Patent ID: 7780441

Claim:
An apparatus for retention of teeth in a dental arch during passive orthodontic treatment of a patient, the apparatus comprising: a pair of orthodontic retainer elements structured to attach to a pair of adjacent teeth in the dental arch, each retainer element comprising a dental attachment surface, an approximal surface, and an oral surface; wherein the dental attachment surface of one retainer element in the pair of retainer elements is structured to attach to one tooth in the pair of adjacent teeth, whereas the dental attachment surface of the other retainer element in the pair of retainer elements is structured to attach to the other tooth in the pair of adjacent teeth; and wherein at least one portion of the approximal surface of the one retainer element is formed complementary to at least one portion of the approximal surface of the other retainer element, the respective approximal surfaces thus forming contact surfaces configured to mate and stabilize the pair of retainer elements when the pair of retainer elements is attached to the pair of adjacent teeth, thereby stabilizing the pair of adjacent teeth; and a mounting jig that is releasably connected to the pair of retainer elements and temporarily holds the pair retainer elements in a predetermined opposed spatial relationship, the predetermined spatial relationship allowing the contact surfaces to properly mate when the pair of opposed retainer elements are mounted on the pair of adjacent teeth and the mounting jig is removed from the pair of retainer elements; wherein the mounting jig comprises a perimeter side that defines a recess that is sized to engage with a locking tab on a guide strip structured for insertion between the pair of adjacent teeth in order to attach the pair of opposed retainer elements to the pair of adjacent teeth.