KR102694735B1 - Self ligation orthodontic bracket - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a self-ligating orthodontic bracket, and its purpose is to improve the internal structure of a cover that moves up and down on the front part of the main body to open and close a slot in which a wire is placed, and a spring structure for maintaining the moving state of the cover, thereby facilitating the up and down movement of the cover, thereby making it easier to tie and replace wires for orthodontic treatment.
To this end, according to the 'self-ligating orthodontic bracket' of the present invention; a main body (200) having a base part (210) in which a back surface is fixed to a tooth and a front part is provided with a slot (220) that is open at the front so that a wire (10) can be horizontally arranged, a catch part (230) formed to protrude upwardly based on the slot (220), and a sliding coupling part (240) provided downwardly based on the slot (220) and having a pair of guide rails (250) extended in the vertical direction protruding at a predetermined interval on both sides of the front; A pair of linear motion guide parts (310) having a rail groove (311) formed on both sides of the back surface so that the pair of guide rails (250) can be received and coupled in a protruding manner are provided, and the opening of the slot (220) is opened and closed while sliding up and down in the sliding coupling part (240) of the main body (200), and a cover (300) having two curved grooves (321) (322) formed at a predetermined curvature and connected in a wave shape and having a spring engaging part (320) formed vertically opposite each other on the wall surface of the pair of linear motion guide parts (310); The spring mounting portion (260) formed on the front of the sliding joint portion (240) of the main body (200) is received and arranged, and the ends (410L) (410R) on both sides are formed in an 'S' shape that is bent in opposite directions while forming a predetermined curvature based on the center, so that the cover (300) is in contact with the spring engaging portion (320) of the cover (300) and maintains the moving state of the cover (300). When the ends (410L) (410R) on both sides come into contact with the part (323) where the two curved grooves (321) (322) forming the spring engaging portion (320) are connected, the radius is reduced and rolled, and when located in the upper or lower curved groove (321) (322) forming the spring engaging portion (320), the radius is expanded and the cover (300) is in contact with the curved groove (321) (322) and maintains the moving state of the cover (300). It is characterized by having a spring (400).

Description

Self-ligation orthodontic bracket {Self ligation orthodontic bracket}

The present invention relates to an orthodontic bracket, and more specifically, to a 'self-ligating orthodontic bracket' that is attached to a tooth surface for orthodontic treatment and is fixed by a wire passing through it.

In general, orthodontics is a procedure to correct malaligned teeth using brackets, wires, and tie-ties. In other words, brackets are firmly bonded to the tooth surface (front) using adhesive, and then wires are inserted into the slots of the brackets, and tied with tie-ties such as O-rings to prevent the wires from coming out of the slots. At this time, the wires are tensioned in the direction in which the teeth are to be corrected, so that misaligned teeth can be corrected over a long period of time.

In these conventional orthodontic treatment methods, very small brackets are attached to the tooth surface, then a wire is inserted into the slot of the bracket and fixed with a tie such as an O-ring, and then the tie is periodically released from the bracket, a new wire is inserted into the slot, and fixed with a tie, and this process is repeated. Therefore, the difficulty of the orthodontic treatment is high, and there is the problem that the treatment time is long.

Republic of Korea Patent No. 10-2249132 (registered on April 30, 2021)

The present invention is to solve the same problem; the purpose of the present invention is to provide a 'self-ligating orthodontic bracket' which facilitates the up-and-down movement of the cover by improving the internal structure of the cover that opens and closes the slot in which the wire is arranged by moving up and down on the front part of the main body and the structure of the spring for maintaining the moving state of the cover, thereby making it easy to tie and replace the wire for orthodontic treatment.

In addition, another object of the present invention is to provide a 'self-ligating orthodontic bracket' in which both ends of the spring are elastically restored and are in contact with the spring catch portion of the cover to more reliably maintain the moving state of the cover.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention comprises: a main body having a base part having a front side open with a slot formed so that a wire can be horizontally arranged while the back side is fixed to a tooth, a catch part formed to protrude upward with respect to the slot, and a sliding coupling part provided on the lower side with respect to the slot and having a pair of guide rails extended vertically protruding at a predetermined interval on both sides of the front side; a pair of linear motion guide parts having rail grooves formed on both sides of the back side so that the pair of guide rails can be received and coupled in a protruding manner, the cover sliding up and down in the sliding coupling part of the main body to open and close the opening of the slot, and on the wall surface of the pair of linear motion guide parts, two curved grooves having a predetermined curvature are formed in a wave shape, the spring catch part being formed so as to face each other in the vertical direction; The invention is characterized by comprising: an S-shaped spring which is accommodated and arranged in a spring mounting portion formed in the front portion of the sliding joint of the main body, and has both ends formed in an 'S' shape with a predetermined curvature based on the center and bent in opposite directions to form a spring catch portion of the cover, and maintains the moving state of the cover while in contact with the spring catch portion of the cover; and when the both ends come into contact with a portion where two curved grooves forming the spring catch portion are connected, the radius is reduced and rolled, and when located in the upper or lower curved groove forming the spring catch portion, the radius is expanded and in contact with the curved groove to thereby maintain the moving state of the cover.

In addition, the present invention is characterized in that a pair of spring support shafts are provided in the spring mounting portion of the main body so as to be received at the inner center of both ends of the S-shaped spring.

In addition, the present invention is characterized in that when both ends of the S-shaped spring come into contact with a portion where two curved grooves forming the spring engaging portion are connected, the radius is reduced until they come into contact with the outer surface of the spring support shaft.

According to the self-ligating orthodontic bracket according to the present invention having the above configuration; in the process of sliding the cover up and down on the front of the main body, the ends of the S-shaped spring on both sides are rolled with a reduced radius and then unfolded, thereby maintaining the moved state of the cover by indenting the curved groove of the spring catch portion to open and close the slot. Accordingly, when the operator moves the cover upward or downward using an orthodontic tool, the ends of the S-shaped spring on both sides are naturally (linearly) deformed and then restored, thereby allowing the cover to move up and down while maintaining the moved state, thereby enabling easier tying of the wire for orthodontic treatment and its replacement. In particular, there is an advantage in that the outer edges of the ends of the S-shaped spring on both sides are elastically restored and indented in the spring catch portion to more reliably maintain the moved state of the cover.

In addition, according to the self-ligating orthodontic bracket according to the present invention; a spring support shaft is provided at the inner center of both ends of the S-shaped spring, so that the S-shaped spring does not become eccentric left and right and exerts elastic restoring force in the fixed position, thereby more accurately maintaining the movement state of the cover.

In addition, according to the self-ligating orthodontic bracket according to the present invention; the S-shaped spring can be designed to be rolled so that the radius is reduced until both ends contact the outer surface of the spring support shaft, so there is an advantage in that the elasticity value of the S-shaped spring can be easily adjusted (set) according to the working conditions of the operator.

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the overall structure of a self-ligating orthodontic bracket according to the present invention.
Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of an orthodontic bracket according to the present invention.
Figure 3 shows an excerpt of the arrangement structure of the main body and the S-shaped spring according to the present invention.
Figure 4 shows the back structure of a cover according to the present invention.
Figures 5 and 6 schematically show the engaging state of the S-shaped spring according to the sliding movement of the cover according to the present invention.
Figure 7 shows a state in which the cover of the orthodontic bracket according to the present invention is lowered to the maximum and the slot is opened.
Figure 8 shows the deformation operation of the S-shaped spring during the raising process of the cover in the orthodontic bracket according to the present invention.
Figure 9 shows a state in which the cover is raised to the maximum and the slot is closed in the orthodontic bracket according to the present invention.

Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Briefly describing the attached drawings, FIGS. 1 to 6 show the structure of a self-ligating orthodontic bracket according to the present invention. FIGS. 7 to 9 show the operating state of the self-ligating orthodontic bracket according to the present invention. {For reference, in the description of the present invention, the terms front, rear, both ends, left, right, upper, lower, horizontal, front and rear, etc. are intended to distinguish relative positions or directions and do not mean absolute positions or directions.}

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2; a self-ligating orthodontic bracket (100) according to the present invention is attached to a surface of a tooth and is fastened by passing a wire for orthodontic correction, and comprises a main body (200) having a back surface fixed to a tooth and a slot (220) provided in the front surface so that a wire (10) can be placed, a cover (300) that slides up and down on the front surface of the main body (200) to open and close the opening of the slot (220), and an S-shaped spring (400) that is arranged between the main body (200) and the cover (300) to maintain the up and down movement state of the cover (300). {It is preferable that the main body (200) and the cover (300) are processed/manufactured through ceramic powder injection and sintering, metal powder injection molding and sintering, single crystal alumina and metal processing processes, etc., and the S-shaped spring (400) is preferably manufactured by processing a plate or wire having excellent elastic restoring force. In the following description of the components forming the self-ligating orthodontic bracket according to the present invention, the material part is omitted.}

The main body (200) is fixed to the teeth on the back surface by means of an adhesive, and as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, it comprises a base part (210) provided with a slot (220) that is open on the front so that a wire (10) can be arranged horizontally on the front surface, a catch part (230) formed to protrude upwardly based on the slot (220), and a sliding coupling part (240) provided on the lower side based on the slot (220) and having a pair of guide rails (250) extending vertically protruding at a predetermined interval on both sides of the front surface. Horizontal grooves (231)(241) are formed on the upper side of the catch part (230) and the lower side of the sliding coupling part (240), respectively, which are intended to reinforce and secure the wire (10) connected to the slot (220) using an O-ring or the like.

And the cover (300) opens and closes the opening of the slot (220) by sliding up and down on the sliding joint (240) of the main body (200), and as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, a pair of linear motion guide parts (310) having a rail groove (311) formed on both sides of the back surface so that a pair of guide rails (250) can be received and combined in a protruding manner are provided. In addition, on the wall surface of the pair of linear motion guide parts (310), a spring engaging part (320) in which two curved grooves (321)(322) having a predetermined curvature are connected in a wave shape are provided facing each other in the vertical direction.

The S-shaped spring (400) is accommodated and placed in the spring mounting portion (260) formed in the front portion of the sliding joint portion (240) of the main body (200), and as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the two ends (410L) (410R) are formed in an 'S' shape with a predetermined curvature based on the center and bent in opposite directions, thereby maintaining the moving state of the cover (300) while being in contact with the spring engaging portion (320) of the cover (300). To this end, when the two ends (410L) (410R) of the S-shaped spring (400) come into contact with the portion (323) where the two curved grooves (321) (322) forming the spring engaging portion (320) are connected, the radius is reduced and rolled (see FIG. 5), and when located in the upper or lower curved grooves (321) (322) forming the spring engaging portion (320), the radius is expanded by elastic restoring force and the cover (300) is maintained in a moving state by coming into contact with the curved grooves (321) (322) (see FIG. 6).

In addition, as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, a pair of spring support shafts (270) are provided to protrude so as to be received with room to spare in the inner center of both ends (410L) (410R) of the S-shaped spring (400) in the spring mounting portion (260) of the main body (200). And, referring to FIG. 5, when the both ends (410L) (410R) of the S-shaped spring (270) come into contact with the portion (323) where the two curved grooves (321) (322) forming the spring engaging portion (320) are connected, they are designed to roll down with a reduced radius until they come into contact with the outer surface of the spring support shaft (270). In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 6, in the embodiment of the present invention, when the both ends (410L) (410R) of the S-shaped spring (400) are positioned and inscribed in the curved grooves (321) (322), the gap between the inner surface of the both ends (410L) (410R) of the S-shaped spring (400) and the outer surface of the spring support shaft (270) is designed to be maintained at approximately 0.5 mm, and as a result, when the both ends (410L) (410R) of the S-shaped spring (400) are inscribed in the portion (323) where the curved grooves (321) (322) are connected, the radius is reduced by approximately 0.5 mm, thereby providing elastic restoring force. In this way, the elasticity value of the S-shaped spring (400) can be set by adjusting the gap between the inner surface of the both ends (410L) (410R) of the S-shaped spring (400) and the outer surface of the spring support shaft (270). It is preferable that the elasticity value of the S-shaped spring (400) be set so that the orthodontic practitioner can easily move the cover (300) up and down while maintaining the moved state firmly. The S-shaped spring (400) can be made of stainless steel, nickel-titanium, or cobalt-chromium-molybdenum.

Next, the operation and effect thereof of the self-ligating orthodontic bracket according to the present invention configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 9.

First, as shown in Fig. 7, when the cover (300) is in the state where it is lowered to the maximum, the slot (220) is open so that a wire (10) for orthodontic treatment can be passed through and placed therein. At this time, the two ends (410L) (410R) of the S-shaped spring (400) are in contact with the upper curved groove (321) of the spring engaging portion (320) in the extended state. Therefore, the cover (300) is maintained in the state where it is lowered to the maximum from the main body (100) and does not move unless an artificial force is applied.

And after placing the wire (10) in the open slot (220), as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, when the cover (300) is gradually pushed upward using an orthodontic tool, the spring engaging portion (320) slides up while coming into contact with the two ends (410L) (410R) of the S-shaped spring (400).

That is, as illustrated in FIG. 8, when the cover (300) gradually goes up, when the two curved grooves (321) (322) forming the spring catch (320) come into contact with the connecting portion (323) and the both ends (410L) (410R) of the S-shaped spring (400), the both ends (410L) (410R) of the S-shaped spring (400) are rolled so that their radii are reduced (see the arrow direction of FIG. 8) to allow the cover (300) to move upward. As illustrated in FIG. 9, when the cover (300) goes up to the maximum, the both ends (410L) (410R) of the S-shaped spring (400) are unfolded again and come into contact with the lower curved groove (332) of the spring catch (320). Accordingly, the cover (300) is maintained in the maximum raised state from the main body (200) and does not move unless an artificial force is applied. With this upward sliding motion of the cover (300), the slot (220) of the main body (200) in which the wire (10) is arranged is closed, and the wire (10) is firmly arranged and fixed in the slot (220) of the main body (200) without requiring a separate tie operation.

The process described above describes an operation of fastening a wire (10) to a slot (220) of a main body (200), and if the opposite operation is performed, the wire (10) can be easily separated from the slot (220) of the main body (200).

As described above, in the self-ligating orthodontic bracket (100) according to the present invention, when the cover (300) slides up and down on the front of the main body (200), the ends (410L) (410R) on both sides of the S-shaped spring (400) are rolled so that their radii are reduced and then unfolded so that they are in contact with the curved grooves (321) (322) of the spring engaging portion (320) to maintain the moved state of the cover (300) that opens and closes the slot (220). Therefore, when the operator moves the cover (300) upward or downward using an orthodontic tool, the ends (410L) (410R) on both sides of the S-shaped spring (400) are naturally (linearly) deformed and then restored to allow the cover (300) to move up and down while maintaining the moved state, thereby making it easier to tie and replace the wire (10) for orthodontic treatment. And, since the spring support shaft (270) is provided at the inner center of both ends (410L) (410R) of the S-shaped spring (400), the S-shaped spring (400) can maintain the moving state of the cover (300) more accurately by exerting elastic restoring force at the fixed position without being eccentric left and right. In addition, since the both ends (410L) (410R) of the S-shaped spring (400) can be designed to be rolled so that the radius is reduced until they contact the outer surface of the spring support shaft (270), the elasticity value of the S-shaped spring (400) can be easily adjusted (set) according to the working conditions of the operator.

10..Wire 100..Orthodontic bracket 200..Body
210..base part 220..slot 230..hook part
231..Home 240..Sliding joint 241..Home
250..guide rail 260..spring mounting part 270..spring support shaft
300..Cover 310..Linear motion guide part 311..Rail home
320..Spring catch 321,322..Bent groove 323..Joint
400..S type spring 410L, 410R..both ends

Claims (3)

delete In a self-ligating orthodontic bracket (100) that is attached to the surface of a tooth and is fastened by a wire (10) for orthodontic correction passing through it;
The above self-ligating orthodontic bracket (100) is;
A main body (200) having a base portion (210) in which a back surface is fixed to a tooth and a front portion is provided with a slot (220) that is open at the front so that the wire (10) can be arranged horizontally, a catch portion (230) formed to protrude upward with respect to the slot (220), and a sliding coupling portion (240) provided at the lower side with respect to the slot (220) and having a pair of guide rails (250) extended vertically and protruded at a predetermined interval on both sides of the front;
A pair of linear motion guide parts (310) having a rail groove (311) formed on both sides of the back surface so that the pair of guide rails (250) can be received and coupled in a protruding manner are provided, and the opening of the slot (220) is opened and closed while sliding up and down in the sliding coupling part (240) of the main body (200), and a cover (300) having two curved grooves (321) (322) formed at a predetermined curvature and connected in a wave shape and having a spring engaging part (320) formed vertically opposite each other on the wall surface of the pair of linear motion guide parts (310);
The spring mounting portion (260) formed on the front of the sliding joint portion (240) of the main body (200) is received and arranged, and the ends (410L) (410R) on both sides are formed in an 'S' shape that is bent in opposite directions while forming a predetermined curvature based on the center, so that the cover (300) is in contact with the spring engaging portion (320) of the cover (300) and maintains the moving state of the cover (300). When the ends (410L) (410R) on both sides come into contact with the part (323) where the two curved grooves (321) (322) forming the spring engaging portion (320) are connected, the radius is reduced and rolled, and when located in the upper or lower curved groove (321) (322) forming the spring engaging portion (320), the radius is expanded and the cover (300) is in contact with the curved groove (321) (322) and maintains the moving state of the cover (300). Equipped with a spring (400);
A self-ligating orthodontic bracket characterized in that a pair of spring support shafts (270) are provided in the spring mounting portion (260) of the main body (200) so as to be received in the inner center of both ends (410L) (410R) of the S-shaped spring (400). In the second paragraph,
A self-ligating orthodontic bracket characterized in that the two ends (410L) (410R) of the S-shaped spring (400) are rolled so that their radius is reduced until they come into contact with the outer surface of the spring support shaft (270) when they come into contact with the portion (323) where the two curved grooves (321) (322) forming the spring engaging portion (320) are connected.

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