Dental Impression Tray System with Removable Tooth Portions
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing process for creating dentures is time-consuming, costly, and requires multiple patient visits due to the complexity of generating preliminary and master impressions, followed by multiple steps involving wax mockups and acrylic replacements.
Innovation Solution
A dental impression tray system that includes top and bottom trays with adjustable troughs and removable teeth portions, allowing for direct digital manufacturing of dentures by taking impressions and supporting a restorative bite, eliminating the need for wax mockups and acrylic replacements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional multi-step denture manufacturing process is used, then comprehensive patient assessment and adjustment are achieved, but the number of patient visits and time required increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple traditional denture manufacturing steps into a single integrated digital workflow. The intraoral scanner captures both impression data and bite registration in one scan, merging functions that traditionally required separate visits and materials into a unified digital model that can be manufactured directly.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary digital planning and visualization before manufacturing, allowing patients to approve the digital denture design before fabrication. This preliminary digital assessment replaces traditional wax mocks and allows adjustments to be made in the digital domain, preventing the need for multiple revision visits.
2Manufacturing precision
If traditional impression and wax mockup process is used, then detailed patient anatomy and bite are captured, but material cost and process complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical impression-taking materials (alginate, PVS) and physical wax mockups with an optical scanning system. The intraoral scanner uses light to capture three-dimensional anatomy and bite relationships, eliminating the need for traditional impression compounds and wax materials while achieving equal or superior measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The intraoral scanner serves multiple functions that traditionally required separate tools and materials. It simultaneously captures impression data, bite registration, and anatomical surface details in a single device and workflow, reducing both material variety and process complexity.
3Reliability
If multiple adjustment visits are scheduled, then denture fit and patient comfort are optimized, but patient convenience and practice efficiency decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates digital feedback loops where the intraoral scanner can quickly capture and analyze denture fit issues during a single visit. Any adjustments needed can be identified and corrected digitally or physically within the same appointment, using real-time digital comparisons between the manufactured denture and the original scan data.
Data Source
AI summary
A dental tray impression system, including at least one of a top denture and a bottom denture, and methods of use thereof. A top denture may include (a) a top dental impression tray including an upper trough on a palatal side and configured such that the upper trough fits adjacent to a top alveolar ridge of a patient's mouth and (b) a top tooth portion configured to removably attach to a cavity side of an anterior end of the top dental impression tray. A bottom denture may include (a) a bottom dental impression tray comprising a lower trough on a mandibular side and configured such that the lower trough fits adjacent to a bottom alveolar ridge of the patient's mouth and (b) a bottom tooth portion configured to removably attach to the cavity side of the anterior end of the bottom dental impression tray.