Dental appliance including surface-mounted undercuts and method of manufacture

A method for constructing a removable functional dental appliance for insertion into a patient's mouth and for retention within the mouth when engaged with at least one tooth having an outer surface, the outer surface of the tooth having a contour, said method comprising the steps of:

• providing a surface mounted undercut having a back side and a front side for attachment to the tooth;
• attaching said front side of said undercut to the outer surface of the tooth, wherein said back side of said undercut extends outwardly from the outer surface of the tooth when attached thereto, said back side having a contour generally similar to the contour of the tooth;
• and
• creating a dental appliance constructed of a semi-rigid resilient material which generally retains its shape, said appliance including engagement means for engaging said surface mounted undercut when said undercut is attached to the outer surface of the tooth, wherein said means for engaging includes a generally rigid engagement surface having a shape generally conforming with a portion of the contour of the tooth and the outward extension of said attached undercut proximate thereto, said semi-rigid resilient material having sufficient elasticity to permit a first portion of said dental appliance proximate to said engagement surface to move with respect to a second portion of said dental appliance such that said dental appliance flexes prior to engagement with the tooth and said attached undercut, and said dental appliance can be slightly deformed and then returned to an undeformed state when engaged with the tooth and said attached undercut in a pressure fit engagement relationship.

A method for constructing a removable functional dental appliance for insertion into a patient's mouth and for retention within the mouth when engaged with at least one tooth having an outer surface, the outer surface of the tooth having a contour, said method comprising the steps of:

• providing a surface mounted undercut having a back side and a front side for attachment to the tooth;
• creating a shape retaining representation of the outer surface of the tooth proximate the location where said undercut will be attached to the tooth;
• attaching said front side of said undercut to the outer surface of said representation of the tooth, wherein said back side of said undercut extends outwardly from the outer surface of said representation of the tooth when attached thereto, said back side having a contour generally similar to the contour of the tooth;
• creating a dental appliance constructed of a semi-rigid resilient material which generally retains its shape, said appliance including engagement means for engaging said undercuts attached to said representation of the tooth, wherein said means for engaging includes a generally rigid engagement surface having a shape generally conforming with a portion of the contour of the representation of the tooth and the outward extension of said attached undercut proximate thereto, said semi-rigid resilient material having sufficient elasticity to permit a first portion of said dental appliance proximate to said engagement surface to move with respect to a second portion of said dental appliance such that said dental appliance flexes prior to engagement with said representation of the tooth and said attached undercut, and said dental appliance can be slightly deformed and then returned to an undeformed state when engaged with said representation of the tooth and said attached undercut in a pressure fit engagement relationship;
• and
• attaching said front side of said undercut to the outer surface of the tooth in the patient's mouth proximate to the location said undercut was attached to the representation of the tooth on said overlay.

A method of removably securing a functional dental appliance within a patient's mouth, the mouth containing at least one tooth having an outer surface, the outer surface of the tooth having a contour, said method comprising the step of:

• providing at least one surface mounted undercut attached to the outer surface of the tooth, wherein said undercut extends outwardly from the surface of the tooth, the undercut having a contour generally similar to the contour of the tooth;
• providing a dental appliance constructed of a semi-rigid resilient material which generally retains its shape, said appliance including engagement means for engaging said attached surface mounted undercut, wherein said means for engaging includes a generally rigid engagement surface having a shape generally conforming with a portion of the contour of the tooth and the outward extension of said attached undercut proximate thereto, said semi-rigid resilient material having sufficient elasticity to permit a first portion of said dental appliance proximate to said engagement surface to move with respect to a second portion of said dental appliance such that said dental appliance flexes prior to engagement with the tooth and said attached undercut, and said dental appliance can be slightly deformed and then returned to an undeformed state when engaged with the tooth and said attached undercut in a pressure fit engagement relationship;
• and
• attaching said dental appliance to said attached undercuts by pressing said appliance in the patient's mouth, causing said engagement surfaces to engage with a portion of the tooth and said undercut.