Orthodontic Device for Facial Asymmetry via 3D Printing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current orthodontic appliances for treating facial asymmetries require extensive patient collaboration, long therapy times, and physical contact, limiting their use in young patients and relying heavily on operator skill and experience.
Innovation Solution
A method for creating a functional orthodontic device using a cephalometric frontal tract generated by a computer, allowing for fully automatic production via 3D printing, which includes mapping facial symmetry axes, measuring asymmetry angles, and designing a bite and anatomical shield for the upper arch without direct patient contact.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional orthodontic appliances are used to treat facial asymmetries, then the treatment can be performed, but the therapy time is very long and requires high patient collaboration
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of placing interlocking thickness on the healthy side and a guide on the asymmetrical side (traditional approach), this invention inverts the approach by creating a bite covering the upper arch with thickness corresponding to the asymmetrical side, directly stimulating the mandible to increase verticality and correct the asymmetry from the affected side
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the essential corrective function from complex traditional appliances, creating a simplified bite with an anatomical shield that directly addresses the asymmetry through selective thickness distribution and inclined occlusal surfaces, removing unnecessary components that extend therapy time
2Reliability
If traditional orthodontic appliances are used, then treatment can be performed, but the patient must keep them in their mouths all the time requiring high collaboration
Solution Approach 1:
The bite is designed to be applied only during nighttime sleep, leveraging the patient's natural sleep behavior rather than requiring active collaboration during waking hours. The anatomical shield with inclined occlusal surface automatically guides mandibular positioning during swallowing and rest, making the device self-regulating without patient intervention
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of requiring continuous wear throughout the day, the invention implements periodic action by having the patient wear the appliance only during nighttime hours, reducing the burden on patient collaboration while maintaining treatment effectiveness through concentrated corrective stimulation during rest periods
3Manufacturing precision
If traditional orthodontic appliances are used, then treatment can be performed, but the operator skill and experience are heavily relied upon
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces the mechanical/artistic process of manual device fabrication with computer-generated cephalometric frontal tracts and automated 3D printing technology. The systematic method for mapping facial symmetry axes and calculating asymmetry angles eliminates reliance on operator skill and experience, ensuring consistent manufacturing precision through digital automation
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transforms the subjective, skill-based artistic process into an objective, parameter-driven systematic method. By defining specific parameters such as facial symmetry axis mapping, asymmetry angle measurement, and standardized thickness calculations based on cephalometric data, the device can be manufactured with high precision without requiring operator expertise
4Reliability
If traditional orthodontic appliances are used, then treatment can be performed, but the therapy cannot start at a very early age
Solution Approach 1:
The simplified design with reduced patient collaboration requirements enables preliminary action by allowing treatment to start at a very early age. The anatomical shield design that automatically guides mandibular positioning during swallowing and rest functions effectively in young patients who cannot yet provide active collaboration, addressing facial asymmetries during critical growth periods
Data Source
AI summary
The object of the present invention relates to a method for the production of an orthodontic functional device for the treatment of facial asymmetries. The present invention refers to the field of the technique comprising the manufacturing methods and the technique used to make orthodontic appliances, Specifically, it refers to a methodology that allows the artwork to be performed without making the operator dependent based on a cephalometric frontal path created by a computer so without ever contacting the patient with a functional orthodontic device for the treatment of facial asymmetries. Facial asymmetry is an alteration in skeletal growth that can be determined by several congenital or acquired factors that in patients with skeletal development in place. They exemplify the pathogenetic action by altering the functional harmonics of the entire stomatognathic apparatus.