3D-printed orthodontic splint made of crosslinked polymers

1. A method for producing an orthodontic aligner, comprising:

i) selecting a crosslinkable resin; and

ii) shaping the aligner by crosslinking the crosslinkable resin to form a crosslinked polymer,

wherein selecting the crosslinkable resin includes a criterion that a crosslinked polymer obtained after crosslinking of the crosslinkable resin has a glass transition temperature Tg, determined by dynamic mechanical analysis at a frequency of 1/s DMA as peak tan δ, of 25° C. and ≤60° C., an elasticity modulus, determined by dynamic mechanical analysis as storage modulus E′ at a frequency of 1/s at 35° C., of ≥500 MPa and ≤4000 MPa, and a loss factor tan δ, determined by dynamic mechanical analysis at a frequency of 1/s at 35° C., of ≥0.08,

wherein the crosslinkable resin comprises a first monomer and a second monomer, said first monomer being a (meth)acrylic monomer whose homopolymer has a glass transition temperature, determined by dynamic mechanical analysis at a frequency of 1/s as peak tan δ, of ≤0° C., and said second monomer being a (meth)acrylic or styrenic monomer whose homopolymer has a glass transition temperature, determined by dynamic mechanical analysis at a frequency of 1/s as peak tan δ, of ≥60° C., and where the first monomer is present in a fraction of ≥5 to ≤40 weight %, based on a total weight of the resin, and the second monomer is present in a fraction of ≥20 to ≤80 weight %, based on the total weight of the resin.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the aligner is shaped by crosslinking the crosslinkable resin in a casting mold corresponding to the aligner.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the aligner is shaped via an additive manufacturing method.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the crosslinkable resin has free isocyanate groups, measured by 13C NMR, in a concentration ≥1 wt %, based on a total weight of the crosslinkable resin.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the crosslinkable resin has free alcohol groups, measured by 13C NMR, in a concentration ≥0.5 wt %, based on a total weight of the crosslinkable resin.

6. An orthodontic aligner, comprising

a crosslinked polymer having a glass transition temperature Tg, determined by dynamic mechanical analysis at a frequency of 1/s as peak tan δ, of ≥25° C. and ≤60° C., an elasticity modulus, determined by dynamic mechanical analysis as storage modulus E′ at a frequency of 1/s at 35° C., of ≥500 MPa and ≤4000 MPa, and a loss factor tan δ, determined by dynamic mechanical analysis at a frequency of 1/s at 35° C., of 0.08,

wherein the crosslinked polymer is a copolymer which comprises units based on a first monomer and a second monomer, said first monomer being a (meth)acrylic monomer whose homopolymer has a glass transition temperature, determined by dynamic mechanical analysis at a frequency of 1/s as peak tan δ, of ≤0° C., and said second monomer being a (meth)acrylic or styrenic monomer whose homopolymer has a glass transition temperature, determined by dynamic mechanical analysis at a frequency of 1/s as peak tan δ, of ≥60° C., and where units based on the first monomer are present in a fraction of ≥5 to ≤40 weight %, based on a total weight of the crosslinked polymer, and units based on the second monomer are present in a fraction of ≥20 to ≤80 weight %, based on the total weight of the crosslinked polymer, wherein the crosslinked polymer is obtained from a resin comprising:

15-20 weight % of a urethane (meth)acrylate containing isocyanurate groups,

1-5 weight % of alkanediol di(meth)acrylate,

20-30 weight % of monofunctional (meth)acrylate whose resultant homopolymer has a glass transition temperature of ≤0° C.;

50-60 weight % of monofunctional (meth)acrylate whose resultant homopolymer has a glass transition temperature of ≥60° C., each on the basis of the total weight of the resin.

7. The orthodontic aligner as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the crosslinked polymer has an isocyanurate fraction, ascertained via 13C NMR, of ≥3%.

8. The orthodontic aligner as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the crosslinked polymer has a refractive index, measured with an Abbe refractometer, of ≥1.48 RI and ≤1.58 RI.

9. The orthodontic aligner as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the crosslinked polymer has a mean network arc length according to Flory and Huggins of ≥300 g/mol and ≤5000 g/mol.

10. The orthodontic aligner as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the crosslinked polymer is a transparent polymer having a light transmittance, measured in a UV-VIS spectrometer on a sample with a thickness of 1 mm in a wavelength range of 400-800 nm, of ≥50%.

11. The orthodontic aligner as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the crosslinked polymer is a transparent polymer comprising polyurethanes and/or polysilicones and has an Abbe number of ≥20.

12. An orthodontic aligner, comprising

a crosslinked polymer having a glass transition temperature Tg, determined by dynamic mechanical analysis at a frequency of 1/s as peak tan δ, of ≥25° C. and ≤60° C., an elasticity modulus, determined by dynamic mechanical analysis as storage modulus E′ at a frequency of 1/s at 35° C., of ≥500 MPa and ≤4000 MPa, and a loss factor tan δ, determined by dynamic mechanical analysis at a frequency of 1/s at 35° C., of 0.08,

wherein the crosslinked polymer is a copolymer which comprises units based on a first monomer and a second monomer, said first monomer being a (meth)acrylic monomer whose homopolymer has a glass transition temperature, determined by dynamic mechanical analysis at a frequency of 1/s as peak tan δ, of ≤0° C., and said second monomer being a (meth)acrylic or styrenic monomer whose homopolymer has a glass transition temperature, determined by dynamic mechanical analysis at a frequency of 1/s as peak tan δ, of ≥60° C., and where units based on the first monomer are present in a fraction of ≥5 to ≤40 weight %, based on a total weight of the crosslinked polymer, and units based on the second monomer are present in a fraction of ≥20 to ≤80 weight %, based on the total weight of the crosslinked polymer, wherein the crosslinked polymer is obtained from a resin comprising:

10-15 weight % of a urethane (meth)acrylate containing isocyanurate groups,

5-10 weight % of monofunctional methacrylate of a terpene alcohol,

20-35 weight % of monofunctional (meth)acrylate whose resultant homopolymer has a glass transition temperature of ≤0° C.;

55-60 weight % of monofunctional (meth)acrylate whose resultant homopolymer has a glass transition temperature of ≥60° C., each on the basis of the total weight of the resin.

13. The orthodontic aligner as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the crosslinked polymer has an isocyanurate fraction, ascertained via 13C NMR, of ≥3%.

14. The orthodontic aligner as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the crosslinked polymer has a refractive index, measured with an Abbe refractometer, of ≥1.48 RI and ≤1.58 RI.

15. The orthodontic aligner as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the crosslinked polymer has a mean network arc length according to Flory and Huggins of ≥300 g/mol and ≤5000 g/mol.

16. The orthodontic aligner as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the crosslinked polymer is a transparent polymer having a light transmittance, measured in a UV-VIS spectrometer on a sample with a thickness of 1 mm in a wavelength range of 400-800 nm, of ≥50%.

17. The orthodontic aligner as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the crosslinked polymer is a transparent polymer comprising polyurethanes and/or polysilicones and has an Abbe number of ≥20.