IPC분류정보
국가/구분 |
United States(US) Patent
등록
|
국제특허분류(IPC7판) |
|
출원번호 |
US-0075327
(1987-07-20)
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발명자
/ 주소 |
- Breads, Peter R.
- Abbatte, Gerard P.
- Warunek, Stephen P.
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출원인 / 주소 |
- Great Lakes Orthodontics, Ltd.
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대리인 / 주소 |
Hodgson, Russ, Andrews, Woods & Goodyear
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인용정보 |
피인용 횟수 :
221 인용 특허 :
5 |
초록
▼
An orthodontic appliance for maloccluded teeth and an associated method of construction utilizes an elastomer base material comprised of a silicone elastomer composition. The elastomer composition, when in an uncured condition, possessses a sufficiently low viscosity so that the positioner can be fo
An orthodontic appliance for maloccluded teeth and an associated method of construction utilizes an elastomer base material comprised of a silicone elastomer composition. The elastomer composition, when in an uncured condition, possessses a sufficiently low viscosity so that the positioner can be formed in a low pressure injection molding process and which, when in a cured condition, possessses a relatively high resistance to tear.
대표청구항
▼
1. An orthodontic appliance for maloccluded teeth including a monolithic body of elastomer base material having an arcuate-shaped portion along which is defined a recess for receiving teeth of one dental arch of the patient wherein the teeth include maloccluded teeth to which are secured coupling me
1. An orthodontic appliance for maloccluded teeth including a monolithic body of elastomer base material having an arcuate-shaped portion along which is defined a recess for receiving teeth of one dental arch of the patient wherein the teeth include maloccluded teeth to which are secured coupling members, the recess having walls defining teeth-engaging surfaces shaped generally complementary to the surfaces of the teeth of said one arch when the maloccluded teeth thereof are positioned in a predetermined orientation and defining a series of indentations formed in the material of said body and disposed across said teeth-engaging surfaces, each indentation shaped in the material of said body to nestingly accept a corresponding protruding coupling member portion when placed thereabout so that when said appliance body is operatively positioned within the patient's mouth and stretched about the teeth of the one dental arch so that the teeth thereof are accepted by the recess of said arcuate-shaped portion and each protruding coupling member portion is nestingly accepted by a corresponding indentation, the stretched body acts directly against the teeth and the coupling member portion to urge the teeth toward a desired orientation, the improvement characterized in that: the elastomer base material is a silicone elastomer composition which, when in an uncured condition, is liquid and possesses a sufficiently low viscosity so that said positioner can be formed in a low pressure injection molding process, which composition is curable to a solid form by the application of heat so that the rate of cure can be controlled by controlling the amount of heat applied, and which, when in a cured condition, possesses a relatively high resistance to tear and an inherent strength for urging preselected ones of the teeth toward a predetermined orientation wherein the positioner forces for acting upon the teeth are within a range of orthodontically-acceptable force levels. 2. The improvement of claim 1 wherein the silicone elastomer composition, when cured, is relatively clear. 3. The improvement of claim 1 wherein the silicone elastomer composition, when cured, resists absorption of water. 4. The improvement of claim 1 wherein the silicone elastomer composition is a medical grade liquid silicone rubber. 5. An orthodontic appliance for maloccluded teeth to which are operatively secured coupling members and wherein the appliance includes a monolithic body constructed of an elastomer base material having an arcuate portion along which is shaped a recess for receiving teeth of one dental arch of the patient, the recess having walls defining teeth-engaging surfaces shaped generally complementary to the surfaces of the teeth of said one arch when the maloccluded teeth thereof are positioned in a predetermined orientation and defining a series of identations formed in the material of said body and disposed across said teeth-engaging surfaces, each indentation shaped in the material of said body to nestingly accept a corresponding protruding coupling member portion when placed thereabout so that when said appliance body is operatively positioned within the patient's mouth and stretched about the teeth of the one dental arch so that the teeth thereof are accepted by the recess of said arcuate-shaped portion and each protruding coupling member portion is nestingly accepted by a corresponding indentation, the stretched body acts directly against the teeth and the coupling members to effectively bias the teeth of said one arch toward the predetermined orientation, the improvement characterized in that: the elastomer base material is formed from a silicone elastomer composition in the form of a medical grade liquid silicone rubber possessing, when in an uncured condition, viscous characteristics permitting the material to be injection molded at low pressures and which, when cured, possesses a relatively high tear resistance, said silicone elastomer composition including two parts which when mixed in appropriate portions, is curable to a tough, rubbery elastomer via addition-cure chemistry, said silicone elastomer composition possessing, when cured, an inherent strength for urging preselected ones of the teeth toward a predetermined orientation wherein the positioner forces for acting upon the teeth are within orthodontically-acceptable force levels. 6. A method of constructing an orthodontic positioner for maloccluded teeth located in a preselected one of the upper and lower dental arches of a patient wherein the maloccluded teeth of the patient supportedly carry coupling members of the type including portions protruding from the teeth, the method including the steps of providing a construction model of the patient's teeth in the preselected dental arch when the teeth therein are positioned in a predetermined orientation, providing an amount of uncured elastomer base material and forming the positioner out of said elastomer base material by low pressure injection molding including applying said elastomer base material about said construction model and permitting said elastomer base material to cure, the construction model including either portions simulating the coupling members or coupling members attached to the teeth-simulating portions of the construction model so that the applying of elastomer base material about the construction model shapes the elastomer material about the coupling member-simulating portions of the coupling members so that the subsequently-formed positioner is a monolithic body adapted to coact with the teeth and coupling members to effectively bias the teeth of the preselected arch toward the predetermined orientation, the improvement characterized in that the elastomer base material, when uncured, is a medical grade liquid silicone rubber which possesses a sufficiently low viscosity so that said positioner can be formed in a low pressure injection molding process and which, when cured, possesses a relatively high tear resistance and possesses elastic characteristics so that when the positioner is operatively stretched about the teeth in a deformed condition, the positioner urges the teeth toward the predetermined orientation and the force exerted by the positioner upon the teeth is within a range of orthodontically-acceptable force levels. 7. The improvement of claim 6 wherein said step of forming the positioner includes the steps of: building a wax pattern of the desired positioner upon said construction model so as to provide a pattern-supporting construction model, which positioner includes a part adapted to be positioned about at least the teeth, protruding portions of the coupling members and gum tissue portion of the preselected dental arch; providing investment molding equipment with which the positioner is to be constructed; operatively positioning the pattern-supporting construction model within the investment molding equipment and utilizing investment molding techniques to replace the wax pattern within the molding equipment with the uncured amount of elastomer base material; permitting the amount of elastomer base material to cure to thereby provide the positioner; removing the positioner from the investment molding equipment. 8. The improvement of claim 6 wherein the elastomer base material, when cured, resists the absorption of water. 9. The improvement of claim 6 wherein the elastomer base material, when cured, is relatively clear. 10. An orthodontic appliance for maloccluded teeth including a body of elastomer base material having an arcuate-shaped portion along which is defined a recess for receiving teeth of one dental arch of the patient and urging preselected ones of the teeth toward a desired orientation, the improvement characterized in that: the elastomer base material is a silicone elastomer composition which, when in an uncured condition, possesses a sufficiently low viscosity so that said positioner can be formed in a low pressure injection molding process and which, when in a cured condition, possesses a relatively high resistance to tear, said silicone elastomeric composition including a mixture of triorganosiloxy endblocked polydimethylsiloxane fluid, a reinforcing amorphous silica and a fluid organohydrogensiloxane and a platinum catalyst. 11. The improvement of claim 10 wherein said triorganosiloxy endblocked polydimethylsiloxane fluid is present in said composition in about 100 parts by weight and said reinforcing amorphous silica is present in said composition in about 20 to 60 parts by weight. 12. An orthodontic appliance for maloccluded teeth including a body of elastomer base material having an arcuate-shaped portion along which is defined a recess for receiving teeth of one dental arch of the patient and urging preselected ones of the teeth toward a desired orientation, the improvement characterized in that: the elastomer base material is a silicone elastomer composition which, when in an uncured condition, possesses a sufficiently low viscosity so that said positioner can be formed in a low pressure injection molding process and which, when in a cured condition, possesses a relatively high resistance to tear, said silicone elastomer composition including a platinum catalyst. 13. An orthodontic appliance for maloccluded teeth to which are operatively secured coupling members and wherein the appliance includes a body constructed of an elastomer base material having an arcuate portion along which is shaped a recess for receiving teeth of one dental arch of the patient wherein said body cooperates with said coupling members and teeth so that when operatively positioned thereabout, the stretched body acts against the teeth and coupling members to effectively bias the teeth of said one arch toward the predetermined orientation, the improvement characterized in that: the elastomer base material is formed from a silicone elastomer composition possessing, when in an uncured condition, viscous characteristics permitting the material to be injection molded at low pressures and which, when cured, possesses a relatively high tear resistance, said silicone elastomeric composition including a mixture of triorganosiloxy endblocked polydimethylsiloxane fluid, a reinforcing amorphous silica and a fluid organohydrogensiloxane and a platinum catalyst. 14. A method of constructing an orthodontic positioner for maloccluded teeth located in a preselected one of the upper and lower dental arches of a patient including the steps of providing a construction model of the patient's teeth in the preselected dental arch when the teeth therein are positioned in a predetermined orientation, providing an amount of uncured elastomer base material and forming the positioner out of said elastomer base material by injection molding including applying said elastomer base material about said construction model and permitting said elastomer base material to cure, the improvement characterized in that: the elastomer base material, when uncured, possesses a sufficiently low viscosity so that said positioner can be formed in a low pressure injection molding process and which, when cured, possesses a relatively high tear resistance and possesses elastic characteristics so that when the positioner is operatively stretched about the teeth in a deformed condition, the positioner urges the teeth toward the predetermined orientation and the force exerted by the positioner upon the teeth is within a range of orthodontically-acceptable force levels, said elastomer base material including a mixture of triorganosiloxy endblocked polydimethylsiloxane fluid, a reinforcing amorphous silica and a fluid organohydrogensiloxane and a platinum catalyst.
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