Patent Publication Number: US-2022226074-A1

Title: System for body alignment through correction of malocclusions

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Pat. App. Ser. No. 63/138,897 filed Jan. 19, 2021, titled System for body alignment through correction of malocclusions. 
    
    
     FIELD 
     This invention relates to the field of body alignment and more particularly to a system and device for alignment of the body through correction of malocclusions. 
     BACKGROUND 
     The prevalence of pain medications, particularly opioids, is a source of public health and safety concern. Additionally, opioids are ill-suited for the treatment of long-term pain, and thus are not suitable for many patients. 
     Alternative, non-pharmaceutical means of treating pain are critical to addressing this issue. 
     For many patients, pain is caused by misalignment of the back, spine, and head. The source of this misalignment may be malocclusions—the misalignment of the upper and lower plates in the mouth. This condition affects an estimated twenty-eight percent of the US population. 
     A malocclusion can cause misalignment of the head with the spine. The misalignment of the head with respect to the spine results in pain in the neck, back, and shoulders. 
     Commonly, such pain is treated with pain medications. 
     But orthodontic tools that realign the head and spine via realignment of the upper and lower plates in the mouth are an alternative to medication. 
     As background, the positions of a patient&#39;s teeth are classified as one of the following:
         Class I—optimum tooth placement   Class II—upper jaw larger than lower—overbite   Class III—upper jaw smaller than lower jaw—underbite       

     With the goal of moving teeth toward Class I, there exist two primary options for orthodontic treatment: a conventional straight wire technique that uses metal brackets and archwires; and Invisalign, in which a progressive series of plastic trays is fabricated to gradually move teeth from their original position to an aligned position. 
     Both systems have significant drawbacks. 
     Regarding conventional brackets and wires: although this system possesses the corrective force needed to correct dental and skeletal malocclusion, patients are deterred by the aesthetic concern combined with the difficulty of maintaining oral hygiene during the course of treatment. Additionally, straight wires and archwires are limited in function, and cannot apply rotational forces or certain angular forces. 
     Regarding Invisalign: patients find the clear trays to be a lesser aesthetic concern, but Invisalign lacks many of the crucial orthodontic mechanics necessary to correct dental and skeletal malocclusion. Thus, a full course of Invisalign may not complete a patient&#39;s orthodontic treatment. 
     Additionally, the known treatments only focus on the alignment of the teeth toward a Class I placement. The treatments fail to take into account the relationship between the upper jaw, lower jaw, head, and body, and the balance between the head and cervical spine. 
     What is needed is a system and device to provide non-surgical orthodontic treatment that also treats head, neck, shoulder, and back pain without the use of pain medications. 
     SUMMARY 
     The system for body alignment through tooth position addresses the lack of non-surgical treatments for head, neck, shoulder, and back pain by combining software that generates custom alignment protocols for each patient with a clear aligner embedded with powerful magnets, such as neodymium magnets, to push, pull, rotate, or twist teeth into the desired positions. The goal is to correct tooth position, which in turn corrects jaw position and head position, ultimately correcting posture. 
     Posture refers to the orientation of the human body, including positions of the head, upper body, lower body, arms, and legs. Postural body stability is the sustaining of the body in equilibrium by maintaining the center of mass within the limits of the base of support, which is generally the feet. 
     The control of posture is complex. The central nervous system combines multiple inputs to determine how to move and balance the various parts of the body to main stability. Research shows that the central nervous system includes the head and neck position as inputs, as well as the stomatognathic system. The stomatognathic system includes: the joints connecting the jawbone to the skull; the bones forming the oral cavity; soft tissue including tongue and lips; the muscles involved in chewing and swallowing; and the teeth. 
     Misalignment of sections of the stomatognathic system affects the jaw muscles, affecting jaw position, in turn affecting positions of the head, neck, and cervical spine. For example, studies have shown that subjects with dysfunction of the joint between the jaw and skull have corresponding alterations in head and body posture as compared to normal subjects. 
     Posture is maintained by the muscles acting in concert. When standing, the muscles ideally cause the spinal column to form an S-shaped curve, with the skull set on a horizontal plane. 
     But if the head is tilted forward, bending forces are produced all along the length of the spine. The shoulders rotate forward and inward. The pelvis rotates down to push the abdomen forward under the head, and the chest sinks down. 
     The resulting forward head position increase muscle tension, resulting in strain on the joints within the spine. 
     To restate, the position of teeth affects the head position, causing head motion front to back, or side to side. This in turn affects body position. The result of this compensation can cause shoulder motion, head motion, rib motion, and hip motion. 
     The system for body alignment through tooth position seeks to address the alignment and posture of the body by correction of tooth position. 
     To perform this correction, there are two primary problems that must be addressed. 
     First, existing software used to estimate final positioning for tooth relocation only accounts for oral considerations, such as Class I occlusion, but cannot account for alignment of the head, jaw, and neck. The disclosed software includes the goal of body alignment when determining desired final tooth positioning. 
     Second, devices to correct tooth position are either undesirable in appearance or limited in their ability to correct tooth position. 
     The system for body alignment through tooth position uses magnets in combination with custom aligners to create the forces provided by archwires with the aesthetic benefits of Invisalign. 
     Turning to the software, first a computed tomography cone beam (CTCB) image of the head is taken, with a full digital scan of upper and lower arch. 
     A CTCB scanner is a device that uses X-rays to image a skull of a patient, including their teeth. The device outputs a computer file that includes data representing a panoramic, three-dimensional X-ray of the patient&#39;s head, including skull, sinuses, and facial nerves. 
     The resulting computer file, or 3D scan, is uploaded into a computer on which the software executing the system is running. The software then calculates correction of any improperly positioned teeth—malocclusions—in a manner that also corrects the Relative Center of Gravity Zone (RCGZ). 
     Optionally, the entire body is also scanned, thus allowing the software to take into account the position of all parts of the body when determining the ideal malocclusion correction. 
     The software compares the tooth positions determined using the scans of the upper arch and lower arch against a database of ideal tooth positions. A list of malocclusions is generated to create a list of incorrect tooth positions. 
     The system also compares the scan of the entire body against an ideal body position, or posture, to determine what posture issues exist. 
     By correlating the incorrect tooth positions and the incorrect body positions with a database of associations of malocclusions and posture problems, the system can determine which malocclusion can be corrected to result in associated posture corrections. Additionally or alternatively, the system can use the calculation of the center of gravity of the head to determine which malocclusions are most appropriately corrected first. Restated, the correction of malocclusions that move the head position to a location directly over the spine generally cause correction of posture issues, the posture issues caused by compensation for head position that is ahead of or behind the spine. 
     Thus, while a database of association between malocclusions and posture problems is helpful, the system does not require it. Instead the system can use the center of gravity of the head as a basis for determining which malocclusions are best treated first. 
     When calculating the desired tooth position, the software includes the goals of realignment of the jaw, head, and neck. The software further seeks to address occlusal schemes and the mandibular condylar relationship to achieve optimum balance of the head and neck complexes, where “complexes” are the head and neck generally. The term “complexes” is appropriate because all joints, all bones, and muscles from small to large, work together to perform each particular body movement—even an action as simple as balancing one&#39;s head on its fulcrum. 
     The software creates a 3-dimensional model showing the ideal final positions of the teeth, neck, and head to achieve the balance needed to address patient pain. This allows the user, such as an orthodontist, to understand the software&#39;s calculations and make adjustments if needed. 
     After the software has determined the proper tooth alignment to maximize the center of gravity of the head, the appliances are fabricated. 
     Turning to the appliances, the devices can generate higher and more varied corrective forces than existing products, such as Invisalign. The disclosed devices also provide the first treatment for pain related to malocclusion that does not require surgery or medication. The result is correction of:
         misalignment of head and shoulder complex, including unilateral straining of neck and shoulder muscles;   headache due to overload of mastication muscles; and   spinal curvature due to misalignment of head, which in turn causes spinal curvature to compensate for abnormal forces.       

     Unlike conventional orthodontic appliances, the appliances of the system for body alignment through tooth position are designed to move teeth specifically to a position that was predetermined by the software. The appliances are preferably 3D printed. 
     The appliances include one or more slots, or other means of holding or affixing, for positioning of small coated permanent magnets, including rare-earth magnets. These magnets are the main engine to drive movement of the teeth. 
     The user, such as an orthodontist, is able to perform 3D printing of dental plates in house, enabling efficient production of the devices needed to move the teeth. 
     This approach results in an effective design that is both highly functional and aesthetically pleasing for patients. 
     The proposed neodymium magnets are already in use in dentistry for retention of dentures, retainers for post orthodontic treatment, and therefore been demonstrated as safe. 
     For some patients, alignment of the teeth will either be insufficient to address body misalignment, or additional guidance will be needed to address the patient&#39;s habits. 
     These lower body misalignments can be corrected using 3D printed appliances or orthotics. 
     The fabrication/manufacturing process of the body appliances is similar to the process disclosed above, with a body scan taken and input into software, the software determines the best relative posture. The output of the system is the files required to 3D print the appliances, for example a file in STL format. Printing methodologies used by 3D printers include fused deposition modeling (FDM), powder bed fusion (PDF), and stereolithography (SLA). 
     Posture correction is best performed in combination with correction of the mandible and tooth positions. 
     This series of body appliances would be worn by the patient under their normal clothes while working or engaging in normal daily activities. The appliances would allow and facilitate correct postures throughout the day. 
     Over time, the patient&#39;s body will develop muscles tone and strength to be able to have correct posture all the time. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention can be best understood by those having ordinary skill in the art by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a first view of a skull, showing a Class II alignment. 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a second view of a skull, showing an alignment correction. 
         FIG. 3  illustrates an example of a ball balancing, as an analogy for skull balancing. 
         FIG. 4  illustrates a third view of a skull, including a representation of a spine. 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a body brace system constructed according to the invention. 
         FIGS. 6A, 6B, and 6C  illustrate the position associations between malocclusions and body posture. 
         FIG. 7  illustrates a sample set of teeth and a dental appliance to correct tooth position. 
         FIG. 8  illustrates the steps performed by the software of the body brace system to determine the appliance shapes. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Reference will now be made in detail to the presently preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Throughout the following detailed description, the same reference numerals refer to the same elements in all figures. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , first and second views of a skull, are shown. 
     The skull  10  is shown with a CG of skull/articulation point  12  located along the demarcation of break between front and rear of skull  14 . 
     The bones of the rear of the skull  10  include the frontal bone  20 , parietal bone  22 , and occipital bone  24 . 
     The bones in the front of the skull  10  include the maxilla bone  26  and mandible bone  28 . Also shown are teeth  30 . 
       FIG. 1  shows a downward weighting of head  40  caused by the too-forward position of the mandible bone  28 . The result is rotation about the CG of skull/articulation point  12 , creating an imbalance that the body seeks to correct, thus causing posture issues. 
     It is apparent that the Class II rotation of the head, forward and downward, can cause significant fatigue pain to muscle group that opposes the forward/downward motion. This imbalance is corrected by adjusting the weight and spatial orientation of the maxilla/mandibular complex via orthodontic movement. As one can balance a perfect sphere on a stick more easily than balancing an irregularly-shaped object, one can appreciate the goal of balancing the head by correcting the position of the center of gravity. 
       FIG. 2  shows a rearward movement of teeth and jaw  42 , moving the mandible bone  28  into the correct position to correct the imbalance. 
     Referring to  FIG. 3 , an example of a ball balancing as an analogy for skull balancing is shown. 
     A head balances on the spine just as the ball  50  balances on the stick  52 . When the ball  50  is too far to one side—the left in the figure—it will result in rotation, and an imbalance. 
     Referring to  FIG. 4 , a third view of a skull, including a representation of a spine. 
     The skull  10  is again shown, but now the mandible bone  28  is correctly positioned, creating a rotation to reflect corrected CG  44  directly over spine  32 . The result is a balanced skull  10 , and thus a balanced user. 
     Referring to  FIG. 5 , a body brace system constructed according to the invention is shown. 
     The user  100  is shown with a body appliance  60 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 6A, 6B, and 6C , the position associations between malocclusions and body posture are shown. 
     Representation of a jaw is shown at the top of each figure formed from teeth  30 , maxilla bone  26 , and mandible bone  28 . 
     Three types of jaw position are shown, from left to right being Class 1, Class 2, and Class 3. As discussed above, Class I is optimum tooth placement, Class II exists when the upper jaw larger than lower jaw, creating an overbite, and Class III exists when the upper jaw smaller than lower jaw, creating an underbite. 
     The user  100  is shown balanced about the center of gravity of user  100 , with head  104  and body  106 . 
     Class I jaw position is most likely to result in an ideal posture. 
     Class II jaw position shifts the head forward causing the body to move backward creating a slouched or leaning over posture 
     Class III jaw position shift the head rearward pushing the body forward creating a tilted back position. 
     By correcting the body position, moving toward a Class I jaw position, the posture of the user  100  is correspondingly corrected. 
     Referring to  FIG. 7 , a sample set of teeth and a dental appliance to correct tooth position, are shown. 
     Dental appliance  102  is shown adapted to correct the position of teeth  30  within jaw  1   o   8 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 8 , the steps performed by the software of the body brace system to determine the appliance shapes are shown. 
     Two paths are shown: the left path compares the scans against an ideal set of tooth and posture positions; the right path does not require a database of ideal positions, but instead focuses on centering the weight of the head over the spine. 
     The steps include:
         Input of CTCB image of head;   Optional input of full-body scan;   Right path:
           Comparing teeth positions from scan against ideal teeth positions;   Comparing posture from scan against ideal posture;   Correlating malocclusions and posture corrections;   Calculating tooth movement to result in ideal teeth positions and posture corrections;   Creation of 3D model showing ideal positions of teeth, neck, and head;   Adjustment by user of calculated positions of teeth; and   Output of 3D models for 3D printing of appliances.   
           Right path:
           Virtual correction of malocclusion to correct RCGZ;   Creation of 3D model showing ideal positions of teeth, neck, and head;   Adjustment by user of calculated positions of teeth; and   Output of 3D models for 3D printing of appliances.   
               

     The body appliance  60  is preferably 3D printed. The body appliance  60  acts to encourage the user  100  to maintain an appropriate body position by its positioning against pressure points, guiding and supporting a desired posture. Specifically, a posture that causes the major joints to stack perpendicular to the floor. 
     Equivalent elements can be substituted for the ones set forth above such that they perform in substantially the same manner in substantially the same way for achieving substantially the same result. 
     It is believed that the system and method as described and many of its attendant advantages will be understood by the foregoing description. It is also believed that it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction, and arrangement of the components thereof without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention or without sacrificing all of its material advantages. The form herein before described being merely exemplary and explanatory embodiment thereof. It is the intention of the following claims to encompass and include such changes.