Pre-assembled Orthodontic Brackets on Archwire
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current orthodontic appliances are not custom-designed for individual patients' malocclusions and facial geometries, leading to suboptimal fit and increased installation time due to traditional methods where brackets are affixed to teeth before archwires are secured, potentially resulting in errors and inefficiencies.
Innovation Solution
The development of custom orthodontic appliance assemblies where archwires are installed in slots before the appliances are bonded to teeth, using calculated parameters based on patient-specific tooth positions and geometries to ensure accurate and efficient placement, allowing for passive interaction between archwires and slots, reducing installation complexity and improving fit.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If brackets are affixed to teeth before archwire is placed, then bracket placement can be done independently, but installation time increases and errors may occur
Solution Approach 1:
The archwire is pre-assembled with the brackets attached to it, creating a complete assembly before placement in the patient's mouth. This preliminary assembly action eliminates the need for separate bracket attachment and archwire placement steps during the actual installation, thereby reducing installation time while maintaining operational simplicity.
2Manufacturing precision
If custom brackets are created for each patient, then fit accuracy improves, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of creating entirely custom brackets for each patient, the invention uses a modular approach where standardized bracket components are adjusted by changing specific parameters such as position, orientation, and configuration on the archwire. This allows for patient-specific customization of bracket placement and arrangement while maintaining the simplicity of standardized individual bracket designs.
3Power
If archwire interacts actively with brackets, then tooth movement force is applied, but force on teeth increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention inverts the traditional active interaction model by designing the archwire and bracket slot configuration to passively guide the archwire into the correct position. The archwire naturally seats itself within the slots through its geometry and the corresponding slot design, eliminating the need for active engagement mechanisms that would apply excessive forces to the teeth while still achieving the desired alignment.
Data Source
AI summary
In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful to orthodontic appliance assemblies. In some embodiments, an orthodontic appliance assembly comprises a plurality of orthodontic appliances, wherein each of the plurality of orthodontic appliances includes an archwire slot, and wherein each of the plurality of orthodontic appliances is configured to be bonded to a tooth in a patient’s mouth, an archwire, wherein the plurality of orthodontic appliances are retained on the archwire via the archwire slots, wherein the plurality of orthodontic appliances are retained on the archwire before the orthodontic appliances are bonded to teeth in the patient’s mouth.