Rotating orthodontic bracket with locking mechanism
An orthodontic bracket mountable on a tooth for use in retraction mechanics to facilitate movement of teeth along an arch, which includes an archwire-receiving member rotatably mounted on a base and structured to freely rotate when tipping a tooth during sliding of the bracket along an archwire thereby minimizing friction between the archwire and bracket to significantly decrease the required retraction force, and treatment time, thereby minimizing the possibility of root resorption and maintaining the integrity of the root and surrounding bone. A locking mechanism for locking the member against rotation is employed when uprighting the tooth from a tipped position.
1. An orthodontic bracket comprising:
(a) A base adapted to be affixed to the surface of a patient's tooth,
(b) An archwire receiving member mounted on said base, said member having interior wall segments, said segments intersecting so as to form corners and a central archwire slot,
(c) An axle coupling said archwire receiving member to said base so as to permit said archwire receiving member to rotate with respect to said base, said axle having a distal end insertable into said base, a radial bearing portion engaging said archwire receiving member, and a head portion having a polygonal or non-circular shape, and,
(d) A selectively removable locking member adapted to fit snugly inside said archwire receiving member and having exterior wall segments conforming to the shape of said interior wall segments and further including an aperture shaped for engaging said head portion so as to lock said archwire receiving member in place to prevent rotation thereof.
2. The bracket of claim 1 further including a selectively removable cover adapted to fit snugly inside said archwire receiving member, said cover having an archwire slot and a bottom aperture for fitting over said head portion of said axle in non-locking fashion.
3. The bracket of claim 1 wherein the head portion has a hexagonal shape and said interior wall segments form a hexagon.