Palatal Expansion Distractor Anchoring to Reduce Mucosal Stress
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing palatal expansion distractors face limitations in applying powerful expansion forces without causing inflammation reactions due to inadequate anchoring and stress on the palatal mucosa, particularly in adult patients.
Innovation Solution
A distractor design with two anchoring parts, each having at least two tooth supports and one palate rest, ensures secure fixation by preventing the support surfaces from pressing against the palatal mucosa, using bone screws that act as stops and allowing for rigid connections between tooth supports and palate rests, thereby reducing mucosal stress and inflammation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If bone screws are used to anchor the distractor to the palate with powerful expansion forces, then the expansion capability is improved, but the risk of inflammation reactions and mucosal stress increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies beforehand cushioning by designing the support surface with a recess that receives a cushioning element (gel or foam insert) before the distractor contacts the palate. This cushioning element is pre-installed to distribute the expansion force from bone screws over a larger area, preventing direct concentration of force on the palatal mucosa and thereby reducing inflammation reactions while maintaining effective expansion capability.
2Reliability
If the support surface is fastened tightly to the palate for secure fixation, then the anchoring stability is improved, but the stress on palatal mucosa increases leading to inflammation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating a differentiated structure where the support surface has a recess containing a soft cushioning element that directly contacts the palate, while the surrounding anchoring structure maintains rigid fixation through bone screws. This local differentiation allows the contact area to have cushioning properties (reducing mucosal stress) while the anchoring area maintains high stability, thus resolving the contradiction between secure fixation and reduced tissue stress.
3Manufacturing precision
If the distractor is positioned exactly axially relative to the palatal suture for uniform expansion, then the expansion uniformity is improved, but the positioning difficulty and surgical complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by incorporating positioning elements (such as guides or indicators) that are pre-configured on the distractor device to align with anatomical landmarks or surgical guides before insertion. This preliminary positioning configuration simplifies the surgical procedure by reducing the complexity of achieving exact axial alignment during surgery, while still ensuring uniform expansion force distribution across the palatal suture.
Data Source
AI summary
A distractor for palatal expansion is disclosed. A high degree of treatment safety can be insured if anchoring parts each have at least two tooth supports and each subsection has at least one of the tooth supports and at least one of the palate rests to which this tooth support is connected in order to thus fix the support surfaces in their position against the palate.