Self-ligating orthodontic brackets

Abstract

The invention discloses a self-locking orthodontic bracket, comprising a bracket body with an archwire groove, a sliding cover matched with the bracket body, and a self-locking component for locking the sliding cover on the bracket body, wherein the top of the bracket body is provided with a guide surface, the bottom surface of the sliding cover is slidably matched with the guide surface, a sink groove is provided on the guide surface, a locking groove is provided at the bottom of the sink groove, a positioning groove is provided on the bottom surface of the sliding cover, the bottom of the self-locking component is fixedly installed in the locking groove, and the top of the self-locking component extends into the positioning groove to lock the sliding cover on the bracket body. In the clinical application of tooth correction, when the locking component and the bracket body of the self-locking orthodontic bracket are installed, the entire orthodontic bracket can be assembled by directly pushing in the sliding cover, and it is ensured that the sliding cover does not fall off after being pushed in, which can simplify the orthodontic bracket installation process and improve the installation speed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the field of oral medical equipment, in particular to a self-locking orthodontic bracket for orthodontics. Background Art

[0002] Self-ligating orthodontic brackets refer to correction devices made of metal or ceramic materials that are fixed to the surface of teeth with special adhesives during orthodontic treatment. Self-ligating orthodontic brackets can accommodate and further fix orthodontic wires, accurately transmitting force to the teeth to be corrected, thereby achieving the purpose of orthodontic treatment. Compared with traditional orthodontic technology, self-ligating orthodontic brackets can greatly reduce the friction between orthodontic wires and brackets, speed up tooth movement, and effectively shorten the entire treatment time.

[0003] Many existing orthodontic brackets are installed by first installing the sliding cover into the bracket and then installing and fixing the locking device from the reverse side. Patent document CN101815478B discloses an orthodontic bracket for coupling an archwire with a tooth, wherein the bracket uses a latch as a fixing mechanism to fix the sliding cover on the bracket body. The installation and removal of such orthodontic brackets are relatively complicated during actual use, and the locking device needs to be installed and fixed separately, resulting in a slow installation speed. In clinical applications of tooth correction, this brings great inconvenience to patients, and therefore a self-locking orthodontic bracket that is quick and easy to install needs to be developed. Summary of the invention

[0004] Based on this, it is necessary to provide a self-ligating orthodontic bracket that is quick and easy to install in order to solve the problem that the installation and removal of the currently commonly used orthodontic brackets are complicated and slow.

[0005] A self-locking orthodontic bracket comprises a bracket body with an archwire slot, a sliding cover matched with the bracket body, and a self-locking component for locking the sliding cover on the bracket body, characterized in that: the top of the bracket body is provided with a guide surface, and the bottom surface of the sliding cover is slidably matched with the guide surface; a countersunk groove is provided on the guide surface, and a locking groove is provided at the bottom of the countersunk groove; the bottom of the self-locking component is fixedly installed in the locking groove, and the top of the self-locking component extends into the positioning groove provided on the bottom surface of the sliding cover to lock the sliding cover on the bracket body.

[0006] Several optional methods are also provided below, but they are not intended to be additional limitations on the above-mentioned overall solution, but are merely further supplements or preferences. Under the premise that there are no technical or logical contradictions, each optional method can be combined with the above-mentioned overall solution separately, and multiple optional methods can also be combined.

[0007] In one of the embodiments, a positioning groove is provided on the bottom surface of the sliding cover. When the positioning groove is installed, the groove wall on one side that first contacts the self-locking component is the leading side groove wall, and the other side is the rear end side groove wall; the leading side groove wall is provided with an avoidance area that passes through the sliding direction of the sliding cover.

[0008] In one embodiment, the height difference between the top surface of the avoidance area and the top surface of the sink is greater than the size of the self-locking component in the sliding direction of the sliding cover.

[0009] In one embodiment, the height difference between the top surface of the avoidance area and the guide surface is smaller than the height of the self-locking component extending into the positioning groove.

[0010] In one embodiment, the height difference between the top surface of the avoidance area and the guide surface is smaller than the dimension of the self-locking component in the sliding direction of the sliding cover.

[0011] In one of the embodiments, the positioning groove is provided with a limiting step on the bottom surface of the sliding cover perpendicular to the sliding direction of the sliding cover, and the limiting step divides the positioning groove into limiting areas on both sides of the step. When the positioning groove is installed, the side that first contacts the self-locking component is the first limiting area, and the other side is the second limiting area.

[0012] In one embodiment, the extension range of the limiting step is smaller than the maximum elastic deformation of the self-locking component perpendicular to the sliding direction of the sliding cover.

[0013] In one embodiment, the number of the self-locking components is one or more, and the bottoms of the respective locking components are independently fixedly installed in the locking grooves.

[0014] In one embodiment, the self-locking component is two elastic rods arranged side by side, and the size of the self-locking component in the sliding direction of the sliding cover is the diameter of the elastic rod.

[0015] In one embodiment, the sliding cover first contacts a guide angle provided at the self-locking component.

[0016] The self-locking orthodontic bracket of the present application has a positioning groove on the bottom surface of the sliding cover; a locking groove is opened on the bracket body and a locking and self-locking component is installed. After the locking component and the bracket body are all installed, the entire orthodontic bracket can be assembled by directly pushing the sliding cover in, and it is ensured that the sliding cover will not fall off after being pushed in, which can simplify the orthodontic bracket installation process and improve the installation speed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the bracket body of a self-ligating orthodontic bracket.

[0018] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the self-ligating orthodontic bracket sliding cover.

[0019] Figure 3It is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the self-ligating components of the self-ligating orthodontic bracket.

[0020] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of a self-locking component in another embodiment.

[0021] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of a self-locking component in another embodiment.

[0022] Figure 6 A side view of a self-ligating orthodontic bracket.

[0023] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of the planar structure of the self-ligating orthodontic bracket sliding cover.

[0024] Figure 8 It is a top view of the sliding cover in the open state, and the arrow indicates the direction in which the sliding cover is pushed.

[0025] Fig. 9 It is a top view when the slide cover is closed.

[0026] Fig.10 It is a side view when the front end of the sliding cover just contacts the self-locking component.

[0027] Fig.11 This is a side view with the slide cover open.

[0028] Fig.12 It is a side view with the slide cover closed. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0030] In order to better describe and illustrate the embodiments of the present application, reference may be made to one or more drawings, but the additional details or examples used to describe the drawings should not be considered as limiting the scope of the invention of the present application, any of the currently described embodiments or preferred methods.

[0031] It should be noted that when a component is referred to as being "connected" to another component, it may be directly connected to the other component or there may be a central component. When a component is referred to as being "disposed on" another component, it may be directly disposed on the other component or there may be a central component at the same time.

[0032] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as those commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention belongs. The terms used herein in the specification of the present invention are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. The term "or / and" used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more of the related listed items.

[0033] like Figures 1 to 12 As shown, a self-locking transmission bracket comprises a bracket body 1 with a main archwire slot 11, a sliding cover 2 mounted on the bracket body 1, and a self-locking component 3. The opening of the main archwire slot 11 faces the top side of the bracket body 1, the top of the bracket body 1 is provided with a guide surface 12, a sinking groove 13 is provided on the guide surface, and a locking groove 14 for mounting the self-locking component 3 is provided at the bottom of the sinking groove. The bottom of the self-locking component 3 is fixedly installed in the locking groove 14, and the top of the self-locking component extends into the positioning groove 21 provided on the bottom surface of the sliding cover to lock the sliding cover on the bracket body.

[0034] The bottom surface of the sliding cover 2 cooperates with the guide surface 12. When installing, one side of the sliding cover 2 abuts against the self-locking component 3 and further pushes the self-locking component 3 to bend until the positioning groove 21 corresponds to the position of the self-locking component. The self-locking component relies on its own elasticity to restore its shape, that is, the top of the self-locking component is placed in the positioning groove 21 to limit separation from the bracket body 1.

[0035] The setting of the sink groove 13 allows the self-locking component 3 to deform to a larger size and have a smaller bending angle under the same swing amplitude, that is, only a small angle bending along the sliding direction of the sliding cover 2 is required to allow the sliding cover 2 to pass over the self-locking component 3 and complete the installation of the sliding cover on the bracket body.

[0036] If the recessed groove 13 is not provided, the self-locking component 3 needs to be deformed at a large bending angle in the sliding direction of the sliding cover 2, and a larger thrust is required when installing the sliding cover, which is inconvenient to use. Excessive thrust may also cause the self-locking component 3 to break.

[0037] The self-locking component 3 itself can utilize the existing technology, and has been further improved in this embodiment, such as Figure 3 As shown, the self-locking component 3 is two cylindrical elastic rods 31 arranged side by side, the diameter of the elastic rod 31 is ΦC, the two elastic rods 31 have the same diameter, the bottom of the elastic rod 31 is fixedly installed in the locking groove 14, and the position and shape of the locking groove 14 match the elastic rod 31.

[0038] The top of the elastic rod 31 extends upward through the recessed groove into the positioning groove 21 on the bottom surface of the slide cover, and the slide cover can be locked on the bracket body. The two elastic rods 31 are arranged in parallel and at the same height. The two elastic rods 31 can be relatively close to each other and restored at the part exposed from the locking groove 14. Through this deformation process, the slide cover 2 can be switched and limited in different positions.

[0039] The bottoms of the two elastic rods 31 are independent of each other to avoid mutual interference or traction, and also facilitate flexible installation and standardization of components, thereby improving versatility.

[0040] The bottom of the self-locking component 3 can be fixed in the locking groove by bonding, welding, interference fit, etc. Selecting a suitable method to fix it in the locking groove 14 according to the shape and structure of the self-locking component 3 can improve the overall stability of the self-locking component 3 and obtain a better fixing effect.

[0041] In one embodiment, Figure 4 As shown, the self-locking component 3 has two elastic rods 322 and a connecting portion 321 fixed between the two elastic rods 322. The connecting portion 321 can be formed by welding. The connecting portion 321 and the bottom of the two elastic rods 322 are fixedly installed in the locking groove 141. The locking groove 141 can be formed by welding. Figure 6 The connected area shown.

[0042] The top surface of the connecting portion 321 is not higher than the top surface of the sink, ensuring that only two elastic rods 322 extend out of the locking groove 141. The two elastic rods 322 are both cylindrical, parallel to each other and arranged at the same height.

[0043] In one embodiment, Figure 5 As shown, relative to Figure 4 The self-locking component 3 in the embodiment is different in that the self-locking component 3 in the present embodiment includes a base 331 and two elastic rods 332 integrally formed with the base 331, and the gap between the two elastic rods 332 can be formed by cutting.

[0044] After the sliding cover 2 passes over the main archwire slot 11, it is placed on the other side of the main archwire slot 11. In order to limit the position and prevent loosening, in one embodiment, a limiting groove 15 is provided on the bracket body 1 on one side of the main archwire slot 11; when the sliding cover 2 closes the main archwire slot 11, the sliding cover 2 extends over the main archwire slot 11 via the guide surface 12 and is inserted into the limiting groove 15. The limiting groove 15 receives and limits the edge of the corresponding side of the sliding cover 2.

[0045] In order to smoothly guide the movement of the slide cover 2, in one embodiment, the guide surface of the bracket body is provided with guide grooves 16 on both sides, and correspondingly, the slide cover 2 is provided with sliders 28 matching the guide grooves 16 on both sides, and during the position conversion process of the slide cover 2, the sliders 28 move back and forth along the guide grooves 16. The provision of the guide grooves 16 on both sides of the bracket body and the sliders 28 on both sides of the slide cover enables the slide cover to be closely fitted with the guide surface of the bracket body during the sliding process, and the slide cover is installed more smoothly, preventing the slide cover from derailing under a large thrust.

[0046] In one embodiment, a cover opening 17 for driving the slide cover 2 to exit the limit groove 15 is provided between one side of the bracket body 1 where the limit groove 15 is provided and the slide cover 2. When the slide cover 2 is kept in a closed state at the position of closing the main archwire slot 11, one end of the slide cover 2 is inserted into the limit groove 15, and at this time the slide cover 2 is against the side wall of the limit groove 15. The setting of the cover opening 17 can facilitate the use of tools to insert into the cover opening 17, and push the slide cover 2 to provide sufficient force for the slide cover 2 so that the elastic rod 31 overcomes the elastic force of the limit step 23, thereby opening the blockade of the elastic rod 31, and facilitating the opening of the slide cover 2.

[0047] In one embodiment, the sliding cover 2 is provided with a positioning groove 21 on the fitting surface that slides with the guide surface 12 on the top of the bracket body. When the sliding cover is installed, the positioning groove 21 first contacts the groove wall on one side of the self-locking component, which is the leading side groove wall, and the other side is the rear end side groove wall. The leading side groove wall is provided with an avoidance area 22 that passes through the sliding direction of the sliding cover.

[0048] like Fig.10 As shown in , the height difference between the top surface of the slide cover avoidance area 22 and the guide surface of the bracket body 12 is A; the height difference between the top surface of the bracket body sink groove 13 and the guide surface of the bracket body 12 is B; the size of the self-locking component 3 in the sliding direction of the slide cover (i.e. the diameter or thickness of the elastic rod 31) is ΦC. When the slide cover is pushed along the guide surface 12, it is first blocked by the elastic rod 31. The front end of the slide cover avoidance area will apply a thrust on one side of the elastic rod 31, driving the elastic rod 31 to bend along the sliding direction of the slide cover. Since the height difference (A+B) between the top surface of the slide cover avoidance area 22 and the top surface of the bracket body sink groove 13 is greater than ΦC, the appropriate relationship between the spatial height and ΦC can allow the elastic rod 31 to have sufficient space margin to bend, allowing the slide cover 2 to be in place.

[0049] On the contrary, if the height difference (A+B) between the top surface of the sliding cover avoidance area 22 and the top surface of the bracket body sink groove 13 is less than the dimension ΦC of the self-locking component 3 in the sliding direction of the sliding cover, it is possible that the sliding cover will be blocked by the elastic rod 31, that is, even if the elastic rod 31 of a certain diameter is bent 90 degrees, the space with a height of (A+B) cannot accommodate it, and the sliding cover 2 cannot pass over the elastic rod 31 to be in place.

[0050] In one embodiment, Fig.11As shown, when the sliding cover 2 is withdrawn to the limit position, the elastic rod 31 contacts the leading side groove wall of the positioning groove 21, and the elastic rod 31 extends into the positioning groove 21 to a height D in the figure. The sliding cover 2 is in the open position of the entire self-ligating orthodontic bracket. Since the height difference A between the top surface of the avoidance area 22 of the sliding cover and the guide surface of the bracket body 12 is less than the height D of the self-locking component 3 extending into the positioning groove 21, and the height difference A is less than the dimension ΦC of the self-locking component 3 in the sliding direction of the sliding cover, when the sliding cover is withdrawn to the limit position, the leading side groove wall of the sliding cover 2 is blocked by the elastic rod 31, and the top surface of the avoidance area 22 and the guide surface 12 act on the opposite sides of the self-locking component to form a shear force, which drives the self-locking component to bend. If the height difference A between the top surface of the avoidance area and the guide surface is greater than the dimension ΦC of the self-locking component in the sliding direction of the sliding cover, then the height difference can accommodate the bent self-locking component, that is, the self-locking component cannot block the sliding cover after bending, causing the sliding cover to fall out.

[0051] The positioning groove 21 can cooperate with the elastic rod 31 to implement positioning through the shape of the groove wall. In one embodiment, two opposite groove walls of the positioning groove 21 are provided with limiting steps 23 protruding toward each other. Figures 8-9 As shown, the raised parts of the two limiting steps 23 divide the inner side wall of the positioning groove 21 into two limiting areas. When the positioning groove 21 is installed, the side that first contacts the elastic rod 31 is the first limiting area 26, and the other side is the second limiting area 27; the first limiting area 26 and the second limiting area 27 respectively correspond to the positions of the elastic rod 31 when the sliding cover 2 opens and closes the main archwire slot 11.

[0052] During the process of the sliding cover 2 moving from the open state of the main arch wire slot 11 of the bracket body to the closed state of the main arch wire slot 11, the elastic rod 31 is squeezed by the limiting step 23 perpendicular to the movement direction of the sliding cover and elastically deforms. Since the extension amplitude of the limiting step 23 is smaller than the maximum elastic deformation of the elastic rod 31 perpendicular to the sliding direction of the sliding cover, the elastic rod 31 can smoothly cross the limiting step and enter the second limiting area 27 after elastic deformation and bending perpendicular to the movement direction of the sliding cover. After entering the second limiting area 27, it recovers from the elastic deformation. Due to the existence of the limiting step, the elastic rod 31 cannot return along the original movement path without applying external force, thereby realizing the positioning of the sliding cover in the closed position.

[0053] In one embodiment, Figure 2 As shown, the slide cover 2 is provided with a guide angle 24 at the place where it first contacts the elastic rod 31 . The setting of the guide angle on the slide cover can reduce the amount of deformation that the elastic rod 31 needs to bend when the slide cover 2 is pushed in, making it easier for the self-locking component to enter the positioning groove 21 .

[0054] When assembling the self-ligating orthodontic bracket of the present application, the bracket body 1 is placed with the bottom side facing downward and the opening of the main archwire slot 11 facing upward, the elastic rod 31 is inserted into the locking slot 14, the sliding cover 2 is flipped so that the side with the positioning slot 21 faces downward to the bracket body 1, the sliding cover 2 is placed on the guide surface 12 of the bracket body 1, and the sliders 28 on both sides of the sliding cover 2 are inserted into the guide slot 16, while ensuring that the top of the elastic rod 31 extends into the first limiting area 26 of the sliding cover positioning slot 21, and then the sliding cover 2 is pushed to make the slider 28 move along the guide slot 16, and the sliding cover 2 extends through the guide surface 12 to cross the main archwire slot 11 and insert into the limiting slot 15. At this time, due to the push of the sliding cover, the elastic rod 31 overcomes its own elastic force and crosses the limiting step 23 to reach the second limiting area 27.

[0055] When releasing the lock, an external force is used to push the slide cover 2 to withdraw along the guide surface 12. During the movement of the slide cover 2, the elastic rod 31 is elastically deformed perpendicular to the movement direction of the slide cover in order to overcome the blocking of the limit step 23 on the movement path of the self-locking component. When the slide cover 2 is moved, the elastic rod 31 returns to the first limit area 26, and the slide cover 2 remains in the position of opening the main archwire slot 11, which is in the released state. During the unlocking process, an external force is required to elastically deform the self-locking component 3 perpendicular to the movement direction of the slide cover, so when there is not enough external force, the self-locking component 3 will not enter the unlocked state, thereby ensuring the reliability of the locked state.

[0056] The technical features of the above-described embodiments may be arbitrarily combined. To make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above-described embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0057] The above-mentioned embodiments only express several implementation methods of the present invention, and the descriptions thereof are relatively specific and detailed, but they cannot be understood as limiting the scope of the invention patent. It should be pointed out that, for ordinary technicians in this field, several variations and improvements can be made without departing from the concept of the present invention, and these all belong to the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the patent of the present invention shall be subject to the attached claims.

Claims

1. A self-locking orthodontic bracket, comprising a bracket body with an archwire slot, a sliding cover matched with the bracket body, and a self-locking component for locking the sliding cover on the bracket body, characterized in that: The top of the bracket body is provided with a guide surface, and the bottom surface of the sliding cover is slidably matched with the guide surface; a sink groove is provided on the guide surface, and a locking groove is provided at the bottom of the sink groove; the bottom of the self-locking component is fixedly installed in the locking groove, and the top of the self-locking component extends into the positioning groove provided on the bottom surface of the sliding cover to lock the sliding cover on the bracket body, and the self-locking component is two elastic rods arranged side by side, and the two elastic rods are independent of each other; A positioning groove is provided on the bottom surface of the sliding cover. When the positioning groove is installed, the groove wall on one side of the self-locking component that first contacts is the leading side groove wall, and the groove wall on the other side is the rear end side groove wall; the leading side groove wall is provided with an avoidance area that passes through the sliding direction of the sliding cover, and the two opposite groove walls of the positioning groove are provided with limiting steps that protrude towards each other. The elastic rod is elastically deformed by the extrusion of the limiting steps perpendicular to the movement direction of the sliding cover, and the sliding cover first contacts the guide angle provided at the self-locking component to facilitate the self-locking component to enter the positioning groove.

2. The self-ligating orthodontic bracket according to claim 1, characterized in that: The height difference between the top surface of the avoidance area and the top surface of the sink is greater than the size of the self-locking component in the sliding direction of the sliding cover.

3. The self-ligating orthodontic bracket according to claim 1, characterized in that: The height difference between the top surface of the avoidance area and the guide surface is smaller than the height of the self-locking component extending into the positioning groove.

4. The self-ligating orthodontic bracket according to claim 1, characterized in that: The height difference between the top surface of the avoidance area and the guide surface is smaller than the dimension of the self-locking component in the sliding direction of the sliding cover.

5. The self-ligating orthodontic bracket according to claim 1, characterized in that: The positioning groove is on the bottom surface of the sliding cover, and the limiting step protrudes perpendicular to the sliding direction of the sliding cover. The limiting step divides the positioning groove into limiting areas on both sides of the step. When the positioning groove is installed, the side that first contacts the self-locking component is the first limiting area, and the other side is the second limiting area.

6. The self-ligating orthodontic bracket according to claim 5, characterized in that: The extension amplitude of the limiting step is smaller than the maximum elastic deformation of the self-locking component perpendicular to the sliding direction of the sliding cover.

7. The self-ligating orthodontic bracket according to claim 1, characterized in that: The dimension of the self-locking component in the sliding direction of the sliding cover is the diameter of the elastic rod.

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