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Bruce Haskell

William A Spencer

An improved orthodontic oral habit retraining device is disclosed. The device may comprise two identical halves, or roller sections, configured to be matingly bonded together at chair side. Once bonded, the assembled roller may define a cylindrical shape with a hollow axial opening therethrough. In one arrangement, the exterior surface of the roller is hexagonal in cross-section. During the step of bonding the two halves together, the halves are positioned about any of a number of known, standard, wire form-type orthodontic appliances. Upon bonding, the device is free to spin or roll about the wire and to move laterally on the wire structure of the orthodontic appliance. Installation typically results in positioning of the roller forward in the vault of the palate of a patient, directly adjacent the tip of the patient's tongue.

Oral habit retraining device

An orthodontic applicance for preventing unwanted rotation of a tooth during its translational movement along a main guide-wire. The appliance is adapted to be held by at least one bracket affixed to a tooth. The appliance includes a main spring assembly for causing, when activated, translational movement of a tooth along the main guide-wire to reduce space between the tooth and another tooth. An auxiliary spring assembly, which is separate and spaced from the main spring assembly, includes a spring and a mesial leg extending from the spring. The auxiliary spring assembly is used to substantially prevent unwanted rotation of the tooth being moved in a lateral direction. Orthodontic wire, which includes an anchoring end, interconnects the auxiliary spring assembly and the main spring assembly. In the preferred embodiment, the mesial leg and spring are connected to a side of the bracket while the anchoring end is connected to another tooth other than the tooth having the bracket to which the auxiliary spring assembly is connected.

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Louisville, KY, United States of America

Bruce Haskell