JP5540191B2 - Articulator - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an articulator (simple articulator) attached to a dental training model or a patient explanation model.

  A typical dental articulator is a “semi-adjustable articulator” or “average articulator” with the “totally adjustable articulator” at the top to reproduce jaw movements that are as close to the living body as possible in anatomy. The function is simplified step by step, and the "flat wire articulator (hinge articulator)" that reproduces the opening and closing of the upper and lower jaws in the most typical manner is reached.

  These articulators are proportional to high precision, high precision and low precision, low precision when viewed as devices, but as an essential function in any kind of articulator, it is necessary to move up and down at the central occlusal position (cusp fitting position). It is necessary to accurately reproduce the biting state of each dentition model.

  For the reproduction of the occlusal state of the upper and lower dentition models in clinical practice, the model and the occlusion are used until a series of dental technician work is completed, since they are combined and joined to the articulator using plaster etc. The vessel cannot be separated, but the proper occlusion can be maintained.

  On the other hand, with regard to dental training models and patient explanation models, a simple articulator such as a “flat wire articulator (hinge articulator)” is used for the purpose of use, and the model and articulator are repeatedly attached. Since it must be removed, it is joined using screws. FIG. 6 shows a state where the rear end portion of the lower jaw model 7 and the rear end portion of the upper jaw model 8 are attached to the articulator having no adjustment mechanism by screws 9 as an example of a conventional simple articulator. Has been.

However, if the model and the articulator are simply joined, that is, if there is no function to adjust the biting state of the upper and lower dentition models, the model and the articulator are required to have extremely high precision and high precision machining finish. It will deviate from the specification as an articulator.
As an articulator capable of reproducing the jaw biting motion, for example, in Patent Document 1 below, the rear ends of an upper frame and a lower frame are connected to a pair of left and right elastic frames via an upper hinge and a lower hinge, respectively. In the case of this articulator, there are separate screws for adjusting the front and rear direction, screws for adjusting the left and right direction, and screws for adjusting the vertical direction. Therefore, alignment is very complicated and time consuming.

  In addition, in order to easily adjust the problem of the bite state in the conventional articulator shown in FIG. 6, a degree of freedom is given to each of the two surfaces (two different surfaces), and the fixing position can be adjusted with screws. An articulator having a mechanism has also been proposed (see FIG. 7). In the articulator having such a structure, the lower jaw model 7 is attached to the articulator by a screw 9 via an L-shaped member 10, and the lower jaw model The fixing position of the L-shaped member can be adjusted by the screw on the side and the screw on the side of the articulator, whereby the biting state can be adjusted. However, in the case of an articulator with such a structure, if the two surfaces are adjusted in an independent manner, an accumulation error will occur in each adjustment step, and it will not be possible to adjust to the proper biting state, or it will be adjusted. There was a problem that it took time.

JP 2004-423 A

  In order to solve these problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a simple and simple articulator having an occlusal adjustment mechanism to be provided as an articulator.

  As a result of various studies, the present inventor has found that the right and left rear end portions of the lower frame used by attaching the rear surface of the lower jaw model to temporomandibular joint positions suitable for movement similar to the human jaw movement. While providing a shaft hole for each, the left and right rear end portions of the upper frame used by attaching the rear surface of the upper jaw model are also provided with a shaft hole at a temporomandibular joint position suitable for movement similar to the human jaw movement. The left and right shaft holes thus provided are inserted with bolts having bolt heads larger than the inner diameter of the shaft holes and having a shaft diameter smaller than the inner diameter, and the ends of the bolts. The other frame is fixed to one frame in a swingable manner with a fixing nut attached to the side, and further, between the shaft hole of the lower frame through which the bolt is inserted and the shaft hole of the upper frame. At the position of the inner diameter of the shaft hole A washer (washer) having a larger outer diameter and having an inner surface curved in a convex or concave shape, and a contact portion (contact surface) with the washer in the frame located on the inner side of the washer In addition, by forming a curved surface corresponding to the inner surface of the washer, the position of the other frame relative to one frame can be adjusted not only in the vertical direction and the front-rear direction, but also in the direction inclined to the left and right, thereby The present invention has been completed by finding that the upper jaw model and the lower jaw model can be easily adjusted.

  That is, the articulator of the present invention capable of solving the above-mentioned problems moves in the same manner as the human jaw movement at the left and right rear end portions of the lower frame having a shape suitable for attaching the rear surface of the lower jaw model. Temporomandibular joint position suitable for movement of the left and right rear end parts of the upper frame having a shape suitable for attaching the rear surface of the upper jaw model Each of the shaft holes has a bolt head larger than the inner diameter of the shaft hole, and a bolt having a smaller shaft diameter than the inner diameter is inserted into the shaft hole. A fixing nut is attached to the screw tip side of the bolt so that the lower frame and the upper frame are connected, and one frame can swing with respect to the other frame. Can be fixed with And between the shaft hole of the lower frame through which the bolt is inserted and the shaft hole of the upper frame, the outer diameter is larger than the inner diameter of the shaft hole, and is convex or concave A washer having a curved inner surface is disposed, and a curved portion having a curvature capable of being in close contact with the inner surface of the washer at a contact portion with the washer in a frame located on the inner side of the washer. A surface is formed, whereby the position of the other frame with respect to one frame can be adjusted not only in the vertical direction and the front-rear direction but also in a direction inclined to the left and right.

In the articulator having the structure described above, one of the left and right bolts provided to adjust the position of the upper frame and the lower frame is a right screw and the other is a left screw. It is also characterized by being.
Further, according to the present invention, in the articulator having the above-described structure, the bolt and the lower frame are connected via a coil spring, and the upper frame is spring-biased toward the lower frame by the coil spring. It is also characterized by having a structure that is fixed in a fixed state.
Further, according to the present invention, in the articulator having the above-described structure, a magnet is embedded in a lower portion of the shaft hole of the lower frame, and the bolt is attracted to the lower frame side by the magnetic force of the magnet. It is also characterized by having a structure that is magnetized.

  When attaching the lower jaw model to the lower frame of the articulator of the present invention and attaching the upper jaw model to the upper frame, loosen the bolts (fixed position adjustment bolts) at the left and right positions, and the upper jaw model and the lower jaw model The positional relationship can be adjusted not only in the vertical and anteroposterior directions, but also in the direction of tilting to the left and right. By tightening the bolts with the positional relationship between the jaw models adjusted to the optimal position, the upper jaw model and the lower jaw model are engaged. It is easy to adjust the dust condition.

It is a figure which shows the state at the time of attaching the upper and lower jaw model to the articulator of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance in a preferable example of the articulator of this invention. (A) is a schematic diagram showing an internal structure in a preferred example of the articulator of the present invention, and shows a state when the upper frame 2 is moved upward together with the washer 4 and fixed, and (b) is (C) is a schematic diagram which shows the state at the time of fixing the upper frame 2 with the washer 4 by moving it downward, (c) is a schematic diagram which shows the state at the time of fixing the upper frame 2 to the left side, (d ) Is a schematic view showing a state when the upper frame 2 is fixed while being tilted to the right side. A cross-sectional structure of the articulator of the present invention having a structure in which a coil spring 11 is attached to the lower part of the neck of the fixing position adjusting bolt 3 and the upper frame 2 is pulled downward by the coil spring is fixed. FIG. A magnet 12 is embedded in the lower part of the shaft hole 5 of the lower frame 1, and a metal fixing position adjusting bolt 3 is magnetically attached to the magnet so that the upper frame 2 is axially fixed. It is a figure which shows the cross-section of the articulator of this invention. It is a figure which shows the malfunction of the biting state produced when a jaw model is attached to the conventional articulator which does not have an adjustment mechanism. It is a figure which shows the state at the time of attaching a jaw model to the conventional articulator which has the mechanism by which the freedom degree was provided to 2 surfaces.

Hereinafter, although the preferable specific example of the articulator of this invention is shown in drawing and this invention is demonstrated in detail, this invention is not limited to what was illustrated in drawing.
As shown in FIG. 1, the articulator of the present invention is used with the rear surface side of the lower jaw model 7 attached to the lower frame 1 and the rear surface side of the upper jaw model 8 attached to the upper frame 2. The appearance when the upper jaw model 8 and the lower jaw model 7 are removed is shown in FIG. 2 are provided on the front side of each of the lower frame 1 and the upper frame 2 in FIG. 2 for attaching the jaw model. The materials of the lower frame 1 and the upper frame 2 are as follows. Is not particularly limited.

  The details and effects of the structure of the articulator of the present invention illustrated in FIG. 2 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 3 (a), the articulator of the present invention is similar to the human jaw movement of the left and right rear end portions of the lower frame 1 having a shape suitable for attaching the rear surface of the lower jaw model. Movement of the human body at the left and right rear end side portions of the upper frame 2 having a shape suitable for attaching the rear surface of the upper jaw model. A shaft hole 5 ′ is also provided at the position of the temporomandibular joint suitable for performing the same movement as in FIG. The shaft holes 5 and 5 ′ have a bolt head larger than the inner diameter of the shaft hole (the minimum inner diameter when the shape of the shaft hole is not a perfect circle) and a shaft diameter smaller than the inner diameter ( A bolt 3 having an outer diameter of the thread portion is inserted, and a fixing nut 6 is attached to the screw tip side of the bolt 3. With such a structure, the lower frame 1, the upper frame 2, At the same time, one frame is fixed so as to be swingable with respect to the other frame. Further, a position between the shaft hole 5 of the lower frame 1 through which the bolt 3 is inserted and the shaft hole 5 ′ of the upper frame 2 has an outer diameter larger than the inner diameter of the shaft holes 5 and 5 ′. In addition, a washer 4 (in the example illustrated in the drawing, the inner side surface is curved in a concave shape) having a convex or concave curved inner surface is disposed and is located on the inner side of the washer 4 The curved surface (in the example illustrated in the drawing) has a curvature that can be in close contact with the inner surface of the washer on the contact surface with the washer 4 in the frame (upper frame 2 in the example illustrated in the drawing). A convex curved surface) is formed. In the present invention, the inner surface of the washer may be a convex curved surface, and the portion of the frame in contact with this may be a concave curved surface. The material of the washer is not particularly limited, and a material generally used for an articulator such as plastic can be used.

In the case of the articulator of the present invention having the above structure, when the bolt 3 is tightened with the washer 4 and the upper frame 2 moved upward as shown in FIG. Conversely, as shown in FIG. 3B, when the bolt 3 is tightened in a state where the upper frame 2 is moved downward together with the washer 4, the mounting position of the upper frame 2 is lowered. Can do. In the present invention, the shape of the shaft hole provided in the rear end side portion of the frame located on the outside is made, for example, a shape in which a circle extends in the horizontal direction or the like (FIG. 1 shows when the lower jaw model is attached). (A horizontal shaft hole is provided at the rear end of the lower frame that extends diagonally upward on the rear side.) The upper jaw model attached to the articulator is mounted not only in the vertical direction but also in the front-rear direction. It is also possible to adjust the direction.
FIG. 3A shows a state in which the bolt 3 is fixed at a position on the lower side of the shaft hole 5 provided in the lower frame 1. The fixing position of the bolt 3 can be further set to the upper position.

3 (c), the bolt 3 is loosened from the state of FIG. 3 (b) so that the upper frame 2 is inclined to the left, and the upper frame 2 is fixed by tightening the bolt 3 in this state. The state is shown, and in FIG. 3 (d), the bolt 3 is loosened from the state of FIG. 3 (b) so that the upper frame 2 is inclined to the right side. The state when the frame 2 is fixed is shown. In the articulator of the present invention, the fixing position of one frame with respect to the other frame can be adjusted not only in the vertical direction and the front-rear direction but also in the direction tilted left and right. When attached, the biting state can be easily adjusted.
In the present invention, it is preferable that one of the bolts 3 provided on the left and right sides of the frame is a right-hand screw bolt and the other is a left-hand screw bolt. By using a combination of bolts whose directions of screws are reversed, The screw tightening direction (rotating direction) is the same direction, and the twist generated when the bolt is tightened can be reduced.

In FIG. 4, a coil spring 11 is attached to the lower part of the neck of the fixed position adjusting bolt 3, and the upper frame 2 is pulled downward (lower frame 1 side) via the fixed position adjusting bolt 3 by the coil spring. An example of a cross-sectional structure of the articulator of the present invention having a structure that is fixed in a fixed state is shown, and in the case of such an articulator, the upper frame with respect to the lower frame 1 by spring biasing is shown. 2 is preferable because the shaft is securely fixed. Note that the upper end side of the coil spring 11 shown in FIG. 4 is attached so as to wrap around the lower neck portion of the fixing position adjusting bolt 3, and the lower end side is fixed to a protrusion provided on the lower frame 1. Has been.
Further, in FIG. 5, a magnet 12 is embedded in a lower portion of the shaft hole 5 of the lower frame 1, and a fixed position adjusting bolt 3 is magnetically attached to the magnet 12, so that the upper frame 2 is pivoted. An example of a cross-sectional structure of the articulator of the present invention having a structure to be fixed is shown. In the case of the articulator of this figure, the neck of the fixed position adjusting bolt 3 made of a material (for example, metal) that can be attracted to a magnet. The lower part is magnetically attached in contact with the upper surface side of the magnet 12 embedded in the lower part of the shaft hole 5 of the lower frame 1, and is fixed so as to maintain the central occlusal position. When the fixing position adjusting bolt 3 is made of a material that does not adsorb to the magnet (for example, plastic), the lower neck portion of the bolt is inserted into a metal cylindrical member, and the metal cylindrical member is connected to the magnet. The structure is magnetized.
In the case of an articulator provided with a magnet 12 as illustrated in FIG. 5, the upper portion of the shaft hole 5 of the lower frame 1 may be open. By pulling up the upper frame 2 in the state against the magnetic force and pulling out the fixed position adjusting bolt 3 from the shaft hole 5, the lower frame 1 and the upper frame 2 can be separated.

  The articulator (made of plastic) of the present invention having the internal structure shown in FIG. 3A and the appearance shown in FIG. 2 is manufactured, and the upper jaw and the lower frame of the articulator are respectively commercially available upper jaws. When the model and the lower jaw model are attached and used as the appearance of Fig. 1, the position of the upper jaw model with respect to the lower jaw model can be adjusted in the vertical direction, in the front-rear direction, and also in the direction tilted to the left and right. The adjustment was simple and quick.

  The articulator of the present invention is very useful as a simple articulator that is used by attaching a dental training model or a patient explanation model.

1 Lower frame 2 Upper frame 3 Bolt 4 Washer
5, 5 'shaft hole 6 nut 7 lower jaw model 8 upper jaw model 9 screw 10 L-shaped member (L-shaped bracket)
11 Coil spring 12 Magnet

Claims (4)

It is an articulator used by attaching an upper jaw model and a lower jaw model, and is similar to the human jaw movement of the left and right rear end portions of the lower frame having a shape suitable for attaching the rear surface of the lower jaw model. Suitable for movement similar to the human jaw movement of the left and right rear end parts of the upper frame with the temporomandibular joint position suitable for movement and the shape suitable for attaching the rear surface of the upper jaw model A shaft hole is provided at each temporomandibular joint position, and the shaft hole has a bolt head larger than the inner diameter of the shaft hole and a bolt having a shaft diameter smaller than the inner diameter. The lower frame and the upper frame are connected to each other by attaching a fixing nut to the screw tip side of the bolt, and one frame swings relative to the other frame. Movable Between the shaft hole of the lower frame through which the bolt is inserted and the shaft hole of the upper frame, and having an outer diameter larger than the inner diameter of the shaft hole, and A washer having a convex or concave curved inner surface is disposed, and a contact portion with the washer in the frame located on the inner side of the washer is in close contact with the inner surface of the washer. A curved surface having a curvature to be obtained is formed, whereby the position of the other frame with respect to one frame can be adjusted not only in the vertical direction and the front-rear direction but also in the direction inclined to the left and right. Articulator. The screw direction of the bolt for adjusting the fixing position of the upper frame and the lower frame is different between right and left, one bolt is a right screw, and the other bolt is a left screw. The articulator according to Item 1. The bolt and the lower frame are connected to each other through a coil spring, and the upper frame is fixed by the coil spring in a state of being spring-biased toward the lower frame. Item 3. The articulator according to item 1 or 2. A magnet is embedded in a lower portion of the shaft hole of the lower frame, and the bolt is attracted and magnetized by the magnetic force of the magnet. Or the articulator according to 2.

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