Denture means and method

In a walled tray for forming a denture in situ in the tray by molding of curable denture-forming material in contact with the gums of a patient or a model of the gums of a patient, said tray comprising false teeth and having uprising inner and outer walls defining with the top of the false teeth a gum-receiving portion;

• the improvement in which at least one of said walls comprising a formable material secured to the outside of a corresponding wall portion of non-formable material whereby the resulting wall comprising said wall portion with formable material secured thereto may be removed by said formable material from one rest position to another position of rest adjacent said gum-receiving portion.

In a tray for forming an upper denture in-situ in the tray by molding of a curable denture-forming material in contact with the gums of a patient or a model of the gums of a patient, said assembly comprising false teeth, uprising inner and outer walls defining with the top of the false teeth a gum-receiving portion, and a palate, at least a portion of said walls being of non-formable material;

• the improvement in which at least a portion of the palate consists essentially of a formable material whereby said palate portion may be removed by said formable material from one rest position to another rest position.

In a method of forming a denture in situ in a tray comprising providing a tray carrying false teeth and having uprising inner and outer walls forming with the false teeth a gum-receiving portion, disposing curable denture-forming material in at least said gum-receiving portion and molding said denture-forming material in contact with the gums of a patient or a model of the gums of a patient;

• the improvement comprising providing a formable tray in which at least one of said inner and outer walls is formable, disposing said formable tray over the gums of a patient or a model of the gums of the patient while said tray and gums are separated by a spacer having a thickness corresponding to the minimum thickness desired in the denture adjacent such formable wall at both occurrences, and conforming said formable tray to said gums with the spacer therebetween to provide a conformed tray in which the formable portion replicates the corresponding wall at both occurrences of the gums and differs spatially therefrom by the thickness of the spacer.

In a method of forming an upper denture in situ in a tray comprising providing a tray carrying false teeth and having uprising inner and outer walls forming with the false teeth a gum-receiving portion and a palate, disposing curable denture-forming material in at least said gum-receiving portion and molding said denture-forming material in contact with the gums of a patient or a model of the gums of a patient;

• the improvement comprising providing a tray in which at least a portion of said palate is formable, disposing said tray over the gums of a patient or a model of the gums of the patient while said tray and palate of the patient are separated by a spacer having a thickness corresponding to the minimum thickness desired in a denture adjacent such formable palate portion, and conforming such formable palate portion to the patient's palate with the spacer therebetween to provide a conformed tray in which the formable palate portion replicates the corresponding palate of the patient and differs spatially therefrom by the thickness of the spacer.

In a walled tray for forming a denture in-situ in the tray by molding of curable denture-forming material in contact with the gums of a patient or a model of the gums of a patient, said tray comprising false teeth and having uprising inner and outer walls defining with the top of the false teeth a gum-receiving portion;

• the improvement in which at least one of said walls comprises a formable material and said false teeth being formed of a material different from said formable material, the resulting formable wall being movable by reason of said formable material from one rest position to another position of rest adjacent said gum-receiving portion.

In a tray for forming an upper denture in-situ in the tray by molding of a curable denture-forming material in contact with the gums of a patient or a model of the gums of a patient, said tray comprising false teeth, uprising inner and outer walls defining with the top of the false teeth a gum-receiving portion, and a palate;

• the improvement in which at least a portion of the palate consists essentially of a formable material, said teeth being formed of a material different from said formable material, said palate portion being movable by said formable material from one rest position to another rest position.

A tray which functions as a former for use in forming a denture in situ, said tray assembly comprising

• a basic tray having inner and outer flexible walls and
• a flexible walled trough connecting said inner and outer walls, said walls at their upper portion defining a gum-receiving portion and to hold a set of false teeth in proper relationship to each other at the lower portion thereof,
• a layer of formable material intimately secured to said flexible walls on the sides thereof away from the gum-receiving portion to form a movable tray wall, said formable material being formable under sufficient force and capable of retaining said formed shape whereby said movable tray wall may be shaped from a first position of rest to a second position of rest adjacent said gum-receiving portions.

A kit for forming a denture comprising a formable tray having a gum-receiving portion which approximates the shape of the patient's gums, a deformable spacer sheet, a shim and denture-forming materials, said formable tray having inner and outer walls, a trough between said walls defining therewith said gum-receiving portion, a plurality of artificial teeth supported in said gum-receiving portion, said walls including formable material whereby the formable walls are movable from one rest position to another rest position.

An assemble for forming a denture in the mouth of a dental patient comprising a tray having inner and outer walls made of formable material and approximating the shape of the patient's gums, a trough between said walls defining therewith a gum-receiving portion, a substantially U-shaped continuous slot formed in the bottom of said trough, said assembly further including a preformed unitary structure including pre-arranged individual artificial teeth and means for removable mounting said teeth in the slot of said formable tray, said removable means comprising an abbreviated basic tray, the bottom portion of which is removed forming a slot in said basic tray, thereby exposing the bottoms of the false teeth.