Multiwire arch system

An improved multiwire orthodontic bracket comprising:

• a bracket body having abase for mounting the bracket on a surface of a tooth;
• a pair of wings extending in opposite directions from the bracket body;
• first and second reentrant archwire slots spaced occluso-gingivally along opposite sides of the bracket beneath the wings;
• the slots being sized and shaped to receive and securely hold a cross-sectional dimension of an of an archwire in a base portion of the slot;
• the slots being oriented so that a pair off occluso-gingivally spaced archwires can be inserted into the slots at a nonparallel angle to one another;
• the bracket body including a third slot formed between the wings with an opening in a face of the body opposite the base of the bracket, the first and second slots each having an entry portion that opens generally toward the base of the bracket and a base portion oriented at an angle to the third slot of about 135.degree..

An interarch connector for spanning three occluso-gingivally spaced archwires, the connector comprising:

• a connector body formed of a resilient material suitable for use in the human mouth in orthodontic applications;
• the connector body having an axis of elongation;
• means defining first and second archwire openings spaced apart along the axis of elongation and sized for first and second occluso-gingivally spaced archwires to be threaded through the openings;
• and
• means defining a third archwire openings spaced between the first and second archwire openings for a third archwire to be threaded through the third opening;
• the connector body being resiliently deformable predominantly along the axis of elongation to enable the first and second archwires to be spread apart from the third archwire and then to contract the archwires toward one another.

An interarch connector for spanning two occluso-gingivally spaced archwires, the connector comprising;

• a connector body formed of a resilient material suitable for use in the human mouth in orthodontic applications;
• the connector body having an axis of elongation;
• means defining first and second archwire openings spaced apart along the axis of elongation and sized for first and second occluso-gingivally spaced archwires to be threaded through the openings;
• the connector body being resiliently deformable along the axis of elongation to enable the archwires to be spread apart and then to contract the archwires toward one another:
• the connector body being formed of a resilient elastomeric material molded to a generally rounded oblong shape with parallel spaced tubular holes defining the first and second archwire openings.

An interarch connector for spanning two occluso-gingivally spaced archwires, the connector comprising:

• connector body formed of a resilient material suitable for use in the human mouth in orthodontic application;
• the connector body having an axis of elongation;
• means defining first and archwire openings spaced apart along the axis of elongation and sized for first and second occluso-gingivally spaced archwires to be threaded through the openings;
• the connector body being resiliently deformable along the axis of elongation to enable the archwires to be spaced apart and then to contract the archwires toward one another;
• the connector body being formed of a resilient metal flat spring material folded to form spiral sections defining the first and second archwire openings.

An interarch connector for spanning two occluso-gingivally spaced archwires, the connector comprising:

• a connector body including a member formed of a resilient material suitable for use in the human mouth in orthodontic applications;
• the connector body having an axis of elongation;
• means defining first and second archwire openings spaced apart along the axis of elongation and sized for first and second occluso-gingivally spaced archwires to be threaded through the openings;
• the connector body being movable along the axis of elongation to enable the archwires to be spread apart and then to contract the archwires toward one another;
• the connector body comprising complementary first and second generally U-shaped members defining a two-part interengaging sliding structure arranged to retain two arch wires in a slot having a variable length, and said member formed of resilient material for securing the two members together in the slot of variable length as the two members are urged toward one another.

An interarch spacer for spanning the two occluso-gingivally spaced archwires, the spacer comprising:

• a spacer body formed of a rigid material suitable for use in the human mouth in orthodontic applications;
• the spacer body being elongated transversely along an occluso-gingival axis;
• means defining first and second archwire spacing slots opening in opposite directions along opposite occluso-gingival sides of the spacer body for receiving first and second archwires at a variable depth within the slots;
• the slots being spaced a predetermined fixed distance apart along the occluso-gingival axis to maintain the archwires apart at a spacing not less than a minimum occluso-gingival spacing from one another.

A multiarch assembly comprising:

• first and second parallel archwires, each formed into a segment of an orthodontic archform spanning a plurality of a patient's teeth;
• a multiarch bracket having a bracket body including a base for attaching the bracket to a surface of a tooth of the patient and means defining reentrant archwire slots along opposite occluso-gingival sides of the base for receiving and seating the first and second archwires in a base portion therein, the base portions of the slots having a predetermined center-to-center occluso-gingival spacing;
• and
• an interarch connector having a connector body formed of a resilient material with first and second archwire openings spaced apart along an occluso-gingival axis of elongation and sized for the first and second archwires to be threaded therethrough, the connector body being resiliently deformable along the axis of elongation to enable the archwires to be spread apart and then to urge the archwires toward one another in a direction of contraction along said axis;
• the openings in the interarch connector being spaced center-to-center a distance approximately equal to or less than the center-to-center occluso-gingival spacing between the base portions of the archwire slots on opposite sides of the bracket;
• the sidewalls of the archwire slots are shaped to converge toward a parallel relationship to gradually move the archwires into tightly controlled positions seated in the base portion of each slot as the archwires migrate toward the base portions of the slots under the force of contraction of the interarch connector;
• whereby the archwires, multiarch bracket and interarch connector exert force on the bracket, and thereby on the patient's teeth, with gradually increasing precision as the occluso-gingivally spaced archwires are urged by contraction of the interarch connector toward one another into the base portions of the spaced slots.

A multiarch assembly comprising:

• first and second parallel archwires, each formed into a segment of an orthodontic archform spanning a plurality of a patient's teeth;
• a multiarch bracket having a bracket body including a base for attaching the bracket to a surface of a tooth of the patient and means defining reentrant archwire slots along opposite occluso-gingival sides of the base for receiving and seating the first and second archwires in a base portion therein, the base portions of the slots having a predetermined center-to-center occluso-gingival spacing;
• and
• an interarch connector having a connector body formed of a resilient material with first and second archwire openings spaced apart along an occluso-gingival axis of elongation and sized for the first and second archwires to be threaded therethrough, the connector body being resiliently deformable along the axis of elongation to enable the archwires to be spread apart and then to urge the archwires toward one another in a direction of contraction along said axis;
• the openings in the interarch connector being spaced center-to-center a distance approximately equal to or less than the center-to-center occluso-gingival spacing between the base portions of the archwire slots on opposite sides of the bracket;
• an interarch spacer defining first and second archwire spacing slots opening in opposite directions along opposite occluso-gingival sides of the spacer body for receiving first and second archwires at a variable depth within the slots, the slots being spaced a predetermined fixed distance apart along the occluso-gingival axis to maintain the archwires at a spacing not less than a minimum occluso-gingival spacing from one another;
• whereby the archwires, multiarch bracket, interarch spacer and interarch connector exert force on the bracket, and thereby on the patient's teeth, with gradually increasing precision as the occluso-gingivally spaced archwires are urged by contraction of the interarch connector toward one another into the base portions of the spaced slots.

A multiarch assembly comprising:

• first, second and third parallel archwires, each formed into a segment of an orthodontic archform spanning a plurality of a patient's teeth;
• a multiarch bracket having a bracket body including a base for attaching the bracket to a surface of a tooth of the patient and means defining reentrant archwire slots along opposite occluso-gingival sides of the base for receiving and seating the first and second archwires in a base portion therein, the base portions of the slots having a predetermined center-to-center occluso-gingival spacing;
• the bracket body including a pair of oppositely-directed wings and a third slot formed between the wings with an opening in a face of the body opposite, the base of the bracket to receive a third archwire;
• and
• an interarch connector having a connector body formed of a resilient material with first and second archwire openings spaced apart along an occluso-gingival axis of elongation and sized for the first and second archwires to be threaded therethrough, the connector body being resiliently deformable along the axis of elongation to enable the archwires to be spread apart and then to urge the archwires toward one another in a direction of contraction along said axis;
• the first and second archwire openings in the interarch connector being spaced center-to-center a distance approximately equal to or less than the center-to-center occluso-gingival spacing between the base portions of the archwire slots on opposite sides of the bracket;
• and
• the connector body including a third archwire opening spaced between the first and second openings for the third archwire to be threaded through the third opening;
• whereby the archwires, multiarch bracket and interarch connector exert force on the bracket, and thereby on the patient's teeth, with gradually increasing precision as the occluso-gingivally spaced archwires are urged by contraction of the interarch connector toward one another into the base portions of the spaced slots.