Dental appliances with ornamental designs and associated methods

Abstract

Dental appliances having ornamental designs and associated methods are provided. In some embodiments, a method of providing a design on a dental appliance having a geometry configured to receive teeth includes providing the appliance, and altering an appearance of at least a portion of the appliance to provide the design on the appliance.

1 . A method of providing a design on a dental appliance having a geometry configured to receive teeth, the method comprising:
 providing the appliance; and   altering an appearance of at least a portion of the appliance to provide the design on the appliance.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein altering an appearance of at least a portion of the appliance comprises directing an etching device, heat, or other energy to at least a portion of the appliance to alter a material property of the at least a portion of the appliance. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein directing an etching device, heat, or other energy to at least a portion of the appliance comprises creating at least one groove or recess to form the design. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the etching device is a laser or milling tool. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 3 , further comprising filling the at least one groove or recess with colored ink. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein directing an etching device, heat, or other energy to at least a portion of the appliance comprises creating a recessed portion on a surface of the appliance, the recessed portion configured to receive and retain a removable piece of material printed with the design. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein providing the appliance comprises providing the appliance with a recessed portion on a surface of the appliance, the recessed portion configured to receive and retain a removable piece of material printed with the design and wherein altering an appearance of at least a portion of the appliance comprises fitting the removable piece of material printed with the design into the recessed portion. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 providing on a website a selection of images or an ability to upload or create a customized image for use as the design integrated with the dental appliance;   allowing selecting of an image from the selection or uploading of a customized image to the website via a network for use as the design for integration with the dental appliance; and   storing the selected or uploaded image on a server associated with the website.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein altering an appearance of at least a portion of the appliance comprises directing an etching device, heat, or other energy to at least a portion of the appliance to alter a material property of the at least a portion of the appliance to create a design selected or uploaded from the server. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the website is associated with a dentist or orthodontist or a manufacturer of dental appliances. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the customized image can be created on a computer and then uploaded to the website. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the customized image can be scanned using a scanner and uploaded to the website. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the customized image can be created directly on the website. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the design dictates layers used to build the appliance near the design. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein layers create depth to receive the design such that the design is flush with the appliance surface. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein each layer creates depth to accommodate colors desired in the design. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the appliance comprises a plurality of layers, wherein each individual layer is associated with particular color. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein altering the material property comprises removing at least a portion of one layer of material from the appliance to reveal a color associated with an underlying layer of the appliance. 
     
     
         19 . A dental appliance fabricated by the method of  claim 1 . 
     
     
         20 . A method of providing a design on a dental appliance having a geometry configured to receive teeth, the method comprising:
 providing the appliance; and   directing an etching device, heat, or other energy to at least a portion of the appliance to alter a material property of the at least a portion of the appliance to alter an appearance of the at least a portion the appliance.   
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein the design is a label. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein the design is an image. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein the design includes at least one color. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein the dental appliance is an orthodontic appliance having a geometry shaped to receive and reposition teeth from a position to a successive position. 
     
     
         25 . A method of fabricating a dental appliance having an ornamental design thereon, the dental appliance having a geometry shaped to receive teeth, the method comprising:
 forming the appliance from a sheet comprising a plurality of layers; and   directing an etching device, heat, or other energy to at least a portion of the appliance to remove at least one layer of material from the appliance to reveal a portion of a layer of the appliance.   
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein each layer is associated with a particular color and wherein directing an etching device, heat, or other energy to at least a portion of the appliance to remove at least one layer of material from the appliance reveals a color associated with the layer with a portion thereof revealed. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein one of the layers is printed or etched with an ornamental design before being assembled with the other layers. 
     
     
         28 . A method for providing a design on a dental appliance, wherein the appliance has a geometry shaped to receive teeth, the method comprising:
 providing a selection of digital images or an ability to upload or create a customized image for use as the design integrated with the dental appliance;   allowing selecting of an image from the selection or uploading of a customized image for use as the design for integration with the dental appliance; and   storing a selected or uploaded design.   
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein providing a selection of images comprises providing the images on a website and storing the selected or uploaded design comprises storing the design on a server associated with the website. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 29 , further comprising fabricating the dental appliance with the selected or uploaded design integrated thereon by obtaining the selected or uploaded design from the server. 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein the website is associated with a dentist or orthodontist or a manufacturer of dental appliances. 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein the customized image can be created on a computer and then uploaded to the website. 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein the customized image can be scanned using a scanner and uploaded to the website. 
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein the customized image can be created directly on the website. 
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 28 , further comprising fabricating the appliance comprising a plurality of layers, wherein the selected or uploaded design dictates layers used to build the appliance near the design. 
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 35 , wherein layers create a recessed area having a depth to receive the design such that the design is flush with a surface of the appliance. 
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 36 , wherein the design is attached to the appliance in the recessed area. 
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 35 , wherein each layer creates depth to accommodate colors desired in the design. 
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 29 , further comprising fabricating the dental appliance with a recessed area sized and shaped to receive the selected or uploaded design to be attached. 
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 39 , further comprising fabricating the selected or uploaded design to be attached to the appliance. 
     
     
         41 . The method of  claim 40 , further comprising attaching the selected or uploaded design to the recessed area using adhesive.