Formable Sheets for Medical Applications and Methods of Manufacture Thereof

Abstract

Disclosed herein is an appliance for use in an oral cavity, wherein the appliance comprises a polymeric shell that comprises a polymeric mixture, and further wherein the polymeric shell has cavities designed to receive teeth. Disclosed herein too is a method for maintaining or repositioning teeth in the oral cavity comprising placing an appliance in a patient's mouth, wherein the appliance comprises a polymeric shell that comprises a polymeric mixture, and further wherein the polymeric shell has cavities designed to receive teeth.

1 . A method for maintaining or repositioning teeth in the oral cavity comprising: 
 placing an appliance in a patient's mouth; wherein the appliance comprises a polymeric shell that comprises a polymeric mixture; and wherein the polymeric shell has cavities designed to receive teeth; and further wherein the polymeric mixture comprises a polycarbonate and a cycloaliphatic polyester; wherein the polycarbonate is present in an amount of about 50 wt % to about 90 wt %; and wherein the weight percents are based on a total weight of a mixture that comprises polycarbonate and cycloaliphatic polyester.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein additional appliances may be placed in a patient's mouth, and wherein a tooth position defined by a single cavity in each successive appliance differs from that defined in a prior appliance by an amount of no more than 2 millimeters.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising obtaining an initial digital data set (IDDS) representing an initial tooth arrangement.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the initial tooth arrangement is obtained by using x-rays, three-dimensional x-rays, computer-aided tomographic images or data sets, magnetic resonance images, or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the initial tooth arrangement is obtained from a plaster cast of a patient's teeth.  
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the initial tooth arrangement is obtained in a digital format.  
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 3 , further comprising producing multiple dental images wherein each successive dental image has an incrementally different geometry for a set of a patient's teeth.  
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 6 , further comprising repositioning an individual tooth in the initial tooth arrangement obtained in digital format.  
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 5 , further comprising repositioning an individual tooth in the initial tooth arrangement obtained in a plaster cast of a patient's teeth.  
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 3 , further comprising obtaining a final digital data set (FDDS) representing an initial tooth arrangement.  
     
     
         11 . A method of manufacturing an appliance comprises: 
 mixing two or more thermoplastic polymers in a melt blending device to form a polymeric mixture; wherein the polymeric mixture comprises a polycarbonate and a cycloaliphatic polyester; wherein the polycarbonate is present in an amount of about 50 wt % to about 90 wt %; and wherein the weight percents are based on a total weight of a mixture that comprises polycarbonate and cycloaliphatic polyester.    forming the polymeric mixture into a sheet; and    thermoforming the sheet over a replica of a patient's teeth.    
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the thermoforming is conducted at a temperature of about 120 to about 180° C.  
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the thermoforming is accomplished in about 5 to about 40 seconds.  
     
     
         14 . An article manufactured by the method of  claim 11.