Orthodontic Archwire with Integral Stressing Elements
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional orthodontic appliances often move teeth by acting as a lever on adjacent teeth, making it difficult to achieve torque movements and requiring long periods of time, and they exert unnecessary forces on nearby teeth.
Innovation Solution
An orthodontic appliance with a metal arch wire and stressing elements that allows selective anchoring to teeth or points in the mouth, enabling precise tooth movement without lever action, facilitating torque movements, and using low-friction forces with a low load-deflection coefficient, which can be used alone or in conjunction with traditional appliances.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If traditional orthodontic appliances use lever action on adjacent teeth to move a tooth, then the tooth can be repositioned, but adjacent teeth are also moved and treatment time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The appliance segments the force application by using individual hook elements attached to specific teeth, allowing independent movement of each tooth without requiring lever action on adjacent teeth. This enables precise control over which teeth move and when, reducing unnecessary movement of adjacent teeth and potentially shortening treatment time.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the lever action mechanism from the traditional archwire system and replaces it with direct force application through hook elements. By removing the intermediate lever action on adjacent teeth, the system achieves more efficient tooth movement with reduced treatment time.
2Manufacturing precision
If traditional appliances use lever action to move teeth, then teeth can be repositioned, but adjacent teeth are unnecessarily affected
Solution Approach 1:
The appliance segments the force application system into independent hook elements that can be selectively attached to specific teeth. This segmentation allows precise targeting of the tooth to be moved while leaving adjacent teeth unaffected, eliminating the harmful side effect of unintended adjacent tooth movement.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention applies local quality by making each hook element's force application location-specific and tooth-specific. The hook elements are designed to engage with particular teeth at particular locations, ensuring that force is applied only where needed and not transmitted to adjacent teeth, thus preventing unintended movement.
3Manufacturing precision
If traditional appliances are used for torque movements, then teeth can be repositioned over long periods, but the process is difficult and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the lever action requirement from torque movement and replaces it with direct force application through strategically positioned hook elements. This allows torque movements to be achieved more directly and efficiently, potentially reducing the duration of treatment while maintaining the ability to achieve precise tooth positioning.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the parameters of force application by using hook elements that can be positioned at optimal locations and angled to produce the desired torque movements. By adjusting the position, angle, and force magnitude of the hook elements, the system can achieve efficient torque movements with reduced treatment duration compared to traditional methods.
4Manufacturing precision
If traditional appliances apply force through brackets and archwires, then teeth can be moved, but the force application is less precise and requires longer periods
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the force application system into individual, independently controllable hook elements. Each hook element can be precisely positioned and angled to apply force exactly where needed on the tooth surface, achieving higher force application precision and potentially reducing the time required for repositioning.
Solution Approach 2:
The hook elements serve as intermediary components that directly engage with the tooth surface, eliminating the need for force transmission through brackets and archwires. This direct engagement mechanism provides more precise force application and reduces the time required for tooth repositioning.
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
Enables efficient and physiological tooth repositioning with the ability to perform a wide range of movements, including torque, without affecting adjacent teeth, using low-friction forces and a low load-deflection coefficient, improving biomechanics and reducing treatment time.
Implementation Method 1
An orthodontic appliance with a metal arch wire and stressing elements that allows selective anchoring to teeth or points in the mouth, enabling precise tooth movement without lever action
Data Source
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AI summary
Orthodontic appliance applicable to traditional appliances, consisting of a transparent brace aligner or a traditional arch wire, generally of metal, and of plates (brackets) that are fixed to the vestibular or lingual wall of the teeth, comprising a wire forming an arc or arc portion with which one or more stressing elements are integral. These stressing elements are suitable to exercise a force on a tooth to be repositioned.