US3646676A

US3646676A - Magnetic dental appliances and methods for using same

Info

Publication number: US3646676A
Application number: US13548A
Authority: US
Inventors: John Pat Mitchell
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1970-02-24
Filing date: 1970-02-24
Publication date: 1972-03-07
Anticipated expiration: 1989-03-07

Abstract

Magnetic dental appliances and materials therefor, magnetic denture teeth, magnetic transfer apparatus and method magnetic denture material; and particularly magnetic methods and apparatus for making full dentures and bridges providing an accurate functional balance of occlusion and centric relation for use in the full denture and bridge construction, including the use of magnetic holding means for transferring the upper baseplate and lower bite rim in proper locked relationship to an articulator. Also, a method of retention of the dentures and bridges in place in the mouth during use by magnetic means is provided, including magnetic core artificial teeth, magnetic denture base material, and magnetic alloy inserts for implanting under the soft tissue along and into the alveolar ridge.

Description

United States Patent [151 3,646,676 Mitchell [451 Mar. 1, 1972 [54] MAGNETIC DENTAL APPLIANCES AND METHODS FOR USING SAME [72] Inventor: John Pat 1 Mitchell, 3301 Greenville Avenue, Dallas, Tex. 75206 [22] Filed: Feb. 24, 1970 [211 App]. No.: 13,548

[52] US. CL ..32/2 [51] Int. (I A61: 13/00 [58] Field ofSearch ..32/32, 19, 2, DIG. 6

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,709,301 5/1955 Goldsmith ..32/2 3 ,5 14,859 6/ l 970 Peterson ..32/2 2,884,696 5/1959 Bonfanti 32/DIG. 6 2,245,288 6/1941 Moylan ..32/19 Primary Examiner-Robert Peshock Attorney-E. Hastings Ackley [57] ABSTRACT Magnetic dental appliances and materials therefor, magnetic denture teeth, magnetic transfer apparatus and method magnetic denture material; and particularly magnetic methods and apparatus for making full dentures and bridges providing an accurate functional balance of occlusion and centric relation for use in the full denture and bridge construction, including the use of magnetic holding means for transferring the upper baseplate and lower bite rim in proper locked relationship to an articulator. Also, a method of retention of the dentures and bridges in place in the mouth during use by magnetic means is provided, including magnetic core artificial teeth, magnetic denture base material, and magnetic alloy inserts for implanting under the soft tissue along and into the alveolar ridge.

5 Claims, 10 Drawing figures PAIENTEBMAR 7:972 3,646,676

sum 2 [1F 2 INVE R John PMiTc I ATTORNEY MAGNETIC DENTAL APPLIANCES AND METHODS FOR USING SAME SUBJECT MA'I'IER AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to magnetic alloy dental materials and to the methods of using.the same, more particularly in the construction of full dentures, partial dentures, and both removable and stationary bridges.

It is one object of the invention to provide an improved method of and apparatus for making and transferring upper baseplate and lower bite rim without tipping, twisting, unequal pressures, or sticking together common to present methods; also to provide a magnetic method and apparatus for determining the centric relation of the mandible and maxilla and to I reduce absorption of the users bone, structure by a correct balance and correct vertical dimension at the even centric relationship.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved accurate fast method and means for locking the upper baseplate and lower bite rim used in forming full dentures in proper centric and occlusal relationship during transfer from the patients mouth to an articulator, including the use of magnetic holding means secured to the lower bite rim and upper baseplate for holding them in fixed position after determina tion of the centric occlusal relationship.

A still further object of the invention is to provide magnetic means for carrying out the method of determining the centric and occlusal relationship in the patients mouth and positively holding the upper base plate and lower bite rim in proper position during transferral to a simple articulator having a stop.

A particular object of the invention is to provide an improved denture and procedure of using the same, providing means for improving retention of the dentures in place during use, particularly in the full lower denture.

A still further object of the invention is to provide, in a denture, magnetic core material which is incorporated in the artificial teeth, or in the denture base, for attraction or repulsion of upper and lower dentures, as the need is determined, to improve retention of the dentures in place during use and to increase the comfort of use thereof.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a method of constructing dentures, and a denture constructed in accordance with the method, in which magnetic material is incorporated in the denture base material closely adjacent the mucous membrane of the alveolar ridge to improve the retention of the dentures, the method and structure including the use of magnetic materials, either magnets or magnetic metals implanted in the mucous membrane adjacent the bone, where the alveolar ridges have been absorbed, and the tissue of the ridges built up with magnetic metals or alloys, in silicone or other suitable filler, to a position which holds the dentures in proper centric and occlusal relationship and in a firm position in the mouth.

Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent fromthe reading of the following description of apparatus, the methods comprising the invention, and reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a pair of upper front and lower baseplates constructed in accordance with the invention and showing the magnetic holding and retaining means incorporated therein for obtaining the proper centric and occlusal plane relationship;

FIG. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of the baseplates taken on the line 22 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 3 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of FIG. 1, showing the relationship of the holding means and the bite rims;

FIG. 4 is a transverse sectional view, showing the making of a soft wax impression of the natural jaw movement tracing from the upper finished denture on a soft wax impression layer on the lower baseplate bite rim;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary view similar to FIG. 4 showing a modified form of magnetic bearing used in making a soft was impression or tracing from the upper finished denture;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of a lower jaw showing a lower denture having magnetic retention means incorporated in the teeth, in the denture base material and also under the soft tissue on top of the alveolar process of the lower jaw;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view of the lower jaw and denture of FIG. 6 showing the magnetic retention material with magnetic ball bearings incorporated longitudinally under the lateral soft tissue or mucous membrane for retention of the lower denture in place;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary transverse vertical sectional view, similar to FIG. 6, of an upper and lower denture having magnetic core retaining means incorporated in the teeth;

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view of a partial denture or bridgehaving a magnetic retention means incorporated in the bridge of the natural teeth and under the soft tissue on top of the alveolar process of the jaw; and

FIG. 10 is a top plan view of the device of FIG. 9.

FULL DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION In carrying out the practice of the methods or techniques of construction of dentures in accordance with the invention, an accurate impression of the patients upper and lower ridges are made in the usual manner. From these impressions upper and lower stone master models (not shown) are made; then two sets of acrylic or similar plastic baseplates baseplates made by vacuum or other suitable process on each of the stone models separately to provide two upper plastic base plates 10 and two lower plastic baseplates II, respectively.

On one set of acrylic baseplates, a front wax bite rim 14 section is formed on the anterior portion of the ridge of the upper baseplate, extending to the width of two central incisors and full bite rim 15 is formed on the ridge of the lower baseplate, for use to provide a correct vertical bite relationship of the upper and lower structures of the patient, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. A second similar set of wax bite rims is formed on the second set of plastic baseplates, a full lower wax bite rim 15 on the lower baseplate 11, and only an anterior bite rimsection 14 on the upper baseplate l0.

In carrying out the procedure of this invention, magnetic means in used for stabilizing the bite rims during the preliminary bite measurements to prevent tilting of the baseplates, to allow easy jaw movement and provide for a quick, easy, accurate determination of the patients bite.

As shown in FIG. I, a magnet 20, shown to be a circular disc having a flat lower surface 21, and having a metal case 22 enclosing it and provided with a planar lower surface 23 extending along and enclosing the flat lower surface 21 of the disc magnet 20, is secured to by a wax anchor 24 to the anterior palatal portion 25 of the upper denture baseplate. A flat metal plate 26 is secured by means of a wax anchor 27 between the anterior

lingual portions

28 and 29 of the lower denture baseplate ll lying substantially along the upper surface of the full wax bite rim 15 on said lower baseplate, if desired. Of course, the wax anchor 27 may be omitted if desired, the plate 20 being secured to the lower denture baseplate II by the wax bite rims 15. The planar lower surfaces 23 of the magnet case and the upper surface of the metal plate 26 are initially set at the approximate desired vertical bite relationship for the patients mouth and at approximate centric position, as determined by observation of the dentist, so that the magnet case and the metal plate are strongly attracted together by the magnet and tightly engage each other when the baseplates are in proper vertical relationship as determined by the dentist.

The magnet 20 with its case 22 engaging the plate 26 will hold the upper baseplate l0 and lower baseplate 11, with the bite rims thereon, in such fixed vertical and centric relationship during transfer from the mouth to the stone models mounted in an articulator, so that no luting, stapling, or other securing of the baseplates is required. The articulator is thus set to the proper vertical and centric relationship of the baseplates for the patients mouth in the usual manner.

Anterior upper teeth are then selected by the dentist, preferably the six upper anterior teeth having a width equal to the width of the outside of the nose from the ala to the ala plus 5 milimeters, which will determine the width of the six upper anterior teeth from the tip of the cuspid on one side to the tip of the cuspid on the other side. When selecting the teeth they are on a flat plane, but when they are set up on the anterior bite rim, which is curved, the cuspids will lie in approximately the same vertical plane as the ala of the nose of the patient. These six anterior upper teeth are so selected that the center, vertical height, curvature, and similar aesthetic features of the denture will correspond most aesthetically to the patients jaw and face.

The anterior teeth are then waxed to the upper baseplate of the second set of baseplates, and a patient try-in of the anterior teeth for patients mouth is made, and the remainder of the upper teeth 28 are set up on the upper baseplate, tried in, and finished in the usual way.

Next, a substantially U-shaped soft wax bite surface or impression surface 30 is laid out on the upper surface of the flat metal plate 26 overlying the lower wax bite rim 15, as shown in FIG. 4. A thin Cellophane or other plastic, preferably substantially U-shaped, film divider or separator 31 is then placed on the upper surface of the soft wax impression surface 30 on the metal plate, and the upper finished denture and lower baseplate 11 having the full bite rim 15, the metal plate 26 and the soft wax impression surface 30 covered by the plastic film divider 31 thereon, are placed in the patients mouth to make a soft wax plastic covered bite path tracing.

The magnet 20 is secured to the anterior palatal portion of the upper finished denture in a position permitting a ball bearing 40 (FIG. 4) to ride freely on the upper surface of the plate 50 interiorly of the impression surface 30, supports the baseplates 10 and 11 against displacement or tilting and assures a good unifonn tracing or path being formed in the soft wax impression surface 30 by the teeth 28 of the upper plate or denture. The plastic divider film 31 prevents the upper teeth 28 from sticking to the soft wax impression surface 30, and makes it quite simple to slide the upper teeth with respect to the soft wax impression surface to obtain a correct functional occlusal plane movement.

During the making of the path, if desired, the antifriction thrust bearing 40 may be disposed in a planar indentation 42 formed in the central portion vof a metal plate 126, and the case 22 of the magnet 20 will slide uniformly with low friction across the thrust bearing 40 and planar surface of the indentation 42 in the metal plate 126, rolling on the plate to reduce the friction and the stress imposed upon the ridges of the patient during the determining of the path. Or, if desired, a magnet 120 having a central aperture 121 therein and ball bearing 140 freely rotatably mounted in said aperture, may be secured by a wax anchor 224 to the anterior palatal portion of the finished upper denture in a position in which the ball hearing will ride freely on the planar surface of the indentation 42 of the metal plate 126. The plastic film covered soft wax impression surfaces 30 are engaged by the teeth 28 of the finished upper dentures, and, with the ball bearing and the metal plate, prevent tilting or displacement of the upper denture or lower baseplate .11 to assure the forming of a good uniform tracing or path in the soft wax impression surface.

The soft wax registration formed in the impression surface 43 on the metal plate 26 carried by the lower baseplate 11 is then cooled, and a stone path made of such tracing to which the lower teeth are set up or adjusted on the lower baseplate.

The balanced lowers are then completed in the usual manner, and the finished dentures are replaced on the articu lator to balance out any changes that have taken place as a result of movement of the teeth, shrinkage of materials, or the like during curing, finishing and construction of the dentures.

From the foregoing it will be seen that an improved method of constructing dentures has been set forth, wherein magnetic means are utilized to hold the plastic baseplates with the wax rims in proper relationship with respect to each other for transferring without luting, stapling, or otherwise fixing the baseplates together for transfer. It will also be seen that the magnetic materials provide a base for assuring that the baseplates remain in an untilted relationship in the mouth of the patient for the magnetic transfer of the proper occlusal plane and centric relationship, and that many errors normally resulting from previous methods have been eliminated.

To assure retention of dentures, especially the full lower denture, l have devised and made artificial teeth and dentures containing magnets, magnetic powder, or granular alloy magnetic materials, and combinations of magnets and magnetic materials. These magnetic materials are also used in the denture base material and have, in some cases, been imbedded in the tissue under the mucous membrane along the flabby ridges of the alveolar process, and into the' bone. Such dentures, teeth and magnetic material implanted or embedded under the mucous membrane of the patient to provide for magnetic retention of the full lower denture, and of a bridge, are shown in FIGS. 6 through 10.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a lower denture 111 is set to th patients alveolar ridge; and an elongate metallic stainless steel bar, rod or wire 65, shown in section in FIG. 6, or a plurality of metallic ball bearing spheres 66, shown in dotted lines in FIG. 7, are embedded in the soft tissue 62 above the bony ridges 63 of the process. Ifdesired, the rod or bar 65 or the ball or balls 66 may be embedded in a body of silicone filler injected beneath the mucous membrane above the bony ridge to fill the flabby tissue and provide a support and retainer for the metal inserts. Further, the silicone may be filled with magnetic metal alloy powder or particles, or a magnetic metal wire or rod or magnets may be placed beneath the mucous membrane as indicated in FIG. 6 just between the bone and the mucous membrane by making a small opening in the mucous membrane above the center of the ridge in the cuspid area. The tissue is then freed from distal of the cuspids to distal of the first or second molars just enough for the wire or rod, or the balls, or silicone with the magnetic powder or particles or magnets, to be inserted. For full lower dentures, this treatment is made to both the right and the left sides of the lower jaw along the center of the ridges. The balls, rods, magnets, or wires may 'be magnetized and may be enclosed in the silicone material 67 when the ridges require building up to replace absorbed bone. Also, if desired, the metal balls, wire or rod may be nonmagnetized, but magnetically attractable, so that an artificial tooth 70 having a magnetic metal core 71, a magnetized wire 81, or magnetic powder or particles or the like, 80, incorporated in the plastic material of the baseplate 211 of the lower denture will be attracted to the wire and hold the lower denture in place.

As shown in FIG. 6, the lower artificial teeth 70 may be formed with magnetized metal cores 71, which may be a powder or fine particles of metal, or the core may be a small body of metal having a high-magnetic capacity, which is then coated with plastic or porcelain cover and color coatings 72 in the usual manner. This magnetic core 71 of the teeth, together with a corresponding polarity body of powdered magnetic material or bar 81 in the baseplate coacts with metal balls 66 or rod 65 under the mucous membrane or soft tissue 62 of the alveolar process or where the absorbed or shrunken bony ridge has been replaced with a silicone filler having a body of magnetic metal alloy powder or particles incorporated therein, to draw the lower denture baseplate 111 into a magnetically attracted stationary position on the alveolar ridge.

Obviously, as shown in FIG. 8, upper artificial teeth having magnetic cores 91 coated with plastic or porcelain cover and color coating 92, may be incorporated in the upper denture baseplate 210, and the magnetic cores 91 may be magnetized with a polarity corresponding to the polarity of the cores 71 in the teeth 70 in the lower denture baseplate 211,

whereby the teeth and magnetic materials of the lower denture baseplate 211 repel the teeth of the upper denture baseplate, and so assist in separation of the dentures and maintenance of the dentures in place on the ridges of the patient.

A magnetic rod or bar 95 may be implanted in a recess in the upper end of the bony ridge of the lower jaw to attract the magnetic material in the lower baseplate of the lower denture and in the teeth 70, to further assist in retention of the lower denture in place.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the magnetic teeth and magnetic retention means may be utilized to retain a partial denture or bridge in place against displacement during use. The bridge 300 is shown to be for the lower jaw and has artificial teeth 70, which are incorporated in a bridge having a metal base 310 provided at its opposite ends with

magnetic metal

311 and 312 respectively which engage in metal

complementary recesses

321 and 322 in the adjacent or abutting natural teeth 33] and 332. The recesses provide upwardly facing stops to limit downward movement of the bridge with respect to the natural teeth. Also, magnetic implants 365, which may be metal balls, a rod or wire, or the like, can be embedded beneath the mucous membrane in or above the bony ridge. If desired, silicone or other suitable filler 367 may be placed beneath the mucous membrane containing metal ball bearings above the bone to build up the flabby tissue and to bring the metallic magnetic retainer implant means 365 into closer proximity to the magnetic metal 310 and teeth 70 of the bridge. Also, magnets 381 and 382 may be inlaid into the natural teeth adjacent the

recesses

321 and 322 to further attract and retain the bridge in place.

It will be seen that a means and method for magnetic transfer of denture baseplates with functional balance has been disclosed, that magnetic teeth, magnetic dentures and magnetic bridges having new and improved magnetic retaining means not before used has been provided.

The foregoing description of the invention is explanatory only, and changes in the details of the constructions illustrated may be made by those skilled in the art, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A method of making dentures including: forming upper and lower baseplates; mounting magnetic locking means on each of said baseplates in substantial centric relation in said baseplates; inserting the baseplates separately in a patients mouth holding the baseplates spaced from each other and then locking them together by means of said magnetic locking means in a position of vertical, centric and equalized contact with the tissue of the patients ridges determined by the structure of the patients chewing mechanism and fitting teeth on the denture baseplates to conform to the patients chewing mechanism.

2. A method of making dentures including: forming upper and lower baseplates; mounting a first magnetic member on one of said baseplates at a substantially centric position; mounting asecond magnetic member on the other of said baseplates at a substantial centric position to coact with said first magnetic member to positively hold said baseplates spaced from each other and locked together by means of said magnetic members in a position determined by the structure of the patients chewing mechanism; holding said baseplates a position spaced from each other and locked together position by means of said magnetic members; determining a plane of occlusion for the patient between the baseplates; and fitting teeth on the denture bases to conform to the plane of occlusion and the relationship of the baseplates as held by said magnetic members.

3. A method of making dentures including: forming upper and lower baseplates, forming a wax bite rim on only the lower baseplate mounting magnetic locking means on each of said baseplates in substantially centric relation in said baseplates;

disposing the baseplates with the magnetic locking means thereon in the patients mouth and closing the patient s chewing mechanism to the proper centric and vertical occlusal relationship determined by the structure of the patients chewing mechanism; and locking said baseplates in such position by means of said magnetic locking means on said baseplates.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the molar teeth on the lower baseplate are formed of magnetic material and the molar teeth on the upper baseplate are formed of magnetic material of like polarity whereby the teeth on the respective baseplates repel each other to bias the baseplate toward their respective alveolar ridges.

5. A method of the character set forth in claim 3 including the steps of: fitting teeth on one of said denture baseplates to substantially the occlusal plane of the patient in conformity with the patients chewing mechanism; building a bite rim on the other of said baseplates; building a soft wax bite surface or tracing surface on the bite surface of said bite rim; covering said soft wax surface with a thin nonadhesive protective film on the exposed surface of said soft wax surface; fitting said baseplate having the teeth thereon and the baseplate having the bite rim with the soft surface thereon in the patients mouth and moving the patients jaw to define with the teeth an occlusal plane tracing in the soft wax beneath the film on the bite surface of the bite rim on the other baseplate; and then forming a hard stone mold of the tracing formed in the soft wax surface.

Claims

1. A method of making dentures including: forming upper and lower baseplates; mounting magnetic locking means on each of said baseplates in substantial centric relation in said baseplates; inserting the baseplates separately in a patient''s mouth holding the baseplates spaced from each other and then locking them together by means of said magnetic locking means in a position of vertical, centric and equalized contact with the tissue of the patient''s ridges determined by the structure of the patient''s chewing mechanism and fitting teeth on the denture baseplates to conform to the patient''s chewing mechanism.

2. A method of making dentures including: forming upper and lower baseplates; mounting a first magnetic member on one of said baseplates at a substantially centric position; mounting a second magnetic member on the other of said baseplates at a substantial centric position to coact with said first magnetic member to positively hold said baseplates spaced from each other and locked together by means of said magnetic members in a position determined by the structure of the patient''s chewing mechanism; holding said baseplates a position spaced from each other and locked together position by means of said magnetic members; determining a plane of occlusion for the patient between the baseplates; and fitting teeth on the denture bases to conform to the plane of occlusion and the relationship of the baseplates as held by said magnetic members.

3. A method of making dentures including: forming upper and lower baseplates, forming a wax bite rim on only the lower baseplate mounting magnetic locking means on each of said baseplates in substantially centric relation in said baseplates; disposing the baseplates with the magnetic locking means thereon in the patient''s mouth and closing the patient''s chewing mechanism to the proper centric and vertical occlusal relationship determined by the structure of the patient''s chewing mechanism; and locking said baseplates in such position by means of said magnetic locking means on said baseplates.

5. A method of the character set forth in claim 3 including the steps of: fitting teeth on one of said denture baseplates to substantially the occlusal plane of the patient in conformity with the patient''s chewing mechanism; building a bite rim on the other of said baseplates; building a soft wax bite surface or tracing surface on the bite surface of said bite rim; covering said soft wax surface with a thin nonadhesive protective film on the exposed surface of said soft wax surface; fitting said baseplate having the teeth thereon and the baseplate having the bite rim with the soft surface thereon in the patient''s mouth and moving the patient''s jaw to define with the teeth an occlusal plane tracing in the soft wax beneath the film on the bite surface of the bite rim on the other baseplate; and then forming a hard stone mold of the tracing formed in the soft wax surface.