Patent Application
20190328492
The present invention relates generally to the field of orthodontic appliances. More specifically, the present invention discloses an orthodontic button for removably attaching an elastic that includes an offset vertical slot to facilitate debonding the button from a tooth.
Elastics are widely used in orthodontic treatment to exert a tensile force between two points in the dental anatomy. For example, elastics are commonly used for closing gaps between teeth, or for moving teeth. An elastic must be attached to anchor points at each end. A wide variety of orthodontic appliances can be used to removably engage the ends of an elastic, such as brackets, aligners and archwires.
A variety of small buttons are also used to attach elastics to individual teeth. A button typically includes a base for bonding the button to the surface of a tooth, and a post, hook or other protrusion to engage the elastic. The button is usually bonded to the tooth with a conventional adhesive. However, the button must be removed at the end of this phase of treatment. The conventional way to do this has been to grip the button with pliers and exert sufficient force to break the adhesive bond between the base of the button and the surface of the tooth. Unfortunately, such forces can cause patient discomfort, particular if torque is applied to the tooth. There is also a substantial risk that the button will break or that segments of the adhesive will remain attached to the tooth. This often requires grinding to fully remove the button and adhesive, which can be an unpleasant experience for the patient. In light of these difficulties, there is a need for an orthodontic button that can be easily removed in one piece, and without requiring excess force or grinding.
The present invention addresses these shortcomings by providing an orthodontic appliance having a vertical slot that is laterally offset. The slot divides the body of the button into a larger lateral segment and a smaller lateral segment. Pliers can be used to exert a compressive force on these lateral segments to compress the vertical slot and release the base from the tooth. In particular, the smaller lateral segment will tend to pivot about its base as it is compressed into the vertical slot, thereby peeling the base of the button from the tooth, beginning at the underlying lateral edge of the base. The entire button can then be easily released from the tooth in one piece. Due to the leverage provided by the shape of the smaller lateral segment and the relatively small surface area of the underlying portion of the base, only minimal force is required to debond the button.
This invention provides an orthodontic button having a base for bonding attachment to a tooth. A substantially vertical slot extends into the outer face of the button, and divides the button into a smaller lateral segment covering a smaller portion of the base and a larger lateral segment covering a larger portion of the base. A post on the larger lateral segment provides a point of attachment for removably engaging an elastic to the button. Exerting a lateral compressive force on the smaller lateral segment and the larger lateral segment compresses the slot and releases the base from the tooth.
These and other advantages, features, and objects of the present invention will be more readily understood in view of the following detailed description and the drawings.
The present invention can be more readily understood in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
Turning to
A vertical slot 24 in the outer face of the button 20 divides it into a larger lateral segment 25 and a smaller lateral segment 26. It should be noted that the slot is laterally offset toward a lateral edge (e.g., toward the left in the accompanying figures) of the orthodontic button 20. The slot 24 runs in a generally vertical direction and extends into the outer face of the button toward the base 23, as shown in
The vertical orientation of the slot 24 helps to reduce the risk of accidental debonding of the button 20, because the slot 24 is perpendicular to the occlusal plane and therefore is not normally subject to any substantial aberrant force. Accidental debonding forces usually occur perpendicular to the occlusal plane during mastication and clenching. Here, these forces are parallel to the axis of the vertical slot 24, and do not cause lateral compression of the slot 24 that might otherwise lead to accidental debonding.
Returning to
The orthodontic button 20 also includes a post 27 for removably engaging an elastic 30. The post 27 can have any of number of possible shapes and configurations. In the embodiment shown in the accompanying figures, the post 27 forms a hook that extends outward from the larger lateral segment 25 adjacent to the vertical slot 24. This post 27 curves away from the smaller lateral segment 26 to define a recess 28 between the post 27 and remaining body of the larger lateral segment 25 for removably engaging an elastic 30 as shown in
As previously mentioned, the post 27 is preferably laterally offset toward the vertical slot 24 and the smaller lateral segment 26 (i.e., to the left of the center of the button 20 in
The above disclosure sets forth a number of embodiments of the present invention described in detail with respect to the accompanying drawings. Those skilled in this art will appreciate that various changes, modifications, other structural arrangements, and other embodiments could be practiced under the teachings of the present invention without departing from the scope of this invention as set forth in the following claims.
