System and method to bioengineer facial form in adults
First Claim
1. A method for changing the form of at least one of the facial and jaw bones of a patient in which such bone did not develop fully during childhood, said method comprising the steps of:
- providing a device having a plate body that fits within the mouth of the patient, flap springs that project from the plate body and an overlay extending from the plate body;
placing the device within the mouth of the patient so that the overlay is in a position between at least an upper and lower tooth of the patient, the flap springs press against at least one selected tooth that is out of place and the plate body is spaced from the patient'"'"'s tissue, including the palate; and
arranging the shape and placement of the device such that contact of the patient'"'"'s upper tooth and lower tooth or teeth with the overlay causes the patient'"'"'s facial muscles to intermittently pull on at least one of the bones essentially each time the patient swallows, thereby causing further development of the at least one bones toward a symmetrical appearance of the face and the positioning of the out of place tooth or teeth into a proper position or positions.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus are provided for changing the form of the jaw and facial bones of an adult patient that did not develop fully during childhood. The method utilizes a device having a plate body with an expansion screw device that fits within the mouth of the patient, flap springs that project from the plate body and an overlay extending from the plate body. The device is placed within the mouth of the patient so that the overlay is in a position between at least two opposing teeth. In this position the flap springs press against selected teeth that are out of alignment in order to urge those teeth back into place. This force on the teeth causes the jawbone to expand to accept the teeth in their proper position(s). Also, the device is arranged such that the opposing teeth contact the overlay during swallowing, which causes the patient'"'"'s facial muscles to intermittently pull on the facial bones. This intermittent application of force to the facial bones causes these bones to further develop toward a symmetrical appearance of the face and the positioning of out of place teeth/tooth into proper position. The device can be adjusted by small motors under the control of a microprocessor located on the body plate based on readings from sensors on the flap springs.
59 Citations
26 Claims
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1. A method for changing the form of at least one of the facial and jaw bones of a patient in which such bone did not develop fully during childhood, said method comprising the steps of:
- providing a device having a plate body that fits within the mouth of the patient, flap springs that project from the plate body and an overlay extending from the plate body;
placing the device within the mouth of the patient so that the overlay is in a position between at least an upper and lower tooth of the patient, the flap springs press against at least one selected tooth that is out of place and the plate body is spaced from the patient'"'"'s tissue, including the palate; and
arranging the shape and placement of the device such that contact of the patient'"'"'s upper tooth and lower tooth or teeth with the overlay causes the patient'"'"'s facial muscles to intermittently pull on at least one of the bones essentially each time the patient swallows, thereby causing further development of the at least one bones toward a symmetrical appearance of the face and the positioning of the out of place tooth or teeth into a proper position or positions. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
- providing a device having a plate body that fits within the mouth of the patient, flap springs that project from the plate body and an overlay extending from the plate body;
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12. A device comprising:
- a plate body in the form of two halves and designed to fit within the mouth of a patient;
an overlay extending from at least one of the plate body halves, said overlay being designed to fit between at least an upper tooth and an opposing lower tooth of the patient so the patient'"'"'s mouth cannot fully close;
a clasp connected to said plate body, said clasp selectively connecting said device to at least one tooth of a patient;
a motorized screw connection between the halves of the plate body to move the halves toward or away from each other;
at least one flap spring connected to said plate body and designed to contact and apply pressure to at least one tooth of the patient; and
at least one sensor located on the flap spring and measuring the pressure applied to the tooth by the flap spring. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
- a plate body in the form of two halves and designed to fit within the mouth of a patient;
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25. A device comprising:
- a plate body in the form of two halves and designed to fit within the mouth of a patient;
an overlay extending from at least one of the plate body halves, said overlay being designed to fit between at least an upper tooth and an opposing lower tooth of the patient so the patient'"'"'s mouth cannot fully close;
a clasp connected to said plate body, said clasp selectively connecting said device to at least one tooth of a patient;
a motorized screw connection between the halves of the plate body to move the halves toward or away from each other;
at least one flap spring connected to said plate body and designed to contact and apply pressure to at least one tooth of the patient; and
a processor for reading a sensor to determine the pressure applied to the tooth by the flap spring and for operating a pressure control device to vary the pressure according to predetermined parameters. - View Dependent Claims (26)
- a plate body in the form of two halves and designed to fit within the mouth of a patient;
Specification