| abstract |
Apparatus, kits and methods for providing accelerated treatment of a patient's teeth. The apparatus, kits and methods involve the use of a dental impression tray that includes a patient dentition impression formed from a dental impression material such as an alginate. The impression tray advantageously includes heating means for heating and maintaining the formed patient dentition impression at a temperature greater than about 105° F. The heated dental trays may be used to accelerate the activity of dental bleaching agents (e.g., peroxides), desensitizing agents (e.g., potassium nitrate), remineralizing agents (e.g., fluoride salts), and the like. A dental office procedure for treating teeth involves the basic steps of: (1) coating a specially-prepared patient dentition impression with a dental composition such as a bleaching, desensitizing or remineralizing composition; (2) placing the coated patient dentition impression into the patient's mouth; (3) heating the patient dentition impression and dental composition to a temperature of at least about 105° F.; and (4) retaining the patient dentition impression in position for period of time in a range of about 1 minute to about 60 minutes. The procedure can be adapted to microwave heating, electrical resistance heating, or hot fluid heating of the patient dentition impression. |