Patent ID: 6848905

Claim:
A method of manufacturing a customized dental tray corresponding to a person's teeth comprising: providing a preformed tray comprising a bottom wall having a substantially U-shaped configuration, a front side wall extending laterally from an outer edge of the bottom wall, a rear side wall extending laterally from an inner edge of the bottom wall, and a hollow interior defined by the bottom wall, front side wall, and rear side wall that is sized and configured to approximate a corresponding shape of a person's dental arch, the front and rear side walls of the preformed tray having a thickness in a range of about 0.3 mm to about 1.8 mm; heating the preformed tray to a temperature at which said preformed tray becomes plastically deformable, the preformed being able to sufficiently retain its shape without external support so as to be useful in forming a dental impression; applying a blockout material to at least a portion of the person's teeth; upon applying the blockout material, placing the preformed tray over said at least a portion of the person's teeth without any external mechanical support other than fingers; causing the preformed tray to at least partially conform to the person's teeth in order to form a customized dental tray, wherein the blockout material forms one or more reservoirs within the interior of the customized dental tray; allowing the customized dental tray to cool to a temperature at which it is no longer plastically deformable; removing the customized dental tray from the person's teeth; and trimming the customized dental tray so that the tray does not significantly overlap the person's gingival when in use.