Dental instrument

Abstract

The present application provides a dental instrument, comprising a shell-shaped appliance and a guide plate. The guide plate comprises: at least one guide plate body, comprising a connecting end, a working surface, and non-working surfaces; and a connecting rib, connected to non-working surfaces of at least two guide plate bodies, or connected to at least one non-working surface of the guide plate body and the shell-shaped appliance. The present application improves the overall strength of the guide plate, and reduces the risk of deformation or collapse of the guide plate during orthodontic correction.

Description

Dental instruments

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese patent application No. 202422930459.3, filed on November 28, 2024, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of orthodontic technology, and more particularly to a dental instrument. Background Technology

[0003] In recent years, shell-shaped dental appliances based on polymer materials have become increasingly popular in the field of invisible orthodontic treatment due to their advantages such as aesthetics, convenience, and ease of cleaning. For common clinical cases such as deep overbite, reverse overbite, locked jaw, and asymmetric jaw, guide plates are often used in orthodontic treatment to open the bite and achieve tooth correction. At the same time, some other auxiliary functions are also used, such as tooth intrusion, torque control, and mandibular retraction.

[0004] In existing technologies, the guide plate is usually molded as an integral piece with the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance to form an integrated dental instrument. Due to the fact that the material of the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance itself should not be too hard or too thick, the overall strength of the guide plate is also relatively poor. In particular, for large-volume hollow guide plates, during use, due to the large jaw force, deformation, collapse or even damage may occur. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this application is to provide a dental instrument.

[0006] To achieve the above-mentioned objectives, this application adopts the following technical solution: a dental instrument, comprising a shell-shaped orthodontic appliance and a guide plate disposed on the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance; the guide plate includes:

[0007] At least one guide plate body, the guide plate body includes a connecting end, an active surface and a non-active surface, the connecting end is connected to the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance, the active surface is used to act on the opposing dentition or the opposing shell-shaped orthodontic appliance when the guide plate body contacts the opposing dentition, and both the active surface and the non-active surface are connected to the connecting end;

[0008] A connecting rib connects at least two non-functional surfaces of the guide plate body, or the connecting rib connects at least one non-functional surface of the guide plate body to the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance.

[0009] As a further improvement of this application, the width of the cross-section of the connecting rib gradually decreases along the direction away from the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance, or the width of the cross-section of the connecting rib is uniform.

[0010] As a further improvement to this application, the connecting rib satisfies at least one of the following:

[0011] The distance between the top of the connecting rib and the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance is not less than 1 mm;

[0012] The distance from the top of the connecting rib to the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance is not greater than the protrusion height of the guide plate body connected to the connecting rib.

[0013] As a further improvement of this application, the connecting rib has a connecting segment connected to the guide plate body; along the direction away from the guide plate body corresponding to the connecting segment, the connecting segment satisfies at least one of the following:

[0014] The cross-section of the connecting segment gradually decreases;

[0015] The distance from the top of the connecting segment to the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance gradually decreases.

[0016] As a further improvement of the technical solution of this application, the guide plate body includes a side wall surface located in the direction of the dental arch, and the connecting rib is connected to the side wall surface; and the connecting rib extends along the direction of the dental arch.

[0017] As a further improvement to the technical solution of this application, along the dental arch direction, the extension direction of the connecting rib is perpendicular to the side wall surface.

[0018] As a further improvement of the technical solution of this application, the connecting rib has a bottom end close to the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance, and the bottom end extends from the guide plate body in a direction away from the guide plate body;

[0019] There is a gap between the bottom end and the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance; or, the bottom end is connected to the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance.

[0020] As a further improvement of the technical solution of this application, the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance has a cavity for accommodating teeth; at least one connecting rib is integrally formed with the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance, or at least one guide plate body is integrally formed with the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance.

[0021] At least one connecting rib is a solid structure or at least one connecting rib has a cavity communicating with the cavity;

[0022] At least one guide plate body is a solid structure or at least one guide plate body has a cavity that communicates with the cavity.

[0023] As a further improvement to the present application, the dental instrument also includes a reinforcing block adapted to the cavity.

[0024] As a further improvement of the technical solution of this application, the guide plate includes at least two guide plate bodies, which are spaced apart along the dental arch direction; or, at least a portion of the guide plate bodies have at least one non-functional surface connected to at least two connecting ribs, which are spaced apart along the surface of the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance.

[0025] As a further improvement of the technical solution of this application, the guide plate is disposed in at least one of the following regions of the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance: lingual side, labial side, buccal side, and maxillofacial side.

[0026] The beneficial effects of this application are: the dental instrument guide plate in this application, by setting connecting ribs, the connecting ribs and the guide plate body together form an integral guide plate, which can enhance the strength of the guide plate body, and further enhance the overall strength of the guide plate; at the same time, when the guide plate includes multiple guide plate bodies, by setting the large-volume guide plate as multiple small-volume guide plate bodies, the overall strength of the guide plate can be improved, and the risk of guide plate deformation or collapse during orthodontic treatment can be reduced. Attached Figure Description

[0027] Figure 1 is a dental instrument in the first embodiment of the present application with respect to the placement of the guide plate;

[0028] Figure 2 is a dental instrument in the second embodiment of the present application with respect to the placement of the guide plate;

[0029] Figure 3 shows a dental instrument in the third embodiment of the present application with respect to the placement of the guide plate;

[0030] Figure 4 is a structural schematic diagram of the dental instrument in the fourth embodiment of this application;

[0031] Figure 5 is a structural schematic diagram of the dental instrument in the fifth embodiment of this application;

[0032] Figure 6 is a structural schematic diagram of the dental instrument in the sixth embodiment of this application;

[0033] Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view along direction AA in Figure 1;

[0034] Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view along line AA corresponding to an embodiment in which the bottom end of the connecting rib is spaced from the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance;

[0035] Figure 9 is a sectional view along line BB in Figure 1;

[0036] Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view along the CC direction in Figure 5;

[0037] Figure 11 is a CC-direction sectional view corresponding to an embodiment in which the bottom end of the connecting rib is spaced from the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance;

[0038] Figure 12 is a cross-sectional view of the connecting rib in one embodiment. Detailed Implementation

[0039] The present application will now be described in detail with reference to the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. Please refer to Figures 1 to 12, which are preferred embodiments of the present application. However, it should be noted that these embodiments are not intended to limit the present application. Equivalent modifications or substitutions in function, method, or structure made by those skilled in the art based on these embodiments are all within the protection scope of the present application.

[0040] It should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "connection," "contact," and "located in" should be interpreted broadly. For example, a connection can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; it can be a fixed connection, a movable connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; and contact can be direct contact or indirect contact through an intermediate medium. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.

[0041] Please refer to Figures 1-12. This application provides a dental instrument 10, which includes a shell-shaped orthodontic appliance 1 and a guide plate 2 disposed on the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance 1. The shell-shaped orthodontic appliance 1 forms a cavity for accommodating teeth, and the guide plate 2 is disposed at a predetermined position on the surface of the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance 1 to support the opposing dentition.

[0042] It is understood that the guide plate 2 is positioned corresponding to one of the teeth in the maxilla and mandible, and the other tooth in the maxilla and mandible abuts against the guide plate 2 for orthodontic treatment. The aforementioned "supporting the opposing dentition" includes the guide plate 2 directly supporting the opposing dentition or indirectly supporting the opposing dentition. Specifically, when the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance 1 is not worn on the opposing dentition, the guide plate 2 directly supports the opposing dentition; when the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance 1 is worn on the opposing dentition, the guide plate 2 indirectly supports the opposing dentition through the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance 1.

[0043] The aforementioned preset positions include any position in at least one of the following regions of the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance 1: lingual, labial, buccal, or maxillofacial. It is understood that the number and position of the guide plates 2 can be set according to the specific needs of each step of orthodontic treatment. That is, one or more guide plates 2 can be provided on the surface of one shell-shaped orthodontic appliance 1, and the specific structure / size of each guide plate 2 can be set according to specific orthodontic needs; they can be set to be the same or different.

[0044] Referring to Figure 1, in the first embodiment of the guide plate 2 in this application, the guide plate 2 is located on the lingual side of the anterior teeth of the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance 1. In this case, the guide plate 2 can be used as a reinforced flat guide plate, oblique guide plate, lingual spike, or other functional guide plate, effectively improving the stability during jaw position adjustment. Referring to Figure 2, in the second embodiment of the guide plate 2 in this application, the guide plate 2 is located on the lingual side of the posterior teeth. Of course, it can also be located on the buccal side of the posterior teeth. In this case, horizontal jaw position adjustment can be achieved. Referring to Figure 3, in the third embodiment of the guide plate 2 in this application, the guide plate 2 is located on the occlusal surface. In this case, the guide plate 2 can serve as a reinforced occlusal pad or guide plate structure, enabling open occlusion or jaw position adjustment.

[0045] The guide plate 2 includes at least one guide plate body 21, which is a three-dimensional independent structure. The size and shape of each guide plate body 21 can be freely selected to meet individual needs. In this application, when the guide plate 2 includes multiple guide plate bodies 21, by setting the existing large-volume guide plate as multiple small-volume guide plate bodies 21, the overall strength of the guide plate 2 can be improved, and the risk of deformation or collapse of the guide plate 2 during the orthodontic process can be reduced.

[0046] In one specific embodiment, when the guide plate 2 includes at least two guide plate bodies 21, the at least two guide plate bodies 21 are spaced apart along the dental arch direction. For the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance 1, its length in the dental arch direction is much greater than its length in other directions, such as the length of the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance 1 in the dental arch direction being much greater than its length in the buccal-lingual direction and its length in the height direction. Therefore, arranging multiple guide plate bodies 21 spaced apart along the dental arch direction on the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance 1 is more conducive to the arrangement of each guide plate body 21 on the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance 1.

[0047] The guide plate body 21 includes a connecting end, an active surface, and a non-active surface, both of which are connected to the connecting end. The connecting end, the active surface, and the non-active surface together form the guide plate body 21.

[0048] In this embodiment, the connecting end refers to the end where the guide plate body 21 connects to the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance 1. The guide plate body 21 is connected to the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance 1 through the connecting end. When the guide plate body 21 contacts the opposing dentition, the active surface acts on the opposing dentition or the opposing shell-shaped orthodontic appliance, such as to support the opposing dentition. The non-active surface connects to the edge of the active surface and the edge of the connecting end to form the guide plate body 21. In one specific embodiment, for a guide plate body 21, the side facing the opposing dentition is the active surface, and the other sides are non-active surfaces; however, this is not a limitation.

[0049] In some optional embodiments, at least one of the guide plate bodies 21 and the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance 1 are integrally formed. In a specific embodiment, all of the guide plate bodies 21 and the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance 1 are integrally formed, and the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance 1 having the guide plate body 21 can be integrally formed by a molding and demolding process.

[0050] At least one of the guide plate bodies 21 has a cavity communicating with the cavity. The dental instrument 10 also includes a reinforcing block adapted to the cavity to further improve the overall strength of the guide plate 2 and reduce the risk of deformation or collapse of the guide plate 2 during orthodontic treatment. Of course, this is not a limitation. In other alternative embodiments, when the guide plate body 21 is small in size, i.e., when the cavity on the guide plate body 21 is small enough, the guide plate body 21 can also be set as a solid structure.

[0051] The guide plate 2 further includes a connecting rib 22, which connects at least two non-functional surfaces of the guide plate body 21, or the connecting rib 22 connects at least one non-functional surface of the guide plate body 21 to the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance 1. In this application, the guide plate 2, by providing the connecting rib 22, forms an integral guide plate 2 with the guide plate body 21, thereby enhancing the strength of the guide plate body 21 and further strengthening the overall strength of the guide plate 2.

[0052] In embodiments where the guide plate 2 comprises only one guide plate body 21, the connecting rib 22 connects at least one non-functional surface of the guide plate body 21 to the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance 1. That is, a connecting rib 22 is provided on at least one non-functional surface of the guide plate body 21, with one end connected to the non-functional surface of the guide plate body 21 and the other end connected to the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance 1, thus connecting the guide plate body 21 and the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance 1. As shown in Figure 4, this is a dental instrument 10 according to a fourth embodiment of this application. In this specific embodiment, the guide plate 2 comprises one guide plate body 21 and connecting ribs 22 connected to two opposite non-functional surfaces of the guide plate body 21.

[0053] In embodiments where the guide plate 2 includes at least two guide plate bodies 21, the connecting rib 22 can specifically be configured to connect the non-functional surfaces of two adjacent guide plate bodies 21, but this is not a limitation. In embodiments shown in Figures 1-3, the connecting rib 22 can be provided only between two adjacent guide plate bodies 21. The connecting rib 22 between two adjacent guide plate bodies 21 connects the non-functional surfaces of the two adjacent guide plate bodies 21, thereby connecting the adjacent guide plate bodies 21, improving the overall strength of the guide plate 2, and reducing the risk of deformation or collapse of the guide plate 2 during orthodontic treatment.

[0054] Specifically, the connecting rib 22 located between two adjacent guide plate bodies 21 connects the non-operating surfaces of the two adjacent guide plate bodies 21.

[0055] In embodiments where the guide plate 2 includes at least two guide plate bodies 21, in addition to providing connecting ribs 22 that connect two adjacent guide plate bodies 21, connecting ribs 22 that connect the guide plate body 21 to the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance 1 can also be provided on other non-functional surfaces of the guide plate body 21 to further improve the overall strength of the guide plate 2. At the same time, the local structural strength of the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance 1 can also be improved, thereby improving the orthodontic effect. Figure 5 shows a dental instrument 10 according to the fifth embodiment of this application. In this embodiment, the guide plate 2 includes a plurality of guide plate bodies 21 spaced apart. The connecting ribs 22 include a first connecting rib 221 for connecting two adjacent guide plate bodies 21 and a second connecting rib 222 for connecting at least one non-functional surface of the guide plate body 21 to the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance 1. Specifically, the second connecting rib 222 is connected to the non-functional surface of the guide plate body 21 at the end of the arrangement direction to further improve the strength of the guide plate body 21 at the end of the arrangement direction, thereby improving the overall strength of the guide plate 2. At the same time, it can also improve the local structural strength of the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance 1, thereby improving the orthodontic effect.

[0056] Specifically, both the connecting rib 22 and the guide plate body 21 can be disposed on the crown surface of the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance 1 or in the interdental space of the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance 1.

[0057] It is understood that the structure and dimensions of each guide plate body 21 and each connecting rib 22 in a guide plate 2 can be set to be the same or different, depending on the specific requirements. Similarly, in embodiments where the dental instrument 10 includes multiple guide plates 2, the structure and dimensions of each guide plate 2 can be set to be the same or different, depending on the specific orthodontic requirements.

[0058] Furthermore, the number of connecting ribs 22 connected to a guide plate body 21 can be set according to specific requirements. It is understood that the more connecting ribs 22 connected to a guide plate body 21, the better the overall strength of the guide plate 2.

[0059] Furthermore, the guide plate body 21 includes a side wall surface located in the dental arch direction. This side wall surface is a non-functional surface, and the connecting rib 22 is connected to the side wall surface, extending along the dental arch direction. On one hand, for the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance 1, its length in the dental arch direction is much greater than its length in other directions. Therefore, connecting the connecting rib 22 to the side wall surface of the guide plate body 21 in the dental arch direction, and extending the connecting rib 22 along the dental arch direction, provides a larger design space for the connecting rib 22, which is more conducive to the arrangement of the connecting rib 22 on the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance 1. On the other hand, the fact that the connecting rib 22 extends along the dental arch direction can significantly enhance the rigidity of the dental instrument 10 in the dental arch direction. When the two ends of the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance 1 are compressed in the dental arch direction, the connecting rib 22 can effectively resist the compression of the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance 1, thereby effectively enhancing the lateral expansion effect of the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance 1. Of course, this is not a limitation. In other optional embodiments, the extension direction of the connecting rib 22 can be any straight line or curve.

[0060] In one specific embodiment, along the dental arch direction, the extending direction of the connecting rib 22 is perpendicular to the sidewall surface. However, this is not a limitation.

[0061] Furthermore, at least two connecting ribs 22 are connected to at least one non-functional surface of at least a portion of the guide plate body 21, and the at least two connecting ribs 22 are arranged at intervals along the surface of the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance 1. For example, when the guide plate 2 is disposed on the lingual, labial, or buccal side, and the connecting ribs 22 are connected to the sidewall of the guide plate body 21 in the direction of the dental arch, the at least two connecting ribs 22 connected to the same non-functional surface of the same guide plate body 21 are arranged at intervals along the height direction of the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance 1; when the guide plate 2 is disposed on the occlusal surface, and the connecting ribs 22 are connected to the sidewall of the guide plate body 21 in the direction of the dental arch, the at least two connecting ribs 22 connected to the same non-functional surface of the same guide plate body 21 are arranged at intervals along the lingual-buccal direction of the occlusal surface.

[0062] Specifically, in the embodiments shown in Figures 1 to 5, only one connecting rib 22 is provided on one non-functional surface of the guide plate body 21. As shown in Figure 6, in the sixth embodiment of this application, two connecting ribs 22 are provided on one non-functional surface of the guide plate body 21, specifically, two connecting ribs 22 are provided between two adjacent guide plate bodies 21.

[0063] It should be noted that the number of connecting ribs 22 between two adjacent guide plate bodies 21 in a guide plate 2 can be set to be the same or different.

[0064] The cross-sectional dimension of the connecting rib 22 is smaller than the cross-sectional dimension of the guide plate body 21 to which the connecting rib 22 is connected. Here, "cross-section" refers to a tangential plane perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the guide plate body 21 and the connecting rib 22. In embodiments where the connecting rib 22 is located on one side of the guide plate body 21 in the dental arch direction, the aforementioned cross-section refers to a tangential plane perpendicular to the dental arch direction.

[0065] Specifically, referring to Figures 7 and 9, the connecting rib 22 has a tip 223 that is away from the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance 1. When the connecting rib 22 connects two adjacent guide plate bodies 21, the tip 223 extends between the two adjacent guide plate bodies 21; when the connecting rib 22 connects a non-functional surface of the guide plate body 21 to the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance 1, the tip 223 extends between the non-functional surface and the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance 1. The distance H of the tip 223 from the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance 1 is not greater than the protrusion height of the guide plate body 21 connected to the connecting rib 22, so as to avoid the connecting rib 22 being too high and affecting the user's comfort when wearing the dental instrument 10.

[0066] The aforementioned “protrusion height” can be understood as the distance between the end of the guide plate body 21 away from the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance 1 and the surface of the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance 1.

[0067] In some optional embodiments, the distance H between the top end 223 of the connecting rib 22 located between two adjacent guide plate bodies 21 and the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance 1 is not less than 1 mm, so that the top end of the connecting rib 22 located between two adjacent guide plate bodies 21 has a continuous transition shape. The distance H between the top end of the connecting rib 22 connecting a non-functional surface of the guide plate body 21 and the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance 1 and the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance 1 can be set to gradually decrease to 0 in the direction away from the guide plate body 21, so that there is no step structure between the connecting rib and the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance 1, thereby improving the user's comfort.

[0068] In one specific embodiment, the connecting rib 22 has a connecting segment connected to the guide plate body 21; the cross-section of the connecting segment gradually decreases along the direction away from the guide plate body 21 corresponding to the connecting segment. This makes the connection transition between the connecting rib 22 and the guide plate body 21 smoother, and at the same time, it can avoid stress concentration and further improve the overall strength of the guide plate 2.

[0069] Specifically, the aforementioned gradual reduction in cross-section includes a gradual reduction in the width of the cross-section and / or a gradual reduction in the height of the cross-section.

[0070] Referring to Figures 7, 9, and 10, in this embodiment, the aforementioned gradual reduction in cross-section includes a gradual reduction in the width of the cross-section, and simultaneously, a gradual reduction in the height of the cross-section. Specifically, the distance between the top end 223 of the connecting segment and the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance 1 gradually decreases. Along the direction away from the guide plate body 21, the top end 223 of the connecting rib 22 is generally a concave arc surface facing inward toward the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance 1. Of course, this is not a limitation. In other embodiments, the connecting rib 22 located between two adjacent guide plate bodies 21 may also be configured with a consistent cross-section in the middle section, and the cross-section of the connecting segment at both ends gradually increasing toward the guide plate body 21.

[0071] Referring to Figure 12, in some optional embodiments, the width of the cross-section of the connecting rib 22 can be set to gradually decrease along the direction away from the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance 1, facilitating subsequent demolding. In this case, the outline of the cross-section of the connecting rib 22 can be a straight line as shown in Figure 12(a), a smooth arc as shown in Figure 12(c), or a rough arc as shown in Figure 12(d). It is understood that the outline shape of the cross-section of the connecting rib 22, the inclination angle of the connecting rib 22, etc., can be set according to specific requirements.

[0072] As shown in Figure 12(b), in another optional embodiment, the cross-section of the connecting rib 22 can also be set to have a uniform width along the direction away from the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance 1, so that the connecting rib 22 has greater strength, thereby improving the overall strength of the guide plate 2 and the local strength of the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance 1.

[0073] The connecting rib 22 has a bottom end 224 disposed opposite to the top end 223, and the bottom end 224 is closer to the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance 1 than the top end 223. The bottom end 224 extends from the guide plate body 21 in a direction away from the guide plate body 21. When the connecting rib 22 connects two adjacent guide plate bodies 21, the bottom end 224 extends between the two adjacent guide plate bodies 21; when the connecting rib 22 connects a non-functional surface of the guide plate body 21 to the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance 1, the bottom end 224 extends from the connection with the non-functional surface in a direction away from the guide plate body 21, that is, towards the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance 1.

[0074] Specifically, for the connecting rib 22 connecting a non-functional surface of the guide plate body 21 to the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance 1, the connecting rib 22 includes a first end connected to the non-functional surface, a second end connected to the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance 1, and a connecting rib body located between the first end and the second end. The aforementioned top end 223 and bottom end 224 both refer to the top end 223 and bottom end 224 of the connecting rib body.

[0075] Referring to Figures 7, 9, and 10, in some optional embodiments, the bottom end 224 is connected to the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance 1, which can improve the local structural strength of the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance 1, thereby improving the orthodontic effect. In this case, for the connecting rib 22 located between two adjacent guide plate bodies 21 in Figure 7, its bottom end 224 is connected to the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance 1, and the two side ends of the bottom end 224 are respectively connected to the corresponding guide plate bodies 21. For the connecting rib 22 in Figure 10, part of its bottom end 224 and the second end are connected to the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance 1, and part of its bottom end 224 and the first end are connected to the guide plate body 21. In this case, it can be understood that of the two adjacent end faces of the connecting rib 22, one end face is connected to the guide plate body 21, and the other end face is connected to the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance 1. In one specific embodiment, the connecting rib 22, the guide plate body 21 and the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance 1 are integral structures. In this case, the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance 1 with the guide plate 2 can be integrally formed by a molding and demolding process to form the dental instrument 10, which simplifies the preparation of the dental instrument 10 and its orthodontic effect.

[0076] Referring to Figures 8 and 11, in some optional embodiments, there is a gap between the bottom end 224 and the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance 1, that is, the bottom end 224 and the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance 1 are not connected. In a specific embodiment, the connecting rib 22, the guide plate body 21, and the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance 1 are an integral structure. In this case, the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance 1 with the guide plate 2 can be integrally formed by processes such as 3D printing to form the dental instrument 10, simplifying the preparation of the dental instrument 10 and its orthodontic effect.

[0077] In some optional embodiments, at least one connecting rib 22 is integrally formed with the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance 1. At least one connecting rib 22 has a cavity communicating with the hollow structure. The dental instrument 10 also includes a reinforcing block adapted to the cavity to further improve the overall strength of the guide plate 2 and reduce the risk of deformation or collapse of the guide plate 2 during orthodontic treatment. Of course, this is not a limitation. In other optional embodiments, when the connecting rib 22 is small in volume, i.e., when the cavity on the connecting rib 22 is sufficiently small, the connecting rib 22 can also be set as a solid structure.

[0078] Compared with the prior art, the guide plate 2 in the dental instrument 10 of this application, by setting the connecting rib 22, the connecting rib 22 and the guide plate body 21 together form an integral guide plate 2, which can enhance the strength of the guide plate body 21, and further enhance the overall strength of the guide plate 2; at the same time, when the guide plate 2 includes multiple guide plate bodies 21, by setting the large volume guide plate 2 as multiple small volume guide plate bodies 21, the overall strength of the guide plate 2 can be improved, and the risk of deformation or collapse of the guide plate 2 during the orthodontic process can be reduced.

[0079] It should be understood that although this specification describes embodiments, not every embodiment contains only one independent technical solution. This way of describing the specification is only for clarity. Those skilled in the art should regard the specification as a whole. The technical solutions in each embodiment can also be appropriately combined to form other embodiments that can be understood by those skilled in the art.

[0080] The detailed descriptions listed above are merely specific descriptions of feasible implementation methods of this application and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. All equivalent implementation methods or modifications made without departing from the spirit of the art of this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A dental instrument, characterized in that, Includes a shell-shaped orthodontic appliance and a guide plate disposed on the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance; the guide plate includes: At least one guide plate body, the guide plate body includes a connecting end, an active surface and a non-active surface, the connecting end is connected to the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance, the active surface is used to act on the opposing dentition or the opposing shell-shaped orthodontic appliance when the guide plate body contacts the opposing dentition, and both the active surface and the non-active surface are connected to the connecting end; A connecting rib connects at least two non-functional surfaces of the guide plate body, or the connecting rib connects at least one non-functional surface of the guide plate body to the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance.

2. The dental instrument of claim 1, wherein: Along the direction away from the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance, the width of the cross-section of the connecting rib gradually decreases, or the width of the cross-section of the connecting rib is uniform.

3. The dental instrument of claim 1, wherein: The connecting rib satisfies at least one of the following: The distance between the top of the connecting rib and the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance is not less than 1 mm; The distance from the top of the connecting rib to the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance is not greater than the protrusion height of the guide plate body connected to the connecting rib.

4. The dental instrument of claim 1, wherein: The connecting rib has a connecting segment connected to the guide plate body; along the direction away from the guide plate body corresponding to the connecting segment, the connecting segment satisfies at least one of the following: The cross-section of the connecting segment gradually decreases; The distance from the top of the connecting segment to the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance gradually decreases.

5. The dental instrument of claim 1, wherein: The guide plate body includes a side wall surface located in the direction of the dental arch, the connecting rib is connected to the side wall surface, and the connecting rib extends along the direction of the dental arch.

6. The dental instrument of claim 5, wherein: Along the dental arch direction, the extending direction of the connecting rib is perpendicular to the side wall surface.

7. The dental instrument of claim 1, wherein: The connecting rib has a bottom end near the bottom of the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance, and the bottom end extends from the guide plate body in a direction away from the guide plate body; There is a gap between the bottom end and the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance, or the bottom end is connected to the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance.

8. The dental instrument of claim 1, wherein: The shell-shaped orthodontic appliance has a cavity for accommodating the teeth; At least one connecting rib is integrally formed with the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance, or at least one guide plate body is integrally formed with the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance; At least one connecting rib is a solid structure or at least one connecting rib has a cavity communicating with the cavity; At least one guide plate body is a solid structure or at least one guide plate body has a cavity that communicates with the cavity.

9. The dental instrument of claim 8, wherein: The dental instrument also includes a reinforcing block adapted to the cavity.

10. Dental instrument according to any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that: The guide plate includes at least two guide plate bodies, which are spaced apart along the dental arch direction; or, at least a portion of the guide plate bodies have at least one non-functional surface connected to at least two connecting ribs, which are spaced apart along the surface of the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance.

11. Dental instrument according to any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that: The guide plate is located in at least one of the following areas of the shell-shaped orthodontic appliance: the lingual side, the labial side, the buccal side, and the maxillofacial surface.

Images