Method of making a transfer tray
Assignee3M Innovative Properties Company
InventorsRalf M. Paehl, Dietmar Blees
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of making a transfer tray includes providing a physical mockup having a shape that corresponds to a positive shape of a patient's dental arch and a positive shape of one or more bracket analogs. A transfer tray may be formed over the physical mockup, with the transfer tray representing a negative replica of at least a portion of the mockup. One or more receptacles are accordingly formed in the ray, each receptacle approximating a least a portion of the shape of a bracket analog. A bracket associated with a bracket analog is placed into a receptacle of the one or more receptacles and a filler material is introduced into at least one receptacle.
Claims10
A method of making a transfer tray, comprising the steps of:
- providing a physical mockup having a shape that corresponds to a positive shape of a patient's dental arch and a positive shape of one or more bracket analogs;
- forming a transfer tray over the physical mockup, the transfer tray comprising a negative replica of at least a portion of the mockup, wherein forming the transfer tray creates one or more receptacles, each receptacle featuring a least a portion of the shape of a bracket analog;
- forming a channel in the tray proximate each receptacle, wherein the channel extends from an exterior surface of the tray to the receptacle;
- placing a bracket associated with a bracket analog into a receptacle of the one or more receptacles, wherein the bracket includes a bonding base and a surface opposite the bonding base;
- and
- introducing a filler material into at least one receptacle through the channel to the surface opposite from the bonding base, wherein a receptacle and the associated bracket define one or more voids when the associated bracket is placed in the receptacle, and wherein the filler material fills at least one void.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.