Orthodontic Bracket with Self-Ligating Slide and Biasing Member
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing orthodontic brackets face challenges in accurate manufacturing, increased dimensional size, and difficulty in securing the ligating slide when an archwire is not fully seated, leading to time-consuming replacement processes.
Innovation Solution
An orthodontic bracket design featuring a ligating slide coupled to a base member with a biasing member that exerts a force parallel to the path of travel, allowing for secure positioning and easy access to the archwire slot, even when the archwire is not fully seated, using a planar resilient biasing member and projections to facilitate passive self-ligation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a moveable ligating slide is used to secure the archwire, then the bracket can provide effective tooth movement control, but the bracket becomes more complex and harder to manufacture with high precision
Solution Approach 1:
The bracket is divided into separate functional components: a base member with archwire slot and a moveable ligating slide with biasing member. This segmentation allows each component to be manufactured independently with standard tolerances, avoiding the need for high-precision integrated manufacturing while maintaining reliable archwire retention through the interaction of these components.
Solution Approach 2:
The ligating slide incorporates a biasing member that automatically positions and secures the archwire in the slot without requiring manual adjustment or high-precision manufacturing. The self-biasing mechanism compensates for manufacturing variations, ensuring reliable archwire retention even with standard manufacturing tolerances.
2Reliability
If the ligating slide is designed to secure the archwire firmly, then tooth movement control is improved, but the bracket size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The biasing member is nested within the ligating slide structure, and the slide itself is positioned within the bracket body. This nested arrangement allows the archwire securing mechanism to be compact, maintaining firm archwire retention without significantly increasing the overall bracket volume.
Solution Approach 2:
The ligating slide is designed as a moveable component that dynamically adjusts to secure the archwire. This dynamic design allows the bracket to provide firm archwire securing capability in a compact form, as the moveable slide concentrates the securing function in a small, efficient space rather than requiring a larger static structure.
3Ease of operation
If the ligating slide is made cantilevered to improve access to the archwire slot, then the bracket design becomes more complex and prone to manufacturing issues
Solution Approach 1:
The biasing function is extracted from the ligating slide and implemented as a separate biasing member. This extraction simplifies the ligating slide structure, eliminating the need for complex integrated biasing mechanisms while maintaining ease of access to the archwire slot through the simplified slide design.
Solution Approach 2:
The biasing member acts as an intermediary between the ligating slide and the base member, providing the necessary biasing force without requiring the ligating slide itself to be complex. This intermediary component enables easy access to the archwire slot while keeping the slide structure simple and manufacturable.
4Productivity
If the bracket is designed for passive self-ligation, then treatment time is reduced, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The bracket incorporates a biasing member that automatically provides the ligation force needed for passive self-ligation. This self-biasing mechanism eliminates the need for manual ligature placement, reducing treatment time and improving productivity. The self-service design also compensates for manufacturing variations, reducing the impact of standard tolerances on performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The biasing member is designed with specific geometric parameters and material properties that enable passive self-ligation to occur automatically. By carefully selecting these parameters, the bracket achieves efficient tooth movement control through self-ligation while being manufacturable with standard tolerances, as the parameter design built-in compensation for manufacturing variations.
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 design enhances manufacturing precision, reduces bracket size, and simplifies the process of securing the ligating slide, reducing the need for frequent replacements and saving time in orthodontic treatment.
Implementation Method 1
a biasing member borne by the ligating slide and cooperates with a portion of the base member to releasably position the ligating slide relative to the base member, and wherein the biasing member exerts a biasing force
Data Source
AI summary
An orthodontic bracket is described and which includes a base member defining an archwire slot having an opening, and at least one projection extending outwardly from the base member; a ligating slide moveable between a first position which is clear of the archwire slot, and second position where the ligating slide projects over the opening of the archwire slot; and a biasing member borne by the ligating slide, and resiliently cooperating with the projection, and wherein the biasing member has a first portion which receives the projection when the ligating slide is in the first position, and a second portion which receives the projection when the ligating slide is in the second position.