Occlusal Locks and Positioning Handles for Denture Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for aligning upper and lower arches during digital denture fabrication are time-consuming, costly, and labor-intensive, requiring manual handling and reinforcement with heavy gauge wires, and often necessitate additional steps and structures to achieve proper occlusion.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of occlusal locks, which are milled into the denture bases as male and female portions that interlock distally of the tooth area, allowing for precise alignment and occlusion without external reinforcement, and a positioning handle for intra-oral alignment, streamlining the process and reducing the need for additional structures like splints.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If heavy gauge wire reinforcement is used to hold denture with pliers, then grip and positioning capability is improved, but device complexity and labor intensity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the external wire reinforcement and pliers from the system by integrating the gripping function directly into the denture base through finger protrusions. This extraction eliminates the need for separate positioning tools while maintaining the ability to grip and position the denture.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the gripping function and positioning function into the denture base structure itself through the addition of finger protrusions. This merging eliminates the need for separate wire reinforcement and external pliers, reducing device complexity while maintaining ease of operation.
2Ease of operation
If manual wire placement and external implements are used to position the denture, then positioning capability is improved, but productivity decreases due to extra steps
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the positioning function from external implements and integrates it into the denture base through finger protrusions. This eliminates multiple manual steps including wire placement, denture insertion into pliers, and manual positioning, thereby improving productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The denture base with integrated finger protrusions serves itself by providing built-in gripping surfaces that eliminate the need for external tools. The structure is self-sufficient for positioning tasks, reducing the number of operational steps and improving productivity.
3Reliability
If separate structures like splints are built to align upper and lower portions, then alignment stability is improved, but device complexity and time consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the alignment function into the occlusal locks that are already part of the denture structure. The occlusal locks with laterally extending fingers provide both occlusal function and alignment stability, eliminating the need for separate splints while maintaining reliability.
4Ease of operation
If traditional wire reinforcement method is used, then positioning grip is improved, but manufacturing time and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the positioning grip function with the denture base structure through integrated finger protrusions. This eliminates the separate wire reinforcement step and reduces manufacturing time while maintaining the positioning grip capability.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention discloses occlusal locks and positioning handles as part of an upper and/or lower denture or other prosthetic solution, the locks facilitating alignment construction and delivery of the conversion prosthesis, expediting the clinical procedure, and ensuring accurate alignment that improves the accuracy of rapid tooth replacement procedures.