Orthodontic bracket with protective insert or liner
OwnerMelvin Wallsheininventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A plastic orthodontic bracket has an insert in the arch wire opening thereof which is of a material harder than the plastic material from which the bracket is fabricated. Preferably, the insert or liner is a metal material. The bracket with the insert or liner may be made by molding the plastic material around the liner material or by molding the plastic bracket and later inserting a previously formed liner or insert. Alternatively, the bracket may be made by means of extrusion of a plastic material and/or the liner material, the resultant elongated structure being then cut up into sections to form the individual brackets.
Claims34
An orthodontic bracket assembly comprising:
- a non-metallic bracket having an opening therein for receiving an arch wire, or the like;
- and
- a hard liner on at least a portion of the surface of said non-metallic bracket defining said opening for protecting said non-metallic bracket from damage due to forces applied by an arch wire, or the like, received therein, said liner being fabricated of a material harder than the material of said bracket;
- said liner having a raised peak portion interior of the edges of said opening which is adapted to serve as a tilting surface for an arch wire or the like, said liner being fabricated of two pieces which meet generally at said peak portion.
An orthodontic bracket assembly comprising:
- a non-metallic bracket having an opening therein for receiving an arch wire, or the like;
- and
- a hard liner on at least a portion of the surface of said non-metallic bracket defining said opening for protecting said non-metallic bracket from damage due to forces applied by an arch wire, or the like, received therein, said liner being fabricated of a material harder than the material of said bracket;
- said hard liner including flanges overlying a front surface portion of said bracket at least adjacent the area where said bracket opening opens to said front portion, said flanges extending from a liner portion in said opening.
An orthodontic bracket assembly comprising:
- a non-metallic bracket having an opening therein for receiving an arch wire, or the like;
- and
- a hard liner on at least a portion of the surface of said non-metallic bracket defining said opening for protecting said non-metallic bracket from damage due to forces applied by an arch wire, or the like, received therein, said liner defining a void space interior of the edges thereof, said liner being fabricated of a material harder than the material of said bracket.
An orthodontic bracket assembly comprising:
- a non-metallic bracket having an opening therein for receiving an arch wire, or the like, and tie wing portions;
- a first hard liner on at least a portion of the surface of said non-metallic bracket defining said opening for protecting said non-metallic bracket from damage due to forces applied by an arch wire, or the like, received therein, said liner being fabricated of a material harder than the material of said bracket;
- and
- at least one second hard liner on the rear surfaces of at least one of said tie wing portions, said at least one second hard liner being fabricated of a material harder than the material of said bracket.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.