US4380435A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Permanent one visit bonded bridge no drilling, and kit therefor
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1980-11-24
•
Granted: 1983-04-19
•
Expires: 2000-11-24
Abstract
Abstract A dental prosthesis and process of making and installing the same, wherein a plurality of individual artificial teeth are assembled on an arched contoured longitudinal support, are disclosed, as well as a kit containing detailed instructions and necessary supplies and equipment for carrying out the process. The artificial teeth are made of an acrylic resin, other composites or plastics or porcelain. Anterior natural teeth adjacent the space to be filled are step shaped lingually and etched to provide a base for bonding. Posterior teeth adjacent the space have the fossae deepened if needed. The arched contoured longitudinal support carrying the proper number of artificial teeth integrated with the support and each other is placed in the formed steps or deepened fossae on opposite sides of the space and bonded in place, lapped and smoothed. The procedure permits assembly of the prosthesis from separate teeth by the dentist and permits virtually all operations to be performed by the dentist--even on a one-visit basis. The margins of the prosthesis do not infringe on the crevicular space; therefore no irritating factors affect the gingival sulcus and no periodontal disease will result from the prosthesis. Flossing can be fully performed for hygiene purposes. This prosthesis performs all the functions of natural teeth including: mastication, speech, spatial support, facial contour and aesthetics.
Inventors
- 👤 Arthur Raeder
- 👤 Celia R. Raeder
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 19:04
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61C; A61C13/00; A61C13/225; A61C13/26
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 34
Claim 1
Independent Claim
142 words
A kit for making and inserting a dental bridge in a gap between natural teeth in a human mouth, said kit comprising: a generally arch-shaped piece of a rigid material having approximately the shape of a geometric curve defined by the central fossae of the posterior teeth and the lingual surfaces of the anterior teeth of one jaw of a human mouth; said piece being adapted to have at least one artificial tooth mounted thereon and having such a cross-sectional shape that a length of said piece can be secured to at least one natural tooth to each side of said gap by means of being received in a groove formed in the surface of each of said natural teeth, and a sufficient quantity of copolymer usable for forming an ultraviolet light transmissive matrix for aligning said at least one artificial tooth.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
142 words
A kit for making and inserting a dental bridge in a gap between natural teeth in a human mouth, said kit comprising: a generally arch-shaped piece of a rigid material having approximately the shape of a geometric curve defined by the central fossae of the posterior teeth and the lingual surfaces of the anterior teeth of one jaw of a human mouth; said piece being adapted to have at least one artificial tooth mounted thereon and having such a cross-sectional shape that a length of said piece can be secured to at least one natural tooth to each side of said gap by means of being received in a groove formed in the surface of each of said natural teeth, and a sufficient quantity of copolymer usable for forming an ultraviolet light transmissive matrix for aligning said at least one artificial tooth.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
30 words
The kit of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of said generally arch-shaped pieces, including at least one said piece having a hollow triangular cross-sectional shape having one open side.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
27 words
The kit of claim 1, further comprising at least one said piece having a cross-sectional shape which is generally that of two parallel cylinders abutting each other.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
24 words
The kit of claim 1 comprising a plurality of such generally arch-shaped pieces, including such pieces of each of at least three different sizes.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
50 words
The kit of claim 1 comprising a plurality of such generally arch-shaped pieces, including at least one said piece having a shape defined by the teeth of an upper human jaw and including at least one such piece having a shape defined by the teeth of a lower human jaw.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
31 words
The kit of claim 1, further comprising means for forming a bond between an artificial tooth and a length of said generally arch-shaped piece for permanently mounting the artificial tooth thereon.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
39 words
The kit of claim 6, wherein said means for forming a bond comprises a substance which forms a bond upon being photocured by exposure to ultraviolet light, and wherein said kit further comprises a lamp for producing ultraviolet light.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
12 words
The kit of claim 7, wherein said lamp is a halogen lamp.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
25 words
The kit of claim 1, further comprising a set of instructions explaining in detail the procedure to be followed in making and inserting said bridge.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
30 words
The kit of claim 1, further comprising means for modifying the shape of a length of said piece to make it conform exactly to the mouth of a particular patient.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
11 words
The kit of claim 1, further comprising a composite bonding material.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
13 words
The kit of claim 1, wherein said generally arch-shaped piece comprises stainless steel.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
23 words
The kit of claim 12, further comprising coating material for coating at least a portion of said generally arch-shaped piece to mask it.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
35 words
The kit of claim 13, wherein said coating material includes coating material of a plurality of different shades, for coating said portion with a shade to match the shade of a particular patient's natural teeth.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
159 words
The process of making and inserting a dental bridge between adjacent teeth, comprising the steps of: arranging a sufficient number of artificial teeth on an arched contoured longitudinal support to fill the space between said adjacent teeth and securing said artificial teeth on said longitudinal support; forming a step in the lingual surface of an anterior tooth adjacent to the area in which the bridge is inserted; the step being defined by a single surface extending in the buccal direction and a single surface extending in the inclusive direction with respect to the anterior tooth; the depth of said step being such that the longitudinal support may be substantially submerged therein; etching the formed step surface to release any interprismatic cement which is exposed after the step is formed; bonding said longitudinal support extensions in said step; and contouring said lingual surface to a smooth regular surface substantially similar to the original surface prior to formation of said step.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
159 words
The process of making and inserting a dental bridge between adjacent teeth, comprising the steps of: arranging a sufficient number of artificial teeth on an arched contoured longitudinal support to fill the space between said adjacent teeth and securing said artificial teeth on said longitudinal support; forming a step in the lingual surface of an anterior tooth adjacent to the area in which the bridge is inserted; the step being defined by a single surface extending in the buccal direction and a single surface extending in the inclusive direction with respect to the anterior tooth; the depth of said step being such that the longitudinal support may be substantially submerged therein; etching the formed step surface to release any interprismatic cement which is exposed after the step is formed; bonding said longitudinal support extensions in said step; and contouring said lingual surface to a smooth regular surface substantially similar to the original surface prior to formation of said step.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
136 words
The process of making and inserting a dental bridge between adjacent teeth, comprising the steps of: arranging a sufficient number of artificial teeth on an arched contoured longitudinal support to fill the space between said natural teeth and bonding said artificial teeth on said longitudinal support; forming the central fossa of a posterior tooth adjacent to the abutment teeth into a channel in which the bridge is inserted, the channel being of a depth which will receive and submerge said support; etching said channel to release any interprismatic cement exposed after the channel is formed; undercutting said channel where the deepened fossa passes through the posterior tooth at a position in the posterior tooth that is removed from the nerve thereof; placing one end of said longitudinal support in said channel and bonding the same therein.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
136 words
The process of making and inserting a dental bridge between adjacent teeth, comprising the steps of: arranging a sufficient number of artificial teeth on an arched contoured longitudinal support to fill the space between said natural teeth and bonding said artificial teeth on said longitudinal support; forming the central fossa of a posterior tooth adjacent to the abutment teeth into a channel in which the bridge is inserted, the channel being of a depth which will receive and submerge said support; etching said channel to release any interprismatic cement exposed after the channel is formed; undercutting said channel where the deepened fossa passes through the posterior tooth at a position in the posterior tooth that is removed from the nerve thereof; placing one end of said longitudinal support in said channel and bonding the same therein.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
32 words
The process of claim 15 or 16, wherein the space between the adjacent teeth requires a plurality of artificial teeth; and a plurality of artificial teeth are assembled on each longitudinal support.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
55 words
The process of claim 15, wherein the adjacent teeth on each side of said space comprise anterior teeth; said longitudinal support being inserted to extend from a step in the lingual surface of one anterior natural tooth to a step in the lingual surface of the anterior tooth on the opposite side of said space.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
43 words
The process of claim 16, wherein the natural teeth on each side of the space are posterior teeth; said longitudinal support being inserted to extend from the channeled fossa of one tooth to the channeled fossa of the tooth on the opposite side.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
54 words
The process of claim 17, wherein the tooth on one side of the space is an anterior tooth and the tooth on the other side is a posterior tooth, the longitudinal support being inserted to extend from the lingual surface of the anterior tooth to the channel in the fossa of the posterior tooth.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
49 words
The process of claim 17, wherein the adjacent teeth on each side of the space comprise both an anterior tooth and a posterior tooth; said longitudinal support being inserted to extend both into the step in said anterior tooth and the channel in the fossa of the posterior tooth.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
15 words
The process of claim 18, wherein said longitudinal support is extended to an adjacent bicuspid.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
14 words
The process of claim 19, wherein said longitudinal support extends to an adjacent bicuspid.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
241 words
The process of making and inserting a dental bridge between adjacent teeth, comprising the steps of: arranging a sufficient number of artificial teeth on an arched contoured longitudinal support to fill the space between said adjacent teeth and securing said artificial teeth on said longitudinal support: forming an ultraviolet light transmissive matrix having first portions corresponding to the natural tooth anatomy and second portions corresponding to the arranged artificial teeth, said first and second portions being aligned with respect to one another; forming a step in the lingual surface of an anterior tooth adjacent to the area in which the bridge is inserted; the step being defined by a single surface extending in the buccal direction and a single surface extending in the inclusive direction with respect to the anterior tooth; the depth of said step being such that the longitudinal support may be substantially submerged therein; etching the formed step surface to release any interprismatic cement which is exposed after the step is formed: applying bonding material which cures upon being exposed to ultraviolet light to said step; aligning said artificial teeth with said adjacent teeth using said matrix by placing said matrix over said artificial and adjacent teeth so that an end of said longitudinal support is disposed in said step; and exposing said matrix to ultraviolet light, whereby said bonding material is cured by ultraviolet light passing through said matrix and said longitudinal support bonded in said step.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
241 words
The process of making and inserting a dental bridge between adjacent teeth, comprising the steps of: arranging a sufficient number of artificial teeth on an arched contoured longitudinal support to fill the space between said adjacent teeth and securing said artificial teeth on said longitudinal support: forming an ultraviolet light transmissive matrix having first portions corresponding to the natural tooth anatomy and second portions corresponding to the arranged artificial teeth, said first and second portions being aligned with respect to one another; forming a step in the lingual surface of an anterior tooth adjacent to the area in which the bridge is inserted; the step being defined by a single surface extending in the buccal direction and a single surface extending in the inclusive direction with respect to the anterior tooth; the depth of said step being such that the longitudinal support may be substantially submerged therein; etching the formed step surface to release any interprismatic cement which is exposed after the step is formed: applying bonding material which cures upon being exposed to ultraviolet light to said step; aligning said artificial teeth with said adjacent teeth using said matrix by placing said matrix over said artificial and adjacent teeth so that an end of said longitudinal support is disposed in said step; and exposing said matrix to ultraviolet light, whereby said bonding material is cured by ultraviolet light passing through said matrix and said longitudinal support bonded in said step.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
200 words
The process of making and inserting a dental bridge between adjacent teeth, comprising the steps of: arranging a sufficient number of artificial teeth on an arched contoured longitudinal support to fill the space between said adjacent teeth and securing said artificial teeth on said longitudinal support; forming an ultraviolet light transmissive matrix having first portions corresponding to the natural tooth anatomy and second portions corresponding to the arranged artificial teeth, said first and second portions being aligned with respect to one another; forming a step in the lingual surface of an anterior tooth adjacent to the area in which the bridge is inserted; the depth of said step being such that the longitudinal support may be submerged therein; etching the formed step surface to release any interprismatic cement exposed after the step is formed; applying a boding material to said etched step which cures upon being exposed to ultraviolet light; aligning said artificial teeth with said adjacent teeth using said matrix by placing said matrix over said artificial and adjacent teeth; and bonding said longitudinal support extensions in said step by exposing said matrix to ultraviolet light, whereby said bonding material is cured by ultraviolet light transmitted through said matrix.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
200 words
The process of making and inserting a dental bridge between adjacent teeth, comprising the steps of: arranging a sufficient number of artificial teeth on an arched contoured longitudinal support to fill the space between said adjacent teeth and securing said artificial teeth on said longitudinal support; forming an ultraviolet light transmissive matrix having first portions corresponding to the natural tooth anatomy and second portions corresponding to the arranged artificial teeth, said first and second portions being aligned with respect to one another; forming a step in the lingual surface of an anterior tooth adjacent to the area in which the bridge is inserted; the depth of said step being such that the longitudinal support may be submerged therein; etching the formed step surface to release any interprismatic cement exposed after the step is formed; applying a boding material to said etched step which cures upon being exposed to ultraviolet light; aligning said artificial teeth with said adjacent teeth using said matrix by placing said matrix over said artificial and adjacent teeth; and bonding said longitudinal support extensions in said step by exposing said matrix to ultraviolet light, whereby said bonding material is cured by ultraviolet light transmitted through said matrix.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
44 words
The process of claims 15, 24 or 25 further comprising: limiting the depth of said step consistent with the submergence of the thickness of said longitudinal support therein to the depth of the enamel to the extent that the thickness of the enamel permits.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
90 words
The process of claims 15, 16, 24 or 25 further comprising the steps of: (a) applying a first layer of calcium hydroxide to the etched step formed in the tooth; (b) applying a second layer of calcium hydroxide containing a hardening agent over the first calcium hydroxide layer, (c) applying a layer of carboxylate cement over the second calcium hydroxide layer, and (d) applying a composite seal over the carboxylate cement, all of steps (a), (b), (c) and (d) being performed before placing the bridge in position in the mouth.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
24 words
The process of claim 27 further comprising the step of curing the applied composite seal before placing the bridge in position in the mouth.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
22 words
The process of claim 27 further comprising the step of curing the applied composite seal while the composite bonding material is cured.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1986-04-18 | 1986-10-18 | 1987-04-19 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1990-04-18 | 1990-10-18 | 1991-04-19 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1994-04-18 | 1994-10-18 | 1995-04-19 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |