DENTAL APPLIANCE WITH METAL OXIDE COATING
A dental appliance includes a polymeric shell with a first major surface having a plurality of cavities for receiving one or more teeth, and a layer of a metal oxide MOx on the first major surface.
1 . A dental appliance, comprising:
a polymeric shell with a first major surface comprising a plurality of cavities for receiving one or more teeth; and
a layer of a metal oxide MOx on the first major surface.
2 . The dental appliance of claim 1 , wherein the layer of the metal oxide comprises at least one metal oxide chosen from AgOx, ZnOx, CuOx, TiOx, AlOx and mixtures and alloys thereof.
3 . The dental appliance of claim 1 , wherein the metal oxide is chosen from AgCuZnOx, Ag doped ZnOx, Ag doped AZO, Ag doped TiO 2 , Al doped ZnO, and TiOx.
4 . The dental appliance of claim 1 , wherein the dental appliance transmits at least 60% of incident light with a wavelength of about 400-750 nm.
5 - 6 . (canceled)
7 . The dental appliance of claim 1 , wherein the layer of the metal oxide has a thickness of about 1 nm to about 200 nm.
8 - 9 . (canceled)
10 . The dental appliance of claim 1 , wherein the layer of the metal oxide is substantially transparent to visible light with a wavelength of 400-750 nm.
11 - 13 . (canceled)
14 . The dental appliance of claim 1 , wherein the layer of the metal oxide exhibits at least a 1-log microbial reduction against S. aureus and S. mutans following 24 hour contact.
15 - 16 . (canceled)
17 . A method of making a dental appliance, the method comprising:
applying a layer of a transparent metal oxide MOx on at least one major surface of a substantially flat sheet of a polymeric material; and
forming a plurality of cavities in the polymeric material to form the dental appliance, wherein the cavities are configured to receive one or more teeth.
18 . (canceled)
19 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the layer of the transparent metal oxide is applied by one of sputtering, physical vapor deposition, chemical vapor deposition, and electronic beam deposition.
20 . The method of claim 19 , wherein the layer of the transparent metal oxide is applied by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition.
21 - 25 . (canceled)
26 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the layer of the transparent metal oxide has a thickness of about 1 nm to about 200 nm.
27 - 28 . (canceled)
29 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the cavities in the polymeric material are thermally formed.
30 - 32 . (canceled)
33 . A method of making a dental appliance, the method comprising:
forming a polymeric shell comprising a plurality of cavities in a first major surface thereof, wherein the cavities are configured to receive one or more teeth; and
applying a layer of a transparent metal oxide MOx on the first major surface of the polymeric shell to form the dental appliance.
34 - 35 . (canceled)
36 . The method of claim 33 , wherein the layer of the transparent metal oxide is applied by one of sputtering, physical vapor deposition, chemical vapor deposition, and electronic beam deposition.
37 . The method of claim 36 , wherein the layer of the transparent metal oxide is applied by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition.
38 - 41 . (canceled)
42 . The method of claim 33 , wherein the layer of the transparent metal oxide has a thickness of about 1 nm to about 200 nm.
43 - 44 . (canceled)
45 . The method of claim 33 , wherein the layer of the transparent metal oxide is substantially continuous on the first major surface.
46 . The method of claim 33 , wherein the layer of the transparent metal oxide overlies at least 95% of the first major surface.
47 - 49 . (canceled)
50 . The dental appliance of claim 1 , wherein the metal oxide MOx penetrates below the first major surface.
51 - 67 . (canceled)
68 . A method of orthodontic treatment, comprising:
positioning a dental appliance of claim 1 around one or more teeth.
69 - 71 . (canceled)