Active Self-Ligating Bracket With Angled Tracks
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing self-ligating orthodontic brackets face issues with archwire looseness and inadequate torque control due to passive retention mechanisms, which result in inconsistent force application and reduced effectiveness in aligning teeth.
Innovation Solution
A resilient locking shutter member with angled outer tracks and a lingual guide bar is used, allowing for active retention of archwires by maintaining constant contact, especially with larger wires, and applying a force to secure the archwire within the slot, utilizing materials like nickel-titanium or spring steel for enhanced resiliency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a passive self-ligating bracket with a slider mechanism is used, then the archwire can be retained in the slot, but the archwire becomes loose within the slot resulting in inadequate torque control
Solution Approach 1:
The locking shutter member is designed to be movable between open and closed positions, transitioning from a static passive retention mechanism to a dynamic active retention system. The shutter can be opened to allow archwire insertion and closed to actively engage and retain the archwire against the slot, providing consistent torque control while maintaining ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking shutter member changes its position parameter between open and closed states, altering the retention characteristics of the bracket. In the closed position, the shutter actively engages the archwire, changing from a passive to an active retention state, thereby improving torque control without compromising archwire retention.
2Reliability
If a resilient locking shutter member with movable arms is used, then active retention and constant contact with the archwire is achieved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The locking shutter member is segmented into two arms that can move independently within tracks. This segmentation allows each arm to engage the archwire separately, providing active retention through constant contact while keeping the overall structure relatively simple and manufacturable.
Solution Approach 2:
The resilient locking shutter member acts as an intermediary between the bracket body and the archwire. It translates the simple action of opening and closing into active engagement forces that maintain constant contact with the archwire, thereby achieving reliable active retention without requiring complex mechanisms.
3Reliability
If the locking shutter is in the closed position, then the archwire is securely retained, but the archwire cannot be placed or removed from the slot
Solution Approach 1:
The locking shutter member is designed as a movable component that can dynamically switch between open and closed positions. This dynamic capability allows the bracket to provide secure retention when closed while easily allowing archwire insertion and removal when opened, resolving the contradiction between security and ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking shutter member is opened in advance before archwire insertion to provide access to the slot. After the archwire is placed, the shutter is closed to secure the archwire. This preliminary opening action ensures easy archwire placement while maintaining secure retention during treatment.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution ensures consistent and increased torque control throughout orthodontic treatment, maintaining archwire tension and improving tooth alignment with reduced risk of root resorption by providing active retention and adaptable sizing for different archwire types.
Implementation Method 1
a resilient locking shutter member with angled outer tracks and a lingual guide bar is used, allowing for active retention of archwires by maintaining constant contact
Implementation Method 2
utilizing materials like nickel-titanium or spring steel for enhanced resiliency
Data Source
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AI summary
An orthodontic bracket including a body including a bonding base for attachment to the tooth, a lingual vertical slot, a pair of laterally spaced gingival tie wings and a pair of laterally spaced occlusal tie wings, the gingival and occlusal tie wings projecting from a labial surface of the body; an archwire slot extending mesio-distally across the body and between the gingival and occlusal tie wings at opposed medial and distal sides of the body to accommodate an archwire; a locking shutter including at pair of resilient arm members and a lingual guide bar between the resilient arm members, the locking shutter moveable between an open position in which placement and removal of the archwire is facilitated and a closed position in which placement and removal of thearchwire is inhibited; first and second tracks formed on each of first and second outer lateral surfaces of thebody, extending from the gingival tie wings across the archwire slot and into theocclusal tie wings; the first and second tracks sized and otherwise dimensioned to receive thepair of resilient arm members therein. The first and second tracks extend in a substantially occlusal-gingival direction, angled gingivally by an angle with respect to a plane parallel with the vertical plane of a tooth on the outer lateral surfaces such that the first and second tracks.