US3820242A

US3820242A - Preventive orthodontic appliance

Info

Publication number: US3820242A
Application number: US00336738A
Authority: US
Inventors: R Haskins
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1973-02-28
Filing date: 1973-02-28
Publication date: 1974-06-28
Anticipated expiration: 1991-06-28

Abstract

A TOOTH GUIDANCE APPLIANCE FOR ATTACHMENT TO A DENTAL PATIENT''S TOOTH FOR DISTALLY GUIDING A SECOND ERUPTIVE TOOTH ADJACENT THERETO A PROPER MOUTH LOCATION, AND IS PARTICULARLY APPLICABLE TO GUIDING ERUPTIVE FIRST TEETH OF CHILDREN AND SECOND TEETH OF YOUNG ADULTS.

Description

United States Patent [191 Haskins June 28, 1974 PREVENTIVE ORTHODONTIC APPLIANCE [76] Inventor: Richard C. Haskins, 1421 Wilton Way, Salt Lake City, Utah 84108 [22] Filed: Feb. 28, 1973 21 Appl. No.2 336,738

52 us. cl 32/14 A [51] Int. Cl. A6lc 7/00 [58] Field of Search 32/14 A, 12

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,034,2l5 5/l962 Doster 32/14 A 3,468,028 9/1969 Sllpter 32/12 Primary Examiner-Louis G. Mancene Assistant Examiner-4. Q. Lever ABSTRACT A tooth guidance appliance for attachment to a dental patients tooth for distally guiding a second eruptive tooth adjacent thereto to a proper mouth location, and is particularly applicable to guiding eruptive first teeth of children and second teeth of young adults.

1 Claim, 3 Drawing Figures 1 PREVENTIVE ORTHODONTIC APPLIANCE BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to orthodontic appliances for guiding an eruptive tooth into proper mouth location.

2. Prior Art A common element required in mechanical applications of force to displace an object at rest is that such force be applied against an anchor. Such a requirement of an anchor exists also in orthodontic endeavors whreein mouth braces or like constraining band arrangements are used to move teeth from an outwardly protruding attitude into proper alignment. Ideally, a dental patients own rear teeth or molars are generally used as such anchor points for connection to the ends of the mouth braces or constraining band arrangements. Should, however, as is common, the patients rear teeth enter the mouth forward of an optimum or desired mouth location, then said rear teeth or molars must first be moved rearwardly prior to their being useful as anchors. Such molar rearward displacement has, in the past, generally involved cumbersome, unattractive head bands or like structures as anchor points against which force is applied through an inelastic band secured to the rear teeth or molars. The present invention is a development in preventive dentistry and comes after a recognition that, if the patients rear teeth or molars could be guided, upon their eruption, into proper mouth locations, then the process of straightening the patients outwardly protruding front teeth would be greatly simplified.

With the above rational in mind, the present invention provides appliances that have tooth guide surfaces arranged thereon, which appliances are secured to rearmost existing teeth within a patients mouth whose rear teeth have been forecast, as by x-ray, study casts, and oral evaluation, to erupt at points forward of an optimum or proper mouth location. With an appliance of the present invention properly installed to such existing teeth, adjacent erupting teeth will be guided rearwardly by contacting the adjacent guide surface into proper mouth locations.

Prior to the present invention there have existed orthodontic appliances like that shown in US. Pat. No. 3,127,677 that could have been arranged to catch the edge of an erupting molar and guide it rearwardly as it emerges from the patients gum. While such a utilization could perhaps have been made of the device of the aforesaid patent, the patent itself does not disclose such a use, nor would the device have been practical for such a utilization. Rather, as the wire arm thereof, after installation against the edge of the emerging tooth, could easily have been displaced out of engagement therewith; as by the patients eating, brushing his teeth, or the like, such a device would be unsatisfactory for distally guiding eruptive teeth.

US. Pat. No. 3,034,215, on the other hand, does recognize the above described preventative dentistry need and discloses an orthodontic device that functions somewhat like that of the present invention. Structurally, however, the orthodontic appliance of the aforesaid patent is unlike that of the present invention. Where the aforesaid patent calls for a tooth encircling band for anchoring a tooth guiding wedge thereon, the

present invention specifies a tooth covering crown installed as a tooth covering and mounting an eruptive tooth guiding dome thereon. Unlike the crown of the present invention, the band of the aforesaid patent may not tightly seal about the entire tooth circumference, and may therefore act as a trap for accumulating food particles. Such accumulations of food particles would,

of course, tend to promote undesirable decay of such a banded tooth.

Additionally, the tooth guiding wedge of the aforesaid patent is unlike the dome of the present invention in that the thinnest edge of the wedge is required to extend beyond the band and into the surrounding gum, while the tooth guiding dome of the present invention is maintained entirely on the side of the crown. Additionally, unlike the wedge which has its widest point in line with the top of the tooth to which it is secured, the dome apex is arranged opposite to an intermediate point on the crown side.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is the principal object of the present invention to provide a tooth guiding dome secured to the side of a tooth covering crown adjacent to the path of an eruptive tooth to distally guide the tooth rearwardly into a proper mouth location as it emerges from the gums.

Principal features of the present invention include a crown secured over a tooth covering the top thereof and encircling a portion of the tooth sides above the gum. A tooth guiding dome is secured to the side of the crown or is formed in the crown side such that a slanted surface thereof is in the path of a second eruptive tooth prior to its emerging from the gums, with the dome apex aligned opposite to an intennediate point on the cap side.

Additional objects and features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken together with the accompanying drawings.

THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of a part of a dental patients jaw and gums with several teeth therein, showing the crown and tooth guiding dome of the present invention installed on an emerged tooth, with a second eruptive tooth emerging alongside thereof in contact with the slanted dome surface, showing in dotted lines the eruptive tooth fully emerged and having been displaced distally by contact with the tooth guiding dome;

FIG. 2, a top plan view of the teeth of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3, a profile sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring now to the drawings:

Shown in FIGS. 1 through 3, the present invention in a tooth guidance appliance 10 consists of a crown 11 having a tooth guiding dome l2, hereinafter referred to as dome, installed on a rearward facing side 11a thereof. The crown 11 is preferably a standard type crown commonly installed on a tooth as a substitute for the top surface thereof. Such an installation is made by a dental practitioner, and is common practice where the condition of a particular tooth requires the inclusion of a substitute top surface. Shown in the sectional view of FIG. 3, the crown 11 is secured over a fully emerged tooth 13 with respective rearward and forward facing sides thereof 11a and 1 lb, and the opposite sides 11c tightly cinched against the tooth sides, fimily anchoring the crown ll thereon.

The dome 12 is secured to the crown rearwardly facing side 11a, extending outwardly therefrom and is preferably formed having a rounded, off-center apex 12a aligned opposite to an intermediate point on the crown side 11a. From the apex 12a rounded, pyramidal dome, unequal top and bottom ends and the opposite sides slant inwardly towards the crown side, ending in thin edges 12b that intersect the crown side lla. As shown best in F [68. l and 3, the dome bottom end 12c is the longest dome surface and extends between the apex 12a and lower edge 12b thereof, and is arced somewhat outwardly and lies in the path of an eruptive tooth 14, FIGS. 1 and 2. The dome 12 is thereby formed as a squat, rounded, off-center, pyramidal shaped structure that has a rounded apex. Of course, the dome rounded sides could be arranged into a squat, off-center cone with the apex thereof formed as a sharp peak, or a different shape of a dome and apex therefor could be utilized without departing from the subject matter coming within the scope of this invention. It should therefore be obvious that the shape of dome 12 should not be limited to the particular rounded, offcenter, pyramid shape disclosed herein with the only requirement for dome 12 being that it will provide an outwardly sloping surface for engaging and canting outwardly the eruptive tooth l4 emerging from the patients gums l5.

Shown best in FIG. 3, the tooth guidance appliance of the present invention is arranged on the tooth 13 such that the crown rearwardly facing side lla, that has the dome 12 secured thereon, is opposite to the path of travel of the eruptive tooth 14. So installed, the surface of a lower longest end 12c of the dome 12 is immediately opposite to an edge 14a of the eruptive tooth 14, such that upward growth thereof will bring the tooth edge 14a into engagement with an opposite point on the outwardly sloping dome side 12c. The dome side 12c thereby provides a rigid outwardly slanting surface for camming the erupting tooth 14 out of its natural path of travel from the gums 15 into a more desirable rearward location, as shown by the dotted line representation in FIG. 3. Though the dome 12 described herein could obviously be formed separately and attached to the crown side lla, as by soldering, brazing, welding or the like, the dome 12 is preferably formed as a bulge in the crown side during manufacture with the interior thereof either filed or left vacant at the preference of the manufacturer or user.

By camming, as described above, an eruptive tooth,

such as a six-year molar, subsequently emerging teeth spaced rearwardly from the six-year molar are in turn cammed rearwardly by the respective adjacent sides of the already emerged teeth. The patients back teeth, rearward of and including the six-year molar, are thereby properly positioned and can serve as anchors for maintaining the ends of mouth braces, or like structures thereto, to pull rearwardly a patients emerged front teeth. The present invention is therefore particularly well suited for the practice of preventative dentistry in small children where, because of the positioning and size of the teeth, it can be forecast that the rear teeth also will be positioned forward of a desired mouth location. By securing, as described, the tooth guidance appliance 10 of the present invention to such a patients upper and lower rearmost emerged teeth prior to the eruption of the six-year molars, the eruptive sixyear molars are guided as they emerge to desired mouth locations and, in turn, guide teeth that erupt rearwardly therefrom. Whereafter, the present invention can be removed and the patients properly aligned back teeth can be used as described to provide anchor points to receive the ends of mouth braces, or like structures, secured thereto. 7

Although a preferred form of my invention has been herein disclosed, it is to be understood that the present disclosure is made by way of example, and that variations are possible without departing from the subject matter coming within the scope of the following Claims, which subject matter I regard as my invention.

I claim:

1. A tooth guidance appliance for attachment to a tooth within a dental patients mouth to distally guide an adjacent eruptive tooth comprising a crown securable over the tooth to completely and closely cover the top thereof and having a skirt extending downwardly along the tooth sides; and

a dome forming a bulge on an eruptive tooth adjacent side of the crown and having a single rounded apex from which apex the dome surfaces taper to thin edges in contact with the crown side wall, said dome being secured between the upper and lower edges of an eruptive tooth adjacent side of said crown and having the apex thereof off-center and positioned opposite to an intermediate point on said crown eruptive tooth adjacent side such that a dome bottom end is the longest dome-surface, the dome bottom end being in the path of the emerging eruptive tooth and tapering uniformly outwardly from said dome edge to said dome.