Patent ID: 8287277

Claim:
A retention device having a length, a depth, and a thickness for installation at a dental site, the dental site comprising an insertion space at least partially enclosed by two adjacent facing dental surfaces, and defining an insertion path into the insertion space; the retention device comprising a first device part and second device part; said retention device configured to have an installed configuration including the first device part in a first spatial disposition with respect to the second device part, wherein in said spatial disposition said first device part is at least one of bent or folded with respect to said second device part about a bending facilitator extending along the length of the device and positioned along a respective reference axis generally parallel to the insertion path, wherein the bending facilitator is one of the group consisting of: (a) an indented bending line; (b) a perforated bending line; (c) a physical indicating mark along a bending line; and (d) a chemically treated indicating mark along a bending line; and wherein said first device part and said second device part have respective outer-facing surfaces, each said outer-facing surface facing a respective one or another of said dental surfaces when the retention device is installed in the insertion space; the retention device being configured in said installed configuration for providing controlled delivery to said dental site of at least one material having a predetermined intraoral activity via said outer-facing surfaces when said retention device is installed in the insertion space and in contact with said dental surfaces, said retention device comprising at least one matrix containing said at least one material; wherein at least one of said outer-facing surfaces has a respective dimension along said reference axis corresponding to said device length, said device length being greater than a respective dimension of said at least one of said outer-facing surfaces orthogonal to said reference axis; wherein the device is configured for being manipulated from a pre-installed configuration to said installed configuration, in which in said pre-installed configuration said first device part is in a second spatial disposition with respect to said second device part, different from said first spatial disposition, and in which said first device part is correspondingly at least one of unbent or unfolded with respect to said second device part about said respective reference axis; wherein said retention device is resilient.