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Notched pontic and system for fabricating dental appliance for use therewithRelated Patent Categories: Dentistry, Prosthodontics, Tooth ConstructionNotched pontic and system for fabricating dental appliance for use therewith description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060141420, Notched pontic and system for fabricating dental appliance for use therewith. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a U.S. non-provisional application which claims the priority benefit from U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/609,660 filed Sep. 14, 2004. TECHNICAL BACKGROUND [0002] The present invention is a temporary bridge as used with a dental appliance such as a retainer. More particularly, the invention relates to a pontic having a prefabricated channel or slot, such as a lingual channel therein, helping to ensure a secure mechanical lock with the dental appliance. The invention also pertains to a method of fabricating a dental appliance and a kit for facilitating the same. The invention has particular application to removable appliances. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] Dental appliances are used for a multitude of dental operative procedures. For example, a suitable plastic tray can be used in an orthodontic procedure to move teeth, and can also be used in a post-procedure to retain the teeth in the desired position. Such trays are known and are formed from plastic materials such as Essix C+ or ACE, each available from Raintree Essix of Metairie, La. [0004] These trays are often thermoformed over a model of the patient's dentition. If the patient is missing a tooth, then the void in the resulting dental model will cause problems with the subsequent thermoforming operation. Further, because dental appliances such as tooth movement trays and retainers are used with ongoing dental procedures, the patient often cannot benefit from the well established dental procedures for restoring such deficiencies. That is, until the treatment is over, the patient often cannot get a new bridge, crown or other restorative. During the treatment period then, the patient must tolerate the dental deficiency. One solution to helping alleviate the patient's problem has been to provide temporary bridges and the like using appliances known as flippers. A flipper is a temporary artificial tooth that is attached with either a wire or a plastic piece that fits in the roof of the mouth. This is uncomfortable at best although it may be aesthetically acceptable. [0005] Another solution which is adapted for use with removable appliances such as tooth movement trays and retainers has been to affix a temporary crown into the appliance itself in the area of the patient's missing tooth. Thus when the patient wears the appliance, the temporary pontic is positioned in the missing tooth space and appears normal to a casual observer. [0006] Further still it has been the practice to actually affix the pontic to the model of the patient's dentition, such that when the appliance is thermoformed over the model, the pontic is embedded in the resulting appliance. This also helps to overcome the problems associated with trying to thermoform an appliance over a model with a missing tooth. To help secure the pontic to the appliance, it has also been the practice to cut a channel in the pontic to help mechanically lock the pontic into the plastic during thermoforming. Such procedures are time consuming for the dental practitioner. A need exists therefore for a preformed pontic or set of pontics for use as temporary bridges with dental appliances. It should be simple and rapid for the dental practitioner to employ such pontics in the fabrication of the dental appliance. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0007] There is provided according to the invention, a thermoformed dental appliance constructed by making an impression of a patient's dentition, constructing a dental impression cast from said impression, providing a pontic having a notch pre-formed therein and fitting same to the edentulous area of the cast, temporarily adhering the pontic to the cast, thermoforming a plastic sheet over the cast to form the appliance, while allowing the pontic to dislodge from the cast and mechanically lock into the appliance. The pontic may be selected from a plurality of pontics having different color, hue and or brightness characteristics or combinations thereof. The plurality of pontics may also have different sizes and shapes. [0008] There is also provided according to the invention a method of constructing a dental appliance incorporating a pontic, comprising the steps of [0009] a) making an impression of a patient's dentition; [0010] b) constructing a dental impression cast from said impression; [0011] c) providing a pontic having a notch pre-formed therein and fitting same to [0012] the edentulous area of the cast, temporarily adhering the pontic to the cast; thermoforming a plastic sheet over the cast to form the appliance, while allowing the pontic to dislodge from the cast and mechanically lock into the appliance. The pontic may be selected from a plurality of pontics having different color, hue and or brightness characteristics or combinations thereof. The plurality of pontics may also have different sizes and shapes. [0013] Another method according to the invention for manufacturing a pontic comprises the steps of: [0014] a) providing an injection mold having a cavity for forming said pontic; [0015] b) providing notch forming means in associated with said injection mold; injecting thermoplastic into said mold and allowing same to cure, so as to form a pontic having a notch formed therein. A plurality of such pontics may be provided having different color, hue and or brightness characteristics or combinations thereof. The plurality of pontics may also have different sizes and shapes. [0016] According to a still further inventive method, a method of building a dental bridge incorporating a pontic, comprises the steps of: [0017] a) forming a plurality of pontics of various sizes, shapes and colors; [0018] b) forming a mounting notch in each of said pontics in one or more locations on said pontic, providing a variety of pontics having mounting notches formed therein; providing said pontics to a dental caregiver so as to provide said dental caregiver with a greater selection so that the dental caregiver has a greater statistical probability of utilizing a pontic comprising a satisfactory match to the patients teeth, with nominal customization and no notch preparation required. The pontic may be selected from a plurality of pontics having different color, hue and or brightness characteristics or combinations thereof. The plurality of pontics may also have different sizes and shapes. [0019] There is also provided according to the present invention, a kit for fabricating a dental appliance having at least one pontic affixed thereto, comprising a plurality of pontics of various size, shape, color, hue, brightness or combinations thereof; each said pontic of said plurality having a notch in one or more locations thereon. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0020] FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a model of a patient's upper dental arch and having a missing tooth thereon. [0021] FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of a model as in FIG. 1 showing a temporary pontic according to the invention affixed to the model in the area of the patient's missing tooth. [0022] FIG. 3 shows a rear perspective view of the model of FIG. 2, showing the pontic being affixed to the model. [0023] FIG. 4 shows the pontic of FIGS. 2 and 3 embedded and mechanically locked into a plastic tray retainer. [0024] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an exemplary pontic according to the invention. [0025] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of another exemplary pontic according to the invention. PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Continue reading about Notched pontic and system for fabricating dental appliance for use therewith... Full patent description for Notched pontic and system for fabricating dental appliance for use therewith Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Notched pontic and system for fabricating dental appliance for use therewith patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. 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