US 12,239,507 B2
Removable dental appliance with gingival ridges
Michael K. Domroese, Woodbury, MN (US); David K. Cinader, Jr., Woodbury, MN (US); Richard E. Raby, Lino Lakes, MN (US); and James D. Hansen, White Bear Lake, MN (US)
Assigned to Solventum Intellectual Properties Company, Maplewood, MN (US)
Filed by Solventum Intellectual Properties Company, Maplewood, MN (US)
Filed on Jul. 11, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/220,324.
Application 18/220,324 is a continuation of application No. 17/290,310, granted, now 11,737,856, previously published as PCT/IB2019/059357, filed on Oct. 31, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/767,848, filed on Nov. 15, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2023/0346517 A1, Nov. 2, 2023
Int. Cl. A61C 7/08 (2006.01); A61C 7/00 (2006.01)
CPC A61C 7/08 (2013.01) [A61C 7/002 (2013.01)] 15 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A removable dental appliance comprising:
an appliance body configured to at least partially surround a plurality of teeth of a dental arch of a patient, wherein the appliance body comprises:
a shell shaped to engage a tooth of the plurality of teeth in an initial position of the tooth; and
a gingival ridge extending through the appliance body such that a portion of the gingival ridge is disposed on an exterior surface of the shell and a different portion of the gingival ridge is disposed on an interior surface of the shell, the gingival ridge extending at least from a first interproximal region of the appliance body at a mesial portion of the shell along a gingival edge of the shell to a second interproximal region of the appliance body at a distal portion of the shell,
wherein the gingival ridge is configured to engage a lingual surface of the tooth below a height of contour of the tooth or a labial surface of the tooth below the height of contour to enable the appliance body to apply a force vector at a contact point on the tooth to cause movement of the tooth toward a desired position of the tooth when the removable dental appliance is worn by the patient, and wherein the gingival ridge results in a gingival portion of the appliance body being stiffer than a labial face of the shell or a lingual face of the shell.