Systems and methods for fabricating dental appliances or shells
Systems and methods are disclosed for cutting and trimming dental molds and oral appliances by receiving a digital model of teeth, determining a cutting loop path and applying a drape wall to the cutting loop to generate a simplified tooth base in a dental mold having an inner arch curve and an outer arch curve. The oral appliance may be formed on the dental mold and a cutter may be applied using a sweeping motion across the inner and outer arch curves.
1. A computer-implemented method of forming an oral appliance, comprising:
receiving a digital model of a patient's dentition;
calculating or digitally placing one or more markers along surfaces of teeth and gums on the digital model;
calculating a cutting path between the one or more markers on the digital model for determining a path for trimming a mold replicating the patient's dentition;
applying a drape wall to extend away from the cutting path and away from the teeth on the digital model to reduce a complexity of the digital model;
determining a position of a cutting instrument relative to the mold for trimming the mold; and
generating a computer numerical control code based on the drape wall and position of the cutting instrument.
2. The method of claim 1 further comprising fabricating the mold based on the generated computer numerical control code.
3. The method of claim 2 further comprising thermal forming an oral appliance upon the mold.
4. The method of claim 2 further comprising securing the mold to a platform prior to trimming the mold.
5. The method of claim 4 further comprising securing the mold and platform upon one or more stages.
6. The method of claim 4 further comprising rotating the mold relative to a cutting instrument.
7. The method of claim 4 further comprising rotating the cutting instrument relative to the mold.
8. The method of claim 1 wherein applying the drape wall comprises identifying the cutting path and replacing a volume below the cutting path with a base region.
9. The method of claim 1 wherein the drape wall comprises a base region having straightened lines.
10. The method of claim 1 wherein the drape wall comprises a base region having a tapered surface.
11. The method of claim 1 wherein applying a drape wall comprises limiting a height of the drape wall to avoid stretching an oral appliance formed upon the mold.