World Class Technology Corporation

Orthodontic Research and Development, S.l.

Juergen Bathen

Rolf Hagelganz

Alberto Ruiz-Vela

Klaus Hagelganz

Robert Kabbani

Luis Carriere Lluch

An instrument for facilitating opening of a ligating member for an orthodontic bracket. The instrument includes one tip designed to engage an opening feature on a labial side of a ligating door of the orthodontic bracket, and another tip designed to sit underneath a tie wing formed on a body of the orthodontic bracket. When the instrument is in position against the orthodontic bracket, squeezing together the handles results in the tips applying a reciprocal force on the ligating door and the bracket body to open the ligating door along the occlusal direction.

Tool for use with orthodontic brackets

The disclosure relates to an orthodontic bracket including a ligating member mountable to a bracket body, the ligating member moveable between an open and closed position over an archwire slot. The orthodontic bracket includes a channel formed between the bracket body and the ligating member, and a resilient biasing member extending into the channel, the biasing member interacting with the ligating member to retain the ligating member in either the open or closed position.

Orthodontic bracket with a biased ligating member

A self-ligating orthodontic bracket has a sliding archwire cover that has a top surface congruent with the top surface of an upper body portion having an archwire slot. The cover has a resilient locking tab that slides across the slot, bending upward as it encounters a ridge on the other side of the slot, and latching to the ridge to secure the cover in a closed position. The cover has a modified dovetail shape with flared bottom portions that slideably engage guides for reciprocal opening and closing sliding motion. A groove in the slide support track engages the locking tab in the open position preventing it from disengaging from the upper body portion.

Self-ligating bracket with sliding cover

A set of orthodontic brackets is provided in combination with an archwire extending over an arc when fitted to the set of orthodontic brackets. The archwire has at least one radius of curvature over the length of its arc, and each one of said brackets in the set has an archwire slot. Each slot has at least one surface supporting the archwire which is contoured to have a radius of curvature that matches the radius of curvature along the arc of the archwire at that point. A round archwire is preferred and the archwire slots may be formed as tubular channels to provide better torque action for the archwire.

Orthodontic applicance with radiused wire slot

An orthodontic appliance comprises a base portion adapted to be affixed to a patient's tooth and an upper portion including a flexible and resilient hook for forming a tubular channel for receiving an archwire. The upper portion includes a flange affixed to the hook, and is sized and shaped to connect to loops of an elastomeric power chain.

Low profile bracket with elastomeric chain

The invention relates to a tooth top part for a tooth correction means (), with a base body () at which a tooth support surface () is formed for being fixed at a tooth surface () by bonding, and which is provided with a guide recess () which is formed for receiving a connecting means () for coupling neighboring tooth top parts () and which passes through the base body () in spaced relationship to the tooth support surface () along a guiding axis (). According to the invention, the base body () comprises a substantially triangular or circular section shaped cross section () in a cross sectional plane () normal to the guiding axis ().

Tooth top part

An orthodontic bracket mountable on a tooth for use in retraction mechanics to facilitate movement of teeth along an arch, which includes an archwire-receiving member rotatably mounted on a base and structured to freely rotate when tipping a tooth during sliding of the bracket along an archwire thereby minimizing friction between the archwire and bracket to significantly decrease the required retraction force, and treatment time, thereby minimizing the possibility of root resorption and maintaining the integrity of the root and surrounding bone. A locking pin for locking the member against rotation is employed when uprighting the tooth from a tipped position.

Orthodontic bracket

An orthodontic bracket mountable on a tooth for use in retraction mechanics to facilitate movement of teeth along an arch, which includes an archwire-receiving member rotatably mounted on a base and structured to freely rotate when tipping a tooth during sliding of the bracket along an archwire thereby minimizing friction between the archwire and bracket to significantly decrease the required retraction force, and treatment time, thereby minimizing the possibility of root resorption and maintaining the integrity of the root and surrounding bone. A locking mechanism for locking the member against rotation is employed when uprighting the tooth from a tipped position.

Rotating orthodontic bracket with locking mechanism

An orthodontic tool for an orthodontic appliance includes a handle and at least one distal end having a finger. The finger has a manipulator, which may include a pin or a plurality of pins, and a probe for engaging a rotary archwire cover. Using the tool, the orthodontist may open and close the archwire cover, which is rotationally mounted to an orthodontic bracket.

Tool for orthodontic appliance

An orthodontic bracket having a base attachable to a tooth surface, with the base extending outward away from the tooth surface and forming an archwire slot sized to receive an archwire therewithin, and a removable archwire slot cover coined onto the base so as to cover the archwire slot and enable the bracket to function as a buccal tube when the cover is attached. The cover may be removed from the bracket base without removal of the bracket from the tooth surface so as to provide an open archwire slot for continued orthodontic treatment subsequent to removal of the removable archwire slot cover.

Convertible buccal tube orthodontic bracket

The present invention provides designs for a self-ligating orthodontic bracket. The self-ligating orthodontic bracket includes a mounting base for attachment to a tooth surface, an archwire slot, a rotary ligating cover permitting access to the archwire slot, and one or more locking features for holding the rotary ligating cover in a closed position. In one embodiment, the bracket includes one or more locking tabs on the rotary ligating cover aligned in coplanar relation to and cooperatively mating with cutout portions in the base. In one embodiment, the bracket includes at least one resilient retention mechanism which may include one or more relief channels permitting flexing of at least portions of the rotary ligating cover adjacent to the one or more locking tabs.

Orthodontic bracket with rotary ligating cover

The present invention provides an improved self-ligating orthodontic bracket. According to one embodiment, the improved orthodontic bracket includes a mounting base for attachment to a tooth surface, an archwire slot formed upon the base and sized for receiving an orthodontic archwire, a channel formed upon the base and transversely oriented to the archwire slot, and a ligating slide member slideably retained within the channel and closeable over the archwire slot for retaining the orthodontic archwire therein, and wherein the ligating slide member includes at least one coplanar resilient retention mechanism for exerting retention forces coplanar with the ligating slide member for holding the ligating slide member in a closed position. In one embodiment, the improved orthodontic bracket comprises a bracket with a ligating slide member slideably retained within a dovetail shaped channel.

The present invention provides designs for a self-ligating orthodontic bracket. According to one embodiment, the self-ligating orthodontic bracket includes a mounting base for attachment to a tooth surface, an archwire slot formed upon the base and sized for receiving an orthodontic archwire, a rotary ligating cover selectively rotatable between an open position permitting access to the archwire slot and a closed position covering the archwire slot, and one or more locking features for holding the rotary ligating cover in a closed position. In one embodiment, the bracket includes one or more locking tabs on the rotary ligating cover aligned in coplanar relation to the rotary ligating cover and cooperatively mating with cutout portions in the base. In one embodiment, the bracket includes at least one resilient retention mechanism adjacent to the one or more locking tabs and aligned in coplanar relation to the rotary ligating cover. The resilient retention mechanism may include one or more relief channels permitting flexing of at least portions of the rotary ligating cover adjacent to the one or more locking tabs.

Growing community of inventors

McMinnville, OR, United States of America

Juergen Bathen