Method and system for orthodontic moving of teeth
First Claim
1. A method of moving teeth by attaching a plurality of brackets to a plurality of teeth, subjecting the brackets and the teeth connected thereto to forces which urge them toward desired positions, the latter step being performed by subjecting a wire of a near-stoichiometric alloy of nickel and titanium to torsional forces and flexural forces before attaching it to the brackets, and non-rotatably attaching the wire to the brackets so that torsional restorative forces and flexural restorative forces act upon the brackets and teeth.
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Reexamination
Accused Products
Abstract
Orthodontic movement of malaligned teeth is performed by attaching to the teeth a wire which has properties useful in orthodontics. When the anticipated use of the wire involves torsional and flexural stresses, the wire is a single strand of a material having a higher elastic limit and a lower elastic modulus than an 18-8 stainless steel wire of identical cross-section. The invention also contemplates the use of wires which demonstrate a plastic memory which causes them to return to a preset shape or length after being deformed and then heated. For example, longitudinally shrinkable wires are either attached to teeth for closing the spaces therebetween or are used to draw a tooth toward a fixed reference member such as a rigid archwire spaced from the tooth. The mechanical memory of the wire may also tend to restore it to a preset shape upon heating in order to level or torque malposed teeth. The disclosed wires are formed of Nitinol alloy which is a known near-stoichiometric alloy of nickel and titanium. When the wire exerts tooth-moving forces by being subjected to torsional or flexural stresses, the alloy also includes cobalt substituted for nickel on an atom-for atom basis so that the composition is TiNi.935 Co.065.
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Citations
19 Claims
- 1. A method of moving teeth by attaching a plurality of brackets to a plurality of teeth, subjecting the brackets and the teeth connected thereto to forces which urge them toward desired positions, the latter step being performed by subjecting a wire of a near-stoichiometric alloy of nickel and titanium to torsional forces and flexural forces before attaching it to the brackets, and non-rotatably attaching the wire to the brackets so that torsional restorative forces and flexural restorative forces act upon the brackets and teeth.
- 8. A method of moving teeth by attaching a plurality of brackets to a plurality of teeth, subjecting the brackets and the teeth connected thereto to forces which urge them toward desired positions, the latter step being performed by subjecting a wire to flexural forces and torsional forces before attaching it to the brackets, and non-rotatably attaching the wire to the brackets so that both torsional restorative forces and flexural restorative forces act upon the brackets and teeth, said wire being a single strand having a higher elastic limit and a lower elastic modulus than an 18-8 stainless steel wire having an identical cross-section.
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13. The method of moving teeth comprising the steps of
attaching spaced-apart portions of an elongated member to a plurality of teeth, said elongated member having a preset form and a mechanical memory which returns it to its preset form in response to heating to a given temperature, said attaching step being performed at a temperature below said given temperature and while the archwire is in a deformed state which differs from its preset form heating the elongated member above said given temperature, thereby causing it to return toward its preset form to exert a moving force on the teeth.
Specification