Glue-free dental articulator and method of use
OwnerDouglas Eugene Millerinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention provides a low-cost, durable dental articulator that does not require the use of toxic or messy glues. The articulator is composed of a pair of bands that encircle and are attached to the plaster upper and lower teeth bases of the model, a pair of spheres that mechanically attach to the bands at any of several positions corresponding to the rear of the mouth on the dental model, and a hinge assembly simulating movement of the jaw and made of two arcs attached to each other at their ends by a hinge mechanism and having clamps at their apexes for attaching to the spheres. The dental model can be adjusted to mimic the occlusion of the patient by adjusting the position at which the spheres are attached to the bands and the position of the spheres in the clamps.
Claims16
An apparatus for mounting and articulating a dental model comprising upper teeth mounted in an upper base and lower teeth mounted in a lower base, the apparatus comprising:
- a first substantially inflexible band for encircling the upper base, the first substantially inflexible band further comprising
- a first retaining means for extending into and securing the upper base and
- a first attachment site on an outer surface of the first substantially inflexible band,
- a second substantially inflexible band for encircling the lower base, the second substantially inflexible band further comprising
- a second retaining means for extending into and securing the lower base and
- a second attachment site on an outer surface of the second substantially inflexible band,
- a pair of spheres with attached mechanical means for fixedly securing each sphere to one of the first or second attachment sites, and
- a hinge assembly comprising
- a pair of elastic arcuate arms connected at their ends by
- a hinge mechanism and
- a pair of grips at the apex of each arcuate arm, each grip of the pair facing each other and being shaped to grip the surface of a sphere,
- wherein each arcuate arm can be flexed by squeezing its ends toward each other to spread the pair of grips sufficiently to allow insertion one of the pair of spheres between the pair of grips and, when the squeezing is released, the grips engage the surface of the sphere to fixedly secure the sphere by friction.
An apparatus for mounting and articulating a dental model comprising upper teeth mounted in an upper base and lower teeth mounted in a lower base, the apparatus comprising:
- a first substantially inflexible band for encircling the upper base, the first substantially inflexible band further comprising
- a first retaining means for extending into and securing the upper base and
- at least one substantially spherical socket with an opening in an outer surface of the first substantially inflexible band,
- a second substantially inflexible band for encircling the lower base, the second substantially inflexible band further comprising
- a second retaining means for extending into and securing the lower base and
- at least one substantially spherical socket with an opening in an outer surface of the second substantially inflexible band, and
- a hinge assembly comprising
- a pair of elastic arcuate arms, each arm having an apex which forms a partial sphere sized to fit the substantially spherical socket, and
- a hinge mechanism connecting the arcuate arms at their ends, wherein each arcuate arm can be flexed by squeezing its ends toward each other to compress the partial sphere sufficiently to allow insertion the partial sphere into the socket and, when the squeezing is released, the partial sphere expands to fixedly secure the partial sphere in the socket by friction.
A method of forming a dental model comprising tooth shapes in a cured substrate, the method comprising:
- providing a substantially inflexible band for enclosing the cured substrate, the band having a retaining means for extending into and securing the cured substrate,
- providing a flexible cap,
- placing the substantially inflexible band on the flexible cap to provide a mold having the flexible cap as its bottom, the inflexible band as its sides and the retaining means extending into the void defined by the bottom and sides,
- placing an uncured substrate in the mold with the retaining means extending into the uncured substrate,
- anchoring the tooth shapes in the uncured substrate,
- allowing the substrate to cure, and
- removing the flexible cap from the cured substrate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.