Curable compositions and methods for isolating a working area

1. A curable composition, comprising:

a borate-crosslinked polysiloxane;

at least one ethylenically unsaturated monomer comprising at least two polymerizable groups; and

an initiator.

2. The curable composition of claim 1 , further comprising a silane other than the borate-crosslinked polysiloxane.

3. The curable composition of claim 2 , wherein the silane is unreactive towards any other components in the curable composition.

4. The curable composition of claim 2 , wherein the silane comprises a polymerizable group selected from the group consisting of an acrylate, a methacrylate, a vinyl, and an allyl group.

5. The curable composition of claim 2 , wherein the silane is a trialkoxysilane.

6. The curable composition of claim 5 , wherein the trialkoxysilane is O-(methacryloxyethyl)-N-(triethoxysilylpropyl)urethane, methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane, or combinations thereof.

7. The curable composition of claim 2 , wherein the silane does not react towards any other components of the curable composition upon curing of the curable composition.

8. The curable composition of claim 2 , wherein the silane is capable of reacting with one or more hydroxyl groups present on the borate-crosslinked polysiloxane.

9. The curable composition of claim 1 , wherein the borate-crosslinked polysiloxane comprises hydroxyl groups.

10. The curable composition of claim 1 , wherein the borate-crosslinked polysiloxane is derived from poly(dialkylsiloxane) with a molecular weight from about 1,000 g/mol to less than about 50,000 g/mol.

11. The curable composition of claim 1 , wherein the borate-crosslinked polysiloxane is derived from a boron-containing cross-linking reagent selected from the group consisting of boric acid, borate, borate esters, and derivatives and combinations thereof.

12. The curable composition of claim 1 , wherein the polymerizable groups of the at least one ethylenically unsaturated monomer comprising at least two polymerizable groups, are each independently selected from the group consisting of an acrylate, a methacrylate, a vinyl, and an allyl group.

13. The curable composition of claim 1 , wherein the at least one ethylenically unsaturated monomer comprises a polar functional group selected from the group consisting of a urethane group, a urea group, a hydroxyl group, or a charged group.

14. The curable composition of claim 13 , wherein the charged group is a quaternary ammonium group.

15. The curable composition of claim 1 , wherein the at least one ethylenically unsaturated monomer is a substituted or unsubstituted polysiloxane comprising at least two polymerizable groups.

16. The curable composition of claim 1 , wherein the at least one ethylenically unsaturated monomer is an ionic liquid.

17. The curable composition of claim 1 , wherein the at least one ethylenically unsaturated monomer has a calculated total solubility parameter of about 10.5 (cal/cc) 1/2 to about 12.0 (cal/cc) 1/2 , a calculated H-bonding component of greater than or equal to about 1.2 (cal/cc) 1/2 and a molecular weight greater than or equal to about 300 g/mol.

18. The curable composition of claim 1 , wherein the curable composition comprises a first and a second ethylenically unsaturated monomer, the first ethylenically unsaturated monomer comprising two polymerizable groups, the second ethylenically unsaturated monomer comprising one or two polymerizable groups.

19. A method for isolating a working area in a patient's mouth comprising:

providing the curable composition of claim 1 ,

molding the composition to provide a moldable isolation device having a shape;

positioning the isolation device inside the patient's mouth to isolate the working area; and

curing the isolation device.

20. The curable composition of claim 1 , wherein the at least one ethylenically unsaturated monomer comprising at least two polymerizable groups is a compound of the formula:

U—[—R 3 N—Z—NR 3 ]—{—(CO)(CO)—[NH—Y—SiR 1 2 —(OSiR 1 2 ) n —OSiR 1 2 —Y—NH—(CO)(CO)—] p —[—R 3 N—Z—NR 3 ]—} r —U

wherein each R 1 is independently an alkyl, haloalkyl, aralkyl, aryl, or aryl substituted with an alkyl, alkoxy, or halo;

each Y is independently a divalent alkylene, aralkylene, or a combination thereof;

each Z is independently a divalent or higher-valent polydiorganosiloxane, alkylene, aralkylene, heteroalkylene, or branched alkylene group;

each R 3 is hydrogen or alkyl or R 3 taken together with Z and with the nitrogen to which they are both attached forms a heterocyclic group;

each U is independently a free radically polymerizable group;

n is independently an integer of 0 to 1500;

p is an integer of 1 or greater; and

r is an integer of 1 or greater.