US 11,717,384 B2
Dental appliance with eruption tabs
Jon F. Moss, Antioch, CA (US); and Rene M. Sterental, Palo Alto, CA (US)
Assigned to Align Technology, Inc., San Jose, CA (US)
Filed by Align Technology, Inc., San Jose, CA (US)
Filed on Nov. 9, 2018, as Appl. No. 16/186,123.
Application 16/186,123 is a continuation of application No. 15/822,416, filed on Nov. 27, 2017, granted, now 10,123,853, issued on Nov. 13, 2018.
Application 15/822,416 is a continuation of application No. 14/686,369, filed on Apr. 14, 2015, granted, now 9,844,421, issued on Dec. 19, 2017.
Application 14/686,369 is a continuation of application No. 13/018,771, filed on Feb. 1, 2011, granted, now 9,004,915, issued on Apr. 14, 2015.
Application 13/018,771 is a continuation of application No. 11/807,367, filed on May 25, 2007, granted, now 7,878,805, issued on Feb. 1, 2011.
Prior Publication US 2019/0076216 A1, Mar. 14, 2019
Int. Cl. A61C 7/08 (2006.01); A61C 7/00 (2006.01)
CPC A61C 7/08 (2013.01) [A61C 7/002 (2013.01)] 22 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A dental appliance comprising:
a shell of polymeric material configured to implement a stage of a treatment plan, the shell comprising:
a plurality of tooth-receiving cavities having an inner surface that conforms to contours of a plurality of teeth of a first jaw, wherein the inner surface of the tooth-receiving cavities is configured to receive and resiliently reposition at least a portion of the plurality of teeth of the first jaw from an arrangement toward a second arrangement, a posterior tooth-receiving cavity of the plurality of tooth-receiving cavities configured to accept a posterior tooth of the plurality of teeth, wherein the posterior tooth-receiving cavity has side walls configured to extend to at least a gumline of the first jaw on a lingual side and a labial side of the posterior tooth; and
a tab coupled to the posterior tooth-receiving cavity, the tab comprising:
an exterior surface having a contoured surface configured to mate with a contoured surface of an opposing dental appliance on a second jaw opposing the first jaw; and
an interior surface opposite to the exterior surface, the interior surface configured to receive a coronal surface of an erupting tooth and manage eruption of the erupting tooth during the stage of the treatment plan.