REMOVABLE DENTAL APPLIANCES INCLUDING BENDABLE FLAPS AND ARCUATE MEMBERS

The invention relates to a removable dental appliance comprising an appliance body configured to at least partially surround a plurality of teeth of a patient. The appliance body defines a shell configured to receive a tooth of the plurality of teeth in an initial position and a bendable flap integrally formed with the appliance body to extend from a hinge axis of the shell. The bendable flap defines a boundary region extending from a first end of the hinge axis around the bendable flap to a second end of the hinge axis and including an arcuate member. In one specific embodiment, the arcuate member comprises a spring bellows extending away from a plane of the shell. The bendable flap and the arcuate member are configured to apply a force to the tooth to cause movement of the tooth toward a desired position when the removable dental appliance is worn by the patient.