Adjustable Dental Impression Tray with Adaptive Lock

Abstract

An improved dental impression tray system provides a way to accommodate multiple arch sizes by incorporating a plurality of arch accommodating markers (AAM) and adaptive locking Mechanisms (ALM) into one adaptive dental impression tray (ADIT). Upon trying in an impression tray for a patient, the size of the ADIT can be adjusted by removing one or more AAMs and securely affixing the male ALM (hereafter mALM) into the female ALM (hereafter fALM) until a customized sized tray is configured which best fits the patient's anatomy. This novel arch accommodating and adaptive locking mechanism allows the operator to customize one tray to ideally fit each patient in a manner which, among other benefits, reduces time, cross-contamination, waste, expense, improves the accuracy of the intended impression and reduces patient discomfort because the ALM protects the patient from any rough or sharp edges. Additionally, the ADIT can be manufactured in various manners such as but not limited to: for disposable / single-use or sterilizeable / multiple use, can be made of one piece or multiple interlocking pieces, and can be designed to accommodate single-arch / open mouth impressions or dual-arch / closed bit impressions.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE[0001]This patent application claims the benefit of provisional patent application 62 / 103,514, titled Adjustable Dental Impression Tray with Adaptive Lock, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]In the field of dentistry, a dental impression is a negative imprint of hard and soft tissues (teeth and gums, generally) in the mouth from which a positive reproduction of a cast or mould can be formed. The present invention allows dental professionals to more efficiently create positive reproductions from negative imprints of single and double arch dental impressions, and from these positive reproductions, create base models, in fewer steps than are currently used in the profession, and with less waste.DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART[0003]The current state of the art for taking dental impressions with impression material requires an impression tray that best accommodates each patient's individual intra-oral anatomy. Dental impres...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The invention helps dental professionals save time, money, and material costs by improving the process of taking dental impressions. This allows them to be more efficient and productive on other dental procedures in the office.

Problems solved by technology

These rough / sharp edges due to the can injure the patient or cause the patient to move during the impression taking process as the rough / sharp edge can contact the patient's soft tissue and cause pain.Also, the removal of the arch length segments can cause the impression tray to distort which can negatively impact the impression and subsequent treatment.

Each tray that was not used either had to be sterilized and restocked or discarded; each of which costs time and money.

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