Modular Dental Impression Tray with Thermoplastic Base
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Solution Overview
Problem
Dental practitioners face challenges with ready-made impression trays due to the risk of patient injury, the need for multiple spoons of varying shapes and sizes, and the labor- and cost-intensive process of stocking, sterilizing, and maintaining these trays, which can lead to inefficiencies and suboptimal patient care.
Innovation Solution
A modular dental impression tray system that allows for individual adaptation to the patient's jaw using a universal base tray and connectable components, made from thermoplastic material that can be heated and molded in the mouth, with a spacer layer ensuring precise impressions and minimizing material usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple prefabricated trays of varying shapes and sizes are kept in stock to address individual patient needs, then adaptability to different jaw situations is improved, but device complexity and inventory requirements worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The impression tray is divided into a base tray and multiple detachable additional parts that can be selectively connected. The base tray serves as a universal foundation that can be adapted to different jaw situations by attaching appropriate additional parts, eliminating the need to maintain multiple complete tray variants in inventory.
Solution Approach 2:
The base tray is designed as a universal component that can serve multiple functions by combining with different additional parts. This single universal base tray replaces the need for multiple specialized trays, allowing practitioners to address various patient needs through modular assembly rather than maintaining a large inventory of different tray types.
2Reliability
If a large number of trays are kept in stock to ensure availability, then patient treatment availability is improved, but storage space requirements and overhead costs worsen
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the tray system into a universal base and modular additional parts, the inventory requirement shifts from storing many complete trays to storing one universal base tray and a limited set of additional parts. This segmentation dramatically reduces the storage space needed in treatment rooms while ensuring tray availability for various patient situations.
Solution Approach 2:
The universal base tray serves as a multi-functional platform that can be configured for different patient needs through selective attachment of additional parts. This universality eliminates the need to stock multiple specialized trays, reducing storage space requirements while maintaining reliability of having the appropriate tray configuration available.
3Manufacturing precision
If prefabricated trays are used with adhesive coatings for better bonding, then impression quality is improved, but cleaning and sterilization time and cost worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The adhesive coating function is extracted from the permanent tray structure and applied only to the specific additional parts that contact the impression material. This allows the adhesive to be present where needed for bonding while minimizing the total amount of adhesive that requires removal during cleaning, thereby reducing cleaning and sterilization time.
Solution Approach 2:
The additional parts with adhesive coatings can be designed as disposable or easily replaceable components. After use, these parts can be discarded or quickly replaced rather than undergoing extensive cleaning and sterilization processes, significantly reducing the time and cost associated with maintaining the impression tray system.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This system reduces the number of trays needed, enhances adaptability and comfort for patients, minimizes material usage, and simplifies the process of creating impressions, reducing the need for multiple spoons and laboratory visits, while ensuring precise fits and cost-effectiveness.
Implementation Method 1
the impression tray has a base tray (12) made essentially of a thermoplastic material which, when heated, becomes deformable and can mold to the shape of a patient's mouth
Implementation Method 2
when heated, becomes deformable and can mold to the shape of a patient's mouth
Data Source
Figure 1a~5
Figure 6a~8b
Figure 9a~9d
AI summary
The invention relates to a dental impression tray (10) which can be assembled from multiple interconnectable parts in a modular system and thus can be adapted individually to the patient's jaw configuration. Preferably, a universal base tray (12) with insertable additional parts (14, 16) is provided for both lower jaw as well as upper jaw impressions. A further adaptation can be carried out by means of the elongation parts and by shortening the parts using specified markings or predetermined breaking points (32, 34). In a particularly preferable manner, the impression tray (10) consists of a thermoplastic material which can be heated and molded more precisely onto the respective jaw geometry within the patient's mouth.