Vertical Pivot Device for Herbst Appliance Jaw Movement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing Herbst appliances face issues with binding and breakage due to restrictive horizontal cylinder designs, which limit jaw movement and cause tissue impingement, leading to discomfort and increased treatment times, while also being costly and complex.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of a vertical pivot device in the Herbst appliance, featuring elongated vertically positioned cylinders and a saddle-shaped base, allows for greater lateral movement and reduced protrusion, minimizing binding and breakage, and simplifying the attachment process, thereby enhancing patient comfort and reducing treatment duration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a horizontal cylinder design is used in the Herbst appliance, then the appliance can be attached to the teeth, but it restricts jaw movement and causes tissue impingement leading to binding and breakage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the orientation of the cylinder from horizontal to vertical, allowing the rod to pivot vertically rather than horizontally. This dimensional change eliminates tissue impingement and binding while maintaining appliance stability, directly resolving the contradiction between durability and movement freedom.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a vertical pivot mechanism that allows dynamic adjustment of the rod position within the cylinder. This dynamic capability enables the appliance to accommodate natural jaw movements without restriction or binding, improving both reliability and ease of operation.
2Stability of the object's composition
If a horizontal cylinder design is used in the Herbst appliance, then the appliance can maintain structural stability, but it causes tissue impingement and increases treatment time
Solution Approach 1:
By reorienting the cylinder vertically, the patent eliminates tissue impingement that causes binding and discomfort. This prevents treatment delays and complications, reducing overall treatment time while maintaining structural stability through the vertical pivot design.
3Reliability
If a complex attachment system is used in the Herbst appliance, then the appliance can provide secure connection, but it increases cost and manufacturing complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates unnecessary complex components from the attachment system, retaining only the essential vertical pivot mechanism. This simplification reduces manufacturing complexity and cost while maintaining secure connection through the streamlined vertical rod-cylinder design.
4Ease of operation
If a vertical pivot device is introduced to allow greater lateral movement, then patient mobility increases and binding is reduced, but the appliance structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The vertical pivot device introduces controlled dynamics to the appliance structure, enabling greater lateral movement and reduced binding. While this adds some complexity, the design is streamlined to minimize manufacturing challenges and maintain overall structural simplicity.
Data Source
AI summary
In some examples, an apparatus includes an orthodontic housing enabling conversion of an appliance such as a Herbst appliance used in advancement of the mandible of a patient from a horizontal component to a vertical component. This vertical orientation allows for many advantages in the use of the appliance.