Segmented Dental Wedge with Flexible Wings
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Solution Overview
Problem
Standard dental wedges fail to create a tight seal and provide adequate lateral support due to their triangular shape and material rigidity, which limits their effectiveness in holding matrix bands against the tooth and adapting to irregular interproximal spaces.
Innovation Solution
A dental wedge with a segmented design featuring a backbone with independently flexing wing sections and a unique hourglass-shaped head, allowing for better adaptation to tooth contours and enhanced sealing capabilities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a standard triangular wedge is used, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but it cannot create a tight seal and provide adequate lateral support due to its flat surface and rigid shape
Solution Approach 1:
The wedge body is divided into multiple wing sections (first, second, third, and fourth wing sections) that are connected through notches, allowing each section to flex independently. This segmentation enables the wedge to adapt to irregular interproximal spaces while maintaining structural integrity, resolving the contradiction between sealing capability and structural simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The wedge transitions from a rigid triangular shape to a dynamic structure with flexible wing sections that can bend and conform to the tooth contours. The notches between wing sections allow the structure to deform elastically, providing both tight sealing and lateral support without excessive complexity.
2Area of stationary object
If a standard triangular wedge with flat surface is used, then the manufacturing is simple, but the contact surface area with the convex matrix band is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The wedge incorporates curved and contoured wing sections instead of flat surfaces, allowing the structure to conform to the convex shape of the matrix band and tooth surfaces. This curvature increases the contact surface area for better lateral support while remaining manufacturable through standard molding processes.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a rigid wedge structure is used, then the manufacturing precision is easier to achieve, but the adaptability to irregular interproximal spaces is poor
Solution Approach 1:
By dividing the wedge into multiple separable wing sections connected by notches, the design achieves adaptability to irregular spaces while maintaining manufacturing precision. Each wing section can be precisely molded, and their assembly through notches allows flexibility without sacrificing the precision of individual components.
Solution Approach 2:
The wedge employs thin, flexible wing sections that can bend and conform to irregular tooth contours and interproximal spaces. These flexible sections maintain sufficient structural integrity to provide lateral support while adapting to varying anatomical geometries, resolving the contradiction between adaptability and manufacturing precision.
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 wedge provides a more secure seal and improved lateral support for matrix bands, adapting to the irregular shapes of interproximal spaces and preventing matrix band displacement during tooth restoration.
Implementation Method 1
Each wing section has the ability to flex independently from the other wing sections
Data Source
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AI summary
A dental wedge, for use in the inter-proximal space between adjacent teeth, includes a head portion, a body portion, wherein, the body portion includes a backbone, wherein the backbone, viewed from the side, has a curved profile, the body portion includes at least three pairs of wings extending from the backbone, wherein the wings are separated by a plurality of notches such that the wings extend independently, and the body portion has three sections, wherein a proximal wing section includes a pair of wings closest to the head portion, a distal wing section includes a pair of wings furthest from the head portion, and a central wing section has at least one pair of wings, and a neck portion, wherein the neck portion connects the head and body portions.