Invisible orthodontic technology began to enter China in 2001, and has been developing locally for 22 years. With consumers' attention to oral health, the demand for invisible orthodontics shows a trend of substantial growth, and the development of the industry is also ushering in an explosion.
At the same time, the competition in the invisible orthodontic industry has become more intense, and various brands are striving to gain more market share. Unlike ordinary consumer goods, the invisible orthodontic industry has high technical barriers, which means that independent research and development capabilities and innovative technologies are crucial to the success of enterprise development.
Among them, diaphragm material technology is the key supporting technology for invisible orthodontics. The years of development of China's invisible orthodontic industry have actually witnessed the continuous progress of the entire industry's material technology.
The road to innovation and development of invisible orthodontic diaphragm materials
Divided according to the performance of the diaphragm material, the material of the invisible aligner has basically experienced two generations of evolution, which can be defined as 1.0 diaphragm material and 2.0 diaphragm material.
At the beginning of the industry's rise, most products use PC and PETG materials, which have problems such as easy breakage and weak control. They are very primitive invisible orthodontic diaphragm materials. Later, TPU material was introduced into the field of invisible orthodontics. This kind of material has greatly improved in ductility and elasticity. However, this kind of polymer material shows significant mechanical attenuation characteristics after being stressed, and the orthodontic effect is difficult to obtain. Assure. Few products on the market today use 1.0 diaphragm materials.
With the continuous innovation of material technology, the invisible orthodontic industry has entered the era of 2.0 diaphragm materials, which are mainly divided into two types: improved PETG materials and modified TPU materials. Most of the products currently on the market are using 2.0 diaphragm materials. The improved PETG material is coated with a layer of film on the surface of the original PETG material, which not only retains the relatively soft characteristics of PETG, but also reduces the risk of PETG easy to break through the film, and enhances a certain degree of elasticity.
Another type is a modified TPU material, for example, the IPN diaphragm that Meiji will launch in 2022 is this material. IPN is the interpenetrating polymer network structure, which is a network structure formed by the molecular chains of various blended polymers interpenetrating each other, and the polymer molecular chains are cross-linked by chemical bonds.
According to the needs of orthodontic biomechanics, through the selection of raw materials, changing the ratio of components and processing technology, the IPN diaphragm material has developed a polymer material with expected performance, which has better stability, tear resistance, and high recovery. Multiple advantages such as elasticity and tear resistance provide guarantees for the manufactured invisible aligners in terms of coating effect, force application effect, and aesthetic effect.
Focus on innovation, helping invisible orthodontists realize free choice of diaphragm
The breakthrough of polymer materials has brought about the revolutionary changes of Meiji, which is the result of Meiji's efforts in scientific research and innovation for more than 10 years. During this period, the state also approved the production qualification of Meiji as the first TPU dental film manufacturer in China. With the Chinese own diaphragm production line, the research and development of invisible orthodontic products can be realized in a real sense, and it is possible to catch up with international companies in the raw materials of orthodontic diaphragms.
Conventional invisible orthodontics use a uniform diaphragm material to make appliances during the entire correction stage. For tooth movements with different force requirements, it is impossible to achieve more accurate and effective correction effects. At the same time, for invisible orthodontists, the fixed performance of the diaphragm material restricts and constrains the imagination of clinicians to explore the boundaries of digital invisible orthodontic technology.
In order to better empower domestic invisible orthodontic doctors to realize free choice of diaphragms, Midea conducted repeated research and testing on 12 dimensional parameters of self-developed IPN diaphragms, and adopted the experience of domestic digital invisible orthodontic masters in the application of diaphragms In order to meet the needs and needs, the Mars diaphragm library has been established, so that orthodontists can choose soft or hard different diaphragm applications according to different indications and types of malocclusion, and can also choose soft or hard according to different stages of correction for the same indication and malocclusion type. Different membrane applications.
The advent of the Mars diaphragm library has solved this industry problem, breaking through the limitation of a single characteristic of soft or hard invisible orthodontic materials in the past, which not only ensures the effective expression of the correction force, but also realizes the pursuit of invisible orthodontic doctors The diaphragm is free to choose, thereby realizing the comfort sought by users, and truly realizing the customized and precise digital invisible orthodontic effect.
At present, the Mars diaphragm library has begun to be applied to the invisible orthodontic products of Maimi Master Edition and Expert Edition by virtue of the innovative application modes of "smart selection of multiple mechanical performance diaphragms" and "intelligent selection of dual mechanical performance diaphragms". Precise control from diaphragm materials, medical design to production process fully assists invisible orthodontists to provide personalized customization and differentiated services for more and more users in need.
Today, with the rise of a large number of national brands, Mei immediately customized and developed invisible orthodontic diaphragm materials that belonged to the Chinese people based on the dental conditions of the Chinese people, truly put "born for the nation" into practice, and let the Chinese people use it. Its own invisible orthodontic products also bring confidence and beautiful smiles to more Chinese people.