Dental appliances from multilayer films having discrete structures covered by an ion permeable release layer

1 . A method for making a dental appliance configured to position at least one tooth of a patient, the method comprising:

depositing a hardenable liquid resin composition on a major surface of a base polymeric material to form a pattern of discrete unhardened liquid regions thereon, wherein the hardenable liquid composition comprises a hardenable resin, a liquid carrier, and a therapeutic agent;

at least partially hardening the unhardened liquid regions to form an array of structures on the major surface of the base polymeric material, the array forming a discontinuous layer on the major surface;

forming an exterior layer comprising an ion-permeable polymeric material on the base polymeric material and the array of structures, the exterior layer being disposed over and in direct contact with both the array of structures and the base polymeric material; and

forming a plurality of cavities in the base polymeric material to form the dental appliance, wherein the dental appliance comprises an arrangement of cavities configured to receive one or more teeth.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein about 20% to about 98% of the surface of the dental appliance is free of the structures.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the structures have a characteristic cross-sectional dimension of about 25 microns to about 1 mm, and a center-to-center distance of about 100 microns to about 2000 microns.

4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the array of structures define a structured region of the major surface, and wherein the structures present on the major surface in the structured region at a density of about 100 to about 5,000 dots per square inch.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the exterior layer comprises a thermoplastic polymeric material compatible with the base polymeric material, wherein the exterior layer comprises a (meth) acrylate polymer or copolymer.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the formed exterior layer has a thickness no greater than ⅕ the thickness of the base polymeric material.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the dental appliance includes an anterior region and a posterior region, and wherein the array of structures is disposed only on the anterior region.

8 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising hardening the structures on the base polymeric material prior to forming the exterior layer.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the therapeutic agent is at least one of an antimicrobial agent, an anti-biofilm agent, a friction-reducing agent, an anti-cavity agent, or a remineralization agent.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the hardenable resin further comprises a polymerizable component, wherein the polymerizable component comprises one or more of: polyethylene glycol dimethacrylate, 2,2-bis [4-(2-hydroxy-3-methacryloxypropoxy)phenyl]propane, urethane dimethacrylate, glycerol dimethacrylate, triethyleneglycol dimethacrylate, neopentylglycol dimethacrylate, or resin-modified glass ionomers.

11 . A dental appliance, comprising:

a base polymeric substrate comprising a plurality of cavities for receiving one or more teeth;

an array of structures on the substrate forming a discontinuous pattern, wherein the structures comprise a hardened resin and a therapeutic agent; and

an exterior, fluid-permeable polymeric material layer disposed over and in direct contact with both the structures and the base polymeric substrate.

12 . The dental appliance of claim 11 , wherein the structures have a characteristic cross-sectional dimension of about 25 microns to about 1 mm, and a center-to-center distance of about 100 microns to about 2000 microns.

13 . The dental appliance of claim 11 , wherein the formed exterior layer has a thickness no greater than one fifth the thickness of the base polymeric substrate.

14 . The dental appliance of claim 11 , wherein the array of structures define a structured region of a major surface of the base polymeric substrate, and wherein the structures are present on the major surface in the structured region at a density of about 10 to about 10,000 dots per inch.

15 . The dental appliance of claim 14 , wherein the dental appliance includes an anterior region and a posterior region, and wherein the structured region is located only on the anterior region.

16 . The dental appliance of claim 11 , wherein the therapeutic agent is at least one of: a calcium compound, a phosphorous compound, or a fluoride compound.

17 . A thermoformable film, comprising:

a base polymeric substrate;

an array of structures on the substrate forming a discontinuous pattern, wherein the structures comprise a hardened resin and a therapeutic agent; and

an exterior, ion-permeable polymeric material layer disposed over and in direct contact with the structures and substrate.

18 . The thermoformable film of claim 17 , wherein the structures have a characteristic cross-sectional dimension of about 25 microns to about 1 mm, and a center-to-center distance of about 100 microns to about 2000 microns.

19 . The thermoformable film of claim 17 , wherein the array of structures defines a structured region of the major surface, and wherein the structures are present on the major surface in the structured region at a density of about 10 to about 10,000 dots per inch.

20 . The thermoformable film of claim 17 , wherein the exterior, ion-permeable polymeric material layer has a molecular weight in a range of about 10,000 to about 100,000 grams per mole.