Arch expander suitable for arch expansion of front teeth of laboratory mouse
By designing an arch expander suitable for the anterior teeth of laboratory mice, and utilizing a bent wire structure and a cushioning pad to protect the oral cavity, the problem of anterior tooth expansion in laboratory mice was solved, achieving arch width expansion and soft tissue protection, and promoting alveolar bone remodeling.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- SHANGHAI NINTH PEOPLES HOSPITAL SHANGHAI JIAO TONG UNIV SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
- Filing Date
- 2025-03-24
- Publication Date
- 2026-04-17
AI Technical Summary
The lack of an expander suitable for expanding the anterior dental arch of laboratory mice makes it difficult to expand the width of the dental arch in small animals, and it is necessary to protect sensitive soft tissue structures.
An expander was designed, comprising an expander base made of bent metal wire, including first and second anterior tooth retaining rings, a spiral ring, a lever arm and a steering bending arm, which is fixed to the anterior teeth with a curing adhesive and protected by a cushioning pad and a silicone pad to prevent wear.
It achieved arch expansion of the anterior teeth of experimental mice. The structure is simple, easy to fix, protects sensitive soft tissues, promotes adaptive remodeling of alveolar bone, opens bone sutures and allows for new bone deposition.
Smart Images
Figure CN224126084U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This utility model relates to the field of animal experimental equipment technology, specifically to a bow expander. Background Technology
[0002] An arch expander is an orthodontic instrument primarily used to widen the dental arch and address various issues of crowding and width discrepancies. It improves tooth alignment by applying appropriate force to expand the alveolar bone. For related basic research, it is necessary to establish small animal models, particularly rats, for arch expansion; however, currently, there is a lack of relevant model-building techniques.
[0003] The skeletal structure of the rat's anterior dental region mainly consists of the maxillary body and alveolar bone. The alveolar bone is the direct support for the tooth roots, forming a tight connection between the periodontal ligament and cementum. This structure not only provides strong support for the anterior teeth but also provides an ideal point of leverage for the positioning and action of the expander. The tooth distribution in the rat's anterior dental region exhibits typical rodent characteristics. Typically, the rat's anterior dental region contains a pair of incisors and several premolars. The rat's incisors are conical, sharp, and continuously growing, a typical characteristic of rodents. The main function of the incisors is cutting food, playing a crucial role in daily life. It is noteworthy that the rat's anterior dental region differs from that of humans and other mammals. The rat's anterior teeth (especially the incisors) have the characteristic of lifelong growth, meaning they require continuous wear to maintain an appropriate length. This unique physiological mechanism places special demands on the design of the expander, requiring consideration of the dynamic growth characteristics of the teeth. The gingival tissue in the rat's anterior dental region has a rich blood and nerve supply, providing excellent nutrition and sensory function. The gingival margin is usually pink and smooth, reflecting a healthy tissue condition. When performing the arch expansion procedure, special care must be taken to protect these sensitive soft tissue structures to avoid unnecessary damage.
[0004] Currently, there is a lack of an expander suitable for expanding the anterior teeth of laboratory mice. Utility Model Content
[0005] In view of the problems existing in the prior art, this utility model provides an expander for expanding the anterior teeth of laboratory mice, so as to solve at least one of the above technical problems.
[0006] To achieve the above objectives, this utility model provides an expander suitable for expanding the anterior teeth of laboratory mice, comprising an expander base, characterized in that the expander base is formed by bending metal wire, and the expander base comprises a first anterior tooth fixing ring, a first lever arm, a spiral ring, a turning bending arm, a second lever arm, and a second anterior tooth fixing ring connected in sequence.
[0007] Both the first and second anterior tooth retaining rings are open rings;
[0008] The central axes of the spiral ring, the first anterior tooth retaining ring, and the second anterior tooth retaining ring are parallel to each other.
[0009] The first lever arm and the second lever arm are both located radially outward at one end of the spiral ring along the axial direction. The first lever arm and the second lever arm are arranged left and right, and the angle between the first lever arm and the second lever arm is 40°-50°.
[0010] The first and second anterior tooth retaining rings are used to fit around the anterior teeth of the experimental mice and are fixed by a curing adhesive.
[0011] This invention enables the expansion of the anterior teeth of laboratory mice. It has a simple structure and is easy to fix.
[0012] More preferably, one axial end of the spiral ring is used to connect to the first lever arm, and the other axial end of the spiral ring is used to connect to the steering bend arm;
[0013] The spiral ring is detachably connected to a buffer pad on one side of the first lever arm.
[0014] The expansion device is used to cushion the contact area between the expansion device and the oral cavity of the experimental mouse.
[0015] More preferably, the cushioning pad is a silicone pad;
[0016] The silicone pad is connected to the spiral ring, which is connected to the first lever arm, via a stitch.
[0017] More preferably, there are four connection points between the silicone pad and the spiral ring, and the four connection points are arranged around the circumference of the spiral ring.
[0018] More preferably, a silicone buffer layer is fixed to the outer side of the first anterior tooth retainer and the second anterior tooth retainer.
[0019] The silicone buffer layer prevents wear and tear at the contact points with the front teeth.
[0020] Alternatively, the outer sides of the first and second anterior tooth retaining rings are provided with a frosted layer.
[0021] This facilitates improved bonding strength with the cured adhesive.
[0022] More preferably, the outer sides of the first anterior tooth retainer and the second anterior tooth retainer are covered with the cured adhesive arranged in a ring shape.
[0023] More preferably, the curing adhesive is a light-curing adhesive.
[0024] More preferably, the metal wire is 0.014-inch Australian wire.
[0025] More preferably, the outer diameter of the spiral ring is 2-3 mm, the length of the first lever arm and the second lever arm is 4-6 mm, the angle between the first lever arm and the second lever arm is 45°, and the number of spiral rings is 3-5.
[0026] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of this utility model are:
[0027] This invention achieves arch expansion of the anterior teeth of experimental mice. It features a simple structure and is easy to fix. Experiments show that this device can effectively expand the anterior teeth of experimental mice. As tooth movement progresses, significant histological changes occur in the mesial alveolar bone of the incisors. The "Z"-shaped sutures open, with the degree of opening increasing significantly from day 1 to day 7. The collagen fibers on both sides of the sutures also gradually increase with tooth movement, indicating new bone deposition. Loose periodontal fibers are visible near the teeth; with continued thrust, the fiber width gradually increases, indicating adaptive remodeling of the corresponding alveolar bone after thrust. Attached Figure Description
[0028] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a specific embodiment 1 of the present utility model;
[0029] Figure 2 This is a side view of a specific embodiment 1 of the present utility model;
[0030] Figure 3 This is a structural schematic diagram from another perspective of a specific embodiment 1 of this utility model;
[0031] Figure 4 This is a side view of a specific embodiment 2 of the present utility model;
[0032] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a specific embodiment 2 of the present utility model.
[0033] In the diagram: 1 is the first anterior tooth retaining ring, 2 is the first lever arm, 3 is the spiral ring, 4 is the steering bending arm, 5 is the second lever arm, 6 is the second anterior tooth retaining ring, 7 is the silicone pad, and 8 is the suture. Detailed Implementation
[0034] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0035] See Figures 1 to 3Specific Embodiment 1: An expander for expanding the anterior teeth of laboratory mice, comprising an expander base, characterized in that the expander base is formed by bending metal wire, and the expander base includes, sequentially connected: a first anterior tooth fixing ring 1 and a second anterior tooth fixing ring 6, both of which are open rings; the central axes of the spiral coil 3, the first anterior tooth fixing ring 1, and the second anterior tooth fixing ring 6 are parallel to each other; a first lever arm 2 and a second lever arm 5 are located radially outside one end of the spiral coil 3 in the axial direction, the first lever arm 2 and the second lever arm 5 are arranged left and right, and the included angle between the first lever arm 2 and the second lever arm 5 is 40°-50°; the first anterior tooth fixing ring 1 and the second anterior tooth fixing ring 6 are used to fit over the anterior teeth of laboratory mice and are fixed by curing adhesive.
[0036] This invention enables the expansion of the anterior teeth of laboratory mice. It has a simple structure and is easy to fix.
[0037] The outer sides of the first anterior tooth retaining ring 1 and the second anterior tooth retaining ring 6 are covered with a ring-shaped cured adhesive. The cured adhesive is a light-cured adhesive.
[0038] The metal wire is 0.014-inch Australian wire.
[0039] The outer diameter of the spiral coil 3 is 2-3 mm, the length of the first lever arm 2 and the second lever arm 5 is 4-6 mm, and the angle between the first lever arm 2 and the second lever arm 5 is 45°; the spiral coil 3 has 3-5 turns. Preferably, the outer diameter of the spiral coil 3 is 2.5 mm, the length of the first lever arm 2 and the second lever arm 5 is 5 mm, the angle between the first lever arm 2 and the second lever arm 5 is 45°, and the spiral coil 3 has 4 turns. The force gauge shows that it can generate a thrust of about 100g. When the first anterior tooth retaining ring and the second anterior tooth retaining ring are tightly closed, they are in a closed spring state. When placed on the two incisors, they can generate a mesial tensile force of about 100g.
[0040] The included angle in the circumferential direction between the ends of the first lever arm and the second lever arm adjacent to the spiral ring is less than 180°.
[0041] In use, the first and second anterior tooth retaining rings are fixed to the two anterior teeth of a laboratory rat using curing adhesive. The spiral coil is located on the lateral side of the anterior teeth, away from the tongue. The first and second lever arms are located adjacent to the labial side. The bending direction of the steering arm 4 is outward and axially extends towards the first lever arm. The extension direction of the steering arm from the spiral coil to the second lever arm is from away from the labial side to the adjacent labial side. The first and second lever arms are located on the side of the spiral coil adjacent to the gingiva, facilitating the elastic effect.
[0042] See Figure 4 as well as Figure 5In specific embodiment 2, based on specific embodiment 1, one axial end of the spiral ring is used to connect to the first lever arm 2, and the other axial end of the spiral ring is used to connect to the steering bending arm; a buffer pad is detachably connected to the side of the spiral ring connected to the first lever arm 2. The buffer pad provides cushioning for the expansion device in contact with the oral cavity area of the experimental mouse. The buffer pad is a silicone pad 7; the silicone pad 7 is connected to the spiral ring connected to the first lever arm 2 by a suture 8. There are four connection points between the silicone pad and the spiral ring, and the four connection points are arranged around the circumference of the spiral ring.
[0043] In specific embodiment 3, based on specific embodiment 1, a silicone buffer layer is fixed to the outer side of both the first and second anterior tooth retaining rings. This silicone buffer layer prevents wear at the contact points with the anterior teeth.
[0044] In specific embodiment 4, based on specific embodiment 1, a frosted layer is provided on the outer side of both the first and second anterior tooth retaining rings. This facilitates improved bonding strength with the curing adhesive.
[0045] The above are merely preferred embodiments of this utility model. It should be noted that, for those skilled in the art, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the principle of this utility model, and these improvements and modifications should also be considered within the scope of protection of this utility model.
Claims
1. An expander for use in expanding the front teeth of a laboratory mouse, comprising an expander base, characterized in that, The expander base is made of bent metal wire and includes a first anterior tooth retaining ring, a first lever arm, a spiral ring, a turning bending arm, a second lever arm, and a second anterior tooth retaining ring connected in sequence. Both the first and second anterior tooth retaining rings are open rings; The central axes of the spiral ring, the first anterior tooth retaining ring, and the second anterior tooth retaining ring are parallel to each other. The first lever arm and the second lever arm are both located radially outward at one end of the spiral ring along the axial direction. The first lever arm and the second lever arm are arranged left and right, and the angle between the first lever arm and the second lever arm is 40°-50°. The first and second anterior tooth retaining rings are used to fit around the anterior teeth of the experimental mice and are fixed by a curing adhesive.
2. The expander according to claim 1, wherein: One axial end of the spiral ring is used to connect to the first lever arm, and the other axial end of the spiral ring is used to connect to the steering bending arm; The spiral ring is detachably connected to a buffer pad on one side of the first lever arm.
3. The expander according to claim 2, wherein: The cushioning pad is a silicone pad; The silicone pad is connected to the spiral ring, which is the first lever arm, via a stitch.
4. The expander according to claim 3, wherein: There are four connection points between the silicone pad and the spiral ring, and the four connection points are arranged around the circumference of the spiral ring.
5. The expander according to claim 1, wherein: A silicone buffer layer is fixed to the outer side of the first anterior tooth retainer and the second anterior tooth retainer.
6. The expander according to claim 1, wherein: The outer sides of the first and second anterior tooth retaining rings are provided with a frosted layer.
7. The expander according to claim 1, wherein: The outer sides of the first and second anterior tooth retaining rings are covered with the cured adhesive arranged in a ring shape.
8. The expander according to claim 1, wherein: The curing adhesive is a light-curing adhesive.
9. The expander according to claim 1, wherein: The metal wire is 0.014-inch Australian wire.
10. The expander according to claim 1, wherein: The outer diameter of the spiral coil is 2-3 mm, the length of the first lever arm and the second lever arm is 4-6 mm, the angle between the first lever arm and the second lever arm is 45°, and the number of spiral coils is 3-5.