Multi-Axis Orthodontic Bracket with Sliding and Rotating Adjustability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional orthodontic brackets are inflexible and require frequent detachment and reattachment to adjust forces and orientations, leading to inefficiencies, enamel damage, and limited use of flexible wires due to insufficient deflection, making precise tooth alignment challenging and time-consuming.
Innovation Solution
An orthodontic bracket system with adjustable components that can be rotated, slid, and extended in multiple axes after attachment, allowing for precise adjustment of forces and orientations without the need for frequent wire bending or bracket replacement, using a base portion and a movable portion with mechanisms for sliding, rotating, and locking to accommodate archwire deflection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional orthodontic brackets are used with fixed configuration, then the bracket structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the bracket cannot be adjusted to alter forces and moments applied to teeth, requiring frequent detachment and reattachment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by transforming the fixed, static bracket configuration into a dynamic, adjustable system. The bracket incorporates movable components including a body portion that can slide along the archwire, a housing portion that can rotate about multiple axes, and a locking mechanism that enables controlled movement and positioning. This allows the bracket to adapt its configuration during treatment to alter forces and moments applied to teeth without requiring detachment and reattachment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the bracket into distinct functional components: a base portion for attachment to the tooth, a body portion for sliding movement along the archwire, a housing portion for rotational adjustment about multiple axes, and a locking mechanism for securing positions. This segmentation enables each component to perform its specific function independently while working together to provide overall adjustability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If conventional orthodontic brackets require frequent detachment and reattachment for adjustment, then the bracket configuration can be changed, but the enamel of the teeth is damaged and chair-side time is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the self-service principle by enabling the bracket to perform its own adjustment functions while remaining attached to the tooth. The locking mechanism allows the bracket components to be moved and repositioned in-place without requiring detachment, and the same mechanism then secures the adjusted configuration. This self-adjustment capability eliminates the need for repeated attachment and detachment cycles that cause enamel damage.
3Ease of operation
If flexible wires are used early in treatment, then patient comfort is improved, but the wire lacks sufficient deflection to produce enough force for orthodontic treatment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by utilizing the bracket's adjustable configuration to modify the mechanical parameters of the wire-bracket interaction. As the bracket components move and reposition during treatment, they change the deflection characteristics and force application parameters of the flexible wire, enabling the wire to maintain both flexibility for patient comfort and sufficient force production for orthodontic treatment throughout the treatment process.
Data Source
AI summary
An orthodontic bracket may include a housing portion having a first channel extending from a first end to a second end through the housing portion. The first channel is configured to slidably receive an archwire therethrough. The bracket also include a body portion configured to be received within the housing portion. The housing portion is configured to rotatably mount to the body portion about a first axis and a second axis. The first axis may be in an apico-coronal direction of the tooth. The second axis may be in a buccopalatal direction of the tooth. The bracket further includes a base portion configured to attach to a surface of the tooth. The body portion is configured to slidably mount on the base portion along the apico-coronal direction of the tooth.