JP7605526B2 - Smart Functional Orthotics - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to smart functional orthodontic appliances.

During the primary, mixed and early permanent dentition stages, many highly harmful oral malocclusions occur, such as functional retrusion and functional protrusion, due to abnormal functions of the oral and maxillofacial muscles. The etiology of malocclusions during the growth stage is mainly due to functional factors, i.e., functional displacement of the mandible and lower dental arch caused by poor oral habits, muscle shape and muscle malposition, without any change in absolute bone length. In recent years, a ready-made silicone myofunctional orthodontic trainer, i.e., the MRC orthodontic trainer, has been used to correct functional malocclusions.

Conventional functional orthodontic appliances have the following problems. First, MRC Orthodontic Trainer functional orthodontic appliances require patients to wear them for a long period of time as instructed by dentists, which requires the patient's motivation and the cooperation of their family. . However, patients in the primary dentition, mixed dentition, and early permanent dentition stages are generally poor at self-management due to their young age, and are often unable to wear them for the instructed wearing time, resulting in very insufficient wearing time, and parents having no good way to record and monitor the wearing time of young patients, which negatively affects the orthodontic effect and orthodontic treatment time.

In addition, MRC Orthodontic Trainer functional orthodontic appliances are ready-made and cannot be adjusted in length, but the dental arches of growing patients continue to grow as they grow, and when children wear them, the length of the orthodontic appliances and the dental arches do not match, which reduces comfort during orthodontic treatment, reduces the patient's willingness to wear them, and reduces the orthodontic effect.

For the first problem above, there is still no good solution. For the second problem above, although the relevant research has been patented, there are still shortcomings and continuous improvements are needed. For example, Chinese Patent CN201710278908.2 discloses a dental multi-function orthodontic appliance that can extend or shorten the length of the appliance within a certain range through the interaction of a removable block and a rubber adjustment bolt to realize high-precision and personalized medicine.

The above issues should be considered and addressed during the design and manufacturing process of smart functional orthotics.

The objective of the present invention is to provide a smart functional orthodontic appliance, and to solve the problem of how to realize a new functional orthodontic appliance that monitors whether a patient is wearing an intraoral orthodontic appliance and monitors the wearing time so as to improve orthodontic efficiency.

The technical feature of the present invention is a smart functional orthodontic appliance. The smart functional orthodontic appliance includes an orthodontic appliance body, which includes an orthodontic part. The orthodontic part is provided on the dentition, and the orthodontic part further includes a monitoring component. The monitoring component is provided on the orthodontic appliance body and includes a detection unit, a microprocessor, a clock chip, and a storage device used to detect information regarding the intraoral environment. The microprocessor is connected to the detection unit, the clock chip, and the storage device, respectively. The monitoring component is powered by a power supply module.

Furthermore, the detection unit uses a sensor unit, which includes an oral light intensity physical sensor and a temperature sensor, and the oral light intensity physical sensor and the temperature sensor are each connected to a microprocessor.

In addition, monitoring components are provided on both end sides of the corrective device body.

Furthermore, the orthodontic section is U-shaped, and an upper groove for accommodating the maxillary dentition and a lower groove for accommodating the mandibular dentition are provided on the upper and lower sides of the orthodontic section, respectively.

Furthermore, the orthodontic appliance body includes an extension part, which is a removable extension part.

Furthermore, the extension part includes an extension body, an upper groove, a lower groove, and a joint protrusion, and the upper and lower sides of the extension body are provided with upper and lower grooves, respectively, a joint groove is provided at the end of the correction part, and the extension body is provided with a joint protrusion corresponding to the joint groove.

Furthermore, the extension body is provided with a continuous joint groove. The continuous joint groove and the joint protrusion are provided on both sides of the extension body, respectively, and the continuous joint groove corresponds to the joint protrusion of the adjacent extension body.

Furthermore, a lingual plate is provided on the lingual side of the correction section. A lingual mark is provided on the lingual plate.

Furthermore, a lip plate is provided on the lip side of the correction section, and a breathing hole is provided in the lip plate. An upper labial frenulum and a lower labial frenulum are provided on the upper and lower sides of the lip plate, respectively, and several dot-like protrusions are provided on the lip side of the lip plate.

Furthermore, the monitoring component further includes a transparent protective case. The transparent protective case has an internal space, and the oral light intensity physical sensor, the microprocessor, the clock chip and the storage device are disposed in the internal space. The temperature sensor is disposed outside the transparent protective case.

The smart functional orthodontic appliance is provided with a monitoring component to monitor whether the patient wears the orthodontic appliance in the oral cavity and the wearing time, so as to allow the patient to wear the orthodontic appliance effectively and improve the efficiency of orthodontics. In addition, the provision of a removable extension component allows the doctor to conveniently and safely adjust the length of the orthodontic appliance to match the length of the patient's own dental arch, thereby achieving the purpose of personalized and precise orthodontics.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the structure of a smart functional orthodontic appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating monitoring components in an embodiment. 13A and 13B are diagrams showing the structure of a correction portion and an extension part in an embodiment. FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating the implementation process of the monitoring components in the embodiment.

Below, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

An embodiment of the smart functional orthodontic device includes an orthodontic appliance body, as shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2. The orthodontic appliance body includes an orthodontic part 1, which is placed on the dentition. The orthodontic part also includes a monitoring part 2, which is provided on the orthodontic appliance body. The monitoring part 2 includes a detection part used to detect information related to the intraoral environment, a microprocessor 23, a clock chip 24, and a storage device 25. The microprocessor 23 is connected to the detection part, the clock chip 24, and the storage device 25, respectively. The monitoring part 2 is supplied with power by a power supply module.

By installing the monitoring component 2, the smart functional orthodontic appliance can monitor whether the patient is wearing the orthodontic appliance in the oral cavity and the wearing time, allowing the patient to wear the orthodontic appliance effectively and improving the efficiency of orthodontics.

In the smart functional orthodontic appliance, the detection unit collects information on the oral cavity environment where the orthodontic appliance body is located, so that it can be confirmed whether the patient is wearing the orthodontic appliance body. The detection unit uses a sensor unit, which includes an oral light intensity physical sensor 21 and a temperature sensor 22. The chip of the oral light intensity physical sensor 21 collects information on the light intensity in the oral cavity, and the chip of the temperature sensor 22 collects information on the temperature in the oral cavity. After receiving the information collected by the sensor unit, the microprocessor 23 transmits it to the storage device 25, which stores the information. The storage device 25 preferably uses a removable or reinstallable memory card. After removing the orthodontic appliance, the doctor reads the information stored in the storage device 25 with a computer and uses it as important reference data. It is preferable to provide a monitoring component 2 on each side of both ends of the orthodontic appliance body.

After the patient wears the smart functional orthodontic appliance, the sensor unit collects information about the light intensity and temperature in the patient's mouth and transmits it to the microprocessor 23. The microprocessor 23 transmits the collected information to the storage device 25. When the patient returns for a follow-up visit, the doctor imports the data in the storage device 25 into a computer. The computer software processes the data, confirms the patient's wearing time, and discloses the patient's last recorded wearing time of the orthodontic appliance to the doctor. The doctor formulates a personalized treatment plan based on this specific information. This makes it possible to realize smart and precise medical care, improve the orthodontic effect, and effectively shorten the orthodontic time.

In one embodiment, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, in the smart functional orthodontic appliance, the orthodontic part 1 is U-shaped. An upper groove 4 for accommodating the maxillary dentition and a lower groove for accommodating the mandibular dentition are provided on the upper and lower sides of the orthodontic part 1, respectively.

In the above embodiment, the smart functional orthodontic appliance has an extension part 3 at the end of the orthodontic appliance body, and the extension part 3 is a removable extension part 3. The use of the removable extension part 3 allows the length of the orthodontic appliance to be perfectly matched to the length of the dental arch in the patient's oral cavity, which is useful for oral orthodontics.

In the above embodiment, the extension part 3 includes an extension body 31, an upper groove 32, a lower groove 33, and a joint protrusion 34. The upper and lower sides of the extension body 31 are provided with an upper groove 32 and a lower groove 33, respectively. The extension body 31 is provided with a joint protrusion 34 corresponding to the joint groove 35 provided at the end of the correction part 1. By providing a removable extension part 3, the doctor can conveniently and safely adjust the length of the orthodontic appliance to match the length of the patient's own dental arch, thereby achieving personalized and precise correction.

The process of using the extension part 3 is as follows: When it is necessary to extend the length of the orthodontic appliance body, the upper groove 32 of the extension body 31 is matched to the upper groove 4, the lower groove 33 is matched to the lower groove, and the joint protrusion 34 of the extension body 31 is inserted into the joint groove 35. In this way, a detachable connection can be realized. The operation is simple, the structure is stable, and the length of the orthodontic appliance body can be extended, so that the length of the orthodontic appliance can be matched to the length of the patient's dental arch and matched accurately. Therefore, a more effective orthodontic effect can be achieved.

In the above embodiment, the extension body 31 is further provided with a continuous connection groove 36. The continuous connection groove 36 and the connection protrusion 34 are provided on both sides of the extension body 31, respectively, and the continuous connection groove 36 corresponds to the connection protrusion 34 of the adjacent extension body 31. By providing the continuous connection groove 36, multiple extension bodies 31 can be provided, so that the extension of the orthodontic appliance body can be realized. The continuous connection groove 36 of the extension body 31 corresponds to the connection protrusion 34 of the adjacent extension body 31, so that a removable connection can be realized, and the need for various adjustments of the extension length can be met.

As shown in FIG. 3, in the smart functional orthodontic appliance, the orthodontic appliance body and the extension part 3 are preferably both made of silicone rubber. A lingual plate 6 is provided on the tongue side of the orthodontic part 1, and a tongue mark 7 is provided on the lingual plate 6. A labial plate 5 is provided on the lip side of the orthodontic part 1, and a breathing hole 8 is provided on the lip plate 5. A superior labial frenulum 9 is provided on the upper side of the lip plate 5, and a inferior labial frenulum 10 is provided on the lower side. A plurality of dot-like protrusions 11 are provided on the lip side of the lip plate 5.

The smart functional orthodontic appliance has a tongue plate 6 to lift the tongue and prevent it from being positioned too low. A tongue guide 7 is provided to guide the patient to find the correct tongue position. The lip plate 5 can block abnormal muscle strength of the orbicularis oris, masseter, and mentalis muscles. A breathing hole 8 is provided to allow air to pass through for the patient to breathe, preventing the risk of suffocation when wearing the appliance at night. A frenulum groove 9 is provided for accommodating the upper frenulum, and a frenulum groove 10 is provided for accommodating the lower frenulum. A dot-like protrusion 11 is provided on the gum side of the lower anterior teeth to further stretch the mentalis muscle and block abnormal muscle strength.

In one embodiment, the monitoring component 2 further includes a transparent protective case. The transparent protective case has an internal space, and the oral light intensity physical sensor 21, the microprocessor 23, the clock chip 24 and the memory device 25 are provided in the internal space. The temperature sensor 22 is provided outside the transparent protective case. The transparent protective case is preferably bonded to the orthodontic appliance body. The temperature sensor 22 is preferably bonded to the transparent protective case. By providing the transparent protective case, safety protection and positioning of the monitoring component 2 can be achieved.

As shown in FIG. 4, the preferred implementation process of the smart functional orthodontic appliance is as follows.
S1, monitoring component 2 starts monitoring;
S2, the detection unit periodically acquires information on the intraoral environment, and the detection unit transmits the information on the intraoral environment to the microprocessor 23;
S3, if the information on the intraoral environment does not satisfy the set condition, return to step S2, and if the information on the intraoral environment satisfies the set condition, proceed to the next step;
S4, the microprocessor 23 obtains the start time information from the clock chip 24, stores the obtained start time information in memory, and then goes to the next step;
S5, the detection unit continues to periodically acquire information on the intraoral environment and transmits the information on the intraoral environment to the microprocessor 23;
S6, if the information of the intraoral environment exceeds the set condition, the microprocessor 23 obtains the information of the end time through the clock chip 24, stores the obtained information of the end time in the memory, and enters the next step; if the information of the intraoral environment does not exceed the set condition, return to step S5;
S7, if the monitoring component 2 finishes monitoring, the monitoring is completed; if the monitoring component 2 does not finish monitoring, return to step S2.

In the smart functional orthodontic appliance, the monitoring component 2 can record the wearing time by storing the start time information and the end time information in the memory. By storing the start time information and the end time information, the length of each wearing time and the length of the wearing time within the set time can be calculated, which is convenient for checking the wearing time. In one embodiment, to determine whether or not the functional orthodontic appliance is being worn based on the information on the oral cavity environment acquired by the detection unit, the light intensity information acquired by the oral light intensity physical sensor 21 is below a set value and the temperature information acquired by the temperature sensor 22 is within a set range, thereby determining whether or not the functional orthodontic appliance is located in the patient's oral cavity.

In the smart functional orthodontic appliance, by providing the monitoring component 2 on the orthodontic appliance main body, it is possible to obtain information on the oral environment in which the orthodontic appliance main body is located, and to confirm whether the patient is wearing it and for how long, and to accurately obtain the wearing time of the orthodontic appliance main body, which is convenient for monitoring the wearing status of the patient and also convenient for doctors to judge the orthodontic effect. Therefore, it is possible to effectively solve problems such as not being able to determine the wearing status or the exact wearing time by simply asking the patient.

In the smart functional orthodontic appliance, the monitoring part 2 may be provided on the orthodontic part 1 or the extension part 3. By providing the extension part 3, it is convenient to adjust the length of the orthodontic appliance body to fit the patient's dental arch, so that it can improve the orthodontic effect and at the same time improve the comfort of use, save time and effort, and be convenient to use.

1--orthodontic part 2--monitoring part 3--extension part 4--upper groove 5-lip plate 6-tongue plate 7-tongue mark 8-breathing hole 9-upper lip frenulum 10-lower lip frenulum 11-dot protrusion 21-oral light intensity physical sensor 22-temperature sensor 23-microprocessor 24-clock chip 25-storage device 31-extension body 32-upper groove 33-lower groove 34-joint protrusion 35-joint groove 36-continuous joint groove

Claims (6)

A smart functional orthodontic appliance including an orthodontic appliance body,
The orthodontic appliance body includes a correction portion,
The orthodontic portion is U-shaped and includes a lip plate located on the lip side so as to accommodate the upper and lower rows of teeth, a tongue plate located on the tongue side, and a partition plate separating an upper groove for accommodating the upper row of teeth and a lower groove for accommodating the lower row of teeth,
The correction unit further includes a monitoring component, the monitoring component being provided on the correction device body,
The monitoring component includes a detector, a microprocessor, a clock chip, and a memory device used to detect information about an intraoral environment;
the microprocessor is connected to the detector, the clock chip, and the storage device;
The monitoring component is powered by a power supply module;
The orthodontic appliance body further includes an extension part, the extension part being a removable extension part;
The extension part includes an extension body, an upper groove, a lower groove and a connecting protrusion;
The extension body has upper and lower grooves on both sides, respectively;
A joining groove is formed on the lower surface of the end of the correction portion,
A joint protrusion for engaging with the joint groove is provided on the lower part of the extension body on the side facing the end of the straightening part , and a continuous joint groove is provided on the lower surface of the extension body , and the continuous joint groove is engaged with the joint protrusion of the adjacent extension part .
A smart functional orthodontic device characterized by the above. The detection unit uses a sensor unit, and the sensor unit includes an oral cavity light intensity physical sensor and a temperature sensor;
The smart functional orthodontic appliance of claim 1 , wherein the oral light intensity physical sensor and the temperature sensor are each connected to the microprocessor. The smart functional orthodontic device according to claim 1, characterized in that monitoring components are provided on both side portions of the orthodontic device body. The smart functional orthodontic appliance according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the tongue plate is provided with a tongue mark. The lip plate is provided with a breathing hole,
The upper and lower frenulum are provided on the upper and lower sides of the lip plate, respectively;
The smart functional orthodontic appliance according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that a plurality of dot-like protrusions are provided on the lip side of the lip plate. The monitoring component further includes a transparent protective case;
The transparent protective case is provided on the corrective device body so as to form an internal space,
The oral cavity light intensity physical sensor, the microprocessor, the clock chip and the storage device are accommodated in the internal space;
The smart functional orthodontic appliance according to claim 2 , wherein the temperature sensor is provided outside the transparent protective case.