DENTAL BRACKET

A dental bracket is adapted to connect with a wire for repositioning of a tooth in a mouth of a patient, and includes a base member, a cap, and an adjustable unit. The cap is connected removably to the base member to define an accommodating chamber therebetween, and is formed with an opening in spatial communication with the accommodating chamber. The adjustable unit includes an inner end portion disposed within the accommodating chamber and retained at a selected one of a plurality of angular positions, and an outer end surface formed with at least one wire engaging groove that is disposed outwardly of the opening in the cap. The cap is removable from the base member to allow for angular position adjustment of the inner end portion of the adjusting member relative to the base member.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to an orthodontic device, and more particularly to a dental bracket.

2. Description of the Related Art

Referring toFIG. 1, during a dental orthodontic operation, a dental bracket11is adhered to a surface of a tooth of a patient, and a wire12is moved into contact with the dental bracket11. Subsequently, a rubber band13is sleeved on the dental bracket11to fix the wire12between the rubber band13and the dental bracket11. In this manner, the tooth can be moved gradually to an appropriate position.

Typically, the tooth is moved in the mouth by about 1 mm per month. For this reason, an angle of a straight section of the wire relative to an upright middle line (A) of the tooth must be adjusted at a time interval, so as to allow the tooth to move accurately to a predetermined position. However, since the wire12is fixed to the dental bracket11by the rubber band13, a process for adjusting the angle of the straight section of the wire12relative to the dental bracket11includes the steps of removing the rubber band13from the dental bracket11, removing the wire12from the dental bracket11, removing the dental bracket11from the surface of the tooth, cleaning and sterilizing the tooth and the dental bracket11, applying an adhesive (not shown) to the surface of the tooth, moving the dental bracket11to contact the surface of the tooth, moving the wire12to contact the dental bracket11, and sleeving the rubber band13on the dental bracket11. As a result, the angle adjustment of the straight section of the wire12is time-consuming and troublesome.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of this invention is to provide a dental bracket that is configured to allow for a position adjustment of a wire without removing the dental bracket from a tooth.

According to this invention, a dental bracket is adapted to connect with a wire for repositioning of a tooth in a mouth of a patient, and includes a base member, a cap, and an adjustable unit. The cap is connected removably to the base member to define an accommodating chamber therebetween, and is formed with an opening in spatial communication with the accommodating chamber. The adjustable unit includes an inner end portion disposed within the accommodating chamber and retained at a selected one of a plurality of angular positions, and an outer end surface formed with at least one wire engaging groove that is disposed outwardly of the opening in the cap and that engages a straight section of the wire. The cap is removable from the base member to allow for angular position adjustment of the inner end portion of the adjusting member relative to the base member.

As such, the angle of the straight section of the wire relative to the tooth can be adjusted by removing the adjustable unit from the base, thereby resulting in convenience during use of the dental bracket.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Before the present invention is described in greater detail in connection with the preferred embodiments, it should be noted that similar elements and structures are designated by like reference numerals throughout the entire disclosure.

Referring toFIGS. 2,3, and4, the first preferred embodiment of a dental bracket according to this invention is adapted for repositioning of a tooth in a mouth of a patient, and includes a base member2, a cap3, and an adjustable unit.

The base member2is adhered to the tooth in a known manner, and has an imaginary upright middle line (B), and includes a base wall21and a plurality of anchoring blocks22formed on an outer peripheral surface of the base wall21. The base wall21is formed with a retaining hole23that has a central hole portion231and a plurality of positioning hole portions232extending radially and outwardly from the central hole portion231. In this embodiment, the retaining hole23is a blind hole. The positioning hole portions232are angularly equidistant.

The cap3is connected removably to the base member2, and includes an outer end wall31, a peripheral wall32, a plurality of slide slots33, and a plurality of hook members34. When the cap3is retained on the base member2, the anchoring blocks22are engaged respectively into the slide slots33, and the cap3cooperates with the base member2to define an accommodating space therebetween. The retaining hole23forms a portion of the accommodating space. The outer end wall31is formed with an opening300in spatial communication with the accommodating chamber.

The peripheral wall32extends from an outer periphery of the outer end wall31toward the base member2. The hook members34are arranged around the opening300and along an inner peripheral portion of the outer end wall31, and extend from the outer end wall31away from the base member2for connection with a rubber band (not shown) such that a straight section of a wire (not shown) extends among the hook members34. The slide slots33are formed in an inner surface of the peripheral wall32, and permit the anchoring blocks22to be engaged respectively therein. Each of the slide slots33is L-shaped, and has a narrow slot portion332that engages a respective one of the anchoring blocks22, and a wide slot portion231that is wider than the narrow slot portion232and that is sized to allow the respective one of the anchoring blocks22to move out of the narrow slot portion232therethrough. In this embodiment, the number of the slide slots33is three.

The adjustable unit only includes an adjusting member4. The adjusting member4includes a main body or inner end portion41and a protrusion42. The main body41has a base portion411fitted within the central hole portion231of the retaining hole23, and a plurality of positioning projections412extending from the base portion411and fitted respectively within the positioning hole portions232. In this embodiment, the main body41has six positioning projections412. The protrusion42extends from the main body41and through the opening300in the cap3, and has an outer end surface421formed with a straight wire engaging groove422. The wire engaging groove422is disposed outwardly of the opening300in the cap3, and permits the straight section of the wire to extend therethrough. The cap3is removable from the base member2to allow for angular position adjustment of the main body41relative to the base member2. In this embodiment, since the number of the positioning projections412is six, when the adjusting member4is rotated by 60°, it can be positioned relative to the base member2by engagement between the positioning projections412and the positioning hole portions232. Besides, after the adjusting member4is rotated by 180°, an angle formed between the wire engaging groove422and the imaginary upright middle line (B) is not changed. Accordingly, three diffident angles can be formed between the wire engaging groove422and the imaginary upright middle line (B).

During a dental orthodontic operation, the base member2is first adhered to a surface of the tooth. Next, the adjusting member4is placed into the base member2such that the positioning projections412are engaged respectively into the positioning hole portions232according to the desired angle.

Subsequently, the cap3is moved into contact with the base member2such that that anchoring blocks22are engaged respectively into the wide slot portions331of the slide slots3in the cap3, and is rotated about its own central axis in a first direction to move the anchoring blocks22into the narrow slot portions332of the slide slot3to fix the adjusting member4between the base member2and the cap3, such that the wire engaging groove422in the protrusion42is exposed from the cap3. Finally, the rubber band is connected to the hook members34in a known manner so as to prevent movement of the straight section.

Upon a lapse of a preset time interval, when it is desired to adjust the angle of the wire engaging groove422, the cap3is rotated about its own central axis in a second direction opposite to the first direction, so as to move the anchoring projections22from the narrow slot portions332into the wide slot portions331, and the cap3is removed from the base member2. At this time, the adjusting member4is rotated about its own central axis from one angular position, where one of the positioning projections412is aligned with one of the positioning hole portions232, to another angular position, where the one of the positioning projections412is aligned with another one of the positioning hole portions232. Thereafter, the positioning projections412are engaged respectively into the positioning hole portions232so that the angle formed between the wire engaging groove422and the imaginary upright middle line (B) is changed.

For example, the angle formed between the wire engaging groove422and the imaginary upright middle line (B) can be changed from an initial angle of 90° shown inFIG. 5to a selected angle of 60° shown inFIG. 6without removing the base member2from the tooth. Hence, the adjustable unit can be retained at a selected one of a plurality of angular positions.

As such, the dental bracket of this invention is easy and convenient to use.

FIGS. 7 and 8show the second preferred embodiment of a dental bracket according to this invention, which differs from the first preferred embodiment in that the adjustable unit4includes a connecting member4′ and an adjusting member5. The connecting member4′ includes a main body having the same structure as the main body41(seeFIG. 2) of the first preferred embodiment, and a protrusion42′ extending from the main body and through the cap3. The protrusion42′ has an outer end surface formed with a dovetail groove422′. The adjusting member5includes a base portion51configured as a rectangular plate, a dovetail tongue52extending from an inner side surface of the base portion51to engage the dovetail groove422′ in a close fitting manner, and a plurality of parallel ribs53extending from an outer side surface of the base portion52for defining a plurality of parallel wire engaging grooves50. Alternatively, the positions of the dovetail groove422′ and the dovetail tongue52can be interchanged, i.e., the dovetail tongue52is disposed at the connecting member4′, and the dovetail groove422′ is disposed at the adjusting member5.

In this embodiment, the wire is engaged into a selected one of the wire engaging grooves50.

In this embodiment, since the angle of the straight section of the wire is adjusted by changing the angle formed between the imaginary upright middle line (B) and the straight section engaging grooves50and/or by moving the straight section among the wire engaging grooves50, the position of the straight section of the wire relative to the tooth is easy and convenient to adjust.

In view of the above, a process for adjusting the position of the straight section of the wire relative to the tooth includes the steps of removing the cap3from the base member2, removing the adjustable unit from the base member2, rotating the adjustable unit relative to the base member2by an angle, assembling the adjustable unit to the base member2, and assembling the cap3to the base member2. As a result, during this process, it is not necessary to remove the base member2from the tooth. Thus, the object of this invention is achieved.