US 11,717,383 B2
Retainer and method for production thereof
Yong-Min Jo, Dusseldorf (DE)
Assigned to CA-DIGITAL GmbH, Hilden (DE)
Filed by Yong-Min Jo, Dusseldorf (DE)
Filed on Nov. 1, 2018, as Appl. No. 16/177,838.
Application 16/177,838 is a continuation of application No. PCT/EP2017/061188, filed on May 10, 2017.
Claims priority of application No. DE102016109007.7 (DE), filed on May 17, 2016.
Prior Publication US 2019/0090985 A1, Mar. 28, 2019
Int. Cl. A61C 7/08 (2006.01); A61C 7/00 (2006.01); B33Y 10/00 (2015.01); B33Y 50/02 (2015.01); B33Y 80/00 (2015.01); B29C 64/124 (2017.01); B29C 64/393 (2017.01)
CPC A61C 7/08 (2013.01) [A61C 7/002 (2013.01); B29C 64/124 (2017.08); B29C 64/393 (2017.08); B33Y 10/00 (2014.12); B33Y 50/02 (2014.12); B33Y 80/00 (2014.12)] 8 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A flexible retainer for stabilizing a position of teeth of a human dentition, the retainer comprising:
an arc that has a curvature so that the retainer is applicable to teeth of an upper jaw or lower jaw of a patient to be treated,
wherein the retainer includes a plurality of local shapes that are arranged along a center line of the retainer and that are oriented perpendicular to the center line,
wherein the local shapes are respectively adapted to cooperate with interdental spaces between adjacent teeth,
wherein the retainer is formed from a thermoplastic synthetic material that is processible by a 3-D printing method,
wherein the retainer is one continuous piece of the thermoplastic synthetic material, and
wherein the retainer is configured so that a height of the retainer measured parallel to a vertical axis of the retainer has a dimension of at least twice a thickness of the,
wherein the retainer does not include teeth conforming cavities.