Premarked orthodontic arch wire
OwnerJames A. Bondinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An orthodontic arch wire composed of stainless steel or other bendable alloy formed into an arc is provided with lines permanently etched, or otherwise permanently marked, across its long dimension, and/or outward-facing surfaces at intervals approximating the midpoint at which adjacent teeth contact each other when normally aligned. When the arch wire is removed from the patient's mouth for periodic adjustments, the etch marks provide accurate, stable, and permanent landmarks for placement of adjustment bends for three-dimensional movements of individual teeth. In order to accommodate a range of tooth and dental arch sizes, the arch wires are of small, medium, and large sizes for both upper and lower arch forms with the markings proportioned for small, medium, and large tooth sizes.
Claims5
An orthodontic arch wire, comprising:
- a preformed and premarked orthodontic arch wire having a plurality of markings along a surface thereof, each of said markings being permanent guide marks located in alignment with the contact points of normally aligned adjacent teeth and between the teeth where adjustment bends are made in the arch wire.
The method of selecting an orthodontic arch wire for a dental patient, comprising:
- providing a plurality of arch wires of different sizes, each arch wire having a plurality of markings along a surface thereof, each of said markings being permanent guide marks located in alignment with the contact points of normally aligned adjacent teeth;
- sizing a patient's teeth;
- and
- selecting from among said plurality of arch wires, one arch wire best sized to the patient's tooth size such that when applied to said patient's teeth said guide marks are located between the patient's teeth where adjustment bends are to be made.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.