An orthodontic appliance with a lock

Abstract

The application discloses a lockable orthodontic appliance, comprising a main body provided with a movable accessory, the accessory comprising a traction part and a placeholder part, the accessory being movable between a use position and a non-use position, the traction part being capable of driving the placeholder part into the archwire groove during movement; or a traction part and a placeholder part are provided on the main body, the traction part being movable and capable of driving the placeholder part into the archwire groove during movement. The orthodontic appliance can have multiple states, the first being a lock state, the second being a traction state, the third being a traction lock state, and the fourth being a non-lock non-traction state.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of orthodontic instruments, and more specifically to a locking orthodontic appliance. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, the most commonly used orthodontic appliances are bracket-type, which fix the archwire by attaching brackets with archwire slots and buccal tubes to the patient's teeth, allowing the archwire data to be expressed. Because the archwire is changed throughout the treatment process, typically progressing from a smaller size to a larger one, and the size of the archwire slots on the brackets and buccal tubes is fixed and larger than the largest archwire size, the archwire can move within the slots, making it impossible to accurately express the archwire torque and data. To effectively express torque and data, a locking mechanism is needed to hold the archwire in place, preventing it from moving within the slots.

[0003] Our earlier patent application CN110584810A disclosed a cheek tube with a movable or rotatable traction hook. The present invention aims to provide a more optimized solution that can use a traction member to guide the occupant to press against the archwire. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the aforementioned technical problems, the present invention provides a lockable orthodontic appliance.

[0005] The technical solution adopted by this invention to solve this technical problem is:

[0006] An orthodontic appliance includes a main body with an archwire groove formed thereon. The main body has a movable attachment comprising a traction part and a spacer part connected together. The traction part is movable between a working position and a non-working position. When in the working position, the traction part can provide traction; when in the non-working position, it cannot provide traction. During its movement, the traction part can move the spacer part into the archwire groove. When the traction part is in the working position, one end protrudes from the main body, allowing it to suspend traction tools such as rubber bands and steel wires. When in the non-working position, it cannot suspend these tools. The traction part can have one or more working positions. When the spacer part enters the archwire groove, it can occupy only a portion of the groove's volume without contacting the archwire, reducing the groove's clearance and facilitating archwire data representation. Alternatively, the spacer part can contact and press against the archwire, locking it and ensuring complete archwire data representation. The occupant can enter the bowwire groove when the traction unit is in the use position, or when the traction unit is in the non-use position; both are within the scope of protection of this application. The traction unit controls the occupant, moving the traction unit to a certain position to cause the occupant to occupy or lock. That is, the accessory can simultaneously perform traction and occupancy / locking functions, or it can only perform the traction function, or only the occupancy / locking function.

[0007] In some preferred embodiments, the traction unit can move the occupant out of the bowwire groove during its movement. The traction unit can also move the occupant out of the bowwire groove; in some preferred embodiments, the traction unit continuously moves the occupant in and out of the bowwire groove during its movement.

[0008] In some preferred embodiments, the spacer is an elastic portion, which allows the spacer to abut against bowwires of different sizes.

[0009] In some preferred embodiments, the connection between the main body and the accessory is provided with multiple positions, and the accessory can switch between these positions. When the accessory is in the first position, the occupant is located outside the bowwire groove; when the accessory is in the second position, the occupant partially enters the bowwire groove; when the accessory is in the third position, the occupant enters the bowwire groove further than in the second position. When the accessory is in the first position, the traction part can be in either the use position or the non-use position; when the accessory is in the second position, the traction part can be in either the use position or the non-use position; when the accessory is in the third position, the traction part can be in either the use position or the non-use position. That is, the accessory can simultaneously perform the functions of traction and occupant locking, or it can only perform the function of traction, or only perform the function of occupant locking.

[0010] In some preferred embodiments, the attachment may be movable or rotated relative to the body, and the attachment may move between a use position and an in-use position in a movable or rotating manner.

[0011] An orthodontic appliance includes a main body with an archwire groove formed thereon. The main body has a movable traction member and a spacer. The traction member is movable between a use position and a non-use position. When in the use position, the traction member is available for traction; when in the non-use position, it is not available for traction. During its movement, the traction member pulls the spacer into the archwire groove. The traction member and the spacer are movable or rotatable relative to the main body. When the spacer enters the archwire groove, it may occupy only a portion of the groove's volume without contacting the archwire, thus reducing the clearance and facilitating archwire data representation. Alternatively, the spacer may contact and press against the archwire, locking it and ensuring complete archwire data representation. The spacer may enter the archwire groove when the traction member is in the use position or when the traction member is in the non-use position; both are within the scope of this application. The traction component is equivalent to controlling the occupant component. By moving the traction component to a certain position, the occupant component is driven to occupy or lock.

[0012] In some preferred embodiments, the traction member, during its movement, moves the occupant out of the archwire groove. When it is necessary to adjust the archwire or when locking of the tooth position is no longer required, the traction member can be moved, thereby causing the occupant to release the lock on the archwire.

[0013] In some preferred embodiments, the orthodontic appliance further includes a transmission component, the traction component is in contact with the transmission component, and the traction component drives the positioner to move via the transmission component. The traction component may directly drive the positioner to move, or it may indirectly drive the positioner to move via the transmission component.

[0014] In a further preferred embodiment, the transmission member is an elastic member, allowing the occupant to abut against bowwires of different sizes. The elasticity of the transmission member makes the depth to which the occupant enters the bowwire slot adjustable. When the traction member moves to the use position, in the initial state of the transmission member, the occupant can abut against small-sized bowwires, while in the compressed and deformed state of the transmission member, the occupant can abut against large-sized bowwires. That is, when a large-sized bowwire is placed into the bowwire slot, the occupant's abutment against the bowwire deforms the transmission member.

[0015] In some preferred embodiments, the traction member is rotatably connected to the main body via a shaft, and the traction member and the transmission member are driven by gear meshing. Gear meshing provides stable transmission and allows for precise control of the position of the occupant after the traction member has moved.

[0016] In a further preferred embodiment, the end of the traction member connected to the main body is provided with teeth, and the end of the transmission member in contact with the traction member is provided with teeth.

[0017] In a further preferred embodiment, the traction member is provided with a limiting member to prevent the transmission member from continuing to move when the traction member moves to a non-use position. This prevents the transmission member from falling off when the traction member moves to a non-use position.

[0018] In some preferred embodiments, the traction member is provided with a protrusion, which, during the movement of the traction member from a non-use position to a use position, compresses the transmission member and thereby pushes the occupant member to move.

[0019] In some preferred embodiments, the orthodontic appliance further includes a repositioning member connected to the placeholder, wherein the placeholder is initially located outside the archwire groove. When the traction member moves the placeholder into the archwire groove, it compresses and deforms the repositioning member. As the repositioning member returns to its original shape, it causes the placeholder to automatically move out of the archwire groove.

[0020] In some preferred embodiments, the bottom of the bowwire groove is provided with a recess, and the reset member is disposed within the recess. Further, the upper surface of the reset member is flush with the bottom of the bowwire groove, so as not to affect the insertion of the bowwire into the bowwire groove. The reset member enables the occupant to automatically retract from the bowwire groove when the traction member moves to a non-use position.

[0021] In some preferred embodiments, the occupant has a locking wall parallel to the sidewall of the bowwire groove. The occupant abuts against the bowwire through the locking wall, thereby locking the bowwire.

[0022] Compared with existing technologies, this invention offers the following advantages: The orthodontic appliance provided by this invention includes a main body with a movable attachment. The attachment comprises a traction part and a spacer part. The attachment can move between a use position and a non-use position. During movement, the traction part can drive the spacer part into the archwire groove. Alternatively, a traction member and a spacer part can be provided on the main body. The traction member is movable, and during movement, it drives the spacer part into the archwire groove. The traction member can move to the use position when in use and to the non-use position when not in use, thus avoiding irritation of the patient's oral mucosa when not in use. Furthermore, the traction member can drive the spacer part to lock the archwire. The orthodontic appliance described in this invention can have multiple states. The first is a locking state, where the occupant or occupant enters the archwire slot to lock the archwire. The second is a traction state, where the traction element or traction part moves to the usage position, and the occupant or occupant is outside the archwire slot. The third is a traction-locking state, where the occupant or occupant enters the archwire slot, occupies a certain space, and may even press against the archwire to lock it. The outer end of the traction element or traction part provides traction. When used as an active bracket, the active bracket, because it does not move relative to the archwire and has a traction element or traction part, can traction other brackets, causing other teeth to move towards it. The fourth is a non-locking, non-traction state, where the traction element or traction part moves to the non-use state, and the occupant or occupant is removed from the archwire slot, functioning as a simple bracket. The orthodontist will continuously adjust it according to the progress of orthodontic treatment. This patented product can meet the needs of doctors at various stages of treatment.

[0023] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. Attached Figure Description

[0024] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the first state of the orthodontic appliance in Example 1.

[0025] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of the orthodontic appliance in the first state of Example 1.

[0026] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the second state of the orthodontic appliance in Example 1.

[0027] Figure 4 This is a cross-sectional view of the second state of the orthodontic appliance in Example 1.

[0028] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the first state of the orthodontic appliance in Example 2.

[0029] Figure 6 This is a cross-sectional view of the orthodontic appliance in the first state of Example 2.

[0030] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the second state of the orthodontic appliance in Example 2.

[0031] Figure 8 This is a cross-sectional view of the second state of the orthodontic appliance in Example 2.

[0032] Figure 9 This is an exploded structural diagram of the orthodontic appliance of Example 2.

[0033] Figure 10 This is a cross-sectional view of the orthodontic appliance in the first state of Example 3.

[0034] Figure 11 This is a cross-sectional view of the second state of the orthodontic appliance in Example 3.

[0035] Figure 12 This is a cross-sectional view of the orthodontic appliance in Example 4.

[0036] Figure 13 This is a front view of the orthodontic appliance of Example 5.

[0037] Figure 14 This is a cross-sectional view of the first position of the orthodontic appliance in Example 5.

[0038] Figure 15 This is a cross-sectional view of the second position of the orthodontic appliance in Example 5.

[0039] Figure 16 This is a cross-sectional view of the third position of the orthodontic appliance in Example 5.

[0040] Figure 17 This is an exploded structural diagram of the orthodontic appliance of Example 5.

[0041] Figure 18 This is a cross-sectional view of the first position of the orthodontic appliance in Example 6.

[0042] Figure 19 This is a cross-sectional view of the second position of the orthodontic appliance in Example 6. Detailed Implementation

[0043] Example 1:

[0044] Reference Figure 1-4This embodiment provides an orthodontic appliance, including a main body 10 with an archwire groove 11 formed thereon. The main body 10 is provided with a movable traction member 20 and a spacer member 30. The traction member 20 can move between a working position and a non-working position. When in the working position, the traction member 20 can provide traction; when in the non-working position, the traction member 20 cannot provide traction. During the process of the traction member 20 moving from the non-working position to the working position, it drives the spacer member 30 to move into the archwire groove 11. The traction member 20 is movable; its movement can be either a movement, a rotation, or a combination of both. When needed, the traction member 20 can be moved to the working position, and the spacer member 30 can be moved into the archwire groove 11 to press against the archwire.

[0045] During the movement of the traction member 20 from the working position to the non-working position, the occupant 30 is moved out of the archwire groove 11 by the traction member 20. When it is necessary to adjust the archwire or when it is no longer necessary to traction and lock the tooth position, the traction member 20 can be moved to the non-working position, thereby causing the occupant 30 to release the lock on the archwire.

[0046] The orthodontic appliance also includes a transmission component 50, with the traction component 20 in contact with it. The traction component 20 drives the positioner 30 to move via the transmission component 50. The traction component 20 can directly drive the positioner 30 or indirectly drive it via the transmission component 50. The transmission component 50 is an elastic component, and the portion connecting it to the positioner 30 is U-shaped. The positioner has a groove, and both ends of the U-shaped portion can slide along the groove, allowing the positioner 30 to abut against archwires of different sizes. The elastic transmission component 50 allows the depth to which the positioner 30 enters the archwire groove 11 to be adjustable. When the traction component 20 is moved to the working position, in the initial state of the transmission component 50, the positioner 30 can abut against a small-sized archwire, while in the compressed and deformed state of the transmission component 50, the positioner 30 can abut against a large-sized archwire. That is, when a large bowwire is placed into the bowwire slot 11, the occupant 30 will squeeze and deform the transmission component 50 during the process of pressing against the bowwire.

[0047] The traction member 20 is rotatably connected to the main body 10 via a shaft. The traction member 20 and the transmission member 50 drive the positioner 30 to move through gear meshing. The gear transmission provides stable transmission and effectively controls the position of the positioner 30 after the traction member 20 moves.

[0048] The traction member 20 is provided with a limiting member 21, which prevents the transmission member 50 from continuing to move when the traction member 20 moves to a non-use position.

[0049] Example 2:

[0050] Reference Figure 5-9 , Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the first state of the orthodontic appliance in Example 2. Figure 6 This is a cross-sectional view of the orthodontic appliance in its first state according to Example 2. Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the second state of the orthodontic appliance in Example 2. Figure 8 This is a cross-sectional view of the second state of the orthodontic appliance in Example 2. Figure 9 This is an exploded structural diagram of the orthodontic appliance of Embodiment 2. This embodiment provides an orthodontic appliance including a main body 10 with an archwire groove 11 formed thereon. The main body 10 is provided with a movable traction member 20 and a occupant 30. The traction member 20 can move between a working position and a non-working position. During the process of the traction member 20 moving from the non-working position to the working position, it drives the occupant 30 to move into the archwire groove 11. The traction member 20 is movable; its movement can be by moving, rotating, or a combination of moving and rotating. When needed, the traction member 20 can be moved to the working position, and the occupant 30 is driven into the archwire groove 11 to press against the archwire. The traction member 20 is provided with a protrusion 22. During the process of the traction member 20 moving from the non-working position to the working position, the protrusion 22 squeezes the transmission member 50, thereby pushing the occupant 30 to move. The traction member 20 indirectly drives the occupant 30 to move by squeezing the transmission member 50. The transmission component 50 is fixedly connected to the occupant 30. The transmission component 50 is an elastic component, which enables the occupant 30 to lock the bowwires of different sizes.

[0051] The orthodontic appliance also includes a reset member 60 connected to the placeholder 30. In its initial state, the placeholder 30 is located outside the archwire groove 11. When the traction member 20 moves the placeholder 30 into the archwire groove 11, it compresses and deforms the reset member 60. When the traction member 20 moves to a non-use position, the protrusion 22 no longer contacts the transmission member 50. During the process of the reset member 60 returning to its original shape, it causes the placeholder 30 to automatically move out of the archwire groove 11.

[0052] The bottom of the bowwire groove 11 is provided with a groove 12, and the reset member 60 is disposed in the groove 12. Furthermore, the upper surface of the reset member 60 is flush with the bottom of the bowwire groove 11, so as not to affect the insertion of the bowwire into the bowwire groove 11. The reset member 60 allows the occupant 30 to automatically retract from the bowwire groove 11 when the traction member 20 moves to a non-use position.

[0053] The occupant 30 has a locking wall 31, which is parallel to the side wall of the bowwire groove 11. The occupant 30 abuts against the bowwire through the locking wall 31 to lock the bowwire.

[0054] Example 3:

[0055] Reference Figure 10-11 , Figure 10 This is a cross-sectional view of the orthodontic appliance in its first state according to Example 3. Figure 11 This is a cross-sectional view of the second state of the orthodontic appliance in Embodiment 3. This embodiment provides an orthodontic appliance including a main body 10 with an archwire groove 11 formed thereon. The main body 10 is provided with a movable attachment 70, which includes a traction part 71 and a spacer part 72. The attachment 70 can move between a use position and a non-use position. During the movement of the attachment 70 from the non-use position to the use position, the traction part 71 can be pulled, and the spacer part 72 moves to enter the archwire groove 11. During the movement of the attachment 70 from the use position to the non-use position, the spacer part 72 moves out of the archwire groove 11. The spacer part 72 is a protrusion. The main body 10 is provided with a receiving space 13. When the attachment 70 is in the non-use position, part or all of the attachment 70 is received in the receiving space 13. The receiving space 13 communicates with the archwire groove 11, and the spacer part 72 can enter or exit the archwire groove 11 from the connection point.

[0056] Example 4:

[0057] Reference Figure 12 This embodiment provides an orthodontic appliance that is basically the same as that in Embodiment 3, except that the occupant 72 is an elastic part, which allows the occupant 72 to abut against archwires of different sizes.

[0058] Example 5:

[0059] Reference Figure 13-17 , Figure 13 This is a front view of the orthodontic appliance of Example 5. Figure 14 This is a cross-sectional view of the first position of the orthodontic appliance in Example 5. Figure 15 This is a cross-sectional view of the second position of the orthodontic appliance in Example 5. Figure 16 This is a cross-sectional view of the third position of the orthodontic appliance in Example 5. Figure 17 This is an exploded structural diagram of the orthodontic appliance of Embodiment 5. This embodiment provides an orthodontic appliance including a main body 10 with an archwire groove 11 formed thereon. The main body 10 is provided with a movable attachment 70, which includes a traction part 71 and a spacer part 72. The traction part 71 is movable between a use position and a non-use position. When the traction part 71 is in the use position, it can provide traction; when it is in the non-use position, it cannot provide traction. When the traction part 71 moves from the non-use position to the use position, the spacer part 72 enters the archwire groove 11. In this embodiment, the traction part 71 and the spacer part 72 are integrally formed. When the traction part 71 moves from the use position to the non-use position, the spacer part 72 moves out of the archwire groove 11.

[0060] The main body 10 and the accessory 70 are provided with multiple positions 14 at the connection point. The accessory 70 can switch between the positions 14. When the accessory 70 is in the first position, the traction part 71 is not tractionable, and the occupant part 72 is located outside the bow wire groove 11. When the accessory 70 is in the second position, the traction part 71 is tractionable, and part of the occupant part 72 enters the bow wire groove 11. When the accessory 70 is in the third position, the traction part 71 is tractionable, and a larger part of the occupant part 72 enters the bow wire groove.

[0061] Example 6:

[0062] Reference Figure 18-19 , Figure 18 This is a cross-sectional view of the first position of the orthodontic appliance in Example 6. Figure 19 This is a cross-sectional view of the second position of the orthodontic appliance in Embodiment 6. This embodiment provides an orthodontic appliance including a main body 10 with an archwire groove 11 formed thereon. The main body 10 is provided with a movable attachment 70, which includes a traction part 71 and a spacer part 72. The traction part 71 can move between a working position and a non-working position. When the attachment 70 is in the first position, the traction part 71 is in the non-working position and cannot provide traction. The spacer part 72 occupies a portion of the volume of the archwire groove 11. When the attachment 70 is switched to the second position, the traction part 71 is in the working position and can provide traction, allowing the suspension of traction tools such as rubber bands. The spacer part 72 moves out of the archwire groove 11 and no longer occupies its volume. When the traction part 71 moves from the non-working position to the working position, the spacer part 72 moves out of the archwire groove 11. The traction part 71 and the spacer part 72 are integrally formed. When the traction part 71 moves from the non-use position to the use position, the occupant part 72 enters the bow wire groove 11.

[0063] This invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. If any modifications or variations to this invention do not depart from the spirit and scope of this invention, and if such modifications and variations fall within the scope of the claims and equivalent technologies of this invention, then this invention also intends to include such modifications and variations.

Claims

1. An orthodontic appliance comprising a body having a formed archwire slot thereon, characterized by, The main body is provided with a movable accessory, the accessory comprises a traction part and an occupying part connected with each other, the accessory is rotatably movable between a use position and a non-use position, the traction part is movable between the use position and the non-use position, the traction part is available for traction in the use position, the traction part is unavailable for traction in the non-use position, and the traction part drives the occupying part into the archwire slot when the traction part moves from the non-use position to the use position.

2. The orthodontic appliance of claim 1, wherein, The traction part drives the occupying part out of the archwire slot when the traction part moves from the use position to the non-use position.

3. The orthodontic appliance of claim 1, wherein, The occupying part is an elastic part, and the occupying part can abut against archwires of different sizes.

4. The orthodontic appliance of claim 1, wherein, The main body is provided with a plurality of gears at the connection between the main body and the accessory, the accessory can be switched between the gears, the occupying part is located outside the archwire slot when the accessory is located at a first gear, the occupying part partially enters the archwire slot when the accessory is located at a second gear, and the occupying part enters the archwire slot more than the second gear when the accessory is located at a third gear.

5. An orthodontic appliance comprising a body having a formed archwire slot thereon, characterized by, The main body is provided with a movable traction part and an occupying part, the traction part is movable between a use position and a non-use position, the traction part is rotatably connected with the main body through a shaft, the traction part is available for traction in the use position, the traction part is unavailable for traction in the non-use position, and the traction part drives the occupying part into the archwire slot during movement of the traction part from the non-use position to the use position.

6. The orthodontic appliance of claim 5, wherein, The traction part drives the occupying part out of the archwire slot during movement of the traction part from the use position to the non-use position.

7. The orthodontic appliance of claim 5, wherein, The orthodontic appliance further comprises a transmission part, the traction part is in contact with the transmission part, and the traction part drives the occupying part to move through the transmission part.

8. The orthodontic appliance of claim 7, wherein, The transmission part is an elastic part, and the occupying part can abut against archwires of different sizes.

9. The orthodontic appliance of claim 7, wherein, The traction part and the transmission part are in gear transmission.

10. The orthodontic appliance of claim 9, wherein, The traction part is provided with a limiting part, and the limiting part limits the transmission part from continuing to move when the traction part moves to the non-use position.

11. The orthodontic appliance of claim 7, wherein, The traction part is provided with a protrusion, and the protrusion extrudes the transmission part and then pushes the occupying part to move during movement of the traction part from the non-use position to the use position.

12. The orthodontic appliance of claim 5, wherein, The orthodontic appliance further comprises a resetting part connected with the occupying part, and the occupying part is located outside the archwire slot in an initial state of the resetting part.

13. The orthodontic appliance of claim 12, wherein, The bottom of the archwire slot is provided with a groove, and the resetting part is arranged in the groove.

Images