation, determining what one or more factors of a number of factors that indicate the ineffective positioning, then:
 adjusting at least one of the position or orientation of the first number of virtual bite adjustment structures on the corresponding number of virtual teeth of the virtual model of the first jaw based on the one or more factors that indicate the ineffective positioning or orientation; 
 positioning a second number of virtual bite adjustment structures on a number of virtual teeth of the virtual model of a second jaw, extending therefrom and designed to make contact with the first number of virtual bite adjustment structures; 
 providing the adjusted virtual model of the first jaw to a fabrication device for fabrication of a physical model corresponding to the first jaw for formation of a first appliance thereover such that the first appliance inherits a shape of the first number of virtual bite adjustment structures; and 
 providing the virtual model of the second jaw to a fabrication device for fabrication of a physical model corresponding to the second jaw for formation of a second appliance thereover such that the second appliance inherits a shape of the second number of virtual bite adjustment structures. 
   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the shape of the first number of virtual bite adjustment structures and the shape of the second number of virtual bite adjustment structures provide the same interference on the left side and the right side of the first and second jaw resulting in disocclusion between the first jaw and the second jaw. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the shape of the first number of virtual bite adjustment structures and the shape of the second number of virtual bite adjustment structures provide different interference on the left side and the right side of the first and second jaw to adjust jaw positioning.