Patent ID: 6969255

Claim:
A preformed tray for use in forming a thin-walled and flexible customized dental tray comprising ultra low density polyethylene having a density of less than 0.914 g/cm 3 , the preformed tray maintaining sufficient integrity and avoiding collapse when heated so as to be plastically deformable so that it can be placed over a person's teeth during customization without a supporting outer tray device even though it has a wall thickness of less than 2 mm, the preformed tray having a non-customized configuration that approximately corresponds to a person's dental arch and further comprising: a bottom wall having a thickness that is less than 2 mm; a front side wall extending laterally from an outer edge of the bottom wall and having a thickness that is less than about 1.8 mm; a rear side wall extending laterally from an inner edge of the bottom wall and having a thickness that is less than about 1.8 mm; and a hollow interior defined by the bottom wall, front side wall, and rear side wall that is sized and configured so as to approximate a corresponding shape of the person's dental arch, wherein the bottom wall, front side wall, and rear side wall are each of substantially uniform thickness so as to be devoid of indentations corresponding to a person's unique dentition.