Bonded retainer

Abstract

A bonded retainer configured to stabilize a plurality of teeth in a jaw, the bonded retainer including a contact surface that is aligned overall with a parabolic curvature of the jaw in a longitudinal direction of the bonded retainer and that is aligned locally with a lingual surface contour of the teeth; a lingual surface that extends lingually in parallel with the contact surface, and retentions that extend from the lingual surface transversal to the longitudinal direction.

Claims

1. A bonded retainer integrally made from one piece of material and configured to stabilize a plurality of teeth in a jaw, the bonded retainer comprising: a continuous contact surface integrally made from the one piece of the material and aligned overall with a parabolic curvature of the jaw in a longitudinal direction of the bonded retainer and is configured to be in direct contact with and aligned locally with a lingual surface contour of the teeth; a lingual surface extending lingually in parallel with the continuous contact surface; and retentions integrally made from the one piece of the material and extending from the lingual surface away from the teeth transversal to the longitudinal direction and not in contact with the teeth.

2. The bonded retainer according to claim 1, wherein the retentions have a local height of at least 0.05 mm.

3. The bonded retainer according to claim 1, wherein the lingual surface is configured with a saw tooth pattern profile.

4. The bonded retainer according to claim 1, wherein the bonded retainer is wire shaped and cut from a sheet of material so that the continuous contact surface, the lingual surface and two parallel sections of a surface of the sheet form a diamond shaped cross section of the bonded retainer.

5. The bonded retainer according to claim 4, wherein the sheet is made from a shape memory material made from a nickel titanium alloy or from Nitinol.

6. The bonded retainer according to claim 4, wherein the cross section has edge lengths of 0.7 mm at the most.

7. The bonded retainer according to claim 1, wherein the bonded retainer is made by 3D-printing.

8. The bonded retainer according to claim 7, wherein the bonded retainer is made from a thermoplastic synthetic material or from polyetheretherketone.

9. The bonded retainer according to claim 1, wherein the retentions are configured mushroom shaped.

10. The bonded retainer according to claim 1, wherein a surface of the bonded retainer is electropolished or plasma polished.

11. The bonded retainer according to claim 1, wherein the lingual contact surface is configured with a pattern profile.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The invention is subsequently described based on embodiments with reference to drawing figures, wherein:

(2) FIG. 1A illustrates a first bonded retainer according to the invention;

(3) FIG. 1B illustrates a detail of the first bonded retainer according to the invention:

(4) FIG. 1C illustrates a section of the detail of FIG. 1B;

(5) FIG. 2 illustrates a section of a second bonded retainer according to the invention;

(6) FIG. 3 illustrates a section of a third bonded retainer according to the invention;

(7) FIG. 4A illustrates a fourth bonded retainer according to the invention;

(8) FIG. 4B illustrates a detail of the fourth bonded retainer according to the invention;

(9) FIG. 4C illustrates a sectional view of the detail of FIG. 4b;

(10) FIG. 5 illustrates a sectional view of a fifth bonded retainer according to the invention;

(11) FIG. 6A illustrates a sixth bonded retainer according to the invention; and

(12) FIG. 6B illustrates a detail of the sixth bonded retainer according to the invention:

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(13) The longitudinal direction 1 of the first wire shaped bonded retainer 2 according to the invention shown in drawing FIGS. 1A-1C follows a parabolic curvature of a jaw 3 of a patient overall. The bonded retainer 2 is cut from a nitinol sheet with a thickness of 0.4 mm and has an essentially rectangular cross section. After cutting the bonded retainer 2 is treated by plasma polishing.

(14) The bonded retainer 2 includes a contact surface 4 that follows locally along a lingual surface contour of the teeth 5 and contacts the teeth 5 in the orthodontic application. A lingual surface 6 that is oriented toward the tongue of the patient runs essentially parallel to the contact surface 4. Sections 7 of surfaces of the sheet close the cross section. The sections 7 have an edge length 8 of at least 0.4 mm in a cross section.

(15) The lingual surface 6 includes sections 9 that are profiled in a saw tooth pattern that include trapezoid retentions 10 with notches 11 that run transversal to the longitudinal direction 1 and that have a height 12 of approximately 0.2 mm. In orthodontic applications the sections 9 are embedded in a nano hybrid composite glue that penetrates into the notches 11 between the retentions 10. After curing the bonded retainer 2 is secured against sliding in the glue joints in the longitudinal direction by positive locking.

(16) FIG. 2 shows a section 13 of a second bonded retainer according to the invention that includes triangular retentions 14. FIG. 3 illustrates a section 15 of a third bonded retainer according to the invention with rectangular retention 16 and accordingly configured rectangular profile notches 17 between the retentions.

(17) The second bonded retainer and the third bonded retainer are identical to the first bonded retainer 2 besides the sections 13 and 15.

(18) The fourth bonded retainer 18 shown in FIG. 4A is produced from polyetheretherketone (PEEK) by 3D printing. A longitudinal direction 19 of the fourth bonded retainer 18 follows overall along a parabolic curvature of a jaw 20 of a patient. A contact surface 21 of the fourth bonded retainer 18 follows locally along a lingual surface contour of the teeth 22 and contacts the teeth 22 in the orthodontic application.

(19) A lingual surface 23 that is oriented towards a tongue of the patient runs essentially parallel to the contact surface 21, includes mushroom shaped retentions 25 shown in detail in FIG. 4B and in a sectional view in FIG. 4C and includes corresponding notches 20 between the retentions 25. FIG. 5 illustrates a corresponding sectional view 27 through a fifth bonded retainer according to the invention made from PEEK including wedge shaped retentions 28 and corresponding notches 29 between the retentions 28. The fifth bonded retainer is identical to the fourth bonded retainer 18 besides a shape of the retentions.

(20) The sixth bonded retainer according to the invention illustrated in FIG. 6A is made from steel by 3D printing. A longitudinal direction 31 of the sixth bonded retainer 30 follows an overall parabolic curvature of the jaw 32 of the patient. The contact surface 33 of the sixth bonded retainer 30 follows locally along a lingual surface contour of the teeth 34 and contacts the teeth 34 in the orthodontic application.

(21) In a detail illustrated in FIG. 68, the essentially straight section 35 of the sixth bonded retainer 30 includes trapezoid retentions 36 that correspond to the first bonded retainer 2 and that fix the sixth bonded retainer 30 in the orthodontic application in a glue joint.

REFERENCE NUMERALS AND DESIGNATIONS

(22) 1 longitudinal direction 2 bonded retainer 3 jaw 4 contact surface tooth 6 lingual surface 7 detail 8 edge length 9 section 10 retention 11 notch 12 depth 13 section 14 retention 15 section 16 retention 17 notch 18 bonded retainer 19 longitudinal direction 20 jaw 21 contact surface 22 tooth 23 lingual surface 24 section 25 retention 26 notch 27 section 28 retention 29 notch 30 bonded retainer 31 longitudinal direction 32 jaw 33 contact surface 34 tooth 35 section 36 retention