Patent ID: 8459987

Claim:
An orthodontic appliance for developing a developed dental arch form in a patient who has an underdeveloped dental arch form, the appliance comprising a front region that merges with two opposing arm regions that project away from either side of the front region and includes: an arch-shaped base member that is constructed from a resilient, flexible material, comprising an open frame structure extending substantially in a plane including an arch-shaped outer frame member and an arch-shaped inner frame member that are spaced apart from each other, and a plurality of spaced apart transverse frame members connecting the outer frame member and the inner frame member; and a deformable teeth engaging member constructed from a resilient, flexible material that is softer than the resilient, flexible material of the base member including an arch-shaped web that encloses at least part of the open frame structure, the web forming upper and lower occlusal bite surfaces, and the teeth engaging member defines with the upper and lower occlusal bite surfaces at least one of an upper or a lower dental arch receiving channel, and the web decreases in transverse width in a direction from the arm regions towards the front region so as to correspond with the decrease in width of the occlusal surfaces of a dental arch so that the inner and outer flanges of the teeth engaging member bear against a patient's dental arch and dental arch structures, wherein the appliance has a resting form in which the base member and the teeth engaging member are in their resting condition, and the appliance can be manipulated from the resting form when fitted to a patient to receive the patient's underdeveloped dental arch form into the at least one dental arch receiving channel deforming the open frame structure in the plane thereof, and the appliance exerts a resting form return force urging the underdeveloped dental arch form to develop into the developed dental arch form.