Dentistry – Orthodontics – By mouthpiece-type retainer
Patent
1995-05-30
1997-10-28
O'Connor, Cary E.
Dentistry
Orthodontics
By mouthpiece-type retainer
5 7, 5 17, A61C 300
Patent
active
056811640
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to an orthopaedic modular assembly for application to one side of a patient's mouth and to a dento-facial orthodontic appliance comprising two such assemblies.
My British Patent No. 2 192 339 describes an orthopaedic modular assembly comprising a housing component of rigid material providing a first vertically spaced pair of parallel passages and a second horizontally spaced pair of parallel passages extending substantially at right angles to said first pair, a second component in the form of a lingual pad support having a pair of parallel arms adapted to form a snug sliding fit within said first pair of housing passages and a further arm extending substantially at right angles to said pair of arms and adapted to conform to the line of one side of a patient's mouth, and a third component having a pair of parallel members adapted to fit within said second pair of housing passages and a portion extending upwardly at an angle to said members for supporting a member designed to act on the cheek at said one side of the patient's mouth.
One problem associated with the modular assembly described above is that in order to secure the arms of the lingual pad support in the housing it is necessary to squeeze the arm where it is received in the passage of the housing to provide a friction fit. This is not only a difficult procedure but also does not provide a very secure attachment to the housing.
It is one object of the present invention to provide an orthopaedic modular assembly in which the above mentioned disadvantage associated with my previous assembly is obviated or at least mitigated. In particular it is one object of the present invention to provide such a modular assembly comprising a housing component which forms a fixed support for a lingual pad support wherein the lingual pad support is held securely in the housing and may be inserted or removed therefrom in a simple and convenient manner.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved orthodontic appliance comprising two such modular assemblies.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an orthopaedic modular assembly which is simple and cheap to manufacture.
The present invention accordingly provides an orthopaedic modular assembly comprising a housing component of rigid material providing a first passage, a second component in the form of a lingual pad support having a first arm adapted to form a snug sliding fit within the first housing passage and a second arm extending at an angle to said first arm and adapted to conform to the line of one side of a patient's mouth, and latch means associated with the housing component wherein the second component is held in the housing component by the latch means and is slidably adjustable relative to the housing to any one of a plurality of predetermined latched positions.
The latch means preferably comprises a resilient member, such as a spring, which is attached to the housing and arranged to engage one of a plurality of notches formed in the first arm of the lingual pad support.
The housing may be provided with a second passage vertically spaced from and parallel to the first passage and the lingual pad support may be provided with a second arm extending parallel to the first arm, the pair of parallel arms being adapted to form a snug sliding fit within the first and second housing passages.
Suitably, the housing is provided with a horizontally spaced pair of parallel passages or channels extending substantially at right angles to the first passage and a third component is provided having a pair of parallel arms adapted to fit within the horizontally spaced pair of housing passages or channels and a portion extending upwardly at an angle to the arms for supporting a member designed to act on the cheek at one side of the patient's mouth.
The housing is preferably formed of synthetic plastics material and injection moulded in one piece. Alternatively, the housing maybe formed of metal such as stainless steel. The housing may be provided with integral
REFERENCES:
patent: 4416625 (1983-11-01), Armstrong
patent: 4468196 (1984-08-01), Keller
patent: 4571178 (1986-02-01), Rosenburg
patent: 4573914 (1986-03-01), Nord
patent: 4752222 (1988-06-01), Bass
patent: 5299935 (1994-04-01), Lokar
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