POLYMERIC ORTHODONTIC MEMBERS AND ORTHODONTIC TREATMENT METHOD

摘要

An improved elastic orthodontic member and treatment method for preventing and treating certain dental diseases often associated with or increased by normal orthodontic treatment. The orthodontic member is an orally-acceptable elastic polymeric material having a dentally-active pharmacological agent uniform throughout the polymeric material as an in situ constituent of polymeric-member formation from a homogeneous mixture of polymeric material and pharmacological agent. Without compromising orthodontic force-applying elasticity, the orthodontic member provides release of pharmacological agent in an intraoral environment in therapeutically-acceptable concentrations over an extended period which is substantially commensurate with the useful life of force-applying elasticity of said orthodontic member.