US-12622768-B2 - Orthodontic appliance for correcting misalignment of teeth

US12622768B2US 12622768 B2US12622768 B2US 12622768B2US-12622768-B2

Abstract

An orthodontic device for treating misalignment of teeth, the device including an anchor having an attachment base and a stem extending upwardly from the attachment base, where the attachment base is configured for mounting the anchor to a patient's tooth. The device further includes an arm with an elongate body having an attachment portion disposed along one end thereof and a bonding portion disposed along an opposite end thereof. The attachment portion includes a notch formed along an end face thereof and a seat in communication with the notch. The arm is removably mountable to the stem via the notch and the seat, the arm being rotatable about a rotational axis relative to the stem to a locked position where the arm is bonded in place to another tooth via the bonding portion for treatment.

Inventors

Alberto Ruiz-Vela
Juergen Bathen

Assignees

WORLD CLASS TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20230713

Claims (17)

1 . An orthodontic device for treating misalignment of teeth, the device comprising: an anchor including an attachment base having a top surface and an opposite bottom surface, the anchor further including a stem extending upwardly from the top surface of the attachment base, wherein the stem includes a first planar segment and a second planar segment disposed parallel to one another, the first planar segment and the second planar segment oriented at an angle relative to a horizontal axis extending across the attachment base of the anchor; an indicator marking formed on the anchor and aligned along an axis parallel to the first and second planar segments, the indicator marking indicating an angular orientation of the first planar segment and the second planar segment relative to the attachment base of the anchor; and an arm including an elongate body having a top surface and an opposite bottom surface, the elongate body further including an attachment portion disposed along one end thereof and a bonding portion disposed along an opposite end thereof, the bonding portion including a bonding surface mountable to a tooth, the bonding surface formed along the bottom surface of the elongate body, wherein the attachment portion includes a seat, the seat receiving the stem of the anchor to removably mount the arm to the anchor, and wherein the arm is rotatable about a rotational axis relative to the stem when the stem is in the seat.
2 . The orthodontic device of claim 1 , wherein the attachment portion further includes a notch formed along an end face thereof, the notch in communication with the seat and providing a passageway for the stem from the end face to the seat.
3 . The orthodontic device of claim 2 , wherein the seat further includes an eyelet formed along the attachment portion and an interior wall at least partially surrounding the eyelet.
4 . The orthodontic device of claim 1 , wherein the stem further includes a first circular segment and a second circular segment offset from one another, and wherein the first planar segment spans between the first circular segment and the second circular segment along a first side of the stem, and wherein the second planar segment spans between the first circular segment and the second circular segment along a second side of the stem.
5 . The orthodontic device of claim 1 , wherein the anchor further includes a cap atop the stem, and wherein the cap includes the indicator marking formed on a top surface thereof.
6 . The orthodontic device of claim 1 , wherein the seat further includes an interior wall, and wherein at least a first portion of the stem abuts the interior wall when the arm is mounted to the stem, and wherein at least a second portion of the stem rides against the interior wall as the arm is rotated relative to the stem.
7 . The orthodontic device of claim 6 , the stem further including a first circular segment and a second circular segment offset from one another, wherein the first planar segment spans between the first circular segment and the second circular segment along a first side of the stem, and wherein the second planar segment spans between the first circular segment and the second circular segment along a second side of the stem, and wherein one or both of the first circular segment and the second circular segment of the stem rides against the interior wall as the arm is rotated relative to the stem.
8 . The orthodontic device of claim 1 , wherein the arm further includes a hook formed along the top surface thereof, the hook configured for receiving an elastic member along a first portion thereof.
9 . The orthodontic device of claim 8 , further comprising a second anchor configured for receiving the elastic member along a second portion thereof.
10 . The orthodontic device of claim 1 , wherein the elongate body further includes curved central portion positioned between the attachment portion and the bonding portion.
11 . A method for installing an orthodontic device for treating misalignment of teeth, the method comprising: coupling an anchor to a first tooth along a first dental arch, the anchor including an attachment base having a top surface and an opposite bottom surface, the anchor further including a stem extending upwardly from the top surface of the attachment base, wherein the stem includes a first planar segment and a second planar segment oriented at an angle relative to a horizontal axis extending across the attachment base of the anchor; aligning an attachment portion of an arm with an indicator marking formed on the anchor and aligned along an axis parallel to the first planar segment and the second planar segment, the indicator marking indicating an angular orientation of the first planar segment and the second planar segment relative to the attachment base of the anchor; inserting the attachment portion of the arm into the stem of the anchor along a seat formed on the arm; driving the arm into the stem to position the stem within the seat of the arm; rotating the arm about a rotational axis relative to the stem while the arm is positioned within the seat; and coupling a bonding portion of the arm to a second tooth along the first dental arch, wherein the attachment portion and the bonding portion are disposed along opposite ends of the arm.
12 . The method of claim 11 , the attachment portion of the arm including a notch formed along an end face thereof, the notch in communication with the seat and providing a passageway for the stem from the end face to the seat, wherein aligning the attachment portion of the arm includes aligning the notch of the attachment portion with the stem.
13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein aligning the notch further includes aligning the notch relative to the first planar segment and the second planar segment.
14 . The method of claim 13 , the anchor further including a cap formed atop the stem, the cap including the indicator marking formed thereon, wherein aligning the notch of the attachment portion relative to the first planar segment and the second planar segment further includes aligning the notch of the attachment portion of the arm with the indicator marking on the cap.
15 . The method of claim 11 , wherein rotating the arm about the rotational axis further includes rotating the arm to a locked position that is parallel to a horizontal axis extending across the attachment base and through the stem of the anchor.
16 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising: bonding a second anchor to a patient's tooth along a second dental arch; coupling a first portion of an elastic member to a hook formed on the arm; and coupling a second portion of the elastic member to the second anchor.
17 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the arm includes an elongate body, and wherein a central portion of the elongate body between the attachment portion and the bonding portion is curved.

Description

RELATED APPLICATION DATA This application is a nonprovisional of and claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/368,441, filed Jul. 14, 2022, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. BACKGROUND The disclosure relates generally to the field of orthodontic appliances, and in particular, to such appliances designed for correcting a misalignment of a patient's teeth. In orthodontics, a malocclusion generally refers to a misalignment of teeth in the upper and lower dental arches that typically results in an abnormal bite for the patient. Orthodontic devices, such as dental braces and correction devices, are commonly used to help align a patient's teeth and to address various other flaws generally relating to the teeth and jaw. During treatment, the corrective orthodontic appliance that is used typically depends on the severity and nature of the misalignment. Malocclusions are commonly classified into three classes. A Class I malocclusion is generally characterized by a slight overlap of the upper teeth over the lower teeth. In these cases, the patient's bite is typically normal, but the teeth may have problems with spacing, crowding, and/or angular orientation (for example, the teeth may be angled rearwardly toward the tongue or forwardly toward the lips). In a Class II malocclusion (colloquially referred to as an overbite), the upper teeth stick out over the lower teeth and may be angled toward the tongue or lips in a similar fashion as a Class I malocclusion, but a Class II malocclusion is more severe and significantly impacts a patient's bite. Finally, in a Class III malocclusion (colloquially referred to as an underbite), the lower teeth stick out beyond the upper teeth, and may include teeth angled toward the tongue or lips, and/or may include teeth forming an abnormally shaped arch. To address a Class I malocclusion, an orthodontic appliance may be used to gradually expand the upper jaw to create space for the teeth to erupt properly and in the correct alignment. If necessary, braces or other appliances may be used as a secondary measure to subsequently adjust and straighten the teeth. For Class II and Class III malocclusions, an orthodontic appliance may be used to gradually adjust the patient's bite and correct the misalignment. Typically, the goal of the treatment protocol for addressing a Class II or Class III malocclusion is to adjust the patient's teeth to attain a Class I condition. Thereafter, the same process as described above to correct the Class I malocclusion may be applied. For Class II and Class III malocclusions, a wide variety of orthodontic devices have been developed to exert biasing forces on the mandible, either anteriorly or posteriorly as needed, to correct the malocclusion. One conventional orthodontic device includes a configuration utilizing a rigid, elongated arm that attaches along one end to a first tooth (typically a molar) and attaches along another end to a second tooth (typically a cuspid or bicuspid) on the same dental arch (such as the maxillary arch). This type of device also incorporates an elastic element (such as a rubber band) that attaches to the mesial end of the elongated arm and attaches to an anchor on a third tooth (such as a first or second molar) of the other dental arch (such as the mandibular arch). Once in position, the device applies the appropriate forces to correct the malocclusion over time. The present inventors have found that conventional corrective devices for treating malocclusions are challenging to install, require unnecessary in-office labor, and/or lack a streamlined design. Accordingly, the present inventors have identified a need for an improved orthodontic correction device with a flexible design to optimize and simplify the installation procedure. Additional aspects and advantages will be apparent from the following detailed description of example embodiments, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional orthodontic device in accordance with an example embodiment. FIG. 2 illustrates the conventional orthodontic device of FIG. 1 in an example arrangement for correcting malocclusions in accordance with one embodiment. FIG. 3 illustrates another conventional orthodontic device in accordance with an example embodiment. FIG. 4 illustrates an orthodontic device for correcting malocclusions in accordance with one embodiment. FIG. 5 is a side view of an arm of the orthodontic device of FIG. 4. FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the arm of FIG. 5. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an anchor of the orthodontic device of FIG. 4. FIG. 8 is a cross-section view taken along section 8-8 of the anchor of the orthodontic device of FIG. 7. FIG. 9 is a front view of the anchor of FIG. 7. FIG. 10 is a cross-section view taken along section 10-10 of the anchor of FIG. 9. FIG. 11 illustrates an example rotat