Patent Application
20210169615
The present disclosure relates to orthodontic brackets, and in particular, to a reinforced ceramic orthodontic bracket, the bracket being reinforced with a metal backing.
Orthodontics is a specialized field of dentistry that involves the application of mechanical forces to urge poorly positioned or crooked teeth into correct alignment and orientation. Orthodontic procedures can be used for cosmetic enhancement of teeth, as well as medically necessary movement of teeth to correct an underbite or an overbite. For example, orthodontic treatment can improve the patient's occlusion and/or enhanced spatial matching of corresponding teeth.
The most common form of orthodontic treatment involves the use of orthodontic brackets and wires, which together are commonly referred to as “braces.” Orthodontic brackets are small slotted bodies configured for direct attachment to the patient's teeth, or alternatively, for attachment to bands, which are, in turn, cemented or otherwise secured around the teeth. Once the brackets are affixed to the patient's teeth, such as by means of glue or cement, a curved arch wire is inserted into slots in the bracket. The arch wire acts as a template or track to guide movement of the teeth into proper alignment. End sections of the arch wire are typically captured within tiny appliances known as tube brackets or terminal brackets, which are affixed to the patient's bicuspids and/or molars. The remaining brackets typically include open arch wire slots and apply orthodontic forces by means of ligatures attached to the brackets and arch wire (e.g., by means of tie wings on the brackets).
Orthodontic treatment is traditionally performed using metallic brackets. With the continuously increasing demand for orthodontic treatment among adults, the aesthetic preferences of orthodontic applicants have received increased emphasis. Accordingly, more aesthetic orthodontic appliances, including ceramic brackets and clear aligners, have been recently introduced.
Although ceramic is biocompatible, rigid, and has greater aesthetic appeal than metal appliances, it is a brittle material with low ductility. These characteristics may result in enamel damage or bracket fracture when removing/debonding the ceramic bracket from the tooth.
Thus, an orthodontic bracket solving the aforementioned problems is desired.
The reinforced ceramic orthodontic bracket includes a ceramic body reinforced with a metal backing. The bracket attaches to a user's tooth and accepts an alignment wire for adjusting the orientation of the tooth based on forces provided by the alignment wire. A tooth contacting side of the bracket may include a metal plate to counteract the relatively low tensile strength and ductility of the ceramic. An opaque layer may be included between the ceramic and the metal plate to mask the color of the metal so that the bracket blends in with the natural color of the tooth.
A method of making the orthodontic bracket includes sintering the ceramic body, the opaque layer, and the metal plate together, resulting in bonds between the layers that do not rely upon adhesive.
These and other features of the present disclosure will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.
Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.
The reinforced ceramic orthodontic bracket is a ceramic bracket reinforced with a metal backing. The bracket may be dimensioned and configured similar to orthodontic brackets known in the art for attachment to a user's teeth that receive an alignment wire for aligning the teeth. A tooth-contacting side of the bracket includes a metal reinforcement to counteract the relatively low tensile strength and ductility of the ceramic for bonding/debonding the bracket to and from the teeth. An opaque layer may be included between the ceramic and metal reinforcement for masking the color of the metal so that the bracket blends in with the natural color of the tooth.
A metal base 30 is attached to the tooth-facing side of the ceramic body 20. The metal base 30 may completely cover the tooth facing surface of the ceramic body 20. In some embodiments, as shown in
The ceramic body 20 and metal base 30 may be bonded together using both chemical and physical bonds. A method of making the bracket 12 may include roughening the tooth-facing surface of the ceramic body 20 and the ceramic body-facing surface of the metal base 30. The ceramic body 20 may be roughened using acid etching, sand blasting, or other methods known in the art. The metal base 30 may be roughened using sand blasting, acid etching, or other methods known in the art, followed by heat treatment for oxidizing the metal surface. The roughened surfaces may be bonded by forcing the surfaces together while heating in a sintering process. During the sintering process, the ceramic will partially dissolve and be saturated with the metal oxide, resulting in a chemical bond between the two surfaces. As a result, the metal base 30 and the ceramic body 20 will be bonded without the use of an adhesive that may be susceptible to failure and degradation. In embodiments using zirconia as an opaque layer 40, a thin layer may be painted on the roughened and oxidized metal base 30 and heated under a vacuum to prevent voids. The metal base 30 and zirconia/polymer 40 component may then be attached to the ceramic body 20 using the previously discussed sintering process.
It is to be understood that the reinforced ceramic orthodontic bracket is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the generic language of the following claims enabled by the embodiments described herein, or otherwise shown in the drawings or described above in terms sufficient to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the claimed subject matter.
