U.S. patent application number 15/194024 was filed with the patent office on 2016-10-20 for individualized jig for orthodontic braces, assembly formed by that jig, a base and a bracket, and its design methods.
This patent application is currently assigned to H32. The applicant listed for this patent is H32. Invention is credited to William Ayache, Patrick Curiel, Philippe Salah.
Application Number | 20160302889 15/194024 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 43415394 |
Filed Date | 2016-10-20 |
United States Patent
Application |
20160302889 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Curiel; Patrick ; et
al. |
October 20, 2016 |
Individualized Jig for Orthodontic Braces, Assembly Formed by that
Jig, a Base and a Bracket, and its Design Methods
Abstract
The invention relates to a customized jig for an orthodontic
appliance, to an assembly formed by the jig, a base and a bracket,
and to the associated design methods. The customized jig is used to
install a bracket-bearing base on a tooth, said base forming part
of an orthodontic appliance. The invention is characterized in
that: the jig is a cap that covers the tooth, covering the free
edge thereof and at least portions of the front and rear surfaces
of same; and the shape of the jig is such that it matches that of
the base in at least one portion of at least one of the edges
thereof. The invention also relates to an assembly formed by a
customized base bearing a bracket and a customized jig of the type
mentioned above, and to methods for designing one such jig.
Inventors: |
Curiel; Patrick; (Neuilly
Sur Seine, FR) ; Salah; Philippe; (Paris, FR)
; Ayache; William; (Neuilly Sur Seine, FR) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
H32 |
Paris |
|
FR |
|
|
Assignee: |
H32
Paris
FR
|
Family ID: |
43415394 |
Appl. No.: |
15/194024 |
Filed: |
June 27, 2016 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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13698599 |
Jan 22, 2013 |
9402695 |
|
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PCT/FR2011/051099 |
May 17, 2011 |
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15194024 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61C 7/20 20130101; A61C
7/146 20130101; A61C 7/002 20130101; A61C 7/145 20130101; A61C 9/00
20130101 |
International
Class: |
A61C 7/14 20060101
A61C007/14; A61C 7/00 20060101 A61C007/00; A61C 7/20 20060101
A61C007/20; A61C 9/00 20060101 A61C009/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
May 17, 2010 |
FR |
1053777 |
Claims
1-14. (canceled)
15. An individualized orthodontic jig to position a base of an
orthodontic appliance to a tooth, the jig comprising: a cap having
an interior surface and an exterior surface, the interior surface
corresponding in shape to a shape of a tooth to which the cap is
configured to be secured and the cap configured to extend over an
occlusal surface of the tooth; a first part of the cap
corresponding in shape to at least a portion of a first face of the
tooth, the first part terminating in a first gingival edge; a
second part of the cap corresponding in shape to at least a portion
of a second face of the tooth, the second part having a second
gingival edge, the second gingival edge extending gingivally past
the first gingival edge, the first part and the second part define
a space therebetween which corresponds exactly to the tooth; and a
first point that extends gingivally from the first gingival edge,
the first point configured to engage the base.
16. The individualized orthodontic jig of claim 15, wherein the
first point is a first lateral point comprising a first lateral
edge, the first lateral edge and the first gingival edge defines a
housing that opens in a direction away from the second part and
open in the gingival direction, the housing configured to receive
the base.
17. The individualized orthodontic jig of claim 16, wherein the
housing defines a predetermined correct position of the orthodontic
appliance on the tooth.
18. The individualized orthodontic jig of claim 17, further
comprising a second lateral point comprising a second lateral edge,
the second lateral point extends gingivally from the first gingival
edge wherein the housing is further defined by the second lateral
edge.
19. The individualized orthodontic jig of claim 18, wherein the
first gingival edge is contoured to correspond exactly to a contour
of at least a portion of an occlusal edge of the base, the first
lateral edge is contoured to correspond exactly to a contour of at
least a portion of a first lateral edge of the base, and the second
lateral edge is contoured to correspond exactly to a contour of at
least a portion of a second lateral edge of the base.
20. The individualized orthodontic jig of claim 15, wherein the
first point is a central point that extends gingivally from a
center of the first gingival edge, the central point configured to
engage an occlusal side of the base.
21. The individualized orthodontic jig of claim 15, wherein the
first part is an anterior part and the first gingival edge is an
anterior gingival edge and the second part is a posterior part and
the second gingival edge is a posterior gingival edge.
22. The individualized orthodontic jig of claim 15, wherein the
first gingival edge is located proximal an occlusal edge of the
tooth.
23. An orthodontic assembly comprising: a first bracket comprising
a top, a bottom, and a first groove through the top configured to
receive an archwire therein; a first base extending outward from
the bottom of the first bracket, the first base comprising an
occlusal edge and generally opposed lateral edges; and a first
individualized orthodontic jig comprising a first part configured
to extend along a portion of a first face of a first tooth and
ending in a first gingival edge, and a second part configured to
extend along a portion of a second face of the first tooth, the
first part and the second part of the first individualized
orthodontic jig define a space therebetween which corresponds
exactly to the first tooth to which the first base is intended to
be secured; wherein the first part comprises at least one point
extending gingivally from the from the first gingival edge, the
first base is fixed to the jig by engagement between at least the
base and the at least one point at a predetermined correct position
of the first groove relative to the first tooth.
24. The individualized orthodontic jig of claim 23, wherein the at
least one point is a first lateral point comprising a first lateral
edge which engages at least a portion of a first lateral edge of
the first base, and the first gingival edge engages at least a
portion of the occlusal edge of the base.
25. The individualized orthodontic jig of claim 24, wherein the
first lateral edge and the first gingival edge define a housing
within which the first base is fixed to the jig at the
predetermined correct position of the first groove relative to the
first tooth by engagement of the first lateral edge of the base
with the first lateral edge of the first point and engagement of
the occlusal edge of the base with the first gingival edge.
26. The orthodontic assembly of claim 23, further comprising: a
second bracket comprising a top, a bottom, and a second groove
through the top configured to receive the archwire therein; a
second base extending outward from the bottom of the second
bracket, the second base comprising an occlusal edge and generally
opposed lateral edges; and a second individualized orthodontic jig
comprising a first part configured to extend along a portion of a
first face of a second tooth and ending in a first gingival edge,
and a second part configured to extend along a portion of a second
face of the second tooth, the first part and the second part of the
second individualized orthodontic jig define a space therebetween
which corresponds exactly to the second tooth to which the second
base is intended to be secured; wherein the first part of the
second individualized orthodontic jig comprises at least one point
extending gingivally from the from the first gingival edge, the
second base is fixed to the second individualized orthodontic jig
by engagement between at least the second base and the at least one
point at a predetermined correct position of the second groove
relative to the second tooth.
27. The orthodontic assembly of claim 26, further comprising an
archwire which is received within the first groove and the second
groove to exert corrective forces on the first bracket and the
second bracket.
28. The individualized orthodontic jig of claim 24, further
comprising a second lateral point comprising a second lateral edge,
the second lateral point extends gingivally from the first gingival
edge wherein the housing is further defined by the second lateral
edge.
29. The individualized orthodontic jig of claim 28, wherein the
first gingival edge is contoured to correspond exactly to a contour
of at least a portion of an occlusal edge of the base, the first
lateral edge is contoured to correspond exactly to a contour of at
least a portion of a first lateral edge of the base, and the second
lateral edge is contoured to correspond exactly to a contour of at
least a portion of a second lateral edge of the base.
30. The individualized orthodontic jig of claim 23, wherein the
first point extends gingivally from a middle of the first gingival
edge, the first point configured to engage the occlusal edge of the
first base.
31. The individualized orthodontic jig of claim 30, wherein the
first base comprises a notch that extends gingivally from the
occlusal edge, and the notch and the central point are configured
to matingly engage.
32. An individualized orthodontic jig, the jig comprising: a cap
having an interior surface and an exterior surface, the interior
surface corresponding tin shape to a shape of a tooth to which the
jig is configured to be secured; a first part of the cap
corresponding in shape to at least a portion of a first face of the
tooth, the first part terminating in a first gingival edge; a
second part of the cap corresponding in shape to at least a portion
of a second face of the tooth, the second part having a second
gingival edge; a first lateral point that extends gingivally from
the first gingival edge, the first lateral point having a first
lateral edge; and a housing formed by at least the first gingival
edge and the first lateral point, the housing being open in a
gingival direction and a direction away from the first part of the
cap; wherein the second gingival edge extends gingivally past the
first gingival edge and the first lateral point, and wherein the
first gingival edge and first lateral edge are configured to
espouse an occlusal edge and a first lateral edge of a base
carrying a bracket.
33. The individualized orthodontic jig of claim 32, wherein the
first part is an anterior part and the first gingival edge is an
anterior gingival edge, and the second part is a posterior part and
the second gingival edge is a posterior gingival edge.
34. The individualized orthodontic jig of claim 33, further
comprising a second lateral point that extends gingivally from the
anterior gingival edge, the second lateral point configured to
espouse at least a portion of a second lateral edge of the base,
wherein the first lateral edge of the base is a mesial edge and the
second lateral edge is a distal edge.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent
application No. 13/698,599, filed on Jan. 22, 2013, which is the
U.S. national stage application of International Application
PCT/FR2011/051099, filed May 17, 2011, which international
application was published on Nov. 24, 2011, as International
Publication WO 2011/144857 in the French language. The
International Application claims priority of French Patent
Application 1053777, filed May 17, 2010 and was patented as FR
2959929 on Jul. 20, 2012. All of the above application being
incorporated by reference in their entireties.
BACKGROUND
[0002] The invention concerns the production of an individualized
orthodontic brace for treating a patient intended to be used mainly
in the case of a lingual technique, i.e. with the brace disposed on
the non-visible posterior face of the teeth.
[0003] Such braces conventionally include:
[0004] at least one orthodontic wire, in other words a metal wire
exerting on the teeth a force tending to move them from their
initial unsatisfactory position, called the "wrong position", to a
final satisfactory position, called the "corrected position";
and
[0005] a series of brackets each provided with at least one groove
for receiving an orthodontic wire; these brackets are individually
fixed to the teeth of the patient in a particular position enabling
the orthodontic wire to transfer to the teeth the rotation forces
necessary to move them from the wrong position to the corrected
position during the treatment.
[0006] Usually one or more orthodontic wires are used, with a
single series of brackets each including one or more grooves.
[0007] Lingual orthodontic techniques, which have the esthetic
advantage that the brace is practically invisible from the outside,
began to be developed around 1970. However, at the time they relied
on entirely manual design and fabrication of the braces and their
use was highly complex. This is because an important element in the
success of the treatment is the correct positioning of the bracket
and its groove on the tooth, especially relative to its rotation
center. This is because this position determines the orientation of
the forces that are imposed on the corresponding tooth and thus the
orientations of the tooth in various directions in space when it is
in the final corrected position. This positioning is much more
difficult to achieve with the lingual technique than with the
labial or vestibular technique in which the brace is disposed on
the anterior face of the teeth, because of the marked angulation of
the posterior faces of the teeth. This angulation is farther away
from the center of rotation of the tooth relative to the bracket
than in the case of a labial technique. This means that a slight
error in the positioning of the bracket may position the groove
incorrectly, thus rendering the brace incapable of providing the
required correction of the position of the tooth.
[0008] It is therefore particularly important to position the
brackets very accurately, especially on the incisors and canines,
the shapes of the internal faces of which are more complex and
variable than those of the premolars and molars.
[0009] This positioning is usually effected by devices commonly
referred to by orthodontists as jigs, an example of which is
described in the document US-A-2009/0136890. That jig consists of a
plastic material block provided on its lower or upper face with a
housing the configuration of which is such that the end of a given
tooth can be inserted in it. This insertion is possible in an
accurate and effective manner for the success of the treatment only
if the morphology of each tooth has been individually digitized
beforehand from an imprint of the dental arch of the patient and
that morphology has been fed digitally into the control software of
a block fabrication machine. Thus the block is produced with a
cavity in which the end of the tooth can be inserted exactly. The
block also includes a hook-shaped support member having three
consecutive sections at right angles to each other. A first section
passes through the block, sliding in an appropriate orifice. A
third section has its end shaped to be inserted into the groove of
a bracket so as to hold it when fitting the bracket and to be
easily disengaged therefrom once the bracket has been fitted. The
second section joins the other two. To fit the bracket, it is
placed at the end of the support member, the tooth is capped with
the block and traction is exerted on the support member to press
the sole of the bracket against the base previously coated with an
orthodontic adhesive. When the adhesive has been polymerized, the
support member is disengaged from the bracket and the block is
removed.
[0010] This device has a number of drawbacks, however. The blocks
and support members are bulky, which makes them difficult to fit
and uncomfortable for the patient. Moreover, the accuracy of the
positioning of the brackets is not always sufficient. On the one
hand, the block encompasses only the upper part of the tooth,
because it cannot cover a large portion of the posterior face in
order not to impede the fitting of the bracket. It follows that
there may be a relatively large play in positioning the block
during the operation. On the other hand, the multi-part structure
of the device means that inaccuracies in the design and fabrication
of the various components are cumulative.
BRIEF DISCLOSURE
[0011] The object of the invention is to propose a new method for
designing and fabricating a jig and the resulting jig, free of the
drawbacks referred to above and allowing very precise positioning
of the bracket with, for the patient, minimum discomfort and, for
the practitioner, an ergonomic fitting procedure.
[0012] To this end, the invention provides an individualized jig
for placing on a tooth a base carrying a bracket intended to form
part of an orthodontic brace, characterized in that:
[0013] the jig is a cap that caps said tooth, covering its free
edge and at least portions of its anterior and posterior faces;
and
[0014] the jig has a shape such that it is able to espouse the base
over at least a portion of at least one of its edges.
[0015] It may include means for the practitioner to hold it to
place it.
[0016] It may include means allowing it to be attached to the base
that it surrounds before placing them on the tooth and detached
therefrom after fixing the base to the tooth.
[0017] It may include a housing for the base intended to surround
the latter over at least a portion of at least one of its lateral
edges and at least a portion of its longitudinal edge intended to
be situated as close as possible to the cutting edge of the
tooth.
[0018] It may include at least one housing or projection intended
to correspond to at least one projection or housing on the
base.
[0019] The invention also provides an assembly formed of an
individualized base carrying a bracket intended to be included in
an orthodontic brace and a jig intended to position the base
accurately on the corresponding tooth, characterized in that the
jig is an individualized jig of the above type.
[0020] Said base may be intended for a lingual orthodontic
brace.
[0021] Said base may be intended for a vestibular orthodontic
brace.
[0022] The invention further provides a method of designing an
individualized jig of the above type, characterized in that:
[0023] a model is produced from an impression of the dental arch
and the teeth of the patient in the wrong position;
[0024] a hardware or virtual set-up is produced from the model;
[0025] if the set-up is hardware, a computer image of it is
produced;
[0026] an assembly formed by a base and a bracket intended to be
integrated into an orthodontic brace is designed digitally for each
tooth to be treated; and
[0027] a cap intended to cap the tooth extending over at least
respective portions of the anterior and posterior faces of the
tooth is designed digitally for each tooth to be treated.
[0028] A space the contour of which corresponds to the contour of
the base previously designed for said tooth may be digitally
subtracted from the cap.
[0029] The invention further provides a method of designing an
individualized jig of the above type, characterized in that:
[0030] a model is produced from an impression of the dental arch
and the teeth of the patient in the wrong position;
[0031] a computer image of the model is produced;
[0032] an assembly formed by a base and a bracket intended to be
integrated into an orthodontic brace is designed digitally for each
tooth to be treated; and
[0033] a cap intended to cap the tooth extending over at least
respective portions of the anterior and posterior faces of the
tooth is designed digitally for each tooth to be treated.
[0034] A space the contour of which corresponds to the contour of
the base previously designed for said tooth may be digitally
subtracted from the cap.
[0035] The invention further provides a method of producing a jig
of the above type, characterized in that said jig is designed
digitally by any of the foregoing methods.
[0036] The invention further provides a method of producing a jig
of the above type, characterized in that the whole of the
orthodontic brace the bracket of which corresponding to said jig
must form part is digitally designed and fabricated, said brace is
positioned on a hardware set-up or on an impression of the dental
arch with the teeth of the patient in the wrong position, the
assembly formed by said brace and said set-up or said impression is
digitized, said jig is digitally designed from said digitization,
and said jig is produced, for example by laser sintering fast
prototyping.
[0037] As will have been understood, the invention consists in
designing for each tooth an individualized jig that has the
following features:
[0038] the jig caps the tooth concerned, covering its free edge and
at least portions of its anterior and posterior faces;
[0039] the jig has a shape such that it is able to espouse the base
over at least a portion of at least one of its edges, for example a
portion of one of its mesio-distal edges (lateral edges), a portion
of both its mesio-distal edges or at least a portion of its
occlusal (longitudinal) edge close to the free edge of the tooth;
this allows precise relative positioning of the jig and the base,
to which the bracket has been fixed beforehand or of which it is an
integral part;
[0040] in one particular embodiment, it includes means for fixing,
for example clipping, the base to the jig, allowing their
separation after fitting the base and bracket assembly.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0041] The invention will be better understood after reading the
following description, given with reference to the following
appended figures:
[0042] FIG. 1, which shows a first example of the configuration of
a jig of the invention and the base that is fixed to it to be
positioned on a tooth;
[0043] FIG. 2 shows a second exemplary configuration of a jig that
includes lateral points and a central point;
[0044] FIG. 3 shows a third exemplary configuration of a jig that
includes a central point;
[0045] FIG. 4, which shows another configuration of a jig of the
invention, which is in fact identical to half of the jig shown in
FIG. 1 and is intended to be used on teeth where access is
difficult; and
[0046] FIG. 5, which shows in profile a variant of the invention in
which the jig includes a device facilitating its holding by the
practitioner.
DETAILED DISCLOSURE
[0047] One nonlimiting embodiment of the invention is described
next.
[0048] The first step is to make a plaster model of the dental arch
and the teeth of the patient in the wrong position. Then, in a
known manner, there is produced what is referred to by
orthodontists as the "set-up", i.e. a hardware representation of
the dental arch with the teeth in their target corrected positions.
To this end the teeth are cut off the foregoing model one by one
and placed in their respective target corrected position.
[0049] A computer image of this set-up is then produced.
[0050] It goes without saying that the set-up can instead be
totally virtual, which does not change in any way the principle of
the design and use of the jig.
[0051] Then, using known methods, for example as described in the
document WO-A-03/068099 or WO-A-2009/056776, an assembly formed by
a base and a bracket is digitally designed for each tooth. One face
of the base espouses the internal face of the tooth and the bracket
is fixed to the other face of the base in a chosen position. The
following solutions may be adopted in various methods that in the
context of the invention are interchangeable:
[0052] the bracket may be a "mass-produced" bracket, i.e. one
having a standard shape and standard dimensions, taken from a
computer library of brackets when designing the brace; or
[0053] the bracket may be designed and produced "to measure".
[0054] An intermediate part may also be provided between the
bracket and the base, with a geometry that corresponds to the space
which, without it, would be left free at the end of the treatment
between the corresponding tooth in its corrected position and the
orthodontic wire that passes through the grooves of the brackets
during treatment and has returned to its initial shape at the end
of treatment (see document WO-A-2009/056776).
[0055] In the context of the invention it is immaterial whether the
bases, the brackets and any intermediate parts are designed and
fabricated separately or are designed and fabricated as individual
parts that are joined together. What is essential in the context of
the invention is that the digital design of the brace, which
includes the configuration of the orthodontic wire (which may be of
the so-called "straight wire" type and thus extend substantially in
a single plane or extend in three directions in space), leads to a
definition of the shape and the dimensions of the assembly
including the base and the bracket achieving correct positioning of
the groove of the bracket on each tooth so that, through
co-operation with the orthodontic wire, each tooth is moved to its
corrected position at the end of the treatment, and to a definition
of the contours of the base.
[0056] The jigs of the invention are then designed in the following
manner. A cap is designed that is intended to cap the tooth and
extend over at least respective portions of the anterior and
posterior faces of the tooth. A space the contour of which
corresponds to the contour of the previously designed base is then
subtracted digitally from the part of the cap intended to extend
over the posterior face of the tooth. The result of this
subtraction is the external configuration that must be imparted to
the jig so that, after fastening the base and the bracket that it
carries to a jig, and after placing the jig in position on the
tooth, the base is on the posterior face of the tooth in the exact
target position, with great accuracy. The adhesive or any other
fastening means with which the base has previously been coated
fixes the base to the tooth, after which the jig may be
removed.
[0057] Alternatively, the edge of the jig that espouses the base
may be designed directly, without performing the subtraction just
referred to.
[0058] The base may be clipped to the jig or fixed by any other
means before installing the jig on the tooth. The exact
configurations of the base and the jig may be adapted to allow this
fixing. This being said, it is not obligatory to fix the base to
the jig before installing the jig on the tooth. It is also
perfectly feasible to proceed first to installing the jig on the
tooth and then to applying the base to the tooth, causing it to
butt against the edges of the space provided for this purpose in
the jig.
[0059] The jig is optimally produced by a fast prototyping laser
sintering method with a dimensional accuracy of the order of 20
.mu.m. Other fast prototyping methods may be used, for example
plastic prototyping, lost wax prototyping, etc. At present laser
sintering offers the greatest accuracy.
[0060] Over and above guaranteeing excellent accuracy of the
positioning of the base and bracket assembly, the jig of the
invention has the advantage over prior art jigs that it is very
compact in the mouth. Its walls may be made very thin, less than 1
mm (for example 0.6 mm) thick. Compared to the jigs in the form of
blocks of the prior art (see document US-A-2009/0136898), they are
much more compact and thus much less uncomfortable for the patient
when fitting the orthodontic brace and leave the orthodontist more
room for fitting bases to the other teeth without first removing
the jigs already fitted.
[0061] The various figures show diagrammatically examples of
configurations of jigs of the invention.
[0062] FIG. 1 shows a jig 1 intended to cap an incisor, not shown,
which must be accommodated in the space 2 defined between the
anterior part 3 and the posterior part 4 of the jig. It must be
understood that the shape of the space 2 as represented in the
figures is highly schematic and simplified compared to the real
shape that corresponds exactly to that of a tooth. In the example
shown, the anterior part 3 covers a relatively large fraction of
the anterior face of the tooth. The posterior part 4 of the jig of
the invention includes a notch 5 with contours that are adapted so
that the base 6 to be fitted to the tooth, which carries a bracket
7 provided with a groove 8 for inserting the orthodontic wire, may
be lodged therein, for example clipped therein. As already stated,
the configuration of this notch 5 may have been obtained by direct
design or by digital extraction during the design of the brace.
[0063] In FIG. 1, the notch 5 forms a housing trapping the upper
edge 9 and a portion of each lateral edge 10, 11 of the base 6.
[0064] In FIG. 2, the posterior face 4 of the jig 1 is in the shape
of a trident with points 12, 13, 14 that define a housing for the
base 6. The upper edge 9 of the base 6 has a central notch 15
receiving the central point 13 of the trident, the lateral points
12, 14 of the trident framing the lateral edges 10, 11 of the base
6 over a portion of their upper part.
[0065] In FIG. 3, the jig 1 is comparable to that from FIG. 2
except that its posterior face 4 includes only one point 16 over
which is placed a notch 17 in the upper edge 9 of the base 6. The
lateral edges 10, 11 of the base 6 are entirely free of any contact
with the jig 1.
[0066] In FIG. 4, the jig 1 is identical in principle to that from
FIG. 1, except that it is designed to cover only substantially one
longitudinal half of the tooth, in other words only one lateral
edge 11 and half the upper edge 9 of the base 6 are in contact with
the jig. Such a configuration may be advantageously used when the
corresponding tooth of the patient, in its wrong position, has a
large overlap with an adjacent tooth, leaving insufficient room to
fit a jig 1 from FIG. 1. As will be evident to the person skilled
in the art, the embodiments of FIGS. 2 and 3 may also be adapted in
a similar manner if there is insufficient space for fitting jigs as
shown. The jig 1 modified in this way may have a width slightly
greater than or slightly less than half the tooth, according to the
room available for fitting it or other constraints on the design of
the jig.
[0067] The description that has been given concerns a jig intended
to place a base and its bracket intended to form part of a lingual
orthodontic brace. However, the invention could be used in the
vestibular technique subject to adaptations that will be evident to
the person skilled in the art.
[0068] It must be understood that the base 6 may be small,
especially in terms of thickness, most importantly for brackets 7
intended for vestibular braces.
[0069] In FIG. 5, the jig 1 has on its interior face a ball 18 that
serves as a holding member facilitating manipulation of the jig 1
by the surgeon. This holding member may have any shape: ring, rod,
cube, etc. or any more complex shape enabling holding of the jig 1
by means of an instrument. It may be placed anywhere on the
anterior face (or the posterior face in the case of jigs used in
the vestibular technique), at a position in which it will not be in
contact with the teeth and/or the adjacent jigs.
[0070] Should the practitioner so wish, the completely "made to
measure" production of the whole of the jig in all cases allows
"first fitting" of the brackets, i.e. fitting during the initial
phase of the treatment. In some cases this feature will avoid the
practitioner having to defer the fitting of one or more brackets to
the teeth that are the most difficult to access. This significantly
accelerates treatment.
[0071] Alternatively, the design of the jig may be based not on a
set-up but on a model of the dental arch with the teeth in the
wrong position. This has the advantage of showing up more clearly
the spaces available for fitting the jigs and deducing whether or
not to give them a particular shape such as that shown in FIG. 4,
as well as the best position for the holding member, if any.
[0072] Another variant entails designing and fabricating the
orthodontic brace (brackets, bases and orthodontic wire) according
to the principles described in the document WO-A-2009/056776, for
example, positioning on a hardware set-up or on the model of the
dental arch with the teeth in the wrong position, then digitizing
everything, and then designing the jigs of the invention from the
digitized image. The jigs are finally produced by one of the
methods described.
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