Dalman orthodontic bracket
OwnerDalia El-Bokleinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An orthodontic bracket assembly treatment system comprising a bracket base and at least two rigid selectable bracket covers slidably engageable with the bracket base wherein the selectable at least two rigid selectable bracket covers are removably slidably couplable to said bracket base by slidably engaging the upper lip with the upper retention element and the lower lip with the lower retention element and wherein the width of the face of a first one of the at least two rigid selectable bracket covers is wider than the width of the face of a second one of the at least two rigid bracket covers and can be selectively releasably attached to the base during a treatment such that the treatment utilizes either the first bracket cover or the second bracket cover depending on a patient's treatment needs at a stage of the treatment.
Claims15
An orthodontic bracket assembly treatment system comprising:
- (1) a bracket base having:
- (a) a mounting portion defining a mounting surface structurally configured to be attached to a labial surface of a patient's tooth;
- (b) an upper retention element extending from an upper end and spaced apart from the mounting surface;
- (c) a lower retention element extending from a lower end and spaced apart from the mounting surface, with the lower retention element being opposite the upper retention element wherein said upper retention element and said lower retention element form a slot adapted to receive an archwire therealong;
- and
- (2) a plurality of rigid selectable bracket covers slidably engageable with the bracket base from either a left axial direction or a right axial direction, each rigid selectable bracket cover having:
- (a) a width, wherein said width is selectable to control a stiffness of the archwire;
- (b) an upper lip formed at an upper end of a face of each selectable bracket cover;
- and
- (c) a lower lip formed at a lower end of the face opposite of the upper end to collectively define a channel, wherein each of the selectable rigid bracket covers is removably slidably couplable to said bracket base by slidably engaging the upper lip with the upper retention element and the lower lip with the lower retention element, and wherein the width of the face of a first one of the rigid selectable bracket covers is wider than the width of the face of a second one of the rigid bracket covers and each of the selectable rigid bracket covers can be selectively releasably attached to the bracket base during a treatment such that the treatment utilizes one of the first bracket cover and the second bracket cover depending on a patient's treatment needs at a stage of the treatment;
- wherein the face of the plurality of rigid selectable bracket covers further comprises an indentation adapted to facilitate a removal of the at least two rigid selectable bracket covers;
- and
- (3) a removal tool comprising upper and lower members configured to grip the upper and lower lips of the bracket cover and a middle member configured to engage the indentation to facilitate removal of the bracket cover in a direction substantially perpendicular to the labial surface of the patient's tooth.
An orthodontic treatment method using an orthodontic bracket assembly system comprising:
- (a) attaching a plurality of bracket bases having a mounting portion to a corresponding number of a patient's teeth;
- (b) inserting a primary archwire along a primary archwire slot of the plurality of bracket bases;
- (c) selecting a bracket cover for each of the plurality of bracket bases from a set of selectable bracket covers, the set including at least one of a narrow bracket and one of a wide bracket cover for each of the plurality of bracket bases according to at least one of an orthodontic treatment phase and an orthodontic treatment need, wherein a face of each of the bracket covers in the set of bracket covers further comprises an indentation adapted to facilitate a removal of the selected bracket covers;
- (d) slidably coupling the selected bracket cover onto the bracket base of each of the plurality of bracket bases from either a left axial direction or a right axial direction thereby securing the primary archwire;
- and
- e) connecting an upper and lower members of a removal tool to an upper and lower lip of the selected bracket cover and further connecting a middle member of the removal tool to the indentation of the selected bracket cover and sliding the selected bracket cover in a direction substantially perpendicular to the labial surface of the patient's tooth to remove the selected bracket cover.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.