BONDABLE ORTHODONTIC ASSEMBLIES AND METHODS FOR BONDING
Orthodontic appliances, methods of preparing and seating said orthodontic appliances, and kits including said orthodontic appliances are described.
1 . An orthodontic appliance comprising:
a base; and
an hardenable adhesive layer disposed on the base,
the adhesive layer comprising a first region and a second region,
the first region comprising a high-viscosity adhesive composition characterized by having a viscosity of about 10 Pa·s to about 1,500,000 Pa·s at a shear rate of 1 s −1 , and
the second region comprising a low-viscosity adhesive composition characterized by having a viscosity of about 0.1 Pa·s to about 100 Pa·s at a shear rate of 1 s −1 ,
wherein the first region is at least partly surrounded by the second region,
wherein the first region and the second region are configured to contact a tooth surface, and
wherein the viscosity of the high-viscosity adhesive composition is greater than the viscosity of the low-viscosity adhesive composition.
2 . The orthodontic appliance of claim 1 , wherein the high-viscosity adhesive composition does not extend beyond the base by more than 0.2 mm when the hardenable adhesive layer is compressed against the tooth surface.
3 . The orthodontic appliance of claim 1 , wherein the high-viscosity adhesive composition comprises a filler present in an amount of about 50 to about 86 wt % with respect to the weight of the high-viscosity adhesive.
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7 . The orthodontic appliance of claim 1 , wherein one or more of:
the high-viscosity adhesive composition is characterized by a static yield stress at 28° C. of at least 7000 dynes/cm 2 ; and
the low-viscosity adhesive composition is characterized by a flow where the difference of the thicknesses of the adhesive composition at the top and at the bottom is less than about 15%, as determined by the Vertical Flow Test.
8 . The orthodontic appliance of claim 1 , wherein the high-viscosity adhesive composition has a thickness of about 0.38 mm to about 1.2 mm.
9 . The orthodontic appliance of claim 1 , wherein the hardenable adhesive layer is in a shape representing a gaussian curve, a triangle, or trapezoid when viewed from a cross-sectional side view of the base.
10 . The orthodontic appliance of claim 1 , wherein the high-viscosity adhesive composition is in the shape representing a circle, a polygon, or a quadrilateral when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the base.
11 . The orthodontic appliance of claim 1 , wherein the high-viscosity adhesive composition has a volume that is about 40 percent to about 85 percent of the volume of the hardenable adhesive layer.
12 . The orthodontic appliance of claim 1 , wherein the high-viscosity adhesive composition extends over about 20 percent to about 50 percent of the total area of the base.
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14 . The orthodontic appliance of claim 1 , wherein the low-viscosity adhesive composition has a filler loading of about 0 to about 50 wt %.
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17 . The orthodontic appliance of claim 1 , wherein the low-viscosity adhesive composition has a thickness of about 0.06 mm to about 0.16 mm.
18 . The orthodontic appliance of claim 1 , wherein the low-viscosity adhesive composition is in the shape of an annulus or rectangular annulus when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the base.
19 . The orthodontic appliance of claim 1 , wherein the low-viscosity adhesive composition extends over about 50 percent to about 80 percent of the total area of the base.
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21 . The orthodontic appliance of claim 1 , wherein one or more of:
the high-viscosity adhesive composition is characterized by a viscosity of about 100 Pa·s to about 13,000 Pa·s at a shear rate of 1 s −1 ; and
the low-viscosity adhesive composition is characterized by a viscosity of about 0.1 Pa·s to about 10 Pa·s at a shear rate of 1 s −1 .
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23 . The orthodontic appliance of claim 1 , wherein the high-viscosity adhesive composition and the low-viscosity adhesive composition differ in viscosity by at least 10-fold.
24 . The orthodontic appliance of claim 1 , wherein the high-viscosity adhesive composition has a maximum thickness that is greater than an average thickness of the low-viscosity adhesive composition.
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26 . The orthodontic appliance of claim 1 , being void of a compressible mat.
27 . A method for seating an orthodontic appliance to a tooth surface, the method comprising:
providing an orthodontic appliance of claim 1 ;
contacting the orthodontic appliance to the tooth surface;
applying pressure to the orthodontic appliance such that the hardenable adhesive layer compresses against the tooth surface; and
hardening the hardenable adhesive layer to form a hardened adhesive.
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38 . A kit comprising:
an orthodontic appliance of claim 1 ; and
a set of instructions directing a user to seat the orthodontic appliance to a tooth surface; or
a base;
a receptacle comprising a high-viscosity adhesive composition therein;
a receptacle comprising a low-viscosity adhesive composition therein; and
a set of instructions directing a user to prepare the orthodontic appliance.
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41 . A method of preparing an orthodontic appliance of claim 1 , the method comprising:
providing a base; and
forming a hardenable adhesive layer on the base, the forming comprising:
applying a high-viscosity adhesive composition to the base at a first region, and
applying a low-viscosity adhesive composition to the base at a second region,
wherein the first region is at least partly surrounded by the second region.
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