Ormco Corporation

Memory Medical Systems, Inc.

Other

Sofamor Danek Holdings, Inc.

Rohit C Sachdeva

Farrokh Farzin-Nia

Petrus Antonius Besselink

Yoshiki Oshida

Howard M Alliger

Thomas V Selkee

Mikhail L Samchukov

Petrus Antonious Besselink

Shuichi Miyazaki

Petrus A Besselink

Lawrence M Wolford

J David Ross

Jitender Vij

Takao Kubota

An aligner assembly for facilitating an alignment of one or more teeth is disclosed. The aligner assembly includes a shell adapted to receive the one or more teeth. The aligner assembly further includes one or more engagement structures configured to be coupled to one of the one or more teeth or the shell. Each engagement structure includes a slot and adapted to engage with the shell for facilitating a reposition of the one or more teeth.

Modular aligner devices and methods for orthodontic treatment

The present invention relates to a device for performing bone distraction and/or tooth movement, and more particularly to a widening or contracting device which is capable of effecting bone distraction in more than one plane of space simultaneously. In its broadest aspects, the present invention is a device that can be used for bone distraction or osteogenesis, as well as tooth movement, which includes an expandible (or contractible) member for affixation in the oral cavity of a patient. The device is adapted to provide distraction of a selected craniofacial bone, such as the mandible, or movement of teeth, simultaneously in more than one plane of space. The expandible (or contractible) member includes a mechanism for expanding (or contracting) the expandible (or contractible) member to achieve the desired distraction of the selected bone or movement of selected teeth.

Device for bone distraction and tooth movement

A self-ligating orthodontic bracket comprised of a ligating member containing a coil spring segment for extending the ligating member over an archwire or retainer wire and over one or more tie wings to secure the archwire or retainer wire in the bottom of a slot in the bracket. The ligating member containing the coil spring may have ends that are engaged in opposing mesially-distally extending bores in one side of the bracket body, with the ligating member being engaged with one or more tie wings on an opposite side of the bracket body. Alternatively, the ligating member may form a closed loop with the ligating member engaged under both occlusally-projecting and gingivally-projecting tie wings or engaged under one or more tie wings on one side of the bracket body and passing through a mesially-distally extending bore on the opposite side of the bracket body.

Self ligating orthodontic bracket

A device and method is presented for enhancing the shape, mass, and strength of alveolar and intramembranous bone, primarily in areas of bony deficit. In one embodiment, the device is made up of a hollow body which forms a housing to contain a drive train and provide a surface for attaching mounting elements. A worm gear activating element which meshes with a threaded lead screw acts as the drive train. A carrier is coupled by threads to the lead screw. As the worm gear is turned, the lead screw rotates and causes the carrier to move along the axis of rotation of the lead screw. In this embodiment, the soft tissue in a region of tooth loss is reflected to expose the atrophic bone site. A piece of bone harvested from the exposed area or other bone attractant material is attached to the carrier. The soft tissue is adapted over the carrier and sutured, and the assembly is attached to available dental structures. After initiation of biological bridging between the harvested bone and the host bone, the drive train is activated to move the carrier. Newly formed bone grows in the path of motion of the carrier between the harvested bone and the underlying bone.

Device and method for enhancing the shape, mass, and strength of

Dental and orthodontic articles comprising alloys of a material selected from the group consisting of Ti, Zr, Si, Mo, Co, Nb and Be. The alloys may further include at least one secondary alloying element selected from the group consisting of Ta, Cr, Al, V, Pd, Hf and Fe. The alloys preferably comprise a primary constituent in the range of about 30-85% by weight of the alloy, a secondary alloying component in the range of about 0.5-10% by weight, and the alloy has a modulus of elasticity in the range of about 5 million to 15 million psi.

Dental and orthodontic articles of reactive metals

A series of medical instruments can be made with the use of shape memory tube with a transformation temperature that is above or below the ambient temperature. In the first case, the material behaves with the shape memory effect and in the second case the behavior is superelastic. The wall of the tube has been provided with a plurality of slots in specific places, often near or at the distal end of the instrument, and in specific arrangements which allow local variations in diameter, shape, and/or length. These variations can either be caused by the memory effect during temperature change or by superelastic behavior during change of the mechanical influences on the memory metal by the surrounding material.

Medical instrument with slotted memory metal tube

An insert for reinforcing a nonmetallic orthodontic appliance is provided including a metal core member having a ceramic outer surface. In one preferred form, a ceramic coated metallic insert having a tooth enamel color is disposed within the archwire slot of a plastic bracket to form an aesthetically pleasing, reinforced plastic orthodontic bracket.

Insert for reinforcing an orthodontic appliance and method of making same

A bone anchoring assembly and method for attaching a body part to a patient's bone which includes a bone anchor that is implantable in bone having an opening leading to a cavity formed therein. A coupling member with at least one portion made of a shape memory material having a transformation temperature range is disclosed. The coupling member is movable through the opening and in and out of the cavity at temperatures below the transformation temperature range. With it in the cavity and at temperatures above the transformation temperature range, the coupling member is locked within the bone anchor. The coupling member is attachable to the body part.

Bone anchoring apparatus and method

A medical/dental apparatus utilizing the properties of shape memory materials to variably control the spatial relationship between two or more elements having portions which are proximately disposed and overlapping relative to one another. Another portion of each element is connectable to part of a patient's body.

Temperature sensitive medical dental apparatus

This invention is directed to a temporary implant for use as an anchor in the mouth, as well as to a method of attaching the temporary implant to the maxillary or mandibular bone. The temporary implant includes an implant adapted to be temporarily affixed in a buccal, labial, lingual or palatal bone surface of the maxillary jawbone, or buccal, labial or lingual bone surface of the mandibular jawbone. In one embodiment, the implant includes a longitudinal threaded cylindrical bore for releasably attaching various orthodontic appliances to the implant.

Temporary implant for use as an anchor in the mouth

Orthodontic archwires and methods of making such archwires. The archwire includes a shape memory alloy having a preset shape for exerting forces on teeth during orthodontic treatment. The alloy, which preferably is comprised of at least three elements (e.g., Ni, Ti and Cu), has a transformation temperature (A.sub.f) greater than about 25.degree. C., whereby the orthodontic archwire produces forces at normal mouth temperature which are greater than the forces produced at normal room temperature. The orthodontic archwire also preferably has a variable modulus of elasticity.

Shape memory orthodontic archwire having variable recovery stresses

The present invention is an instrument (10) which includes a tubular section (12) having a wall (13) made of a material exhibiting superelastic characteristics and a delivery tube (14) having a bore (15) through which the tubular section (12) passes. The instrument (10) may be adapted for use in medical/dental and non-medical procedures. The superelastic character of the wall material is used in combination with the delivery tube (14) to alternately restrict the shape of the wall (13) and allow it to change to its unconstrained shape. Thus, the wall (13) can be sufficiently deformed to permit the tubular section (12) to pass in and out of and through the delivery tube (14) while at the same time enabling the tubular section (12) to have a shape when extended outside of the delivery tube (14) that is sufficiently bent or curved to be suitable for performing a desired function, for example a medical or dental procedure inside a patient's body. In this way, the delivery tube (14) enables the tubular section (12) to reach the site of the procedure through more narrow insertion paths, and in the case of medical/dental applications, with less trauma to the surrounding tissue along the insertion path. Because it can be inserted through more narrow pathways, the tubular section (12) can be delivered to more remote and harder to reach locations.

Instrument for endoscopic-type procedures

Temperature-sensitive medical/dental apparatus

The present invention is a prosthesis (10) for replacing a body part which includes a first element (16) adapted to receive at least a portion of a second element (18) in an operative manner. The present prosthesis (10) also includes a variable locking ring (20) made of a shape memory material having a transformation temperature range ('TTR'). The locking ring (20) is used to allow insertion of the second element (18) into the first (16) at least at temperatures below the TTR and to lock the elements (16, 18) together at least at temperatures above the TTR. With it at a temperature below its TTR, the locking ring (20) is positioned between the two elements (16, 18). With it so positioned, the locking ring (20) is adapted to interlock the elements (16, 18) together at temperatures above its TTR by at least attempting to change its shape.

Prosthesis with shape memory locking element

Coil springs for use in orthodontic appliances which are made from wire of a beta-phase titanium alloy wound into a plurality of turns forming a coil having an outside diameter in the range of about 0.040 inches (1.016 mm) to about 0.075 inches (1.905 mm). These coil springs may be designed for use in tension as well as compression for a number of orthodontic applications.

Growing community of inventors

Plano, TX, United States of America

Rohit C Sachdeva