Kit and system for assembling an orthodontic bracket
10265142 · 2019-04-23
Inventors
Cpc classification
A61C7/141
HUMAN NECESSITIES
A61C7/08
HUMAN NECESSITIES
B21D39/03
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
International classification
B21D39/03
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
Abstract
A kit for an orthodontic bracket, which includes at least a base plate and a flap that can be pivoted over the base plate, to which a flap directly or indirectly guided wire bow can be fastened. The kit includes a selection of base plates and flaps differing in size and shape. Base plates and flaps are produced from sheet metal by bending and stamping. The two parts can be connected to each other without a shaft by being pivoted in relation to each other.
Claims
1. A kit including elements for assembling an orthodontic bracket, the elements of the kit comprising: a plurality of base plates for bonding to teeth having different shapes and sizes, each base plate of the plurality of base plates having a first edge rolled inwardly toward a surface of the base plate forming a first recess and a second edge rolled inwardly toward the surface of the base plate forming a second recess directly opposite the first recess so that the first and second recesses face each other to form a slot; a plurality of flaps for fixing an orthodontic aid having different shapes and sizes, each flap of the plurality of flaps insertable into the slot by pivotally connecting a first end of said each flap to the first recess of the base plate and by engaging a second end of said each flap to the second recess of the base plate so that each flap of the plurality of flaps is exchangeably connectable to each base plate of the plurality of base plates when assembling the orthodontic bracket; and at least one insert part for holding and guiding the orthodontic aid, the at least one insert part insertable into the slot by engaging surfaces with the first and second recesses of the base plate so that the at least one insert part is exchangeably insertable into each base plate of the plurality of base plates when assembling the orthodontic bracket.
2. The kit according to claim 1, wherein the orthodontic aid is an arch wire or an aligner.
3. The kit according to claim 1, wherein the second edge of each base plate of the plurality of base plates is configured for guiding the orthodontic aid and for engaging surfaces of the at least one insert part.
4. The kit according to claim 3, wherein each flap of the plurality of flaps is configured for engagement with the second edge of each base plate of the plurality of base plates.
5. The kit according to claim 3, wherein the orthodontic aid is an arch wire having a round cross section.
6. The kit according to claim 5, wherein the arch wire is configured to be held by the second edge of each base plate of the plurality of base plates.
7. The kit according to claim 1, wherein the first recess of each base plate of the plurality of base plates has a central portion.
8. The kit according to claim 7, wherein each flap of the plurality of flaps has a narrow portion configured for engaging the central portion of the first recess of each base plate of the plurality of base plates.
9. The kit according to claim 1, wherein each flap of the plurality of flaps has a flat surface including wing portions, the wing portions extending laterally from and formed integrally with the flat surface of each flap of the plurality of flaps.
10. The kit according to claim 9, wherein one end of the flat surface of each flap of the plurality of flaps is formed as a pressing tab, the pressing tab extending to a position above the second edge of each base plate of the plurality of base plates and from the position above extending downwardly in a curve toward a plane in which the surface of each base plate of the plurality of base plates lies.
11. The kit according to claim 1, wherein the at least one insert part includes two guide surfaces for the orthodontic aid, the two guide surfaces formed at an angle of 90 to one another.
12. The kit according to claim 1, wherein the at least one insert part is formed from plastic and includes at least one retention continuation configured to engage the first edge of each base plate of the plurality of base plates.
13. The kit according to claim 1, wherein each flap of the plurality of flaps is a spring or a scroll spring, the spring or scroll spring configured for engaging with the first edge of each base plate of the plurality of base plates above the at least one insert part during assembly of the orthodontic bracket.
14. The kit according to claim 13, wherein the spring or scroll spring is configured for pressing the orthodontic aid into position.
15. The kit according to claim 1, wherein each base plate of the plurality of base plates has a length below 2.5 mm, a width below 2.5 mm, and a height below 1 mm.
16. The kit according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of base plates and the plurality of flaps are formed from sheet metal containing a cobalt-chromium-nickel alloy.
17. The kit according to claim 1, wherein the kit further comprises a protector element configured for sealing off an upper side of each base plate of the plurality of base plates and an inside surface of the second edge of each base plate of the plurality of base plates from cement during application of an assembled orthodontic bracket to a tooth.
18. The kit according to claim 17, wherein the kit further comprises at least one applicator element configured for placing over the protector element, for holding a base plate bonded to the tooth, and for enabling desired positioning of the assembled orthodontic bracket to the tooth.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
(1) Further advantageous embodiments are to be deduced from the claims, and their significance and manner of acting are explained in the subsequent description with reference to the accompanying drawings.
(2) There are shown in:
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
(25) The concept of the present invention and which is in accordance with the invention lies very generally in forming or shaping self-ligating brackets from sheet metal. Hereby, one particularly uses non-rusting spring steel alloys or cobalt-chromium-nickel alloys, which in particular contain chromium, cobalt, nickel, molybdenum or vanadium. Non-corroding, acid-resistant, sheet metals are particularly suitable. One would preferably apply sheet metals with a thickness between 0.1 and 0.4 mm, in particular between 0.2 and 0.3 mm.
(26) The two bracket parts, specifically the base plate 100 and the flap 200 can be manufactured at high cycle speeds by way of stamping and bending tools. The finished shaped parts are advantageously deburred or the corners rounded, with the barrel finishing method. A cold-rolled, soft cobalt-chromium sheet metal which can be very well machined and subsequently tempered to a very high hardness is used, in order to achieve a sufficient strength with the sheet metals applied here, despite their thinness. Such sheet metals of cobalt-chromium-nickel alloys are known on the market under the trademark Pynox e.g. from the company Matthey SA.
(27) The use of sheet metal on manufacture of brackets leads to a large number of different embodiment possibilities, which until now were neither known nor could they be achieved. Various embodiment examples are represented in detail in the present application, and are described in detail hereinafter.
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(29) The rolled-in region 106 of the second edge 103 lies directly opposite the first rolled-in region 104 of the first edge 102. Here, the roll-in angle is at least approximately 180. The rolling-in does not begin directly at the second edge 103, but offset slightly inwards, so that a horizontal end-region 107 arises. This quasi horizontal end-region 107 runs roughly parallel to the base surface 101. It can be advantageous to design this so-called horizontal end-region 107 inclined towards the base surface 101 by a few degrees, for example 1 and 5. The reason for this is due to the fact that this second rolled-in region 106 serves for guiding a wire arch 300 which is not yet represented here and is round in cross section, or for holding an insert part. If this quasi horizontal end-region 107 has a slight inclination to the base surface 101, then a wire arch which is round in cross section can be pressed in, amid slight elastic deformation of the rolled-in region 102, wherein the wire arch obtains sufficiency guidance, without this falling out before the wire arch is secured in its position by the flap 200 which is not yet described.
(30) The rolled-in region 104 of the first edge moreover comprises a centrally stamped out pivot recess 108. The rolled-in region 106 of the second edge 103 comprises a likewise central, less deep recess which is indicated as a locking recess 109. The significance of the two recesses is explained later in more detail in the context of the assembled bracket.
(31) The flap 200 is represented in each case on its own in the various views in
(32) The complete bracket, consisting of a base plate 100 and flap 200 is represented in the assembled, open condition in
(33) The flap, pivoted by more than 90 is led to the base plate 100 such that the neck 202 of the flap 200 comes to lie in the pivot recess 108 of the rolled-in region 104 of the first edge 102, for the assembly of the bracket consisting of the base plate 100 and the flap 200. The rolled-in region 204 of the flap 200 now rolls into the rolled-in region 104 of the first edge 102, by way of a pivot movement of the flap 200 in the closure direction. The radius of the rolled-in region 104 of the first edge 102 with respect to its inner diameter is preferably designed slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the rolled-in region 204 of the flap 200. The rolled-in region 104 of the first edge 102 from now is spread slightly and the rolled-in region 204 of the flap 200 is slightly pressed together, on joining together. This leads to the flap remaining in each opened intermediate position, and the treating orthodontic physician having free access, in order to insert the wire arch 300 into the rolled-in region 106 of the base plate 100 or into an insert part. It is particularly from the lateral view according to
(34) The bracket is now described as is shown in the
(35) A first embodiment example of an insert part 250 which serves for mounting and guiding a wire arch with a rectangular or square cross section, is represented on its own in different views, in the
(36) This situation is clearly evident from the
(37) A second embodiment of the insert part is now represented in
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(40) With this embodiment of the flap as a scroll spring, a neck 402 is also present between the roof region 401 and the bending 404 serving as a hinge pivot 405. The scroll spring here moreover comprises at least one bead as a transverse strut 409, which runs parallel to the hinge pivot 405 and is integrally formed into the scroll spring.
(41) A second embodiment of a base plate for forming an orthodontic bracket is now represented in
(42) The bent-over region 504 of the first edge 502 again has a pivot recess 508. This pivot recess 508 has a widening 508a for introducing the flap. The pivot recess 508a then tapers into a narrowing 508b which serves for securing the flap and the fixation of this in the opened position.
(43) Arresting recesses 509 are recessed on the bent-over side edge sections 506, opposite the edges 507 aligned to the occlusion plane. These arresting recesses serve for the fixation of the flap 500 in the closed condition. The side edge sections 506 have a rounded upper edge 510 which serves for the wearing comfort. The shape of the indentations 511 in the side edges serving for delimiting to the side edge sections bent over to the top can be seen most clearly in
(44) A second embodiment of a flap is represented in the
(45) A pressing tab as part of a scroll spring 603 is formed and shaped connecting to the flat roof region 601, at the side which lies opposite the neck 602. This scroll spring has laterally projecting arresting lugs 608 as positive-fit means 607. These arresting lugs 608 in the closed condition of the flap 600 engage into side edge sections 506 of the base plate 500. A bead for securing against overload can be additionally provided. This bead is indicted at 609. A bore 610 as an aid for opening the flap 600 is recessed in the pressing tab 603 designed as a scroll spring.
(46) The flap 600 according to the
(47) The two
(48) The two main constituents of the kit, specifically the base plate and the flap are manufactured of a sheet metal of cobalt-chromium nickel alloy, as already mentioned.
(49) The insert part, apart from the mounting of the wire arches can also serve for the improved retention of aligners. The wire arch as well as the aligner are indicated as orthodontic aids. An insert part can utilise the guide surfaces 253 or can be formed into these retention edges which are positively connectable onto the aligners with equal and opposite shapings, depending of the design of the aligner, for an improved holding of the aligner.
(50) The kit according to the invention, which consists of only three parts, specifically of the base plate and the flap and the insert part, now replaces a huge number of the most different of orthodontic brackets. Despite the fact that two variants of base plates and four variants of flaps, as well as two embodiments of insert parts have been suggested here, these permit a sufficient variety of combination, in order to cover practically all common demands for orthodontic practise, without having to maintain a huge stock of expensive brackets, since here the bracket can be composed by the operator from few parts, and specific to the case in hand.
LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS
(51) 100 base plate of the bracket b=width of the base plate h=height of the base plate p=profile of the base plate 200 flap 250 insert part 260 insert part 300 wire arch (round) 301 wire arch (rectangular) 0.45 mm0.55 mm 302 wire arch (rectangular) 0.550.70 mm 303 wire arch (square) 0.400.40 mm 400 flap as scroll spring 500 base plate, alternative shape 600 flap 750 insert part 760 insert part 800 gauge matching the base plate, for estimating the torque 900 protector 101 base surface of the base plate 102 first edge 103 second edge 104 bent-over region of the first edge 105 hinge bearing 106 bent-over region of the second edge 107 straight, parallel end-piece of the bent-over region 106 108 pivot recess in 104 109 arresting recess in 106 110 side edges 111 protective guide channel for flap 1a 201 flat roof region 202 neck 203 pressing tab 204 bending with a small radius 205 hinge axis 206 lateral wings 207 positive fit means 208 arresting lug 209 rounded edges 250 insert part for guidance 251 continuation engaging into the bent-over region of the second edge 252 centre section 253 guide surfaces at an angle of 90 254 retention continuation to the first edge 260 insert part, variant 261 continuation into the bent-over region of the second edge 262 centre section 263 guide surfaces at an angle of 90 264 retention continuation to the first edge 401 arched roof region 402 neck 403 pressing tab as part of the flap 400 which is designed as a scroll spring 404 bending with a small radius 405 hinge pivot 406a recess 406b lateral guide region 407 positive-fit recesses 408 arresting lug 409 transverse strut 501 base surface of the base plate 502 first edge 503 second edge 504 bent-over region of the first edge 505 hinge bearing 506 bent-over side edge section 507 edges directed to the occlusion plane 508 pivot recess 508a widening for introducing the flaps 2a, 2b 508b narrowing for securing the flaps and fixation of the flaps in the opened position 509 arresting recesses 510 rounded upper end of the side edge section 511 indentation of the side edges 512 first bending for adaptation of the bracket base to the anatomy of the tooth 513 second bending for adaptation of the bracket base to the anatomy of the tooth 514 vertical region, or the region aligned perpendicular to the edges 507 515 protective guide channel for the flap 2a and 2b 601 flat roof region 602 neck 603 pressing tab as a scroll spring 604 bending with small radius 605 hinge axis 606 lateral wings, in particular for fine wires 606b lateral wings for rubber chains or elastics 607 positive fit means 608 arresting lug 609 bead for securing against overload 610 bore(s) as aids for opening 700 flap for elastics 750 series of identical torque elements 801 recesses for an improved visibility 802 inscription 803 display of the occlusion plane at an angle of 20 in each case 804 arms for the display of the perpendicular with respect to the occlusion plane 805 recess for the incisal ridges