Invention Application
- Patent Title: REMOVABLE DENTAL APPLIANCES INCLUDING BENDABLE FLAPS AND ARCUATE MEMBERS
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Application No.: US17601109Application Date: 2020-04-08
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Publication No.: US20220168069A1Publication Date: 2022-06-02
- Inventor: Richard E. Raby , Eric S. Hansen , Michael K. Domroese , Chaodi Li
- Applicant: 3M INNOVATIVE PROPERTIES COMPANY
- Applicant Address: US MN St. Paul
- Assignee: 3M INNOVATIVE PROPERTIES COMPANY
- Current Assignee: 3M INNOVATIVE PROPERTIES COMPANY
- Current Assignee Address: US MN St. Paul
- International Application: PCT/IB2020/053375 WO 20200408
- Main IPC: A61C7/08
- IPC: A61C7/08 ; A61C13/34 ; A61C9/00 ; A61C7/00

Abstract:
The invention relates to a removable dental appliance comprising an appliance body configured to at least partially surround a plurality of teeth of a patient. The appliance body defines a shell configured to receive a tooth of the plurality of teeth in an initial position and a bendable flap integrally formed with the appliance body to tether the flap to the shell. The bendable flap defines a boundary region around the bendable flap and includes abridge, wherein the bridge extends between the body and the flap at or adjacent the boundary region. In one specific embodiment, the bridge is an arcuate member and includes a spring bellows. The bendable flap and the bridge are configured to apply a force to the tooth to cause movement of the tooth toward a desired position when the removable dental appliance is worn by the patient.
Information query