JP5570365B2 - Orthodontic bracket - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an orthodontic bracket.

  The good arrangement of teeth gives a good feeling in social life, and gives a good masticatory power from a medical point of view. Especially in modern people, the masticatory power is decreasing with the change of food culture. For this reason, there is a tendency that the space in which a tooth grows in the mouth of a modern person tends to be small, and the modern person tends to have poor tooth alignment unless orthodontic treatment is performed.

  Because of this tendency, orthodontic treatment has been increasing since childhood when permanent teeth are growing.

In general, orthodontic orthodontic treatment is attempted to change the direction of teeth by a series of operations as described below, for example, as shown in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-161716) (see FIGS. 15 and 16). To do.
(1) An orthodontic bracket 143 is bonded to a plurality of tooth surfaces 141A.
(2) The arch wire 146 is inserted into the recess 145 formed in the bracket 143, and the arch wire 146 is passed between the brackets 143.
(3) The elastic force of the arch wire 146 is applied to the teeth.

  Such an orthodontic bracket 143 has conventionally been formed of metal, but it is aesthetically pleasing due to the difference in color tone between the tooth and the metal bracket. In order to improve this point, a plastic or the like that is transparent or colored in a color similar to a tooth is used as a constituent material of the orthodontic bracket 143.

  However, the orthodontic bracket and the arch wire are merely engaged by inserting the arch wire into the recess 145 formed in the orthodontic bracket. Therefore, in order to securely engage the arch wire with the orthodontic bracket at the end, the orthodontic bracket and the arch wire at the end are ligated using the ligating wire 150. Was common. Further, since the arch wire 146 is inserted into the recess 145 formed in the bracket 143, there is no particular problem when the teeth are pushed to correct the dentition. However, when the orthodontic is performed to pull out the deepened tooth to the front, the arch wire 146 may come out of the recess 145 formed in the bracket 143. It was necessary to tie to.

  In addition, since the conventional orthodontic bracket needs to be ligated with an arch wire, the shape of the bracket must be complicated. May interfere with the movement of. In addition, this ligation work is a manual work and requires high skill.

  The more complicated the surface state and shape of the orthodontic bracket, the more the eating candy or the like may remain in the gap formed by the orthodontic bracket, arch wire or ligature wire. These eaten candy can cause tooth decay.

  Orthodontics is performed in order to improve the aesthetics of the teeth. As shown in FIG. 17, Patent Document 2 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-105361) discloses a method of preventing the occurrence of tooth decay associated with orthodontics as described above, and considering the aesthetics of the bracket and the workability of ligation. Furthermore, an invention of an orthodontic bracket in which a base portion 255 fixed to a tooth surface is formed with a slot hole 252 penetrating in the horizontal direction is disclosed. Furthermore, in Patent Document 2, as shown in FIG. 18, in order to change the correction direction according to each tooth, the penetration direction of the slot hole 252 is inclined so as to be displaced from the formation direction of the base portion 255. Drilling is disclosed. In this way, the slot hole 252 is displaced and inclined with respect to the direction in which the base portion 255 is formed, so that the direction in which the archwire is drawn is not linear, and the torque is generated by curving, thereby angling the tooth (outward inclination). Patent Document 2 describes that correction can be made.

However, the number of displaced slot holes 252 disclosed in Patent Document 2 is one. The torque for correcting the outward inclination of the tooth must depend on the torque provided by the elasticity of the single archwire inserted into the slot hole 252. In orthodontics, it is necessary to correct the dentition of the whole tooth in a well-balanced manner, and trying to obtain a high torque to correct the partial outward inclination of the tooth will cause extra stress on other teeth. It will be over.
Further, in the orthodontic bracket disclosed in Patent Document 2, even if the angulation can be corrected, the correction of the front and rear direction of the tooth, the center of the side in contact with the tooth gum, and the center of the tooth tip It is difficult to perform rotation using the connecting straight line as a rotation axis, that is, correction by rotation.

  In addition, the orthodontic bracket described in Patent Document 2 has a characteristic that the eating habits and the like hardly remain because the side surface is inclined. However, such an orthodontic bracket is generally mounted on the surface of a tooth by applying an adhesive on the back surface and sandwiching the side surface with tweezers, and is specifically described in Patent Document 2. If the sides are all inclined, it is difficult to pick them up with tweezers. For this reason, the orthodontic bracket described in Patent Document 2 also has a problem that it is difficult to mount it accurately on the tooth surface.

JP 2001-161716 A JP 2007-105361 A

  An object of the present invention is to provide a new orthodontic bracket.

  Furthermore, the present invention provides a new orthodontic bracket that is easy to attach to the tooth surface, does not easily leave eating crabs, and therefore does not cause tooth decay, and does not require ligation with poor workability. The purpose is to provide.

  In addition, the present invention provides the tooth with a three-dimensional rotational force centered on the center of the bracket, such as rotation (correction) and rotation of the teeth in addition to angulation. It is an object of the present invention to provide an orthodontic bracket that can be easily adjusted in rotation stress.

  Furthermore, the present invention uses a material having the same color as that of the tooth, so that it has excellent aesthetics and high durability, and when the bracket is peeled off, the adhesive does not remain on the surface of the tooth. The purpose of this is to provide a bracket.

The orthodontic bracket of the present invention has a substrate surface that adheres to the surface of the dentine and an archwire holding portion that holds the archwire with the substrate surface as a bottom surface, and is connected to the individual teeth by the archwire. An orthodontic bracket that corrects the dentition by continuously applying stress to the quality,
The orthodontic bracket has a substantially kamaboko-shaped cross section perpendicular to the archwire stretching direction with the substrate surface bonded to the tooth surface as the bottom surface, and the archwire is inserted therethrough. A plurality of archwire insertion holes for connecting adjacent orthodontic brackets with an archwire, and for locking an engagement member at at least one of the side surfaces of the archwire holding portion It is possible to exhibit complicated and various orthodontic treatment effects.

  The locking means is formed such that stress can be applied to the tooth material by locking the engaging member to a locking means of an orthodontic bracket or an archwire in the vicinity of the locking means. It is characterized by being.

  The cross-sectional shape of the archwire insertion hole is preferably a square, and three archwire insertion holes are formed in the orthodontic bracket, and the archwire insertion hole formed at the center includes: When it is formed at a position where the height from the substrate surface is higher than the archwire fitting hole formed on both sides, it can give more effective three-dimensional rotational torque to the tooth, The entire bracket can be made small and gentle.

  The engaging member is preferably a ring-shaped elastic body, and the locking means normally holds and fixes the concave and / or convex portions for locking the ring-shaped elastic body, that is, the ring-shaped elastic body. A concave notch and / or a convex ledge.

  Further, by forming the arch wire insertion hole so as to have different heights from the substrate surface at both ends of the insertion hole, rotational torque in the front-rear direction of the tooth can be generated. .

  Furthermore, an archwire insertion hole formed in the center opens from the one end of the orthodontic bracket to the other end of the orthodontic bracket with the substrate surface of the orthodontic bracket as the bottom surface. In this case, as will be described later, this opening can be used with a high degree of freedom in the operation of adhering the orthodontic bracket or the like.

The shape of the section of the bracket excluding the locking means, which is perpendicular to the direction in which the archwire is stretched, has a substantially kamaboko shape. The shape has at least four locations on a virtual semicircle on the same plane as the cross section, with a virtual center point being the center of the site of adhesion to the cross section of the tooth, and a radius of R ₁ , preferably at least It is preferable from the viewpoint of difficulty in sticking the eating bowl that it has an approximately kamaboko shape having six contact points.

Usually, in the cross section of the part excluding the locking means of the bracket, the side that adheres to the tooth surface holds the adhesive for adhering the bracket to the tooth surface. is curved on the top with a curvature radius R ₂ from a virtual center point is virtually in the same plane.

  In particular, the orthodontic bracket of the present invention preferably has at least one adhesive-filled groove on the substrate surface to be bonded to the tooth surface of the bracket, substantially parallel to the archwire insertion hole.

  The width of the bracket in the gum direction is preferably narrower than the width in the tooth tip direction.

Furthermore, it is preferable that the end portion of the bracket, which is perpendicular to the direction in which the archwire is stretched, is formed at a substantially right angle with respect to the substrate surface to be bonded to the tooth surface of the bracket.
The orthodontic bracket of the present invention is usually formed from a sintered body of an inorganic material.

  Such an orthodontic bracket according to the present invention does not require ligation work except when the arch wire insertion hole formed at the center is open on the upper surface. Therefore, in the orthodontic bracket of the present invention, the arch wire is basically fixed to the bracket by being fitted into the arch wire fitting hole, and the arch wire is used for orthodontic treatment depending on the ligating means. It is not ligated and fixed to the bracket.

  According to the present invention, there is provided an orthodontic bracket that enables more effective three-dimensional movement (angulation, longitudinal movement, and rotation). According to the orthodontic bracket of the present invention, More accurate orthodontics are possible. Moreover, the orthodontic bracket of the present invention basically does not need to ligate the inserted arch wire, so it is possible to apply a force that is weaker than the force applied to the teeth by the conventional orthodontic bracket. Can do orthodontics. Furthermore, since the orthodontic bracket of the present invention has a simplified shape, there is little deposition of plaque (food residue) on the bracket. Therefore, the orthodontic bracket of the present invention is excellent also in oral hygiene.

  Furthermore, the orthodontic bracket of the present invention has essentially the same color tone as that of the tooth surface, is excellent in aesthetics, is hard, and is excellent in durability.

  Furthermore, the orthodontic bracket of the present invention has good adhesiveness to the tooth surface, and the adhesive does not remain on the tooth surface when the orthodontic bracket is peeled off. Are all held on the back surface (substrate surface) of the orthodontic bracket to be removed and peeled off.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of the orthodontic bracket according to the present invention excluding locking means. FIG. 2A is a top view of the orthodontic bracket, FIG. 2B is a side view, and FIG. 2C is a back view. The bracket locking means is omitted. 3 is an XX cross-sectional view of the orthodontic bracket of the present invention shown in FIG. The bracket locking means is omitted. FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing the positional relationship of the plurality of fitting holes formed in the orthodontic bracket of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing an example of the form of the adhesive filling groove formed on the substrate surface of the orthodontic bracket of the present invention. FIG. 6 shows an example of a usage pattern of the orthodontic bracket of the present invention. The orthodontic bracket is bonded to the surface of the tooth, and an arch wire is inserted into the orthodontic bracket. It is a schematic diagram which shows the state made. The bracket locking means is omitted. FIG. 7 shows that the archwire insertion hole of the orthodontic bracket of the present invention is inclined so that the heights of both ends of the insertion hole from the board surface (or tooth surface) of the bracket are different. It is a perspective view which shows the aspect formed in this way. The bracket locking means is omitted. 8 is a YY cross-sectional view of the orthodontic bracket in FIG. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a typical configuration of the orthodontic bracket of the present invention in which the locking means is not omitted. FIG. 10 shows an example of the usage pattern of the orthodontic bracket of the present invention in which the locking means is not omitted. The orthodontic bracket is bonded to the surface of the tooth, and the orthodontic bracket is attached to the orthodontic bracket. It is a schematic diagram which shows the state by which the archwire was fitted and the engaging member was latched by the latching means. FIG. 11 is a schematic view when the tooth is viewed from the side, showing an aspect in which the engaging member is locked to the locking means of the orthodontic bracket of the present invention bonded to the upper and lower teeth. In FIG. 11, the right side is the oral cavity side, and the left side is the outside of the mouth. FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing examples of various modes (shapes) of the locking means of the orthodontic bracket of the present invention. In the figure, the figure with a symbol such as (a-1) is a top view of the bracket, and the figure with a symbol such as (a-2) is the corresponding (a-1) It is sectional drawing of the bracket of an aspect. The cutting direction is the same as the cutting direction in the XX sectional view of the orthodontic bracket of the present invention shown in FIG. FIG. 13 shows that the orthodontic bracket of the present invention has three arch wire insertion holes, and the arch wire insertion holes formed in the center are more substrates than the arch wire insertion holes formed on both sides. An archwire insertion hole formed at a high position from the surface and opened from the one end to the other end of the bracket opens to the upper surface with the substrate surface of the bracket as the bottom surface. It is sectional drawing of the aspect which is. The cutting direction is the same as the cutting direction in the XX sectional view of the orthodontic bracket of the present invention shown in FIG. FIG. 14 is a side view showing another aspect of the orthodontic bracket of the present invention. The bracket locking means is omitted. FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing an example of a conventional bracket. FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which an arch wire is ligated using the bracket shown in FIG. FIG. 17 is a perspective view showing another aspect of the conventional orthodontic bracket. FIG. 18 is a top view showing another aspect of the conventional orthodontic bracket shown in FIG. 17, in which the slot hole is inclined so that the penetrating direction of the slot hole is displaced from the forming direction of the base portion. It is shown.

  Next, the orthodontic bracket of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings. First, the configuration of the orthodontic bracket excluding the locking means will be described, and then the locking means and other configurations will be described. Therefore, the locking means is omitted in the drawings (FIGS. 1 to 8) referred to in the description of the portion excluding the locking means below.

[Configuration of the portion excluding the locking means in the orthodontic bracket]
As shown in FIG. 1, an orthodontic bracket 10 according to the present invention includes a substrate surface 11 that adheres to a tooth surface, and a plurality of fitting holes that hold the substrate surface 11 as a bottom surface and hold an archwire. And an archwire holding part 13 (see also FIG. 3). Unlike the conventional bracket, the orthodontic bracket 10 according to the present invention basically does not expose the archwire and fits into a plurality of fitting holes provided in the bracket 10. FIG. 1 shows an embodiment in which three fitting holes are formed. In the present invention, two or more fitting holes may be used. However, in order to apply a three-dimensional stress to the tooth to be corrected during orthodontic correction, as shown in FIG. It is preferable to arrange the fitting hole 16.

  The portion of the orthodontic bracket 10 according to the present invention excluding the locking means has a substantially kamaboko shape as shown in FIG. The bracket 10 is apparent from the perspective view shown in FIG. 1 in detail, the top view shown in FIG. 2 (a), the side view shown in (b), and the back view shown in (c). Thus, the width a in the gums direction has a substantially semi-cylindrical shape slightly shorter than the width b in the tooth tip direction. As is clear from FIGS. 1 and 2 (a), the upper surface of the orthodontic bracket 10 of the present invention is not exactly one arc shape, but is connected to a plurality of planes or arcs as a whole. And has a generally kamaboko shape. FIG. 3 schematically shows an enlarged XX cross-section (a cross-section perpendicular to the archwire stretching direction with the substrate surface bonded to the tooth surface as the bottom surface) in FIGS. 1 and 2A.

As apparent from FIG. 3, the portion of the orthodontic bracket 10 of the present invention excluding the locking means has a virtual center point A at the center of the bracket 10 where the cross section is bonded to the cross section of the tooth. The virtual arc 30 with the radius R ₁ centered on the virtual center point A is in contact with at least four points, preferably six points P ¹ , P ² , P ³ , P ⁴ , P ⁵ , P ⁶ . The planes 31, 32, 33, 34, and 35 are connected to form an angular kamaboko shape. Although not shown, it is desirable that the joined portions of the flat plates 31, 32, 33, 34, and 35 are chamfered so that the square-shaped kamaboko type is closer to a semicircular kamaboko type. In addition, it goes without saying that the outer peripheral surface of the orthodontic bracket of the present invention may coincide with the virtual arc 30 having the radius R ₁ . In the present invention, the radius R ₁ forming the virtual arc 30 can be selected as appropriate according to the size of the tooth to which the bracket 10 is attached. It is about 3mm.

  Thus, by forming the portion of the orthodontic bracket 10 of the present invention excluding the locking means in a kamaboko shape that approximates the virtual arc 30, food baskets or the like hardly remain on the bracket 10. The aesthetics of the bracket 10 are also improved.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the orthodontic bracket of the present invention has a plurality of insertion holes. The number of the fitting holes needs to be two or more, and preferably three or more. However, it is extremely difficult to manufacture more than four insertion holes, and even if more than three insertion holes are formed, the effect on orthodontics tends to be almost unchanged. is there.

  Therefore, it is particularly preferable that the number of fitting holes provided in the orthodontic bracket 10 of the present invention is three. These insertion holes are formed so as to pass between both end portions 38, 38 of the orthodontic bracket 10 of the present invention, and the plurality of insertion holes are linear and basically of the archwire. They are formed parallel to each other in the stretching direction.

  1, 3, and 4 show the fitting holes 12, 14, and 16 having a square cross-sectional shape, the sectional shape of the fitting holes 12, 14, and 16 need not necessarily be square. Alternatively, it may be in the form of a circle, a polygon, a rhombus, or the like. However, when an archwire having a square cross-sectional shape is used to give directionality to the stress exerted on the tooth, the directionality can be further increased by making the cross-sectional shape of the fitting holes 12, 14, 16 square. There is an advantage that it becomes easy to put out.

If the mode which formed these three through-holes is demonstrated to an example, as shown in FIG.3 and 4, the center point of the through-hole 12 located in the center will usually be 1.0-2.0 rather than the virtual reference line 40. FIG. mm, preferably 1.2 to 1.7 mm above (ie, k _{1 in} FIG. 4 is usually 1.0 to 2.0 mm, preferably 1.2 to 1.7 mm), and the fitting holes on both sides of the fitting hole 12 The height of the center point 14, 16 from the virtual reference line 40 is usually 0.8 to 1.8 mm, preferably 1.0 to 1.5 mm (that is, k ₂ in FIG. 4 is usually 0.8 to 1.8 mm, preferably 1.0 to 1.5 mm). mm). Therefore, the fitting hole 12 located at the center is about 1/4 to ¾ of the height h of the fitting hole from the virtual reference line 40 rather than the fitting holes 14 and 16 formed on both sides. It is located at the top as seen. Thus, the position of the fitting hole 12 located at the center is increased, the main archwire is inserted into the fitting hole 12, and the archwire is inserted into the fitting holes 14 and 16 around this. By adjusting the thickness and tension, a three-dimensional torque or stress can be applied to the tooth. In particular, when the tooth is viewed from the front by adjusting the tension (for example, when viewing the tooth as shown in FIG. 6), it is effective for orthodontic correction when the tooth grows obliquely from the gum. Torque or stress can be applied, that is, angulation can be applied. In addition, the entire orthodontic bracket can be made small and gentle, making it harder to eat.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 7, in the orthodontic bracket of the present invention, the archwire insertion holes 12, 14, 16 are provided on the substrate surface (or teeth) of the bracket at both ends of the insertion holes. It may be formed so as to be inclined so that the height from the surface is different. In other words, the archwire insertion holes 12, 14, 16 may be formed not parallel to the substrate surface or the tooth surface, and in other words, the insertion holes 12, 14, 16 are formed. When parallelly moving downward (board surface side) and the end of the fitting hole comes into contact with the board surface or tooth surface for the first time, an acute angle is formed by the fitting hole and the board surface or tooth surface. Arch wire insertion holes 12, 14, 16 may be formed. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the arch wire insertion hole 12 formed in such an inclination, and is formed by a straight line 72 on the lower side of the insertion hole 12 and a straight line 70 representing a substrate surface or a tooth surface. The corner becomes an acute angle.

  In this way, the arch wire is inserted into the arch wire insertion holes 12, 14 or 16 formed at different distances from the tooth surface at both ends of the insertion hole, and tension is applied to the arch wire. Thus, a three-dimensional torque or stress can be applied in the front-rear direction of the tooth. As a result, for example, so-called dentures can be corrected. It is also expected to be able to rotate.

  Further, in the orthodontic bracket of the present invention, there are a plurality of archwire insertion holes, but the inclination of the plurality of insertion holes (the surface of the substrate or the tooth surface by translating each of the insertion holes) The acute angle formed when in contact with may be the same or different. If the aspect of inclination is the same, torque in the front-rear direction (and rotation) can be uniformly applied to the tooth, while if the aspect of inclination is different, the front-rear direction (and rotation) depends on the position of the tooth. ), Different torques can be applied.

  The size of such an insertion hole varies depending on the archwire used, but usually the height h is about 0.5 to 0.8 mm and the width w is about 0.5 to 0.7 mm. Even when the shape of the fitting hole is changed, the size of the fitting hole can be selected with reference to the above size.

  As described above, the orthodontic bracket of the present invention has the archwire fitted into the archwire fitting holes 12, 14, and 16 formed in the bracket. , 16 are fixed by inner peripheral wall surfaces. Therefore, it is not necessary to ligate the archwire as in the prior art.

Note that the virtual reference line 40 employed in the above description corresponds to the surface where the points P ¹ and P ^6, which are both end portions, contact when the orthodontic bracket is placed on a flat surface as shown in FIG. This is a virtual line (a line that is hypothesized by connecting both end portions).

In the orthodontic bracket of the present invention, at least one adhesive filling groove for holding an adhesive for adhering the bracket to the tooth surface is formed on the surface of the substrate that adheres to the tooth surface. It is formed substantially parallel to the hole. In FIGS. 2, 3 and 5, three adhesive filling grooves 41, 43 and 45 are formed on the substrate surface 11 of the orthodontic bracket of the present invention.
In the adhesive filling grooves 41, 43, and 45, it is preferable that an overhang 48 is formed on the periphery of the opening 44 toward the inside of the opening. Accordingly, the adhesive filling grooves 41, 43, 45 are preferably formed such that the opening 44 is narrower than the bottom 46 of the adhesive filling groove.

The adhesive is filled in the adhesive filling grooves 41, 43, 45 so as to be somewhat excessive. Further, the substrate surface 11 of the orthodontic bracket of the present invention is not flat, and in the cross section of the bracket that is orthogonal to the archwire stretching direction with the substrate surface 11 that adheres to the tooth surface as the bottom surface, A side to be bonded to the tooth is curved in an arc shape along a radius R ₂ from a virtual center B hypothesized below the bracket and on the same plane as the cross section. This is because the tooth surface is not formed in a straight line, and a space in which the adhesive spreads to bond the bracket to the tooth surface is formed. The radius R _{2 at} this time is usually 5 to 20 mm, preferably 10 to 15 mm.

  When adhering the orthodontic bracket of the present invention to the tooth surface, the adhesive filling grooves 41, 43, 45 are filled with a slightly larger amount of adhesive, and then the entire back surface of the bracket is adhesive. Press the bracket against the tooth surface so that the By pressing in this way, the adhesive filled in the adhesive filling groove is supplied between the back surface of the orthodontic bracket formed in an arc shape and the tooth, and this bracket is attached to the tooth. Glue strongly. During the bonding, the overhang 48 formed to protrude toward the inner ring side of the opening has an anchoring effect that acts so that the adhesive in the adhesive filling grooves 41, 43, 45 does not fall off.

  On the other hand, when removing the orthodontic bracket of the present invention, the adhesive strength of the adhesive with respect to the tooth surface is lowered, and the orthodontic bracket is removed. Also at this time, due to the anchoring effect of the overhang 48, the adhesive does not remain on the tooth surface but is removed together with the orthodontic bracket, so that the adhesive hardly remains on the tooth surface.

  As described above, the adhesive filling grooves 41, 43, 45 formed on the substrate surface side of the orthodontic bracket according to the present invention are filled with an adhesive slightly larger than the amount that can be stored, and the tooth surface The orthodontic bracket is bonded to the tooth surface by applying the adhesive to the gap between the orthodontic bracket and the tooth surface. As the adhesive used here, a general adhesive which is not harmful to the human body used for bonding the orthodontic bracket can be used.

  Thus, after the orthodontic bracket of the present invention is bonded to the surface of each tooth, the archwire is fitted into the insertion hole formed in the orthodontic bracket of the present invention, and each orthodontic bracket Are connected with an archwire fitted.

  In the orthodontic bracket of the present invention, a plurality of, usually two, and preferably three archwire insertion holes are formed, and the main archwire 50 is fitted into the insertion hole 12 at the center. After that, if necessary, the arch wires 51 and 52 are fitted into the fitting holes 14 and 16 on both sides of the fitting hole 12 (FIG. 6, the locking means is omitted).

  Here, the main archwire 50, the archwire 51, and the archwire 52 may be the same or different.

  Further, with the main arch wire 50 as the center, the direction in which the tension of the arch wire 51 is applied and the direction in which the tension of the arch wire 52 is applied are reversed, so that a high rotational torque can be applied to the teeth. For example, when the arch wire 51 and a wire having higher rigidity than the arch wire 52 are used as the main arch wire 50, the main arch wire 50 can apply stress for moving the tooth 60 back and forth. Further, if the tension directions of the archwire 51 and the archwire 52 are reversed, a rotational torque can be applied to the tooth 60 and an angulation can be applied. That is, the tooth 60 can be corrected three-dimensionally by changing the characteristics of the three arch wires or the direction of the tension.

  Further, as described above, the arch wire insertion holes are inclined so that the heights of the both ends of the insertion holes from the substrate surface (or tooth surface) of the orthodontic bracket of the present invention are different. It may be formed. Then, by applying tension to the archwire inserted into the insertion hole formed in this way, it is possible to apply torque or stress for moving the tooth back and forth more effectively.

  In particular, the rotational torque applied to the tooth 60 can be controlled by adjusting the archwire 51 and the archwire 52. Further, by adjusting the main arch wire 50 and the inclination of the arch wire insertion hole, the tooth 60 can be corrected back and forth with suitable strength. For this reason, according to the orthodontic bracket of the present invention, orthodontic can be performed while effectively preventing inflammation or necrosis of the root due to contact between adjacent roots.

[About orthodontic bracket locking means and other components]
As described above, the orthodontic bracket of the present invention has a substrate surface that adheres to the tooth surface, an archwire holding portion that holds the archwire with the substrate surface as a bottom surface, and is further locked. Means. FIG. 9 shows a perspective view of a typical configuration of the orthodontic bracket of the present invention in which the locking means is not omitted. As shown in FIG. 9, the locking means 20 is formed on at least one of the side surfaces of the archwire holding portion 13.

  The locking means 20 serves as a so-called hook. Stress can be applied to the plurality of teeth by locking the engaging members to the locking means of the plurality of orthodontic brackets of the present invention bonded to the plurality of teeth. This is shown in FIG. In addition, since it is necessary for the engaging member to have a function of applying stress, the engaging member is usually formed of a material having elasticity, and is preferably a ring-shaped elastic body. The ring-shaped elastic body is in the form of a wire before being locked to the locking means 20, and is wound around the locking means 20 and then the both ends of the elastic body are connected to a wire-shaped plastic. It may be formed by joining with rubber or rubber to form a ring.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 10, the orthodontic bracket 10 is bonded to three consecutive teeth 60, and the engaging member 24 is locked to the locking means 20 of the bracket 10. The locking means 20 is normally formed with a recess 22 for locking by engaging the engaging member 24 or the like. A plurality of brackets are locked by, for example, spanning the engaging member 24 over the recess 22. Since the locking means 20 only needs to be able to lock the engaging member 24, the locking means 20 may have a convex portion having a shape that allows the engaging member 24 to be stretched over instead of the concave portion.
In the aspect of FIG. 10, for example, the central tooth 60 of the three teeth 60 is fixed so that the orthodontic bracket bonded thereto receives stress from the engaging member 24 from both the left and right. On the other hand, the left tooth 60 receives stress in the right direction because the bracket 10 bonded thereto receives stress in the right direction. The plurality of teeth form a curved surface instead of forming a plane in a straight line. Therefore, the bracket 10 bonded to the central tooth 60 serves as a fulcrum, and a stress is generated that causes rotation to move the left end of the left tooth 60 forward.

  On the other hand, in FIG. 10, focusing on the central and right teeth 60, they are locked by one engaging member 24 instead of two. In this case, the left tooth 60 was subjected to stress on the right side by the two engaging members 24 at both the root portion and the tip portion of the tooth, whereas the right tooth 60 has one engaging portion. Since the member 24 receives the stress to the left side only at the tooth tip portion, not only the rotation but also the rotational movement in the plane of the tooth 60 shown in FIG. 10, that is, angulation (clockwise rotation in this embodiment). Stress that generates

  Further, the left tooth 60 can be similarly angulated by changing the stress of the upper engaging member 24 and the lower engaging member 24. The stress can be adjusted according to the constituent material, thickness, deflection, and the like of the engaging member 24.

  Further, for example, in the embodiment of FIG. 10, the upper locking means 20 of the orthodontic bracket 10 bonded to the right tooth 60 is bonded to the right tooth 60 not shown in FIG. 10. If the locking means 20 and the engaging member 24 of the orthodontic bracket 10 are locked, the clockwise rotation can be more strongly applied.

  In addition, in the aspect of FIG. 10, although the orthodontic bracket 10 adhered to the adjacent tooth 60 is locked, the mode of locking is not necessarily limited to this, and it may be between about one as necessary. The empty brackets may be locked together. In this manner, the brackets in the vicinity are locked by the locking means and the engaging member.

  Further, in general, in orthodontics, the teeth that have already been corrected are not significantly affected by the stress due to the orthodontic bracket, and are difficult to move after correction. Therefore, a tooth that has been subjected to such correction is selected as the central tooth 60 in the embodiment of FIG. 10 described above, and the center (fulcrum) is used as a center (fulcrum), and the surrounding teeth are not corrected or insufficient. It is efficient and preferable to correct the dentition.

  Furthermore, what is locked by the engaging member 24 is not limited to the orthodontic bracket bonded to the lateral teeth, but may be a bracket bonded to the upper and lower teeth as shown in FIG. By performing locking in this way, the dentition in the front-rear direction of the upper and lower teeth can be corrected. That is, as shown in FIG. 11, in a so-called protruding state, the tooth 60 is not inclined from the gum 65 but in a right angle direction due to the stress applied by the engagement member 24 to bring the brackets close together. As a result, the tooth 60, particularly the tooth tip of the tooth 60, moves slightly backward to correct the so-called denture.

  As described above, the tooth 60 can be rotated, angulated, and moved back and forth freely by various adjustments of the locking means 20 and the engaging member 24. Here, as an aspect (shape) of the locking means 20 that plays an important role in applying such movement, for example, an aspect as shown in FIG. 12 can be considered. In FIG. 12, for example, the figure with the symbol (a-1) is a top view of the orthodontic bracket, and the figure with the symbol (a-2) is shown in (a-1). It is sectional drawing of the bracket of an aspect. The cutting direction is the same as the cutting direction in the XX sectional view of the orthodontic bracket shown in FIG. The same applies to the following (b-1) to (e-2). Among these, the part 22 shown in (b-1) corresponds to an example of the shape of the convex portion that the above-described locking means may have.

  The aspects of the present invention are not limited to these, and the locking means may have any shape that can be hooked to hook the engaging member, as shown in FIG. Various modifications other than the described embodiment are possible.

  Further, the structure of the locking means and the engaging member, the above-described archwire insertion hole of the orthodontic bracket of the present invention, and the configuration of the archwire inserted into the archwire (the insertion holes are arranged at both ends thereof). Conventional dentition by combining (cooperating with) the material of the archwire and the stress applied to it and changing its direction) With less stress than the orthodontic bracket, it is possible to apply angulation, rotation and forward / backward movement freely. Therefore, according to the orthodontic bracket of the present invention, orthodontics can be performed more effectively and with minimal pain to the patient.

  The orthodontic bracket of the present invention that can be freely moved such as angulation as described above has an arch wire insertion hole in the bracket body (arch wire holding portion), and the arch wire is provided here. By fitting, the archwire is fixed to the bracket without using ligating means.

  However, the orthodontic bracket of the present invention has three arch wire insertion holes 12, 14, and 16, and the arch wire insertion holes 12 formed in the center are formed on both sides. In the case where the hole is formed at a position higher than the substrate surface than the holes 14 and 16, as shown in FIG. 13, the arch wire insertion hole 12 formed at the center is formed from one end of the bracket. You may open to the upper surface by using the board | substrate surface of the said bracket as a bottom face to the other edge part. In FIG. 13, the locking means is omitted.

  The archwire insertion hole 12 formed in the center is just in the center of the orthodontic bracket. This position is an important position for the operator to confirm the positioning of the bracket when the bracket is bonded to the tooth. Therefore, if the archwire insertion hole 12 formed in the center has the opening 26 shown in FIG. 13, for example, the wire is brought into contact with the portion of the opening 26, and the bracket is appropriately positioned on the tooth, The wire can be easily removed once it is adhered to the tooth. Since the archwire is fitted into the archwire fitting holes 14 and 16 on both sides of the opening 26, the archwire is subjected to torque such as angulation by these, the locking means and the engaging member. The bracket can be sufficiently adhered and fixed to the tooth.

  Further, when an arch wire is passed from the opening 26 to the arch wire insertion hole 12, either the arch wire insertion holes 14 and 16 on both sides are used, and the arch wire is fixed by ligating thereto. can do.

  The orthodontic bracket of the present invention described above can be manufactured by sintering an inorganic material. In particular, by inserting zirconium oxide into a mold or passing through the mold and firing it at the optimum temperature of the material after molding, the fitting hole can be formed with high accuracy. Furthermore, since the color tone of the orthodontic bracket formed using zirconium oxide in this way approximates the color tone of the tooth, the bracket can be made very aesthetic. Moreover, the sintered body of zirconium oxide has a very high strength, and the bracket is not damaged during the orthodontic treatment.

  In the bracket, the locking means may be integrally formed using a mold together with other portions of the bracket (bracket body), or may be formed by secondary processing after the integral molding. Alternatively, the bracket main body and the locking means may be formed separately and then bonded by a known adhesive or the like to be integrated.

  Furthermore, according to the orthodontic bracket of the present invention, as described above, the angulation, rotation and forward / backward movement can be freely applied. It is not necessary to prepare the tooth, and the angulation of the teeth can be corrected with one type of bracket. In addition, it is not necessary to change the direction of attachment of the bracket in order to correct tooth angulation, and it is sufficient to adhere the bracket along the center line of the tooth 60 that grows from the gum 65. It is not necessary to incline and adhere (see FIG. 6).

  In the above description, as shown in FIG. 2 (b), the description is centered on a form in which both ends of the portion excluding the locking means of the orthodontic bracket are vertically rounded up. This is because it is necessary to pick up the bracket with tweezers when bonding the bracket, and it is difficult to pick up with tweezers if both ends are tapered. However, if vacuum tweezers or a releasable bonding jig is used instead of tweezers, it is not necessary to make both ends vertically rounded up. For example, as shown in FIG. May be attached. As a result, the possibility that the eating candy remains on the bonding portion between the bracket and the tooth is reduced.

  Furthermore, the orthodontic bracket of the present invention can be variously modified within a range not contrary to its purpose.

  The orthodontic bracket of the present invention basically does not require ligation of an arch wire, so that it is easy to attach to the tooth surface, and it is difficult for glutinous or the like to remain on the bracket, causing the occurrence of tooth decay It is hard to become.

  In addition, the orthodontic bracket of the present invention has a plurality of fitting holes, and a plurality of archwires can be fitted therethrough. Therefore, the type of each archwire, the tension to be applied, or the fitting hole By controlling the inclination and the like, three-dimensional orthodontic correction is possible in which the tooth is moved back and forth while giving a rotational torque to the tooth.

  Furthermore, since the orthodontic bracket of the present invention has a locking means, by locking the engagement member to this, stress is applied between the plurality of brackets, thereby applying stress to the tooth, Angulation, rotation and back-and-forth movement can be applied more effectively.

  Further, the orthodontic bracket of the present invention has three arch wire insertion holes, and the arch wire insertion holes formed in the center are closer to the substrate surface than the arch wire insertion holes formed on both sides. The archwire insertion hole formed in the center is a mode formed at a high position from one end of the bracket to the other end, with the substrate surface of the bracket as the bottom surface. In the case of opening, the opening can be used for various purposes as described above with a high degree of freedom.

  The orthodontic bracket of the present invention is formed of a sintered body of metal oxide (a general ceramic material such as alumina), preferably a sintered body of zirconium oxide, and has high aesthetics and high It is durable and can be designed into a shape that is suitable for small and complex treatments.

  Further, in the orthodontic bracket of the present invention, a loose recess as a whole is formed on the adhesive surface of the bracket with the tooth, and the bracket has a concave adhesive filling groove. Since the opening of this adhesive filling groove has a shape protruding inside the opening, the bonded bracket does not fall out of the tooth, and the adhesive remains on the tooth surface when the bracket is removed. The adhesive can be removed along with the bracket without.

  The orthodontic bracket of the present invention can apply various movements to the teeth in three dimensions, thereby enabling more effective, more accurate and less painful user-friendly orthodontics. Expected.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Orthodontic bracket 11 ... Board surface 12 ... Arch wire fitting hole 13 ... Arch wire holding part 14 ... Arch wire fitting hole 16 ... Arch wire fitting hole 20 ... locking means 22 ... concave or convex portion 24 ... engagement member 26 ... opening 30 ... virtual arc
31, 32, 33, 34, 35 ... plane 38 ... both ends 40 ... virtual reference line 41 ... adhesive filling groove 43 ... adhesive filling groove 45 ... adhesive filling groove 44 ... opening 46 ... bottom 48 of adhesive filling groove ... overhang 50 ... main arch wire 51 ... arch wire 52 ... arch wire 60 ... tooth 65 ... gum 70 ... straight line 72 representing substrate surface or tooth surface ... straight line 141A below fitting hole 12 ... tooth surface 143 ... bracket 145 ... recess 146 ... arch wire 150 ... Knitting wire 252 ... Slot hole 255 ... Base part

Claims (11)

A substrate surface that adheres to the tooth surface, and an arch wire holding portion that holds the arch wire with the substrate surface as a bottom surface, and is continuously connected to the arch wire to apply stress to individual teeth. An orthodontic bracket for orthodontic correction,
The orthodontic bracket has a substantially kamaboko-shaped cross section perpendicular to the archwire stretching direction with the substrate surface bonded to the tooth surface as the bottom surface, and the archwire is inserted therethrough. A plurality of archwire insertion holes for connecting adjacent orthodontic brackets with an archwire, and for locking an engagement member at at least one of the side surfaces of the archwire holding portion Having a locking means,
The locking means is formed such that stress can be applied to the tooth material by locking the engaging member to a locking means of an orthodontic bracket or an archwire in the vicinity of the locking means. It is,
The shape of the cross section of the bracket, excluding the locking means, is on the same plane as the cross section, with the center of the portion of the tooth that adheres to the cross section as the virtual center point and R ₁ as the radius. A substantially semi-cylindrical shape having at least six contact points on a virtual semicircle,
In the cross section of the portion except for the locking means of the bracket sides to adhere the tooth surface, from the virtual center point at the top with a curvature radius R ₂ which is a virtual on the lower and the cross-section flush with the bracket An orthodontic bracket that is curved .   Three archwire insertion holes are formed in one bracket, and the archwire insertion holes formed in the center are closer to the substrate surface than the archwire insertion holes formed on both sides. The orthodontic bracket according to claim 1, wherein the orthodontic bracket is formed at a high height.   The orthodontic bracket according to claim 1, wherein the engagement member is a ring-shaped elastic body.   The orthodontic bracket according to claim 3, wherein the locking means has a concave portion and / or a convex portion for locking the annular elastic body.   The arch wire insertion hole is formed so as to be inclined so that the heights of the both ends of the insertion hole from the substrate surface are different from each other. An orthodontic bracket according to any one of the above sections.   The arch wire insertion hole formed at the center opens from the one end of the orthodontic bracket to the other end on the upper surface with the substrate surface of the orthodontic bracket as the bottom surface. The orthodontic bracket according to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that:   2. The orthodontic appliance according to claim 1, wherein at least one adhesive-filled groove is provided substantially parallel to the archwire insertion hole on a substrate surface to be bonded to the tooth surface of the bracket. bracket.   The orthodontic bracket according to claim 1, wherein a width of the bracket in a gum direction is narrower than a width in a tooth tip direction.   The tooth according to claim 1, wherein an end portion of the bracket that is orthogonal to the direction in which the archwire is stretched is formed at a substantially right angle to a substrate surface that is bonded to the tooth surface of the bracket. Bracket for column correction.   The orthodontic bracket according to claim 1, wherein the bracket is formed of a sintered body of an inorganic material.   The arch wire is fixed to the bracket by being inserted into the arch wire insertion hole, and the arch wire is not ligated and fixed to the orthodontic bracket by ligation means. The orthodontic bracket according to claim 1.

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