Single Arch Mandibular Advancer for Class II Malocclusion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current orthodontic treatments for Class II malocclusions often result in an unbalanced facial appearance due to maxillary retraction, which can make the nose appear more prominent, and may require surgical intervention to advance the mandible effectively.
Innovation Solution
An orthodontic appliance is installed on a single dentition with an occlusal protrusion that engages the opposing dentition, allowing for the advancement of the mandible or maxilla without surgery, thereby facilitating Class I occlusion and improving facial balance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If maxillary retraction is used to treat Class II malocclusion, then the upper and lower teeth can be aligned, but the facial appearance becomes unbalanced with a prominent nose
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of retracting the maxilla to match the mandible position, the invention inverts the approach by advancing the mandible to match the maxilla position. The orthopedic appliance applies functional force to the mandible, moving it forward into correct occlusion, which preserves the natural facial profile and avoids nose prominence while achieving proper dental alignment.
2Ease of manufacture
If orthopedic correction is used to advance the mandible, then surgical intervention can be avoided, but the treatment complexity increases compared to simple dental alignment
Solution Approach 1:
The orthopedic appliance is segmented into multiple functional components: anchorage units attached to maxillary teeth, functional elements that apply force to the mandible, and connection elements. This segmentation allows the complex orthopedic correction to be achieved through modular components that work together to advance the mandible without surgery, distributing the complexity across manageable parts.
3Reliability
If bite blocks are used to achieve mandibular advancement, then both upper and lower dentitions can be engaged, but the appliance requires installation on both arches increasing complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the functional advancement mechanism from the lower dentition and places it entirely on the maxillary arch. The orthopedic appliance uses maxillary teeth as anchorage and applies functional force through the upper arch to advance the mandible. This eliminates the need for complex bilateral installation on both upper and lower arches while maintaining reliable mandibular advancement.
Data Source
AI summary
Various embodiments of orthodontic appliances are disclosed to dispose a patient's lower dentition (2) and upper dentition (2) in Class I occlusion. A representative appliance (180) includes an occlusal ridge (182) that extends over the mesio-lingual cusp and the mesio-buccal cusp of a lower first molar (14a) on one side of the patient's dentition (2), and includes another occlusal ridge (182) that extends over the mesio-lingual cusp and the mesio-buccal cusp of a lower first molar (14b) on the other side of the patient's dentition (2). Such an appliance (180) addresses a Class II malocclusion by encouraging or facilitating movement of the mandible in a mesial or anterior direction such that each such occlusal ridge (182) ends up being disposed between a corresponding upper first molar (32a, 32b) and a corresponding second bicuspid (30a, 30b).