3M Innovation Properties, St. Paul, Minn, has received a patent for an “orthodontic indirect bonding tray with moisture control,” according to an article on the DentistryIQ Web site. The device was developed by David K. Cinader Jr, and James D. Cleary.
The patent’s abstract, published by the US Patent and Trademark Office, describes the tray as “having inner wall sections defining a channel for receiving the patient’s dental arch.”
In addition, “a number of orthodontic appliances are detachably connected to the tray along the channel, and each appliance includes a base for bonding the appliance to the tooth. The wall sections include at least one groove extending along the base of at least one appliance in order to provide a space between the wall sections and the patient’s tooth structure when the tray is received on the patient’s dental arch. The space hinders the flow of oral fluids such as saliva in directions toward the base in order to help ensure that the fluids do not adversely affect the strength of the resulting adhesive bond between the appliance and the tooth."
For more information about this and other orthodontic companies, visit our Buyer’s Guide.
