Partial denture with integrally formed elastic retainer strip
AssigneeDenture Clinic, Inc.
InventorsWilliam G. Willits, Thomas T. Schmitt
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present invention entails a partial denture formed of a relatively hard acrylic material. Molded into a selected portion of the denture is an area of relatively soft material. A teeth opening is formed in the soft material, the opening being at least slightly elongated to receive at least two successive existing teeth of the subject. Forming a part of the soft material and the existing teeth opening is an elastic retainer strip that engages the gum area of the subject adjacent the existing teeth. The elastic retainer strip engages or grips the subject's gum, resulting in the partial denture being secured within the subject's mouth.
Claims13
A partial denture comprising:
- a denture base including buccal and lingual flanges molded of a relatively hard material and shaped to form a ridge for supporting a selective number of artificial teeth;
- an opening formed in the ridge with the opening being at least large enough to receive a plurality of successive existing teeth of the subject;
- and elastic material surrounding the opening for receiving existing including an elastic retainer strip forming a part of the denture base and extending along one side of said elongated teeth opening for engaging the subject's gum area adjacent the subject's existing teeth extending upwardly through the teeth opening and for securing the partial denture within the subject's mouth due to the engagment of the elastic retainer strip with that gum area, whereby the elastic material tends to form a cushion around the existing teeth and the elastic retainer strip acts to secure and hold the partial denture in the subject's mouth.
A partial denture with a relatively soft elastic retainer strip integrally formed therein for engaging an area of subject's gum and retaining the partial denture in the subject's mouth, comprising:
- a partial denture formed of a relatively hard material having a pair of flanges that form a ridge and which together form a gum cavity for receiving the subject's gum;
- an opening formed in the ridge area of the partial denture with a width sufficient to receive at least two successive existing and standing teeth of the subject;
- an area of relatively soft material formed about and around said opening for forming a comfortable interface between the denture opening and the subject's existing teeth and gum and including strip formed of a relatively soft material and integrally formed in the partial denture for engaging the gum area adjacent existing teeth of the subject and securing the denture within the subject's mouth;
- said elastic retainer strip forming a part of the opening for receiving existing teeth and extending along one side of the opening;
- and wherein said elastic retainer strip normally assumes a retentive position along a gum area adjacent the existing teeth and actually engages the gum whereby the retentive action of the elastic retainer strip against the gum assures that the denture is held within the subject's mouth.
A method of forming a partial denture comprising the steps of:
- molding a denture of relatively hard material for a particular subject's mouth such that the denture includes both a buccal and lingual flange and an upper ridge;
- cutting an elongated opening in the ridge so as to form a teeth receiving opening and wherein the opening is of sufficient width to receive a pluraltiy of successive existing teeth of the subject;
- cutting the buccal flange and forming a voided area adjacent the existing teeth opening so as to form one large opening that comprises the existing teeth opening and the cut voided area;
- molding a relatively soft material around the formed existing teeth opening including molding an elastic retainer strip to the buccal flange and extending the elastic retaining strip over the cut voided area formed in the buccal flange such that the existing teeth opening is now bound along one side by the elastic retaining strip whereby the elastic retainer strip engages the subject's gum area underlying the subject's existing teeth and secures the partial denture in the subject's mouth.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.