Orthodontic brackets
The self-ligating bracket with two slots and a rotatable cover simplifies orthodontic treatment by eliminating ligation, enabling precise and efficient tooth alignment with reduced discomfort and treatment time.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- 宫本 豊
- Filing Date
- 2024-02-28
- Publication Date
- 2026-05-13
AI Technical Summary
Conventional orthodontic brackets require complex and time-consuming ligation procedures, hinder smooth wire movement within the slot, and lack the ability to apply orthodontic force effectively from multiple directions, leading to prolonged treatment periods and structural complexity.
A self-ligating bracket with a simple structure featuring two slots and a rotatable cover, allowing easy wire insertion and manipulation without ligation, enabling precise three-dimensional control of teeth using two wires.
Facilitates quick and easy orthodontic treatment with reduced patient discomfort and structural bulk, allowing accurate and efficient tooth alignment using wires with various cross-sections without requiring special techniques.
Smart Images
Figure 0007857686000001 
Figure 0007857686000002 
Figure 0007857686000003
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention relates to a bracket for dental orthodontics, particularly a self-ligating bracket. Regarding It is as follows.
Background Art
[0002] For orthodontic treatment to correct teeth and occlusion, a bracket fixed to the tooth surface and a wire inserted through a slot recessed in the bracket to apply an orthodontic force to the tooth are used. And after inserting the wire into the bracket, a treatment method of ligating the wire and the bracket with a rubber band or wire has been conventionally performed.
[0003] However, in the above conventional treatment method, since the ligation work must be performed for each bracket fixedly arranged on each tooth, the work of attaching the wire becomes complicated and time-consuming, and the burden on the operator and the patient becomes large. Also, in orthodontic treatment, in order to move the tooth to the target orthodontic position, it is an essential condition that the wire correcting the tooth slides within the slot of the bracket.
[0004] However, when the wire is ligated to the bracket with a rubber band or wire as described above, the wire is pressed against the bracket side by the rubber band or wire, and it becomes difficult to smoothly slide the wire within the slot, resulting in a problem that the treatment period becomes long.
[0005] As shown in Patent Document 1, a self-ligating bracket is known that allows the wire to be fixed to the bracket without the need for ligation. Specifically, the self-ligating bracket shown in Patent Document 1 is provided with a shutter that can cover the opening of a recessed slot in the bracket, and the opening of the slot can be opened or closed as needed by sliding the shutter. After opening the opening of the bracket and placing the wire in the slot, the shutter is closed to fix the wire to the bracket and perform orthodontic treatment.
[0006] By using a self-ligating bracket in this way, there is no need to tie the wire with rubber bands or wire, which prevents the wire from being pressed against the bracket and allows for smooth sliding movement of the wire within the slot. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]
[0007] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6950903 [Overview of the Initiative] [Means for solving the problem]
[0008] However, as shown in Patent Document 1, conventional self-ligating brackets have only one slot, which presents the difficulty of having to apply orthodontic force in the desired direction to the front teeth being straightened using only this single wire.
[0009] In this method of orthodontic treatment using a single wire, a wire with a square cross-section is used, and the gap between the slot and the wire is narrowed. The wire is then twisted and inserted into the slot, and the torsional force of the wire is used to apply orthodontic force in the desired direction to the tooth to which the bracket is attached via the bracket. Therefore, conventional self-ligating brackets require special techniques for wire placement, and it is necessary to create a situation where there is no gap between the slot and the wire. Furthermore, the wire used must have a square cross-section because it is necessary to transmit the torsional force of the wire to the tooth to which the bracket is attached via the slot and bracket. Wires with a circular cross-section, which are difficult to transmit torsional force, cannot be used.
[0010] In contrast, a method is known in which orthodontic force is applied to the teeth by using two wires, by providing two slots in the bracket. When two wires are attached to the bracket in this way, orthodontic force can be applied to the teeth from two different directions by these two wires. Therefore, unlike when using only one wire, it does not require the twisting force of the wire, does not require special skills to manipulate the wire, and makes it possible to straighten the teeth to be corrected accurately and in a short period of time.
[0011] However, conventional self-ligating brackets have a shutter at the opening, resulting in a large number of parts and requiring space to open and close the shutter. Therefore, the structure of the bracket itself becomes complex and bulky overall, and the lack of extra space makes it structurally difficult to provide two slots.
[0012] Therefore, this application aims to solve the above-mentioned problems, slot two A self-ligating bracket that can be installed in multiple locations and has a simple structure for easy application. To This is what they intend to do.
[0013] To solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides an orthodontic bracket comprising a base that can be fixed to the back surface of a tooth, a bracket body fixed to the base and having a slot through which a wire can be inserted, and a cover that can cover the surface of the bracket body, wherein the surface of the bracket body has a first slot and a second slot recessed with a gap between them, a hinge portion is provided at one end of the bracket body and the cover is rotatably connected via the hinge portion, and an engaging means is provided at the other end of the bracket body to allow the cover to be detachably engaged, and one of the first slot or the second slot The hinge portion is provided in a position adjacent to the opening of either the first or second slot. In addition, the other of the first or second slot is provided between one of the first or second slots and the other end of the bracket body, with the engaging means located on the surface of the bracket body, and the openings of the first and second slots can be closed by the cover.
[0014] Furthermore, the surface of the cover may be smooth, or part or all of the surface of the cover may be formed as a curved surface. By making the cover a smooth curved surface as described above, when the bracket is fixedly placed on the tooth to be treated, the surface of the bracket becomes smooth in the oral cavity. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the discomfort caused by the presence of the bracket to the patient during treatment and to reduce the risk of injury to the oral cavity by the bracket, thereby reducing the burden on the patient.
[0015] Furthermore, the bracket body may be provided with an engaging projection as the engaging means, and the lid may be provided with an engaging recess that can engage with the engaging projection at a corresponding position to the engaging projection. By providing the engaging projection and engaging recess in this way, the lid can be fixedly positioned on the bracket body in a detachable manner. Therefore, the lid can be easily opened or closed as needed during treatment, making the work easy and quick.
[0016] Furthermore, the first and second slots may be formed such that the angle at which their respective central axes intersect in the depth direction is 90°. By setting the intersection angle of the central axes in the depth direction to 90° in this way, it becomes possible to apply pressure to the teeth to be orthodontized with the desired strength and angle with precision using wires placed in the first and second slots, respectively. Therefore, it becomes possible to perform three-dimensional and precise control of teeth to be orthodontized more simply, without stress, and efficiently.
[0017] The inner surface shape of the cover may correspond to the surface shape of the bracket body. By configuring the inner surface of the cover as described above, the inner surface of the cover can be placed in contact with the surface of the bracket body, and the gap between the inner surface of the cover and the surface of the bracket body can be minimized. As a result, the wire can be held stably within the slot.
[0018] The bracket body may also be provided on one end of the base.
[0019] Furthermore, the base may extend from the bracket body and be formed to cover the cervical side of the bracket body when attached to the mandibular anterior teeth. With the above configuration, the base can cover the back side of the anterior tooth being treated, from the bracket body to the gum side, and the presence of the base makes it possible to effectively prevent the accumulation of tartar around the bracket. [Effects of the Invention]
[0020] Since the present invention has a simple structure in which a lid body is rotatably provided on a bracket body via a hinge portion as described above, it is possible to insert and arrange a wire in a slot or perform an operation on the wire only by rotating and opening the lid body, and the wire mounting work can be completed by rotating and closing the lid body. Therefore, the treatment can be easily performed in a short time without requiring any special work. In addition, since the lid body can cover the surface of the bracket body via the hinge portion, the surface of the bracket body can be made smooth with few irregularities in the oral cavity during orthodontics. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the discomfort caused by the presence of the bracket in the oral cavity to the patient during treatment, and it is possible to make it difficult to damage the oral cavity by the bracket, thereby reducing the burden on the patient.
[0021] In addition, since the present invention has a simple structure as described above, there is no need to provide special parts for the lid body on the bracket body, and sufficient space can be secured to provide two slots in a direction in which the axial centers of the two slots intersect. Therefore, it is possible to insert and arrange two wires in the bracket body, so there is no need to worry about the width of the gap between the slot and the wire as in the case of performing orthodontics with a single wire, and it is possible to use not only a wire having a square cross-section but also a wire having a circular cross-section.
[0022] In addition, since no special technique such as twisting a wire is required, the treatment can be easily performed. Furthermore, it is possible to accurately correct the teeth at a target angle more accurately than in the case of orthodontics with a single wire, and the treatment period can be further shortened.
Brief Description of the Drawings
[0023] [Figure 1] Side view of Example 1 showing the present invention. [Figure 2] Plan view of the bracket body of Example 1. [Figure 3] Plan view showing a state in which the lid body covers the bracket body in Example 1. [Figure 4] Side view showing the state where the lid is open in Example 1. [Figure 5] Front view showing the state where the bracket of Example 1 is fixed to the back surface of the front tooth. [Figure 6] Side view showing the state where the bracket of Example 1 is fixed to the back surface of the front tooth. [Figure 7] Side view showing Example 2 of the present invention. [Figure 8] Side view showing the state where the bracket of Example 2 is fixed to the back surface of the front tooth.
Example 1
[0024] This Departure Regarding Example 1 according to the present invention, as described in FIGS. 1 to 6, (1) is the bracket body, and its bottom surface (2) is fixedly arranged on the flat base (3). Incidentally, the bracket body (1) is fixedly arranged on the base (3) such that the hinge portion (4) described below is located on one end (5) side of the base (3). As shown in FIG. 1, the side surface (6) of the bracket body (1) has a substantially fan-shaped shape, and its surface (19) is formed into a smooth curved surface.
[0025] Since the bracket body (1) has a simple shape and configuration as described above, sufficient space can be ensured to provide two slots (27) in the direction in which the axes of the two slots (27) intersect as shown by the dashed line in FIG. 1. Therefore, on the surface (19) of the bracket body (1), a first slot (7) and a second slot (8) having a U-shaped cross section as shown in FIG. 1 are recessed with an interval from one side to the other side of the bracket body (1) as shown in FIG. 2.
[0026] As described above, by providing two slots (27), one wire (10) can be inserted into each slot (27), allowing orthodontic force to be applied to the teeth (11) by a total of two wires (10). This allows orthodontic force to be applied to the teeth (11) to be corrected from two different directions using the two wires (10). Therefore, compared to using only one wire (10) as in conventional technology, it is possible to correct teeth with high precision and in a short period of time without requiring special techniques such as twisting the wires (10).
[0027] Furthermore, the first slot (7) and the second slot (8) are formed such that their depth-direction intersection angle is 90°, as shown by the dashed line in Figure 1. By setting the depth-direction intersection angle to 90° in this way, the wires (10) placed in the first slot (7) and the second slot (8) respectively can apply pressure to the tooth (11) to be orthodontized with the desired strength and angle with precision. Therefore, three-dimensional and precise control of the tooth (11) to be orthodontized becomes simpler and less stressful. In addition, one end (28) of the bracket body (1) is provided with a cylindrical hinge portion (4), and the other end (21) is provided with protrusions (12) on both sides of the other end (21), as shown in Figure 1, with engaging protrusions (13) protruding from the bottom surface of the protrusions (12), and these engaging protrusions (13) and protrusions (12) serve as the engaging means in this embodiment.
[0028] Next, the cover (14) of this embodiment will be described. The cover (14) is made of a thin plate as shown in Figure 1, and its surface (25) is made smooth. As shown in Figure 1, the inner shape of the cover (14) corresponds to the surface shape (19) of the bracket body (1), and as shown in Figures 1 and 3, it is made capable of covering the entire surface (19) of the bracket body (1). Therefore, the openings (23) and (24) of the first slot (7) and second slot (8) recessed in the bracket body (1) can be reliably closed with minimal gap (26) between the openings (23) and (24) and the cover (14).
[0029] Furthermore, one side (15) of the lid (14) is provided with a pair of hinge projections (9) at both ends of that side (15), as shown in Figure 3. The hinge projections (9) are formed to be insertable into the cylindrical hole (16) of the hinge portion (4) provided on the bracket body (1), in a direction parallel to the side (15). By inserting the hinge projections (9) of the lid (14) into the cylindrical hole (16) of the hinge portion (4), the lid (14) can be made rotatable relative to the bracket body (1) around the hinge portion (4), as shown in Figure 4.
[0030] In this embodiment, the lid (14) is rotatably connected to the bracket body (1) by engaging the hinge projection (9) with the hinge portion (4) as described above. However, in other embodiments, this is not limited to this configuration. The bracket body (1) may be provided with a hinge (not shown) as the hinge portion (4), and the bracket body (1) and the lid (14) may be connected via this hinge, thereby rotatably assembling the lid (14) to the bracket body (1).
[0031] Furthermore, on the other side (17) of the cover (14), as shown in Figure 1, an engaging recess (18) is provided at a position corresponding to the engaging projection (13) of the bracket body (1), which can engage with the engaging projection (13) of the bracket body (1) when the cover (14) is placed over the bracket body (1).
[0032] Then, the bracket (20) formed as described above is fixed to the back surface of the anterior tooth (11) to be orthodontized, as shown in Figures 5 and 6. That is, the bracket body (1) is fixed in place so that the hinge portion (4) side is on the patient's gum side (not shown) and the other side of the base (3) is on the incisal edge (22) side of the anterior tooth (11). Then, as shown in Figure 4, the cover (14) is rotated to open the openings (23) and (24) of the first slot (7) and the second slot (8), and a wire (10) with a square cross-section is inserted into the first slot (7) and the second slot (8), respectively. After the wire (10) has been inserted, the cover (14) is closed to complete the insertion of the wire (10).
[0033] As described above, the wire (10) can be inserted into the slot (27) and manipulated simply by rotating the cover (14) to open it, and the wire (10) can be attached by rotating the cover (14) to close it. Therefore, there is no need to apply torsional force to the wire as with conventional brackets, and the procedure can be performed easily and in a short amount of time.
[0034] Furthermore, the cover (14) covers the surface (19) of the bracket body (1) via the hinge portion (4), and the surface (25) of the cover (14) is made smooth. As a result, the surface of the bracket (20) in the oral cavity is smooth, which reduces the discomfort caused by the presence of the bracket (20) during treatment and reduces the burden on the patient. [Example 2]
[0035] In the above embodiment 1, the hinge portion (4) of the bracket body (1) is fixedly positioned on the base (3) such that it is located on one end (5) of the base (3). However, in this embodiment, the bracket body (31) is configured to extend further from the hinge portion (32). The bracket (33) of this embodiment will be explained in Figures 7 and 8. As shown in Figure 7, the bracket body (31) is positioned in the center of the length direction of the base (34). Therefore, the base (34) is configured to extend further from the hinge portion (32) of the bracket body (31).
[0036] As described above, by extending the base (34), when the bracket (33) of this embodiment is attached to the back surface of the anterior tooth (35), the base (34) covers the gum side of the anterior tooth (35) from the bracket body (31), as shown in Figure 8. In particular, the back surface of the mandibular anterior tooth (35) is prone to tartar formation because the calcium component of saliva secreted from the salivary glands under the tongue mixes with plaque.
[0037] In particular, when orthodontic treatment is performed by attaching brackets (33) to the back side of teeth (35), tartar tends to accumulate around the brackets (33) fixed to the back side of the lower anterior teeth (35), which can significantly worsen the operability of the brackets (33). Therefore, in this embodiment, as described above, the bracket body (31) can be covered from the gum side by the base (34), and the presence of the base (34) makes it possible to effectively prevent tartar from accumulating around the brackets (33). The other configurations of this embodiment are the same as in Embodiment 1 described above.
[0038] In both Embodiment 1 and this embodiment, the bracket body (31) is provided with two slots (40), and a wire (37) can be inserted into each slot (40). Therefore, there is no need to worry about the width of the gap (38) between the slot (40) and the wire (37), as is the case when orthodontic treatment is performed with a single wire (37). Furthermore, not only wires with a square cross-section but also wires with a circular cross-section (37), as shown in Figure 7, can be used. 。 [Explanation of Symbols]
[0039] 1,3 1 Bracket body 3,3 4 base 4,3 2 Hinge 5. One end (base) 7 First Slot 8 Second slot 10,3 7 wire 1 3 Engagement protrusion 1 4 Lid 1 8 Engaging recess 19,3 6 Surface (bracket body) 20,3 3 bracket 2 1 Other end (bracket body) 2 5 Surface (lid) 27,4 0 slot 2 8 One end (bracket body)
Claims
1. An orthodontic bracket comprising a base that can be fixed to the back surface of a tooth, a bracket body fixed to the base and having a slot through which a wire can be inserted, and a cover that can cover the surface of the bracket body, wherein the surface of the bracket body has a first slot and a second slot recessed with a gap between them, a hinge portion is provided at one end of the bracket body, the cover is rotatably connected via the hinge portion, and an engaging means is provided at the other end of the bracket body for detachably engaging with the cover, one of the first slot or the second slot is provided in a position adjacent to the hinge portion and the opening of one of the first slot or the second slot is provided, the other of the first slot or the second slot is provided in a position between one of the first slot or the second slot and the other end of the bracket body, with the engaging means connected via the surface of the bracket body, and the openings of the first slot and the second slot can be closed with the cover.
2. The orthodontic bracket according to claim 1, characterized in that the surface of the cover is smooth, and part or all of the surface of the cover is formed as a curved surface.
3. The orthodontic bracket according to claim 1, characterized in that the bracket body is provided with an engaging projection as the engaging means, and the cover is provided with an engaging recess that can engage with the engaging projection at a corresponding position to the engaging projection.
4. The orthodontic bracket according to claim 1, characterized in that the first slot and the second slot are formed such that the angle at which their respective central axes in the depth direction intersect is 90°.
5. The orthodontic bracket according to claim 1, characterized in that the inner surface shape of the cover corresponds to the surface shape of the bracket body.
6. The orthodontic bracket according to claim 1, characterized in that the bracket body is provided on one end side of the base.
7. The orthodontic bracket according to claim 1, characterized in that the base extends from the bracket body and is formed to cover the cervical side of the bracket body when attached to the mandibular anterior teeth.