Segmented Dental Grinding Tool with Fracture-Limited Breakaway Tip
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing orthodontic devices lack an effective method for creating and enlarging interdental spaces between teeth without causing injury to the gums, particularly when used by untrained personnel or for self-treatment.
Innovation Solution
A medical hand grinding device with a first area for gum protection and a second region that breaks at a predetermined bending moment to create gaps between teeth, featuring a specific bending stiffness and fracture toughness, and a set of grinding devices with varying thicknesses for sequential use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a dentist uses grinding discs to create interdental spaces, then gaps between teeth can be effectively created, but the risk of gum injury increases when used by untrained personnel
Solution Approach 1:
The grinding device is segmented into a first section for gum protection and a second section for enamel removal. This segmentation allows the device to simultaneously protect soft tissues while effectively creating interdental spaces, enabling safe use by untrained personnel.
Solution Approach 2:
The first section acts as an intermediary protective element between the grinding mechanism and the gums. This protective section prevents direct contact between the abrasive surface and soft tissues, eliminating the need for professional training while maintaining safety.
2Strength
If the grinding device has sufficient bending stiffness to maintain shape during insertion, then structural integrity is maintained, but the device cannot break at a predetermined point to limit force and prevent injury
Solution Approach 1:
The device exhibits different mechanical properties in different sections: the first section has high bending stiffness for structural integrity and gum protection, while the second section is designed with specific fracture toughness to break at a predetermined point, limiting the force applied to enamel and preventing injury.
Solution Approach 2:
The device utilizes controlled changes in material parameters, specifically fracture toughness, to enable predictable breaking behavior. The second section is designed with fracture toughness between 5-30 MPa*m^1/2, allowing it to break when a critical bending moment is exceeded, thereby limiting the force applied during use.
3Manufacturing precision
If a set of grinding devices with varying thicknesses is provided for sequential use, then precision in creating gaps of different widths is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Each grinding device in the set is designed with universal features including gum protection sections, predetermined breaking points, and standardized dimensions. While the set contains multiple devices with varying thicknesses for different gap widths, each device maintains the same safety and functional characteristics, simplifying the overall system despite the variety of options.
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 device reduces the risk of gum injuries and allows for effective creation and adjustment of interdental spaces, enabling safe use by patients or untrained individuals, potentially reducing the need for professional dental intervention.
Implementation Method 1
The second area has a predetermined breaking point. The second area breaks at this predetermined breaking point when a critical bending moment Mcrit is exceeded about an axis perpendicular to its longitudinal axis and perpendicular to its thickness.
Implementation Method 2
medical hand grinding device for the enamel-removing treatment of tooth surfaces
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5a~5d
AI summary
The invention relates to a medical hand grinding device (3) for enamel-removing treatment of tooth surfaces by inserting the grinding device (3) between adjacent teeth (7, 11) of a patient, wherein the grinding device (3) has at least a first region (8) for protection against injury to the gums (9) and at least a second region (10) with a predetermined thickness (29) for creating a gap between the adjacent teeth. The second region (10) of the grinding device has a base material (23) with a fracture toughness Klc of less than 10 MPa*m1/2. It further relates to a set (21) of grinding devices (3) and a method for creating a gap (5) between adjacent teeth (7, 11).