Reusable Dual Arch Dental Impression Tray with Segmented Insert
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current dual-arch dental impression trays lack stability due to their construction material and design, leading to imperfect impressions and prostheses.
Innovation Solution
A dual-arch anterior dental impression tray with a C-shaped mouthpiece and a mesh material insert, featuring a concave surface with a groove and connectors, provides enhanced anatomical fit, stability, and accurate impressions by preventing distortion and movement of the impression material.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional dual-arch trays are used, then they can take impressions of both upper and lower arches simultaneously, but they lack stability due to construction material and design
Solution Approach 1:
The tray is divided into a reusable rigid C-shaped mouthpiece and a separate single-use insert containing the impression material. This segmentation allows the rigid structure to provide stability while the disposable insert ensures hygiene and reduces complexity of cleaning and maintenance.
Solution Approach 2:
The tray combines a rigid C-shaped mouthpiece (providing structural stability) with a separate insert containing impression material (providing functional capability). This composite structure resolves the contradiction by combining materials with different properties to achieve both stability and ease of use.
2Ease of operation
If the tray design allows easy removal from the mouth, then it improves ease of operation, but it may compromise the stability required for perfect impressions
Solution Approach 1:
The tray design incorporates dynamic elements such as the removable insert and the C-shaped structure that allows for easy insertion and removal. The rigid mouthpiece provides stability during the impression-taking process, while the overall design enables easy operation for the patient.
3Measurement precision
If more impression material is used to ensure complete coverage, then measurement precision improves, but material cost and waste increase
Solution Approach 1:
The insert is designed as a thin-walled structure that efficiently contains the impression material. This design maximizes the coverage area while minimizing the volume of material required, thus improving measurement precision without proportionally increasing material consumption.
4Reliability
If the tray structure is made more complex to improve stability, then reliability improves, but manufacturing cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the tray into a simple rigid mouthpiece and a separate insert, the manufacturing complexity of each component is reduced. The mouthpiece can be manufactured as a simple C-shaped structure, while the insert can be produced using standard molding techniques, overall simplifying the manufacturing process while maintaining stability.
Data Source
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Figure 4~6
AI summary
The present invention provides a dual arch anterior dental impression tray including a generally opened C-shaped mouthpiece (10) and an insert (12). The mouthpiece (10) having a front side (16), a back side (18), an upper rim (38), a lower rim (42), a left end and a right end, the back side (18) having a concave surface (26) extending from the left end to the right end, the concave surface (26) including a generally longitudinally extending curved groove (28), the left end and right end each include a connector. The insert (12) including a front portion (48) having a curved frame (52), the curved frame (52) includes a left end and a right end, the curved frame (52) is adapted to fit snugly into the curved groove (28), the insert (12) includes a mesh material extending from and within an area defined by the curved frame (52), the curved frame left end and right end each include a connector, wherein the insert left connector is adapted to connect with the mouthpiece left connector and the insert right connector is adapted to connect with the mouthpiece right connector.