Orthodontic Bracket With Sliding Cover and Elastic Ligation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional orthodontic brackets face challenges in stably confining orthodontic wires within slots and consistently transmitting force to teeth, often leading to issues with ligating member deformation and irritation due to the design of slot opening and closing mechanisms.
Innovation Solution
An orthodontic bracket with a bracket body and a movably mounted bracket cover that slides to open and close the slot, featuring a ligating member with elasticity to block the wire and apply pressure, supported by guide rails to prevent separation and maintain position, allowing for precise force transmission and reduced irritation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional ligating member is used to confine the orthodontic wire, then the wire is held in the slot, but the ligating member deforms and causes irritation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional approach by making the slot itself capable of opening and closing through a bracket cover mechanism, rather than using a separate ligating member to constrain the wire. The slot structure is designed with guide rails and stopping parts that enable the cover to move, allowing the slot to actively control wire confinement without external ligating components that may deform
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the ligating function from a separate deformable member and integrates it into the bracket's structural design. The bracket cover and slot configuration inherently provide the ligating action through their geometric arrangement and movement mechanism, eliminating the need for additional ligating members that cause irritation
2Ease of operation
If the bracket cover is made movable to open and close the slot, then wire ligation becomes easier, but the bracket structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the bracket cover movable rather than fixed, allowing it to slide open and closed along guide rails. This dynamic design enables easy wire insertion and removal while the stopping parts ensure the cover remains stable in open and closed positions, balancing mobility with structural control
Solution Approach 2:
The bracket is segmented into distinct functional components: the bracket body, the movable cover, guide rails, and stopping parts. Each component has a specific function, and their modular arrangement allows the cover to move independently for wire ligation while maintaining overall structural integrity through the guide rail system
3Stability of the object's composition
If guide rails are added to prevent bracket cover separation, then position stability is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The guide rails are designed with asymmetric profiles that engage with corresponding features on the bracket cover, allowing controlled movement in one direction while preventing separation in other directions. The stopping parts use asymmetric positioning to define precise open and closed positions, providing stability without requiring complex multi-directional constraints
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 enables precise and consistent force transmission to teeth, minimizes ligating member deformation, and reduces irritation by forming a curved surface, offering advantages of both active and passive self-ligating brackets while allowing for easy wire ligation and release.
Implementation Method 1
a ligating member provided in the bracket cover and configured to have elasticity, to move integrally with the bracket cover and to selectively block the slot so as to confine the orthodontic wire in the slot
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is an orthodontic bracket including a bracket body having a slot into which an orthodontic wire is inserted, a bracket cover mounted on the bracket body and configured to open and close the slot, and a ligating member provided in the bracket cover and configured to selectively block the slot so as to confine the orthodontic wire in the slot. The orthodontic bracket may precisely and consistently transmit force, for example, torque, of the orthodontic wire to a tooth, and minimize or prevent factors contributing to failure, such as deformation of or damage to the ligating member due to opening and closing of the slot.