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US 2014/0349243 A1Published application
Dental orthotic strut having multiple axes of movement
OwnerJames Metzinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A dental orthotic strut having at least one multi-axis rotable joint connecting the strut to either a maxillary and/or mandibular retainer attached to the teeth. Jaw advancement may be accomplished by periodically replacing the strut with a new strut having a slightly longer minimum length, thereby advancing the resting position of the closed jaw. The rotable joint or joints allow greater freedom of movement and comfort when the jaw is opened in a non-sagittal plane. A plurality of strut pairs having a same length, but with progressively longer sets of strut pairs is generally supplied, so that left and right struts can be progressively replaced with longer struts over time.
Claims20
An dental orthotic strut (10), comprising:
- a posterior barrel (100) having a posterior barrel rearward end (102) having a posterior barrel anchor (115), a posterior barrel forward end (104), a posterior barrel exterior surface (110), and a posterior barrel external diameter (140);
- a piston (200) having a piston overall length (202), a piston retainer portion (210) having a piston retainer length (212) and a piston retainer diameter (214), a piston working body portion (220) having a piston working body length (222) and a piston working body diameter (224), a piston stem portion (230) having a piston stem length (232) and a piston stem diameter (234);
- an anterior barrel (300) having an anterior barrel rearward end (302) and an anterior barrel forward end (304) having an anterior barrel anchor (315), an anterior barrel exterior surface (310), an anterior barrel external diameter (340), an anterior barrel lumen (330) within the anterior barrel (300) having an anterior barrel lumen interior surface (320), an anterior barrel lumen first diameter (332), an anterior barrel lumen second diameter (333), and an anterior barrel rearward fenestration (336);
- wherein the piston stem portion (230) and piston body portion (220) pass through the anterior body lumen rearward fenestration (336), the piston retainer diameter (214) being greater than the anterior barrel lumen second diameter (333) and less than the anterior barrel lumen first diameter (332), thereby movably retaining the piston (200) within the anterior barrel lumen (330) and preventing the overall length of the piston (202) from fully passing through the anterior barrel rearward fenestration (336);
- and
- the piston stem portion (230) is fixed to the posterior barrel forward end (104).
3 more elements
The device according to claim 9, wherein the rigid joint is selected from the group of rigid joints consisting of a welded joint, an adhered joint, and a press-fit joint.
A dental orthotic strut (10), comprising:
- a posterior barrel (100) having a posterior barrel rearward end (102) having a posterior barrel anchor (115) rotably attachable to the mandibular portion of a dental orthotic by a removable anchor pin (117), a posterior barrel forward end (104), a posterior barrel exterior surface (110), a posterior barrel external diameter (140), a posterior barrel lumen (130) within the posterior barrel (100) having a posterior barrel lumen interior surface (120), a posterior barrel lumen diameter (132), and a posterior barrel lumen forward fenestration (134) having a posterior barrel lumen forward fenestration diameter (135);
- a piston (200) having a piston overall length (202), a piston retainer portion (210) having a piston retainer length (212) and a piston retainer diameter (214), a piston working body portion (220) having a piston working body length (222) and a piston working body diameter (224), a piston stem portion (230) having a piston stem length (232) and a piston stem diameter (234);
- an anterior barrel (300) having an anterior barrel rearward end (302) and an anterior barrel forward end (304) having an anterior barrel lumen forward fenestration (334) with an anterior lumen forward fenestration diameter (335), greater than the piston retainer diameter (214), an anterior barrel anchor (315) rotably attachable to a maxillary portion of the dental orthotic by a removable anchor pin (117), an anterior barrel exterior surface (310), an anterior barrel first external diameter (340), an anterior barrel lumen (330) within the anterior barrel (300) having an anterior barrel lumen interior surface (320), an anterior barrel lumen first diameter (332), an anterior barrel lumen second diameter (333), and an anterior barrel rearward fenestration (336);
- wherein the piston stem portion (230) and the piston body portion (220) pass through the anterior body lumen rearward fenestration (336), the piston retainer diameter (214) being greater than the anterior barrel lumen second diameter (333) and less than the anterior barrel lumen first diameter (332), thereby movably retaining the piston (200) within the anterior barrel lumen (330) and preventing the overall length of the piston (202) from fully passing through the anterior barrel rearward fenestration (336);
- and the piston stem portion (230) passes through the posterior barrel forward fenestration (134) into the posterior barrel lumen (130) and is fixed within the posterior barrel lumen (130).
2 more elements
A method of employing a dental orthotic strut (10) for the progressive advancement of the lower jaw, comprising the steps of:
- a. providing a dental orthotic having a maxillary portion capable of reversibly attaching to a plurality of maxillary teeth of a patient and a mandibular portion capable of reversibly attaching to a plurality of mandibular teeth of a patient;
- b. reversibly and rotably attaching the maxillary portion to the mandibular portion with at least a first strut (10) having;
- a posterior barrel (100) having a posterior barrel rearward end (102) having a posterior barrel anchor (115) rotably attachable to the mandibular portion, a posterior barrel forward end (104), a posterior barrel exterior surface (110), and a posterior barrel external diameter (140);
- wherein the posterior barrel (100) has a predetermined first overall length measured along a longitudinal axis of the posterior barrel (100) from a center of the posterior barrel anchor (115) to the posterior barrel forward end (104);
- a piston (200) having a piston overall length (202), a piston retainer portion (210) having a piston retainer length (212) and a piston retainer diameter (214), a piston working body portion (220) having a piston working body length (222) and a piston working body diameter (224), a piston stem portion (230) having a piston stem length (232) and a piston stem diameter (234);
- an anterior barrel (300) having an anterior barrel rearward end (302) and an anterior barrel forward end (304) having an anterior barrel anchor (315) rotably attachable to the maxillary portion, an anterior barrel exterior surface (310), an anterior barrel first external diameter (340), an anterior barrel lumen (330) within the anterior barrel (300) having an anterior barrel lumen
- interior surface (320), an anterior barrel lumen first diameter (332), an anterior barrel lumen second diameter (333), and an anterior barrel rearward fenestration (336),
- wherein the piston stem portion (230) and the piston body portion (220) pass through the anterior body lumen rearward fenestration (336), the piston retainer diameter (214) being greater than the anterior barrel lumen second diameter (333) and less than the anterior barrel lumen first diameter (332), thereby movably retaining the piston (200) within the anterior barrel lumen (330) and preventing the overall length of the piston (202) from fully passing through the anterior barrel rearward fenestration (336);
- and the piston stem portion (230) is fixed to the posterior barrel forward end (104);
- c. releasably attaching the maxillary portion to the plurality of maxillary teeth of a patient and the mandibular portion to the plurality of mandibular teeth of a patient, thereby displacing a lower jaw in a forward direction;
- d. observing a length of time;
- e. periodically removing the orthotic and measuring a degree of the displacement of the lower jaw;
- f. while the orthotic is removed from the patient, removing the first strut (10) from the maxillary and mandibular portion;
- g. reversibly and rotably attaching the maxillary portion to the mandibular portion with a second strut (10) having,
- a posterior barrel (100) having a posterior barrel rearward end (102) having a posterior barrel anchor (115) rotably attachable to the mandibular portion, a posterior barrel forward end (104), a posterior barrel exterior surface (110), and a posterior barrel external diameter (140);
- wherein the posterior barrel (100) has a predetermined second overall length measured along a longitudinal axis of the posterior barrel (100) from a center of the posterior barrel anchor (115) to the posterior barrel forward end (104);
- a piston (200) having a piston overall length (202), a piston retainer portion (210) having a piston retainer length (212) and a piston retainer diameter (214), a piston working body portion (220) having a piston working body length (222) and a piston working body diameter (224), a piston stem portion (230) having a piston stem length (232) and a piston stem diameter (234);
- an anterior barrel (300) having an anterior barrel rearward end (302) and an anterior barrel forward end (304) having an anterior barrel anchor (315) rotably attachable to the maxillary portion, an anterior barrel exterior surface (310, an anterior barrel internal surface (320), an anterior barrel first external diameter (340), an anterior barrel lumen (330) within the anterior barrel (300), an anterior barrel interior surface (320), an anterior barrel lumen first diameter (332), an anterior barrel lumen second diameter (333), and an anterior barrel rearward fenestration (336);
- wherein the piston retainer portion (230) and the piston body portion (220) pass through the anterior body lumen rearward fenestration (336), the piston retainer diameter (214) being greater than the anterior barrel lumen second diameter (333) and less than the anterior barrel lumen first diameter (332), thereby movably retaining the piston retainer (210) within the anterior barrel lumen (330), and thereby movably retaining the overall length of the piston (202) from passing through the anterior barrel rearward fenestration (336)), thereby movably retaining the piston (200) within the anterior barrel lumen (330) and preventing the overall length of the piston (202) from fully passing through the anterior barrel rearward fenestration (336);
- and
- the piston stem portion (230) is fixed to the posterior barrel lumen (130),
- h. repeating steps a-g until a predetermined degree of lower jaw advancement has been obtained,
- i. removing the orthotic from the teeth of the patient.
20 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.