WO2010114692A1 - Brackets orthodontiques à ailettes pointues pour ligature améliorée - Google Patents

Brackets orthodontiques à ailettes pointues pour ligature améliorée Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2010114692A1
WO2010114692A1 PCT/US2010/027305 US2010027305W WO2010114692A1 WO 2010114692 A1 WO2010114692 A1 WO 2010114692A1 US 2010027305 W US2010027305 W US 2010027305W WO 2010114692 A1 WO2010114692 A1 WO 2010114692A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
tie wing
bracket
tie
recited
orthodontic bracket
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US2010/027305
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Paul E. Lewis
Dwight P. Schnaitter
Original Assignee
Ultradent Products, Inc.
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Ultradent Products, Inc. filed Critical Ultradent Products, Inc.
Publication of WO2010114692A1 publication Critical patent/WO2010114692A1/fr

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Classifications

    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61C—DENTISTRY; APPARATUS OR METHODS FOR ORAL OR DENTAL HYGIENE
    • A61C7/00—Orthodontics, i.e. obtaining or maintaining the desired position of teeth, e.g. by straightening, evening, regulating, separating, or by correcting malocclusions
    • A61C7/12—Brackets; Arch wires; Combinations thereof; Accessories therefor
    • A61C7/14—Brackets; Fixing brackets to teeth

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to orthodontic brackets.
  • Orthodontics is a specialized field of dentistry that involves the application of mechanical forces to urge poorly positioned or crooked teeth into correct alignment and orientation. Orthodontic procedures can be used for cosmetic enhancement of teeth, as well as medically necessary movement of teeth to correct underbites or overbites. For example, orthodontic treatment can improve the patient's occlusion and/or enhanced spatial matching of corresponding teeth.
  • Orthodontic brackets are small slotted bodies configured for direct attachment to the patient's teeth or, alternatively, for attachment to bands which are, in turn, cemented or otherwise secured around the teeth.
  • brackets are affixed to the patient's teeth, such as by means of glue or cement, a curved arch wire is inserted into the slot of each bracket.
  • the arch wire acts as a template or track to guide movement of the teeth into proper alignment.
  • End sections of the arch wire are typically captured within tiny appliances known as tube brackets or terminal brackets, which are affixed to the patient's bicuspids and/or molars.
  • the remaining brackets typically include open arch wire slots and apply orthodontic forces by means of ligatures attached to the brackets and arch wire (e.g., by means of tie wings on the brackets).
  • Orthodontic bracket systems are typically either made of metal, ceramic, or plastic. Plastic brackets are less preferred because they tend to stain easily, and are not as strong as the alternative materials. Ceramic brackets are often preferred by patients over metal brackets because they can be formed so as to be transparent or translucent, although they are significantly more expensive. Because of the greater expense associated with ceramic brackets, as a compromise between price and aesthetics, some practitioners and patients will use ceramic brackets on the upper dental arch and metal brackets on the lower dental arch, as the upper arch is more prominent when a patient smiles.
  • the present invention is directed to machined orthodontic brackets including tie wings that are pointed at the free end to assist the practitioner in installing ligatures.
  • the bracket includes a bracket body including an arch wire slot formed in the body, at least one gingival tie wing, and at least one occlusal tie wing.
  • the distal free ends of each tie wing extend away from the slot.
  • the free end of each tie wing is machined so as to include a compound tapering along a distal end of the tie wing.
  • the compound tapering tapers the tie wing cross-sectional thickness in both a lingual-buccal dimension as well as in a mesial-distal dimension towards a generally pointed tip at the distal free end of the tie wing.
  • the tapered, pointed free end of the tie wing creates a "purchase point" on which the practitioner can much more easily hook a standard elastomeric o-ring ligature compared to conventional tie wings.
  • brackets including such pointed tie wings allows the practitioner to hook a standard elastomeric o-ring ligature onto the distal end of the tie wing without having to stretch the inside diameter of the ligature in order to accommodate the tie wing thickness, as is required when using conventional brackets.
  • Figure 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary orthodontic bracket with pointed tie wings and a standard elastomeric o-ring ligature
  • Figure 2 is a close up perspective view of a pointed tie wing of the bracket of Figure 1 ;
  • Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view through the pointed tie wing of Figure 2;
  • Figure 4 is a perspective view the bracket of Figure 1 attached to a tooth
  • Figure 5 is a perspective view of the bracket of Figure 4 with a standard elastomeric o-ring ligature in position to be hooked onto the tie wing;
  • Figure 6 is a perspective view of the bracket of Figure 5, in which the elastomeric o-ring ligature has been hooked onto a tie wing, and is being stretched over the other tie wings so as to ligate the arch wire;
  • Figure 7 is a perspective view of the bracket of Figure 6 with the elastomeric o-ring ligature fully in place, ligating the arch wire.
  • the compound tapering tapers the tie wing cross-sectional thickness in both a lingual-buccal dimension as well as in a mesial-distal dimension towards a substantially pointed tip at the distal free end of the tie wing.
  • the tapered, substantially pointed free end of the tie wing creates a "purchase point" on which the practitioner can easily hook a standard elastomeric o- ring ligature without having to first stretch the inside diameter of the o-ring, as is required using conventional brackets.
  • each tie wing 108 includes a proximal end 110 that is integral with body 104, and a distal free end 1 12 that extends away from slot 106.
  • the distal free end 112 of each tie wing 108 is compoundly tapered towards a substantially pointed tip 114.
  • the top labial/buccal surface 116 of the distal end 112 of tie wing 108, as well as the oppositely disposed bottom lingual surface 118 are tapered in cross-sectional thickness towards one another as tip 114 is approached.
  • the mesial surface 120 as well as oppositely disposed distal surface 122 are tapered in thickness towards one another as tip 114 is approached.
  • the tapering may preferably be curved, as illustrated. Alternatively, the tapering may be substantially linear.
  • the compound tapering is configured to present a pointed free end capable of acting as a "purchase point" on which a standard elastomeric o-ring ligature 150 can be hooked without requiring any stretching of the inside diameter of the ligature 150.
  • standard elastomeric o-ring ligatures are typically provided in three sizes. Small size ligatures include an inside diameter of about 0.7 to about 1 mm. Medium size ligatures include an inside diameter of about 1.3 mm, and large size ligatures include an inside diameter of about 1.6 mm. The smaller the ligature inside diameter, the more difficult it is for the practitioner to place the tie wing through the inside diameter of the ligature.
  • the pointed tip of the tie wing 108 is able to easily hook through the inside diameter of even the small standard ligatures, with significant clearance to spare.
  • An exemplary tie wing 108 may be tapered such that the cross-sectional thickness is no more than about 0.15 mm at a distance about 0.2 mm back from the pointed free end 1 14 of the tie wing 108.
  • Such a small, projecting tip allows the ligature to easily hook on the end of the tie wing 108 without requiring stretching of the ligature.
  • an exemplary tie wing 108 may have a cross-sectional thickness between about 0.75 mm and about 1 mm (e.g., about 0.85 mm) at the proximal end 1 10, adjacent bracket body 104. Such a width is designated W in Figure 3.
  • the length of tie wing 104 and the adjacent portion of bracket body 104 may be about 1.4 mm as measured between the arch wire slot 106 and tip 114. Such a length is designated L in Figure 3.
  • substantially the entirety of the distal end of tie wing 108 may be continuously tapered, so as to provide sufficient length of thinned cross-section.
  • the continuously tapered distal end comprises about 40 percent of the total length, while the remaining about 60 percent of the total length (corresponding to the proximal end and adjacent bracket body) is not tapered.
  • Tip 1 14 is illustrated as converging to a point.
  • the cross-sectional thickness and cross-sectional area at tip 1 14 is negligible.
  • tip 114 ends in a substantial point, which facilitates the "purchase point” hooking ability of the tie wings 108.
  • no pre-stretching of the o-ring is required in order to hook the inside diameter of the elastomeric o-ring ligature onto the tip 114 of the tie wing.
  • the distal end 1 12 of tie wing 108 has sufficient length to hook onto the ligature, rather than simply slide off.
  • the cross-sectional thickness of the distal end 112 is only about 0.15 mm at a distance of about 0.2 mm back from tip 114.
  • Such a pointed tip and adjacent dimensions provide sufficient clearance that the o-ring can be easily hooked without the practitioner being tempted to stretch the inside diameter to achieve faster ligation.
  • Figures 4-7 illustrate use of the exemplary orthodontic bracket.
  • Figure 4 shows bracket 100 attached to a tooth 152 of a patient.
  • the tooth 152 is not shown, and the perspective of the drawings is selected to better illustrate the interaction between the ligature and the distal end 112 of tie wing 108. It is understood, of course, that the bracket remains attached to the tooth.
  • a standard elastomeric o-ring ligature 150 can be easily hooked on the pointed tip 114 of any of tie wings 108. Because tip 114 is substantially pointed, there is a significant amount of clearance for the inside diameter of ligature 150 to easily catch on distal end 112 of tie wing 108.
  • ligatures are more quickly and easily installed in this manner. For example, the elimination of any required stretching in order to effect hooking of ligature 150 reduces the complexity of the operation (e.g., less tools and/or hands required). It also better preserves the desired ligating force of the ligature.
  • a tool 154 may be used to stretch the ligature over the remaining tie wings to achieve the configuration shown in Figure 7. Elimination of any stretching before the ligature is hooked on the first tie wing is advantageous, as it allows the practitioner to more quickly ligate the arch wire 106a.
  • a typical practitioner may replace 60-80 full sets of brackets a day.
  • a significant increase in speed of ligation may save the practitioner countless hours, as such a large fraction of time is spent stretching the ligatures on patient after patient. This increased speed and ease of ligation will allow the practitioner to see additional patients, or to spend additional time with each patient on more important issues.
  • the arch wire slot or hole may be machined through the use of drill bits and/or end mills as described in United States Patent Application No. 61/159,859 filed March 13, 2009 and entitled METHODS OF MANUFACTURING ORTHODONTIC BRACKETS INCLUDING A RECTANGULAR ARCH WIRE HOLE, herein incorporated by reference.
  • the other bracket structures including the compound tapered tie wings, may be machined with end mills and/or other suitable tools.
  • Such tools preferably include a carbide coating (e.g., titanium carbide and/or tungsten carbide).
  • Providing a compound tapered tie wing distal free end as described allows a practitioner to easily hook a standard elastomeric o-ring ligature onto the point 1 14 of tie wing 108.
  • Such a compound tapered tie wing free end would be difficult, if not a practical impossibility, to form using conventional metal injection molding techniques.
  • such a tapered thickness ending in a substantial point 114 would be impractical with a metal injection molded bracket, as the unpredictable shrinkage associated with the manufacturing process would likely make it difficult or impossible to provide desired dimensional tolerances surrounding the distal end of tie wing 108, where the dimensions are smallest.
  • manufacture by machining allows for significantly improved dimensional tolerances, as well as significantly greater strength in the finished article.
  • machining the brackets rather than metal injection molding allows for use of stronger, more dense metal materials, which materials are not suitable in metal injection molding.
  • Use of stronger, more dense metal materials e.g., 17-4 and/or 17- 7 class stainless steels
  • 17-4 and 17-7 class stainless steels may be heat treated after machining to further increase strength. Such heat treatments are not possible using classes of stainless steels suitable for use in metal injection molding.
  • metal injection molded brackets are formed from stainless steel powder materials (e.g., 303, 304, and/or 316L class stainless steels) which, although better suited for powderization and sintering, exhibit less strength and lower finished article density compared to 17-4 and 17-7 class stainless steels.
  • stainless steel powder materials e.g., 303, 304, and/or 316L class stainless steels
  • the strength and density of actual finished brackets formed by metal injection molding are less than the bulk strength and density of metal materials employed, as micro air pockets routinely form during molding and sintering, and the strength of the finished article may be reduced as the sintering process may result in weak bonding of the metal powder. Such reduced strength in the region of the distal end of the tie wing could be catastrophic. No such issues occur when machining the bracket from a bulk metal material.
  • 17-4 and 17-7 stainless steels have a bulk density of about 7.75 g/cm 3 .
  • 316L stainless steel has a somewhat higher bulk density (about 7.95 g/cm 3 )
  • the bulk density of the finished brackets formed from these materials will differ.
  • Brackets machined from 17-4 and/or 17-7 stainless steel can be expected to have a density substantially equal to the bulk density of the material, i.e., about 7.75 g/cm 3 .
  • brackets formed by a MIM technique will have a significantly lower density than the 7.95 g/cm 3 bulk density of the metal material, and likely even lower than the 7.75 g/cm 3 density of the machined brackets.
  • MIM manufactured brackets may exhibit a density that is at least about 5- 10% lower than that of the bulk material because of the presence of micro-voids within the article.
  • the presence of such micro-voids and the resulting reduction in density significantly affects the strength of critical bracket structures (e.g., the tie wings).
  • the dimensional tolerances of the tie wing are significantly tighter with machined brackets as compared to brackets formed by metal injection molding.
  • the dimensions of this relatively complex, compoundly tapered free end can be carefully controlled.
  • Tighter dimensional tolerances with respect to the tie wing free end 1 14 result in the ability to form a pointed free end 114, which advantageously allows the practitioner to use such an end as a "purchase point" on which the standard elastomeric o-ring ligature can be hooked without first stretching the inside diameter of the ligature.
  • Such control over dimensional tolerances is simply not possible with metal injection molding, where the sintering process results in an unpredictable amount of shrinkage.
  • Exemplary ceramic materials include, but are not limited to, polycrystalline alumina (Al 2 O 3 ), zirconia, or even monocrystalline alumina. Monocrystalline alumina is less preferred because of its brittle characteristics. Transparent or translucent polycrystalline alumina is the most preferred ceramic material.

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  • Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery (AREA)
  • Dentistry (AREA)
  • Epidemiology (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Animal Behavior & Ethology (AREA)
  • General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Public Health (AREA)
  • Veterinary Medicine (AREA)
  • Dental Tools And Instruments Or Auxiliary Dental Instruments (AREA)

Abstract

L'invention concerne des brackets orthodontiques (100) formés par usinage comprenant des ailettes (108) qui sont pointues à leur extrémité libre (114) afin d'aider le praticien à installer des ligatures. Le bracket (100) comprend un corps de bracket (104) comprenant une fente pour fil d'arc dentaire (106) formée dans le corps (104), au moins une ailette gingivale, et au moins une ailette occlusale. Les extrémités libres (112) de chaque ailette (108) s'étendent à partir la fente (106) en s'écartant de celle-ci. De manière avantageuse, l'extrémité libre (112) de chaque ailette est usinée de manière à présenter un effilement combiné le long d'une partie distale de l'ailette (108). L'effilement combiné crée des effilements dans l'épaisseur transversale de l'ailette à la fois dans une dimension bucco-linguale (116, 118) et une dimension mésiale-distale (120, 122) en direction d'un bout pointu (114) à l'extrémité distale libre de l'ailette (108). L'extrémité libre effilée et pointue (114) de l'ailette (108) forme un point d'accorchage sur lequel le praticien peut facilement accrocher une ligature élastomère annulaire conventionnelle.
PCT/US2010/027305 2009-04-03 2010-03-15 Brackets orthodontiques à ailettes pointues pour ligature améliorée WO2010114692A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US16653809P 2009-04-03 2009-04-03
US61/166,538 2009-04-03

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2010114692A1 true WO2010114692A1 (fr) 2010-10-07

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Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US9872744B2 (en) 2016-03-29 2018-01-23 King Saud University Orthodontic bracket

Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5711666A (en) * 1996-10-22 1998-01-27 Hanson; G. Herbert Self-ligating orthodontic brackets
US20030165790A1 (en) * 2001-12-28 2003-09-04 3M Innovative Properties Company Orthodontic appliances including polycrystalline alumina-based ceramic material, kits, and methods
US20050123875A1 (en) * 2003-12-08 2005-06-09 3M Innovative Properties Company Ceramic orthodontic appliance with archwire slot liner
US20060024634A1 (en) * 2004-07-28 2006-02-02 3M Innovative Properties Company Self-ligating orthodontic appliance with clip
US20060228664A1 (en) * 2005-04-08 2006-10-12 Castner Daniel L Low profile self-ligating bracket assembly and method of use
US20060263737A1 (en) * 2005-05-20 2006-11-23 Ormco Corporation Orthodontic brackets and appliances and methods of making and using orthodontic brackets

Patent Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5711666A (en) * 1996-10-22 1998-01-27 Hanson; G. Herbert Self-ligating orthodontic brackets
US20030165790A1 (en) * 2001-12-28 2003-09-04 3M Innovative Properties Company Orthodontic appliances including polycrystalline alumina-based ceramic material, kits, and methods
US20050123875A1 (en) * 2003-12-08 2005-06-09 3M Innovative Properties Company Ceramic orthodontic appliance with archwire slot liner
US20060024634A1 (en) * 2004-07-28 2006-02-02 3M Innovative Properties Company Self-ligating orthodontic appliance with clip
US20060228664A1 (en) * 2005-04-08 2006-10-12 Castner Daniel L Low profile self-ligating bracket assembly and method of use
US20060263737A1 (en) * 2005-05-20 2006-11-23 Ormco Corporation Orthodontic brackets and appliances and methods of making and using orthodontic brackets

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US9872744B2 (en) 2016-03-29 2018-01-23 King Saud University Orthodontic bracket

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