Patent ID: 7104790

Claim:
A generally horseshoe shaped clear flexible resilient plastic wire-imbedded orthodontic appliance for an upper arch or a lower arch of a patient, comprising: a flexible, unitary construction plastic portion with a lingual side, a labial side, a left molar area, a right molar area, a left canine area and a right canine area, including: contours on the lingual side and on the labial side, wherein the contours are adapted to snugly cover the patient's teeth of only an upper arch or only a lower arch so that the appliance remains in place over the patient's teeth and so that the plastic portion guides the force of one or more flexible wires imbedded within the lingual side of the plastic portion against the side of the teeth; and one or more flexible wires imbedded within the lingual side of the plastic portion and extending along the sides and at about a midpoint between crowns and a gumline of the patient's teeth, extending from the left molar area to the right molar area of the plastic portion, whereby the wires are adapted to apply force on the lingual side of only one arch of the patient's bite to rapidly correct the orientation of the teeth in the patient's bite, wherein the plastic portion comprises a first outer section that is adapted to cover the entire surface of the patient's teeth of only one arch from approximately the left molars to the left canines, a second outer section that covers the entire surface of the patient's teeth from approximately the right molars to the right canines, and a middle span that covers only the labial side of the patient's teeth approximately between the canines, whereby the middle span acts as a guide for the force of the wire upon the patient's teeth.