Abstract: A general field isolation rubber dam with particular applicability in the field of dentistry. An operative insert, in the form of a wire, stamping, or the like, is embedded in or applied to a sheet of elastomeric material such as is used in conventional rubber dams. The operative insert may be elastic, malleable, resilient and deformable or rigid. The operative insert is usually in the form of a closed loop and an opening or openings for defining an operative field is created in the rubber dam material interiorly of the closed loop. The operative insert assists in isolating tensile forces in the rubber dam membrane outside of the insert from distorting the general field isolation dam adjacent the operative field.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a rubber dam frame comprised of two vertical side leg members that are connected by a single uninterrupted lower horizontal member and both a left and right upper horizontal member. The frame has a downwardly curved concave nasal deflection element positioned between the left and right upper horizontal members for increasing patient comfort along with a mechanism for attaching and deflecting excess rubber dam material downward to prevent the material from obstructing the nose and the breathing of the patient. The rubber dam membrane is attached to the rubber dam frame through the use of attachment nibs that face outward from the perimeter of the frame and secure the rubber dam membrane to the frame and allow for improved retraction and stability.

Abstract: This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/117,395, filed Apr. 5, 2002, which claims priority to Provisional Application Serial No. 60/281,863, filed Apr. 5, 2001. The application consists of three-dimensional rubber dams disclosed and presented in detail in the '395 filing and for which claims are pending since the filing of that application. This continuation-in-part, therefore, does not claim new material, but serves only to provide additional drawings of embodiments specified in that document. All of the criteria for the design of successful three-dimensional rubber dams of all types are included in the original document.

Abstract: A rubber dam comprising a barrier membrane, an operative insert engaged to the sheet of barrier material and an integrally attached exterior frame to enable a dentist to isolate various portions of the dental alveolar arch. The rubber dam devices have integrally attached frames which eliminate the requirement of stretching the rubber dam membrane over an exterior frame which is a separate device. The rubber dams also have an integral operative insert imbedded within or attached to the interior of the barrier membrane. The operative inserts may function wholly within a single alveolar arch or alternatively may contact both alveolar arches simultaneously. The operative inserts may generally be any one of the four general classifications of elastic, malleable, resilient, and rigid or substantially rigid. The integrally attached exterior frames may be composed of elastic, malleable, resilient, or essentially rigid materials.

Abstract: The invention relates to a series of rubber dam retaining devices which use cervically directed forces to cervically retract and retain a rubber dam below the gum line in the mouth of a patient during dental treatment. The series includes two classifications of cervical retraction and retaining devices; intra-arch clamping devices which utilize inwardly directed reciprocal force to attach directly to a tooth for retention and inter-arch retaining devices which utilize the reciprocal forces of the upper and lower alveolar arches to retract and retain a rubber dam in the mouth of a patient during treatment. The invention has implications for general field isolation in dentistry, conventional isolation, and a hybrid type of isolation which involves both conventional isolation and general field isolation simultaneously.

Abstract: A general field isolation rubber dam with particular applicability in the field of dentistry which is preferably composed of an elastic membrane with a slit-like central opening prepared in the dam through which a grouping of teeth and their associated soft tissues are brought into the dental operating field in order to perform dental treatment. The dams of this disclosure lack an integral retractive element, but rely instead on externally applied clamps and devices to retain and retract the membrane around an operative site. These dams may either have a mechanism for the bonding of manually applied barrier adhesives to perfect the moisture seal around an operative site or alternatively may have integrally applied barrier adhesives applied to directly adhere the rubber dam membrane to the oral tissues.

Abstract: The invention describes rubber dam punches that punch the entire slit or central opening in a rubber dam membrane in order to prepare the conventional rubber dam for the slit-dam technique. The invention further describes rubber dam punches capable of lengthening the central opening in a rubber dam that is specifically designed for general field isolation. The rubber dam punches of the invention include a series of embodiments having upper and lower arm members, each arm member further having a gripping handle at one end of the arm member and an operative end extension at the opposite end of the arm member. The arm members are pivotally connected and have male and female slits dies attached to the operative end extensions which are used punch slits and/or holes of varying widths in dental rubber dam membranes in order to create or lengthen existing central openings in general field isolation rubber dams.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a rubber dam frame comprised of two vertical side leg members that are connected by a single uninterrupted lower horizontal member and both a left and right upper horizontal member. The frame has a downwardly curved concave nasal deflection element positioned between the left and right upper horizontal members for increasing patient comfort along with a mechanism for attaching and deflecting excess rubber dam material downward to prevent the material from obstructing the nose and the breathing of the patient. The rubber dam membrane is attached to the rubber dam frame through the use of attachment nibs that face outward from the perimeter of the frame and secure the rubber dam membrane to the frame and allow for improved retraction and stability.