US2030227A - Molar band - Google Patents

Description

Feb M, 1936. A. RICHARDSON MOLAR BAND Filed April 23,A 1934 Patented Feb. 11, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 7 Claims.

My invention relates to a molar band of the particular type used in orthodontic practice and the principal objects of my invention are, to generally improve upon and simplify the construction of the conventional forms of molar bands and to provide a band that may be easily and conveniently fitted to the tooth upon which the band is mounted.

A further object of my invention is, to provide a molar band having a portion that is shaped so as to conform to the contour of the tooth to which the band isv applied, thereby minimizing the time and labor involved in the initial fitting of the band to the tooth and the subsequent application and securing of the fitted band to the tooth.

Further objects of my invention are, to provide a molar band that is constructed so as to minimize fracture and breakage of the band when the same ls fitted onto the tooth and brought into intimate Contact therewith through the use of pliers and further, to provide a molar band that may be snugly fitted to the convex surface of a tooth without necessity for resorting to the usual crimping of the edges of the band through the use of pliers or like tools.

Heretofore it has been the general practice to construct molar bands in the form of rings of thin pliable ribbonlike metal and to iit the same onto the tooth by pinching and crimping operations with pliers or the like, but such practice tends to fracture the band metaLparticularly at the points engaged by the end of the jaws of the pliers and further such practice necessitates production of the ringlike bands in several diierent sizes.

Further, in the contouring of a tooth band so as to shape the same to conform to the bulge and contour of the tooth to which the band is being tted, it is practically impossible to contour the band and produce smooth regular edges on the ribbonlike metal of the band with pliers or like tools and in this connection it will be understood that it is highly desirable and essential that the finished band be as smooth and regular in contour as is possible so as to t snugly upon the tooth for which the band has been prepared.

My invention contemplates the formation of the molar bands from Astrips of ribbonlike metal with the intermediaten portion of said strips con- 50 toured so as to lt snugly onto the tooth to which the band is rst fitted and subsequently mounted.

A further object of -my invention is, to provide a molar band having a portion or portions extended from the loop to form an arm adapted to receive thepliers that arevutilizedf in fitting/the band Iii? on the tooth and which extended portion is provided adjacent its outer end with shoulders or abutments for one of the jaws of the pliers used during the band fitting operation.

With the foregoing and other objects in View my invention consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangements of parts that will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a molar band construction in accordance with my invention.

Fig, 2 is a top plan view of the band and showing a part thereof in horizontal section.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the extended portion of the band and showing a modified form of the shoulders or abutments thereon.

Figs. 4 and 5 are plan views similar to Fig. 2 and showing further modified forms of the shoulders or abutments.

Fig. 6 is a plan View of the form of band illustrated in Fig. 1 and showing the pliers associated therewith for fitting the contoured portion of the band onto a tooth.

Fig. 7 is an elevational view partly in section of the band applied to a tooth and showing portions of the pliers that are utilized in fitting and tightening the band on the tooth.

Fig. 8 is a detail section through the ends of the loop of the band and showing said ends permanently connected and finished. n

Fig, 9 is a perspective view of a portion of the pliers used in tting my improved band to a tooth.

In the construction of my improved molar band, I utilize a strip I0 of thin ribbonlike metal and the intermediate portion thereof or that portion that is designed to encircle the tooth, is slightly curved in cross section with the convex surface outwardly presented so that said loop will readily conform tothe contour of the tooth to which the band is fitted and upon which it is subsequentlyv mounted.

From the ends of the contoured portion of the strip of metal, portions of the latter which are flat and straight, are extended parallel with and immediately adjacent each other to form a short arm or extension I I and the ends or terminal portions of the parallel members that form this arm are rebent as designated by I2 so as to lie immediately adjacent to each other and between construction provides on the external faces of the arm and at the inner end of the four thick- -nesses of metal abrupt shoulders I3 that serve as flat against the outer faces of the arm members.' 1

as designated by I5 and the ends of the rfebent portions form plier engaging shoulders or abutments IB. H"

In this construction the rebent or -folded back portions of strips at the ends of the arms are secured to said arms by solder or otherwise so as to provide unyielding abutments for the jaws of the pliers and the ends of the folded portions are permanently secured to each other by solder I'I, which is placed in the joint between the ends of the members.

In the modified construction illustrated in Fig. 4, small pieces I8 of thin metal are connected by solder or by spotwelding or brazing to the inner faces of the ends of the strip members forming the arm or extension I I, thus providing at the end of said arm four thicknesses of metal, with abutments or shoulders I9 on the side faces of the arm or extension adjacent the inner end of that portion of said arm having said four thicknesses of metal.

In the construction illustrated in Fig. 5, small sections of thin metal 2G are suitably secured to the outer faces of the end portions of the arm or extension II, thus forming abutments or shoulders 2|.

The forward ends of the plier jaws carry short extensions 25 that occupy positions substantially at right angles to the plane occupied by the body of the pliers and formed in said extensions, are longitudinally disposed slots 26 of suflicient width to accommodate the two thicknesses of metal that form the arm or extension of the molar band.

The outer faces of the members 25 are slightly concaved lengthwise so as to conform to the curvature of the loop of the band that surrounds the tooth and to the curvature of the tooth itself.

Thus the pliers may be used for either righthand or lefthand operations and likewise they may be used in fitting the molar band to an upper or lower tooth.

In fitting the molar band to a tooth the two thicknesses of the metal strip that form the arm or extension II are inserted in the slots 26 in the angular extensions at the ends of the jaws of the pliers and the contoured loop of the band is placed around the tooth as illustrated in The handles of the pliers are now pressed toward each other with the result that the extensions 25 on the ends of the jaws of the pliers will spread apart so that one extension will move away from the tooth into engagementwith the shoulders or abutment-.s formed on the outer faces of the arm or extension adjacent its end and the other extension will press the end portions of the loop of the band against the tooth.

By exerting pressure on the handles of the pliers the band may be drawn tightly aroundthe tooth into intimate contact with the surface therof so as to produce an accurate fit of the band upon the tooth. After this fitting has been ac,- cornplished the fitted band is removed from the tooth and the ends of the contoured portion of the band are now permanently secured to each other by means of solder that is introduced in the joint or point of contact between the ends of the contoured portion and as designated by the numeral 21 in Fig. 8.

The two thicknesses of the metal strip that form the arm or extension I'I are now cut directly opposite the soldered joint'and .the cut edges on the outer face of the band are smoothed and finish'ed olf.

Inasmuch as the band is formed of thin resilient metaL'it may be conveniently bent and manipulated when finally applied to the tooth and if it is found` necessary to slightly spread or open the advance edge of the band in applying the same to the tooth,'such action may be accomplished with suitable tools and after the band is in proper position upon the tooth the advance edge of said band may be bent or burnished inwardly so as to fit snugly upon the tooth.

Thus it will be seen that the shoulders formed on the side faces of the arm or extension of the band provide a substantial abutment against which the terminal portion of one of the jaws of the pliers engages while the end of the other jaw presses the ends of the contoured portion of the band into close and intimate engagement with the tooth during the band fitting operation.

A highly desirable feature of my invention is the contouring of the intermediate portion of the band so that when applied to the tooth it will readily conform to the shape of the tooth and particularly that portion of the surface of the tooth to which the band is subsequently mounted.

Further, the construction that produces the flat parallel end portions of the band and the shoulders or abutments thereon, provides for the use of a form of pliers that are highly effective in drawing the looped portion of the band into intimate contact with the surface of the tooth and producing a perfect fit.

Where bands of straight nat metal are applied to teeth, it is practically impossible to contour the same by means of pliers or like tools, for where such practice is carried out, both upper and lower edges of the band will be crimped or bent during the contouring operations so that all portions of the inner surface of the band will not make direct contact with the tooth.

Where a straight flat band is applied to the tooth and the upper and lower edges crimped or contoured in an endeavor to cause the band. to t f;

the contour of the tooth, the resultingirregular crimped edges are very undesirable inasmuch as they tend to irritate the tongue, skin and adjacent tissues. f

Inasmuch as my improved band is pre-contoured, it is not necessary to crimp either edge of the band when the same is finally mounted upon the tooth and as the contour of the band conforms to the contour-of the tooth, a Very snug fitting band is produced inasmuch as the entire inner face of the band makes intimate contact with the convex outer face of the tooth.

After the band has been prepared for mounting on the tooth as herein described, the cutoff por tions of the band whichare not contaminated with solder, may be remelted and put back into its original strip form without requiring a refining process, thus effecting a material saving of time, labor and expense.

Where the band is constructed as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, it is not always necessary to unite the ends of the extended portions I I with solder, for the jaw of the pliers when applied to the extended arm bears against the abutments I3 which in turn bear against the ends of the inwardly folded portions II and where such construction is utilized, the entire arm or extension when cut off is not contaminated with solder and it may be remelted in its entirety without refining, thereby resulting in a decided manufacturing advantage and a material saving in production costs.

Inasmuch as my improved band is made from metal rolled into strip form, the band when prepared for tting to a tooth, readily lends itself to such operation by reason of the fact that the bers of the metal in the band are disposed substantially lengthwise thereof, thus materially increasing the tensile strength of the band which increases resistance to fracture and being of rolled stock, the thickness of the band is uniform throughout its length.

With types of molar bands now on the market, for instance, of the type disclosed in Patent 1,670,361, issued May 22, 1928, which bands are' of the endless band or loop type that are formed of seamless tubing and where such practice prevails, it is necessary to produce the bands in at least three different sizes.

In applying these forms of bands, the pliers must be gripped on a small projecting loop of the band Very close to the latter so as not to cause pain to the patient and there is always danger of fracture of the band due to the position of the pliers while pinching the band into close engagement with the tooth.

Another disadvantage of the bands produced from seamless tubing is that in drawing the tubing from which the bands are produced, the wall upon the mandrel and draw plate will in a short time produce discrepancies in the thickness of the band so that the band stock will be thin at certain points so that there is danger of breakage of the stock when the bands are being fitted or after they have been in service for so'me time.

Where bands are formed of seamless tubing, the metal in the tubing is cut crosswise, which necessarily decreases the tensile strength of the produced bands, but in my improved band the ribbonlike metal is produced by a rolling process so that the metal fibers are longitudinally disposed within the band and threefore the stock is much more substantial and in keeping with the best principles of metallurgical engineering and the gauge of the stock is uniformly maintained.

It will be understood that minor changes in the size, form and construction of the various parts of my improved molar band may be made and substituted fo'r those herein shown and described without departing from the spirit of my invention, the scope of which is set forth in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. As a new article of manufacture, a molar' band comprising a strip of ribbonlike metal having straight flat end portions, that portion of the band between said end portions being curved in cross section, the terminal portions of the straight at ends being integrally secured to each other and there being shoulders formed on the outer faces of the straight flat end portions o'f the band to form abutments for one of the jaws of the pliers used in fitting the band to the tooth.

2. A molar band, comprising an open loop formed of thin ribbonlike metal the end portions of the strip of metal from which said loop is formed, extending outwardly from the ends of said open loop and the terminal portions of said outwardly extending end portions of the strip of metal being folded upon themselves to form shoulders on the outer faces of the outwardly extending portions of the strip, which shoulders provide abutments for one of the jaws o'f the pliers used in fitting the band to the tooth.

3. As a new article of manufacture, a molar band comprising a strip of ribbonlike metal having its intermediate portion bent to form a loop, the ends of which strip of metal beyond said loop are brought together to form parallel extensions that are permanently secured to each other and a shoulder formed on the outer face of one o'f the parallel extensions to provide an abutment for one of the jaws of the pliers used in fitting the band to the tooth.

4. A molar band formed from a strip of ribbonlike metal, the intermediate portion of which strip is bent to form an o'pen loop, the wall of said A loop being curved in cross section, portions of the strip of metal extending outwardly from the ends of the open loop and there being shoulders formed on both outer faces of the outer portion of said extension to provide abutments for one of the jaws of the pliers used in fitting the band to the tooth.

5. A molar band formed from a strip of ribbonlike metal, the intermediate portion of which strip is bent to form an open loop, portions of the strip of metal extending outwardly from the ends of the open loop in parallel relation and positioned immediately adjacent to each other to form an arm of double thickness of material and which arm adjacent its outer end is bent to form abutments on both of its side faces.

6. A molar band formed from a strip of ribbonlike metal, the intermediate portion of which strip is bent to form an open loop, portions of the strip of metal extending outwardly from the ends of the open loop in parallel relation and positioned immediately adjacent to each other to form an arm of double thickness of material and abutments on both side faces of said arm.

'7. As a new article of manufacture, a molar band, comprising a strip of ribbon-like metal having its intermediate portion bent to form a tooth encircling loop, the end portions of the strip of metal being extended from said loop in parallel relation and immediately adjacent each other to form an arm and the terminal portions of the metal forming said band and arm being bent and folded double to form external plier jaw engaging abutments on the outer faces of the arm adjacent its outer end.

ANNIE RICHARDSON.

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