Interdental immobilization device

Abstract: An interdental immobilization device consists of a fixture of at least two components, a screw member (11), and a nut (17) or as a 3 or 4 part fixture employing a cone (16) with an aperture from base through apex so that the screw may slip therethrough, and the screw has a threaded helical shaft (13) which threadingly mates with the nut. The screw and the cone have the means for anchoring the screw to the cone. The cone is slipped onto the screw and anchored thereon; and, the screw is pushed through from inside the mouth, through the gum between adjacent teeth (50), and then engaged onto the threaded nut, whereby the fixture is secured between two adjacent teeth. Using a plurality of these two 3 or 4 part fixtures, staggered and spatially disposed along both upper and lower jaw, when they are interjoined with wire or elastic the lower jaw is effectively immobilized to the upper jaw.

Description: This invention relates to an interdental immobilization device. From time to time, it is necessary to immobilize the human jaw. This will be necessary when fractures of mandible occur or when (sparingly) one wishes to have their mouth fixed shut so as to avoid eating, and hence lose weight. The existing method of the prior art uses a pliable metal strip with projecting hooks known as an archbar and several fine wires and rubber bands. The metal strip is secured tightly to the teeth of the upper jaw by passing a wire around the base of a tooth and through the gum and over each side of the tooth and also over the metal strip. At this point, both ends of the wire are outside the mouth and are twisted together to hold the metal strip urgingly against the outside surface of the teeth. The twisted wire is then cut to a length of approximately 0.3175 cm to 0.635 cm (1/8 to 1/4 inch) and bent backward towards the gum and preferably placed in between two adjacent teeth to prevent irritation on the inside of the lips (see e.g. U.S-A-2 502 902 where the wires have been replaced by tooth encircling bands) This is repeated spatially around eight to twelve teeth of the upper jaw and the same is repeated over the lower jaw. The metal strip has the projecting hooks spatially disposed on its outside surface and over these hooks small rubber bands or wires are then attached between those hooks of the metal strip attached to the teeth of the lower jaw and those hooks of the upper jaw. This technique has been published at pages 301 through 303 in Surgery of the Upper Respiratory System (Vol 1-2nd Edition) by William W. Montgomery M.D., published by Lea & Febiger, Copyright 1979. This particular prior art technique, which is extremely common in North America and around the world, has several disadvantages. The most dominant disadvantage is that, during twist tightening of the wires, the wires can easily snap and the whole process must be repeated, hence adding to the length of the installation procedure. It is not uncommon for this procedure to take between 1 and 2 hours of operating theatre time, since a general anaesthetic for the patient is always needed. After approximately two days of use, the wires need to be re-tightened and re-twisted, as they have a tendency to loosen off and sometimes break. If they break during tightening, the patient must be re-anaesthetized again within the operating theatre and new wires inserted as before. Further, the patient must be anaesthetized for wire removal after the jaw has mended. With the recent scare of AIDS and HEPATITIS B, there is a constant danger of trauma to the surgeon's hands from the ends of the wire, and hence exposure to the patient's body fluids and blood, since the passing of the wire between the teeth always ruptures the gum and the gum bleeds. The conceived fixtures according to the invention have several advantages over the prior art; namely, (a) anaesthetic is generally required only on the installation of the fixture; (b) the fixture may be tightened by the simple expedient of turning down a nut on a flexible screw, as there is no wire twisting with the attendant possibilities of wire breakage and blood letting; thus, the prior art step for re-installation of possibly broken wires in an operating theatre environment with the patient anaesthetized is avoided; not to mention the associated blood letting; and, (c) the fixture is easily removed generally without the patient being re-anaesthetized. The interdental immobilization device is but a two part fixture, a yieldable stainless steel shaft with one end as a threaded helical portion that extends into a smooth continuous shaft that then tapers into a pointed tip. The smooth cylindrical portion of the shaft is capable of being bent, and a threaded nut is adapted to threadingly mate onto the threaded shaft and to tighten down and to locate the shaft and nut in a clamping arrangement about a tooth in a manner as will be described. The fixture exposes an anchoring surface associated with the nut, which preferably is cylindrical, onto which rubber bands or wires may be attached so as to fix the lower and upper jaw into rigid position. In one variant of the nut, the nut defines a smooth bored channel sized slightly smaller in diameter than that of the threaded shaft. In this variant, the nut is composed of a plastic material such as nylon. As a further variant of the nut, the channel has a shorter major bore with diameter larger than that of the threaded shaft that steps into a longer minor bore with diameter slightly smaller than that of the threaded shaft. The length of the minor bore is substantially greater than that of the major bore. As a further alternative variant of the nut, the nut may have a helically threaded channel of constant diameter which threadingly mates with the helical thread of the shaft and is composed of a biologically inert metal such as surgical stainless steel. In these embodiments, it is preferred that the nut have a truncated cone portion with the channel intersecting the truncation, and wherein the truncated cone portion extends into a cylindrical piece bounded by a bearing surface such as a hexagon or knurl. The invention therefore contemplates a two part fixture for interdental immobilization comprising: (a) a longitudinal shaft defining a helical threaded portion that transforms into a smooth cylindrical piece to terminate at a pointed distal end; (b) a nut member defining an aperture therethrough adapted to matingly thread with the helical threaded portion. The longitudinal shaft is surgical stainless steel in the preferred diameter of 0.0635 cm (0.025") to 0.08128 cm (0.032") inches and the screw member is nylon and the aperture is a step bore which steps from a major bore to a minor bore, the minor bore having a diameter at least equal to the root thread diameter of the stainless steel shaft. In the preferred embodiment, the nylon nut has a frusto-conical surface that extends into a cylindrical bearing portion and defines means for turning such frusto-conical surface. The invention will now be described by way of example and reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a top plan view of the two part device according to the invention shown during its initial stages of installation between two adjacent teeth. Figure 2 shows the second step of the installation procedure of the two part device where the smooth cylindrical portion of the shaft has been bent and pushed through the space between said one tooth and the next adjacent tooth. Figure 3 is a perspective view indicating the third step of the installation procedure of the two part device. Figure 4 is a partial perspective view of a jaw indicating the mode of securing the upper and lower jaws according to the invention. Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of the nut. Figure 6 is a cross section through an alternative nut having a smooth uniform bore. Referring to figure 1, the two part interdental device is generally shown as 10; and, consists of a shaft member 11 that includes a longitudinal smooth portion 12 which tapers into a point or tip 13 at one end and extends into a helical thread portion 14 at the other end. The shaft member 11 has a length of approximately 7.6 cm (3 inches) with the helical thread portion 14 length of about 0.9525 cm (3/8 of an inch) and is made of surgical stainless steel with a preferred diameter range of 0.0635 cm (0.025" or 22 gauge) to 0.08128 cm (0.032" or 20 gauge). A nut 15 is formed of nylon such as Nylon Polyamide. Particularly suitable is a Nylon Polyamide pipe 6-6 available from Cadillac Plastics of Toronto, Ontario, Canada; this particular nylon will withstand temperatures of approximately 93°C (200°F), and remain rigid and, hence, can be easy autoclaved. Its melting temperature is about 204°C (400°F). It also has a Rockwell hardness of R110-R120. The nut 15, has a channel 16' therethrough, preferably as a smooth bore, as shown in figure 6. The channel 16' preferably has a diameter sized to at least the root thread diameter of thread portion 14. The nut 15 then can be threaded onto the thread portion 14 part way down as shown in figure 1, and delivered to the surgeon this way. The nut 15, in one of the preferred embodiments that is shown in figure 5, is formed of nylon and the channel 16 is a stepped smooth-walled channel, as more clearly seen in figure 5, with a shorter major bore 17, and a longer minor bore 18; the major bore interfacing with the apex thereof. Also the nut 15 may be profiled, as seen in figures 5 and 6, so as to provide an outer hexagonal gripping surface 22 through which it steps into a truncated conical section 20. The face 19 of the nut obverse to the truncated conic 20 is conically recessed at 28, as more clearly seen in figures 5 and 6. If the tip 13 of the shaft 11 extends into the conical recess 28 after the physician has placed the fixture 10 between teeth, as will be disclosed hereafter, the physician has room to insert a pair of diagonal cutters or the like, into the recess 28; and to snip off the protruding segment of shaft 11 and the tip 13, so as not to cause abrasion to the inner skin of the mouth. If the profiled nut 15 of figure 1 having the gripping surface 22 is nylon, and has the stepped bore channel 16, shown in figure 5, the tapered tip 13 of the shaft 11 indexes into the opening face of the major channel 17 and, as the nut is rotated, the shaft 11 itself taps a helical thread into the wall of the minor bore 18 of the nylon nut 15 and secure anchoring is thereby achieved. If there be any loosening off at a later time it is simple to just slightly turn down the nut with the socket wrench. In order to immobilize one's jaw while the patient is anaesthetized, the device 10 is pushed between the adjacent teeth 25 and 26 as shown in figure 2, and then, with a pair of pliers, the tip 13 is bent into the phantom position and thereafter pushed between the next adjacent teeth 25 and 27 so as to extend in the fashion of figure 2. The tip 13 is pulled taut, with a pair of pliers, in the direction of the arrow A, so that the shaft 11 fits snug about the back of the tooth 25 and with the truncated conical surface 20 of the nut 15 resting snug against adjacent teeth 25 and 26, as shown in figure 2. The tip 13 is then moved with tweezers in the direction of arrow B and hence into the phantom position; and then eventually wrapped about the segment of the helical thread portion 14, disposed between nut 15 and the adjacent teeth 25 and 26, in the fashion shown in figure 3. The distal end or tip 13 of the shaft 11 (the phantom portion referred to as 13' in figure 3) is cut away with a pair of wire cutters and discarded. Thereafter, the nut 15 is turned down snug on the helical thread portion 14 to tighten the device 10 and to anchor it about the tooth 25, as shown in figure 3. Any excess helical thread portion 14 that protrudes into the truncated conical recess 28 of the nut 15 may be removed with wire cutters. Any exposed ends of the shaft 11 are therefore removed and no scratching or other abrasion takes place in the mouth of the wearer when implanted. There is virtually no blood letting. This step is repeated to locate, as shown in figure 4, a plurality of fixtures 10 mounted between teeth along the lower jaw. The steps are repeated in relation to the upper jaw. The truncated conic 20 of the nut 17 is used as the capture region for anchoring wire W L , which is laced between top and bottom fixtures as shown in figure 4. In this way, the lower jaw is immobilized to the upper jaw. This wrapping may just be accommodated by weaving or wrapping of wire W L or, if preferred, elastic loops may be used.

Claims: A two part fixture for interdental immobilization (10) characterised in that it compromises; (a) a longitudinal shaft (11) defining a helical threaded portion (14) that transforms into a smooth cylindrical piece (12) to terminate at a pointed distal end (13); and, (b) a nut member (15) defining an aperture (16, 16') therethrough adapted to matingly thread with the helical threaded portion (14). The fixture (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the nut member (15) is profiled as a conic. The fixture (10) as claimed in claim 2, wherein the conic (20) is frusto-conical. The two part fixture (10) as claimed in claims 1, 2, or 3, wherein the nut member (15) is nylon and the shaft (11) is stainless steel. The two part fixture (10) as claimed in claims 1, 2, or 3, wherein the shaft (11) is stainless steel of a diameter in the range of 0.0635 cm (0.025") to 0.08128 cm (0.032") and the nut member (15) is nylon. The fixture (10) as claimed in any of claims 1 through 5, wherein the shaft (11) is 7.6 cm (3") long. The two part fixture (10) as claimed in any of claims 1 through 6, wherein the shaft (11) is stainless steel of a diameter in the range of 0.0635 cm (0.025") to 0.08128 cm (0.032"), the nut member (15) is nylon and the aperture (16, 16') is a smooth continuous bore, sized to at least the root thread diameter of the helical threaded portion (14). The fixture (10) as claimed in any of claims 1 through 7, wherein the helical threaded portion (14) is a thread selected from the group of threads comprising a buttress form thread and a full depth V-shaped thread. The fixture (10) as claimed in any of the claims 1 through 8, wherein the shaft (11) is surgical stainless steel and the nut member (15) is a nylon polyamide. The fixture (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the shaft (11) is surgical stainless steel and the nut member (15) is a nylon polyamide with a Rockwell hardness of R110 to R120. A fixture (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the length of the shaft (11) is sufficient to encircle the tooth (25) and to permit smooth portion (12) to wrap about the helical thread portion (14). A fixture (10) as claimed in claim 11, wherein the nut member (15) can urge the smooth portion (12) against tooth (25) as nut member (15) urges the thread portion (14) away from tooth (25). A fixture (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said nut member (15) is conically recessed (28) forming a cavity and wherein the nut member (15) further comprises a channel (16, 16') through the nut member (15) to receive the thread portion (14) therethrough, the channel (16, 16') extending to the end face (28). A fixture (10) as claimed in claim 11, wherein the shaft (11) is about 7.6 cm (3") long.

Inventors: DIVIS BORIS DR, MCCOLGAN COLIN, DIVIS, BORIS, DR., MCCOLGAN, COLIN
Applicants: DIMAC MEDICAL LP, DIMAC MEDICAL LIMITED PARTNERSHIP
Application year: 1989
Main classification: A61C7
IPC codes: A61B17, A61F5, A61C7, A61C19