An orthodontic device for displacing a tooth and/or a group of teeth of a patient, which directly adjoin the tooth along a mandibular arch, in particular in the lower jaw in the area of the molars, the device comprising: a rigid, dimensionally stable connection between the tooth to be displaced and an attachment point for the device which fixed to the jaw and substantially does not change during the treatment of the patient, a regulating device for changing the length of the rigid connection in direct vicinity of the tooth to be displaced. A torsion-proof attachment of the device in the jaw bone may be provided. Alternatively, a point of support is provided on one tooth.

An orthodontic device and method to treat maxillary deficiencies by expanding the upper palate of a patient is provided. The device and method do not require any engagement with teeth of the patient.

A prophylactic or therapeutic agent for spinal muscular atrophy according to the present invention includes a compound represented by the formula (I) or a salt thereof: ##STR00001## the variables are described herein.

The invention discloses a modular surgical bone screw assembly having a threaded base portion and a screw head adapted to attach a variety of structures to bone. The features of the screw include a modular design for the assembly that separates the function of anchorage to the recipient bone to one of the modules of the device (threaded portion) from the other function of attaching another element (such as bone block, membrane, orthodontic wires, elastics etc) to a second module (the screw head). The design also allows the head to be exchanged after the implant has been placed.

An orthodontic/orthognathic device for correcting and changing tooth placements and bone structure, and a method of using orthodontic/orthognathic device for tooth movement, correcting syndromic conditions of the mouth and osteogenetic correction. The device may be used for maxillary distraction and expansion as well as mandibular separation and expansion. The device can be controlled by computer to direct tooth and bone placement.

A method is provided for obtaining an estimation of the shape, position and/or orientation of one or more existing teeth of a patient or of one or more teeth to be included in a dental restoration destined to replace one or more missing teeth in a partially edentulous patient. The method involves adapting a virtual teeth setup to the intra-oral anatomical situation of the patient, wherein said virtual teeth setup includes separated surface meshes of individual teeth positioned in a dental arch or segment thereof. The virtual teeth setup is adapted by optimizing an energy function, which represents a quality measure for said virtual teeth setup, and using a statistical model, which describes for a given dentition or segment thereof a probability distribution for at least the shapes of individual teeth, the relations between shapes of neighbouring teeth and/or relations between positions and/or orientations of neighbouring teeth. The adapted virtual teeth setup resulting from said optimized energy function is subsequently used to estimate said sought for shape, position and/or orientation.

A problem is to provide an orthodontic implant device that can be easily prepared, and can extend a range of selection of materials forming an extension arm.

A solution is the orthodontic implant device having: a pair of anchor members 10 which are fixed to a palate M1; a bridge member 20 arranged so as to link places between the pair of anchor members 10; an arrangement member 30 arranged in the bridge member 20; and an extension arm 40 to move teeth M2. The arrangement member 30 has a fixing portion 31 for fixing the extension arm 40, and a wire-shaped projection portion for arranging the fixing portion 31 in the bridge member 20.

A method of increasing movement of a tooth in a jaw having at least one tooth with an orthodontic brace thereon includes: (1) holding a handle of a device, the device having an elongate member extending from the handle and a screw tip at a distal end of the elongate member; (2) moving a sleeve along the elongate member to set a length of exposed screw tip; (3) locking the sleeve in place relative to the screw tip; (4) drilling a hole with the screw tip through a cortical bone of a jaw to increase movement of the tooth; and (5) stopping the drilling when the length of exposed screw tip has penetrated the jaw.

Disclosed are apparatuses and techniques for distalizing, mesializing and/or expanding teeth in the upper or lower dental arch of a patient's mouth to make room for crowded or protruded teeth located in the anterior arch region to distally/mesially and/or laterally shift into. In some aspects, an apparatus includes a body; a first arm coupled to an adjustment mechanism of the body and attachable to a molar; a second arm coupled to the apparatus body and attachable to a non-molar tooth; and an anchorage device attachable to a bone in the mouth, which the first arm is configured to transfer a force onto the molar when the adjustment mechanism is actuated to cause movement of the molar in the dental arch, and which the anchorage device is operable to positionally stabilize the body and the second arm to prevent movement of the non-molar tooth in the dental arch.

The present invention relates to a palatal anchor plate, which is fixedly installed to mid-palatal area (the roof of a mouth) and provides a rigid orthodontic anchorage for tooth movement, whereby the palatal anchor plate reduces a counteraction (movement of a tooth that is used as an anchorage), which occurs when a tooth is used as an orthodontic anchorage, and provides a rigid orthodontic anchorage for tooth movement in various directions, which is difficult to obtain when a tooth is used as an orthodontic anchorage.