This application is a United States National Phase Application of International Application PCT/IT2016/000071, filed Mar. 23, 2016, and claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 of Italian Application FI2015A000093, filed Mar. 30, 2015, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to a fan screw for the expansion of the upper jaw.
More particularly, a screw in accordance with the present invention is of the type usable for expanders capable of exerting expanding forces forming in the front area of the dental arch of the upper jaw for the treatment of the front transverse deficiency also associated with second-class or skeletal malocclusions.
EP 846 446 discloses a fan screw of the type mentioned above, comprising two symmetrical bodies provided with arms on which can be welded orthodontic bands to allow the anchoring thereof to a predetermined number of upper teeth. Said bodies are hinged with each other by a hinge and between them there is an expansion screw, so that the bodies can be made to rotate about the axis of said hinge by acting on a driving portion of the expansion screw, thus causing the angular spreading apart of the two bodies that therefore, through the arms anchored to the teeth, provoke the required expansion.
The main purpose of the present invention is to allow easier use of fan screws for the expansion of the upper jaw.
This result is achieved, according to the present invention, by providing a fan screw having the features according to the present invention.
Thanks to the present invention, the operation of the expansion screw is easier, which results in benefits for both the patient and the physician in the execution phase of the treatment. Furthermore, a screw in accordance with the present invention is relatively simple and economical to manufacture in relation to the advantages offered.
The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and specific objects attained by its uses, reference is made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated.
In the drawings:
Reduced to its essential structure and with reference to
Advantageously, the axis (v-v) of the screw (4) is spaced by a predetermined value (h) from the lingual side (L1, L2) of the bodies (1, 2), the value (h) being measured in a lingual direction (L) parallel to the aforementioned sagittal plane (x-x), i.e. parallel to the axis (y-y) of the hinge (3). In practice, by spacing the axis (v-v) of the driving screw (4) from the lingual side of bodies (1) and (2), the maneuvering portion (40) of the driving screw (4) is in a more easily accessible position that facilitates the activation of the device. In other words, the axis (v-v) of the driving screw (4) is lowered compared to conventional devices, ie, without modifying the position of the bodies (1, 2) with respect to the palate, the driving screw (4) is more spaced from the palate and its driving portion (40) is in a more easily accessible location allowing an easier use of a tool (C) of the type normally used for rotating the screw, as shown in
With reference to the example shown in
From the foregoing description it is apparent that a fan screw for the expansion of the upper jaw in accordance with the invention, in practice, comprises two bodies (1, 2) interconnected by at least one driving screw (4; 7) and placed on opposite sides with respect to a sagittal plane (x-x), the longitudinal axis (v-v; k-k) of said at least one driving screw (4; 7) being orthogonal to said plane (x-x), each of said bodies (1, 2) exhibiting a lingual side (L1, L2) and an opposite upper side, the longitudinal axis (v-v; k-k) of said at least one driving screw (4; 7) being at a predetermined distance (h) from the lingual sides (L1, L2) of said bodies (1, 2), said distance (h) being measured in a lingual direction (L) parallel to said plane (x-x) such that the distance between the axis (v-v) of the at least one driving screw (4; 7) and the upper sides of bodies (1, 2) is greater than the distance between the upper and the lower sides of bodies (1, 2).
The components of the screw in accordance with the present invention can be made with biocompatible materials of the type normally used for the production of intraoral devices.
In practice the details of execution may vary in any equivalent way as for what concerns the individual elements described and illustrated without thereby departing from the scope of the adopted solution and thus remaining within the limits of the protection conferred by the present patent.
While specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the principles of the invention, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
FI2015A000093 | Mar 2015 | IT | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/IT2016/000071 | 3/23/2016 | WO | 00 |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
WO2016/157228 | 10/6/2016 | WO | A |
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Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
27 22 515 | Nov 1978 | DE |
199 45 444 | Apr 2001 | DE |
0 846 446 | Jun 1998 | EP |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20180078340 A1 | Mar 2018 | US |