Insert for Reinforcing an Orthodontic Appliance and Method of Making Same

This invention relates to orthodontic appliances, and more particularly, to reinforcing inserts for orthodontic appliances and appliances incorporating such inserts.

In the field of orthodontics, patients increasingly have demanded orthodontic appliances which are less noticeable and more visually appealing than traditional metal appliances. Manufacturers of such appliances have responded to this demand by making orthodontic appliances out of alternative materials such as plastic and ceramic. While these alternative materials may be visually pleasing, they have some drawbacks. For example, plastic orthodontic appliances such as brackets and the like have been found to be unsatisfactory in some circumstances due to their inability to provide sufficient strength over long orthodontic treatment periods. Ceramics, on the other hand, are quite hard; however, they are brittle and thus subject to fracture under the stresses exerted during orthodontic treatment.

In order to improve the strength of such orthodontic appliances, it has been suggested to provide a reinforcing insert. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,254,002, commonly owned by the assignee of this application, discloses an orthodontic bracket having a main body portion made of a rigid, fiber reinforced plastic and including a rigid reinforcement molded into the body for strengthening the archwire slot. This reinforcing insert is made of either a metal, such as stainless steel, or a high strength ceramic material.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,358,402 discloses a ceramic orthodontic bracket having a metal archwire slot liner received in the archwire channel or slot. Although the ceramic body portion of this type of bracket may have a natural toothlike appearance, but the metal slot liner can detract from the overall aesthetic appearance of the bracket.

It would be desirable to have an improved insert for reinforcing orthodontic appliances that offers both improved aesthetic appeal and strength. Furthermore, it would be advantageous for such an insert to have enhanced biocompatibility and reduced frictional resistance to archwires and the like. It also would be beneficial to have an orthodontic appliance incorporating such an improved insert.

The subject matter of this application is related to that of copending patent application Ser. No. 08/722,741, entitled "METHOD OF ATTACHING A METALLIC INSERT TO A CERAMIC ORTHODONTIC OR DENTAL APPLIANCE", filed simultaneously herewith. The specification of that co-pending application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

This invention offers the advantages of an extremely durable orthodontic insert which also is aesthetically pleasing. There is no need to compromise by choosing a reinforcing insert which offers high strength and low patient appeal or relatively lower strength and high patient appeal. Another benefit of the invention is improved biocompatibility. It is believed that some metals present biocompatibility problems when used in the mouth. However, the ceramic surface of the metal inserts of the present invention is biocompatible, thereby alleviating biocompatibility concerns. Furthermore, the insert has a reduced dynamic coefficient of friction, thereby enabling archwires and the like to move more easily across the insert's surface. This reduced coefficient of friction is made possible because the ceramic is deposited or formed on the insert in such a way as to create an extremely smooth ceramic surface.

In its broadest aspects, the invention is directed to an insert for reinforcing a nonmetallic orthodontic appliance, where the insert includes a metal core member having at least a partial ceramic outer surface. The metal core may be a stainless steel or a titanium alloy, and the ceramic may be an aluminum oxide, titanium nitride or titanium oxide. Preferably, the ceramic outer surface has a thickness of about 5,000 .ANG. to about 50.mu., and a natural tooth enamel-like color. Furthermore, the ceramic typically has a dynamic coefficient of friction which is lower than that of the metal core member. The ceramic outer surface may be continuous over the entire metal core member or may be discontinuous, covering only portions of the metal core.

In another aspect, the invention is directed to an orthodontic appliance including a body portion and an insert as described above. The body portion may be made of a material such as plastic or ceramic, and if the appliance is a bracket, the bracket may include an archwire slot. The insert itself is associated with the body portion and reinforces the body portion of the orthodontic appliance. In the case of an orthodontic bracket, the insert may line the archwire slot or may be completely embedded within the body portion. If the insert lines the archwire slot, it may be at least partially exposed. Also, if the body portion includes one or more tiewings, the insert may include one or more corresponding flange sections associated with at least a portion of the tiewings for additional reinforcement. Furthermore, the flange sections may be either at least partially exposed or completely embedded within the tiewings.

In yet another aspect, the invention is directed to a method of making an insert for an orthodontic appliance, including forming a ceramic surface on a metal insert. In one such method, the metal insert may be made of a stainless steel or a titanium alloy, and the forming step includes depositing the ceramic onto the metal insert. The ceramic, typically an aluminum oxide, titanium nitride or titanium oxide, is deposited using a method such as plasma deposition, sputtering, ion beam implantation, chemical vapor deposition or physical vapor deposition. An alternate method of forming the ceramic surface includes reacting a titanium alloy metal insert with a gas such as oxygen or nitrogen to form the ceramic surface. Another method includes depositing a metallic material such as titanium, cobalt, zirconium, molybdenum, niobium, tantalum or alloys thereof onto a metal insert and subsequently reacting the deposited metallic material with a gas such as oxygen or nitrogen to form the ceramic surface. Yet another method of forming the ceramic surface includes anodizing a material onto the metal insert. Any reactive metallic material having a stable metallic oxide may be used, such as titanium, aluminum, zirconium, chromium and alloys thereof, for example.

In a further aspect, the invention relates to a method of making an improved orthodontic appliance, including forming the ceramic coated metal insert as described above and joining the coated insert with a nonmetallic orthodontic appliance.

These and other benefits and advantages of the invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon reviewing the following drawings and detailed description of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a ceramic coated metallic insert for reinforcing a nonmetallic orthodontic appliance;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the insert of FIG. 1 taken along line 2--2;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a ceramic coated metallic insert for reinforcing an orthodontic appliance;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the insert of FIG. 3 taken along line 4--4;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an improved orthodontic bracket incorporating the ceramic coated metallic insert of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the improved orthodontic bracket of FIG. 5 taken along line 6--6; and

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 6 but of an improved orthodontic bracket incorporating the ceramic coated metallic insert substantially as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, an insert 10 for reinforcing a nonmetallic orthodontic appliance includes a metal core member 12 having a ceramic outer surface 14. As used herein, the term "orthodontic appliance" refers to any device which may be adhered directly or indirectly to a tooth surface for the purpose of moving, aligning or fixing the position of a tooth or teeth. Nonlimiting examples include brackets, buccal tubes, and the like. The insert itself may be of any suitable size and shape, and may be spatially located on or in the nonmetallic orthodontic appliance in any position which assists in reinforcing the appliance. The material for the metal core member 12 may be any metallic based material which has the capability of being colored by a ceramic coating process and typically is a stainless steel, or a titanium-based or aluminum-based alloy. These materials are generally preferred because of their relative biocompatibility. The ceramic outer surface 14 preferably is a metallic oxide or nitride, such as an aluminum oxide, titanium oxide or titanium nitride, for example. However, any ceramic may be used to form the ceramic outer surface. For example, the ceramic may be carbon in crystalline form (e.g., diamond) or aluminum-titanium oxynitride.

The particular insert 10 shown is adapted to reinforce an orthodontic appliance such as a bracket 16 having a body portion 17 including an archwire slot 18, a pair of tiewings 20 and a connecting portion 28 linking the tiewings 20 as shown in FIG. 5. Therefore, the insert 10 includes a bottom wall 22 and two upstanding side walls 24 depending from the bottom wall 22. The side walls 24 of this insert 10 have mid-wall portions 26 which are slightly shorter than the remainder of the side walls 24 and which correspond to the connecting portions 28 of the bracket 16 of FIG. 5 which are somewhat shorter in height than the adjacent tiewings 20. Furthermore, the insert 10 shown includes a notched-out section 30 at the base of each of the terminal ends of the side walls 24. These notched-out sections 30 are particularly advantageous for an insert 10 which is formed in situ in an orthodontic appliance because the body portion of the appliance may flow into the space created by the notch, thereby creating a mechanical bond when the body portion hardens or cures.

Referring to FIG. 2, a preferred coated metallic insert 10 has a continuous ceramic outer surface 14 which is uniformly distributed over all exposed surfaces of the metal core member 12. The ceramic typically is a metallic oxide or nitride, and should have a color such as white which can blend in with the color of the teeth in order to provide improved aesthetics. In addition, the ceramic outer surface 14 preferably has a thickness of from about 5,000 .ANG. to about 50.mu..

While a continuous ceramic surface is preferred, it is not required. For example, an insert 10 may be formed without a ceramic surface 14 on the lower surface 32 of the insert bottom wall 22. Because the lower surface 32 typically is oriented toward a tooth when the orthodontic appliance is mounted in the mouth, this uncoated surface generally is not visible and should not detract from the aesthetics of the appliance. Nonetheless, it is preferable to provide a ceramic outer surface over all exterior surfaces of the metal core member because this ceramic coating also enhances the overall biocompatibility of the reinforcing insert.

Another advantage of the ceramic coated metallic insert is that the ceramic surface has a dynamic coefficient of friction which is lower than that of the bare metal core member. Therefore, when the coated insert is formed as an archwire slot liner disposed within the archwire slot of an orthodontic bracket, an archwire may transfer forces to the orthodontic bracket and across the orthodontic bracket to other brackets more easily.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, another preferred embodiment of the ceramic coated metallic insert 10' further includes two sets of oppositely oriented flanges 34 which are adapted to extend at least partially into each tiewing 20' of an orthodontic bracket 16' as shown in FIG. 7, thereby strengthening the tiewings 20' and making them more resistant to occlusion forces such as chewing which may otherwise deform the wings 20' over time. In the particular embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the metal core member 10'0 has a ceramic outer surface 14' which covers all portions of the metal core member 12', including the lower surface 32' of the bottom wall 22'.

The metal core member of the coated insert may be made by conventional metal forming techniques, such as standard sheet metal forming and cutting techniques. For example, an insert or inserts may be cut from a sheet of metal so as to form a plurality of blanks which provide the laid out configuration of the bottom wall and side walls of the insert. This method of forming a bare metallic insert is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,254,002 (the '002 patent) which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. As disclosed in the '002 patent, the insert may be attached to a main handling section of the blank by a narrow gate, which may form a part of the bottom wall of the insert itself. The two side walls of the insert are then folded upward using standard sheet metal forming methods to form a generally a U-shaped insert.

The ceramic outer surface of the coated metallic insert may be formed on the now U-shaped metal core member in a number of different ways. For example, in one method the ceramic surface is formed by depositing a ceramic material onto the metallic insert. With this particular method, the metal insert preferably is made of a stainless steel or a titanium-based alloy. The ceramic deposited onto the insert may be any ceramic compound which is a combination of a gas and a metal. Typically, this ceramic is a metallic oxide or nitride such as an aluminum oxide, a titanium oxide, a titanium nitride or the like. This ceramic material may be deposited onto the metallic insert using any one of a number of different deposition methods, including, for example, plasma deposition, sputtering, ion beam implantation, chemical vapor deposition or physical vapor deposition.

Another method for forming the ceramic surface on the metallic insert includes reacting a metallic insert made of a titanium-based alloy with a gas to form the ceramic surface. Preferably, the gas is oxygen or nitrogen, in which case the ceramic surface formed will be a metallic oxide or nitride, such as an aluminum oxide, titanium oxide or titanium nitride.

Yet another method for forming the ceramic surface on the metallic insert includes depositing a metallic material onto the bare metal insert and thereafter reacting the deposited metal material with a gas to form the ceramic surface. The deposited metallic material preferably is titanium, cobalt, zirconium, molybdenum, niobium, tantalum or an alloy thereof, which may be deposited using any of a number of deposition methods such as plasma deposition, sputtering, ion beam implantation, chemical vapor deposition or physical vapor deposition. Furthermore, the gas used to react with the deposited metal material typically is oxygen or nitrogen, in which case the ceramic coating formed is a metallic oxide or nitride as described above. Yet another method of forming the ceramic surface includes anodizing a material onto the metal insert. Any reactive metallic material having a stable metallic oxide may be used, such as titanium, aluminum, zirconium, chromium and alloys thereof, for example.

Once the ceramic surface has been formed on the metal core member, the coated metallic insert may be joined with a nonmetallic orthodontic appliance to form an improved and reinforced orthodontic appliance. If the orthodontic appliance is to be made of plastic, the coated metallic insert may be placed in an injection mold cavity and the plastic material may be molded around the insert to form a body portion, as is taught in the '002 patent. Preferably, the plastic is polycarbonate with reinforcing glass fibers as taught in the '002 patent, with 20% to 40% by weight of glass fibers being preferred. The orthodontic appliance then may be removed from the mold and any excess sheet metal such as a main handling section, may be trimmed from the improved, reinforced appliance. However, if the orthodontic appliance is to be formed of ceramic, then the ceramic coated metallic insert is joined in a different fashion. Preferably, the coated metallic insert is joined with the appliance using an adhesive, as taught in co-pending patent application Ser. No. 08/722,741, entitled "METHOD OF ATTACHING A METALLIC INSERT TO A CERAMIC ORTHODONTIC OR DENTAL APPLIANCE" filed on even date herewith, which is hereby incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.

Referring to FIGS. 5-6, an improved orthodontic bracket 16 is shown having a ceramic coated metallic insert 10. In this particular embodiment, the bracket 16 includes a body portion 17 having a pair of tiewings 20, a connecting portion 28 linking the tiewings 20 and an archwire slot 18. As best shown in FIG. 6, the coated metallic insert 10 is slightly recessed into the body portion 17 of the bracket 16 so that the inner side wall surfaces 36 of the insert 10 are substantially flush with the archwire slot 18. Referring to FIG. 7, yet another preferred embodiment of the improved orthodontic bracket 16' includes a coated metal insert 10' having flanges 34 which extend at least partially into each tiewing 20'. Preferably, these flanges 34 are completely embedded within the tiewings as shown, however, this is not required.

It is to be understood that various changes and modifications may be made from the embodiments discussed above without departing from the scope of the present invention, which is defined by the following claims.