Ormco Corporation

Albert Ruiz-Vela

Farrokh Farzin-Nia

Todd I Oda

Ronald J Sirney

Rodolfo Rodriguez

Ronald M Malerstein

William W Wood

Rudolfo Rodriguez

William Wood

A self-ligating orthodontic bracket for captivating an archwire with a tooth. The bracket includes a bracket body mountable to a tooth and a self-ligating mechanism having an archwire slot and a ligating slide. The ligating slide is movable between an open position in which an archwire is insertable into the archwire slot and a closed position in which the archwire is retained in the archwire slot. The bracket body may be formed from a non-metallic material, such as a polymer, a filled polymer composite, or a ceramic, and the self-ligating mechanism may be formed from a metal. The bracket may include a resilient engagement member with a detent positioned to engage an aperture or throughhole extending through the ligating slide when the ligating slide is in the closed position.

Aesthetic self-ligating orthodontic bracket

An orthodontic bracket for coupling an archwire with a tooth. The orthodontic bracket including a ceramic injection molded (CIM) bracket body including an archwire slot that is configured to receive the archwire therein. The CIM bracket body including a polycrystalline ceramic. A coating of alumina or silicon dioxide is in continuous and direct contact with at least the surfaces of the archwire slot. The orthodontic bracket is characterized by unexpectedly high torque strength. The ceramic injection molded (CIM) bracket body may include a polycrystalline ceramic having a grain size distribution characterized by an average grain size in the range of larger than 3.4 &#x3bc;m to about 6 &#x3bc;m such that the orthodontic bracket is also characterized by unexpectedly high fracture toughness. A method of making the orthodontic bracket includes injection molding a bracket using a ceramic powder, sintering the molded bracket, and coating the ceramic injection molded bracket.

Surface treated polycrystalline ceramic orthodontic bracket and method of making same

An orthodontic bracket includes a bracket body and a ligating member. The ligating member retains an archwire in an archwire slot and includes archwire control structure including projecting portions spaced apart in a mesial-distal direction with a recessed area therebetween. The recessed area and the projecting portions overlie the archwire slot. The recessed area may include a flat or a curved surface in a mesial-distal direction. The recessed area and projecting portions may define a radius of curvature that is less than the radius of curvature of the archwire seated in the slot. The archwire contacts one or both the projecting portions resulting in a larger moment arm and better rotational control of the bracket with the force applied by the archwire.

Orthodontic bracket and method of correcting malpositioned teeth

An orthodontic bracket includes a bracket body and a ligating member. The ligating member retains an archwire in an archwire slot and includes archwire control structure including projecting portions spaced apart in a mesial-distal direction with a recessed area therebetween. The recessed area and the projecting portions overlie the archwire slot. The recessed area may include a flat or a curved surface in a mesial-distal direction. The recessed area and projecting portions may define a radius of curvature that is less than the radius of curvature of the archwire seated in the slot. The archwire contacts one or both of the projecting portions resulting in a larger moment arm and better rotational control of the bracket with the force applied by the archwire.

A self-ligating orthodontic bracket for captivating an archwire with a tooth. The bracket includes a bracket body mountable to a tooth and a self-ligating mechanism having an archwire slot and a ligating slide. The ligating slide is movable between an open position in which an archwire is insertable into the archwire slot and a closed position in which the archwire is retained in the archwire slot. The bracket body may be formed from a non-metallic material, such as a polymer, a filled polymer composite, or a ceramic, and the self-ligating mechanism may be formed from a metal. The bracket may include a resilient engagement member with a detent positioned to engage an aperture extending through the ligating slide when the ligating slide is in the closed position.

Debonding tools and methods especially useful for removing ceramic brackets adhesively bonded to the teeth of a patient. In general, the tool and methods involve applying a tensile force to one side of the bracket while avoiding point loading which may cause the bracket to break. The tensile force may be applied by grasping the bracket with a tool having two jaws and pivoting the tool and the bracket about an axis generally lying in an occlusal-gingival plane of the tooth. At least the portions of the jaws that engage the bracket are formed from a material having a substantially reduced hardness relative to the brittle material of the bracket. Other embodiments of the tool engage a recess, such as one disposed beneath a tie wing, and pry the bracket away from the tooth.

Orthodontic debonding tools and methods

Luminescent orthodontic appliances, such as brackets, archwires, bands and the like, having a luminescent pigment or mixture of luminescent pigments are described. In a preferred form, the luminescent pigment is a phosphorescent pigment comprising zinc sulfide doped with copper. The pigment gives the appliance a natural appearance in daylight and causes it to emit a greenish-white light in the dark after having been energized by an excitation light source. If desired, the luminescent orthodontic appliance may be made with a fluorescent pigment or a combination of fluorescent and phosphorescent pigments. If a fluorescent pigment is used, the bracket will exhibit a luminescence in daylight; whereas if a mixture of fluorescent and phosphorescent pigments are used, the appliance will luminesce in the dark after having been exposed to a light source, in addition to exhibiting a luminescence in the daylight. The luminescent appliances of this invention provide a fun alternative to traditional orthodontic appliances, particularly for younger patients, who can 'show off' their braces to their families and friends.

Growing community of inventors

Alta Loma, CA, United States of America

Albert Ruiz-Vela