This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. xc2xa7xc2xa7119 and/or 365 to Kr2000-31909 filed in Korea on Jun. 10, 2000; the entire content of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an orthodontic cutter and, more particularly, to a plier-type orthodontic cutter detachably incorporated with a stick-type ligature tucker for the increased efficiency and convenience in using instruments necessary to the art of orthodontic dentistry.
2. Background Art
In a conventional procedure of orthodontic treatment, as illustrated in FIG. 1, a bracket 30 having a slot 20 is bonded to a target tooth 10 of an orthodontic patient and then held in interconnection with other brackets by an arch wire 40 inserted into the individual slots 20. For stabilizing the arch wire 40 seated in the bracket slots 20, a ligature wire xe2x80x9cLxe2x80x9d is tied to the wings of each bracket 30, i.e., the ligature wire xe2x80x9cLxe2x80x9d is placed over the arch wire 40 and around the wings of the bracket 30 and then, the ends of the ligature wire xe2x80x9cLxe2x80x9d are knotted together by making use of a ligation instrument 50 lest the arch wire 40 should get loose from the bracket slots 20.
But, the unnecessary excess end of the knotted ligature wire should be cut off and, in addition, the sharp end of the cutaway ligature wire should be tucked inwardly to protect the lips, cheeks and gums of the patient. So, an orthodontic cutter 60 and a ligature tucker 70 are normally used to cut off the excess end of the ligature wire xe2x80x9cLxe2x80x9d in a short length and to direct the sharp end of the cutaway ligature wire toward the underside of the arch wire 40.
The conventional orthodontic cutter 60 and ligature tucker 70 which have been most popularly used in the orthodontic treatment are essentially distinct in configuration from each other, as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, respectively. Referring to FIG. 2, the orthodontic cutter 60 has a pair of handles 61 which cross at a pivot axis in symmetrical configuration and a pair of jaws 62 which are provided with cutting edges. Referring to FIG. 3, the ligature tucker 70 has a stick-type handle 71 whose lower end is integrally provided with a tip 72, the tip 72 being straight, narrow and thin, and notched. While the tip 72 is usually straight, an angled tip is often employed according to the dentist""s preference.
However, the orthodontic cutter and the ligature tucker are essentially distinct in configuration from each other and of no co-operative relationship, so that the dentist has to alternately use the cutter and the tucker in a troublesome way for engaging the arch wire with the brackets bonded to all the teeth of the orthodontic patient, i.e., iteratively cutting and bending the ends of the ligature wire tied to the individual brackets. If the dentist should proceed to cut off the excess ends of the ligature wires at another side of the patient""s dentition without tucking the sharp ends of the ligature wires which have been already cut at one side to avoid the alternate uses of the cutter and the tucker, the sharp and untucked ends of the ligature wires would hurt the soft tissues of the orthodontic patient. The above-described drawbacks of the separate orthodontic cutter and the separate ligature tucker, which must be used in an alternate manner with much inexpedience, result in extreme deterioration of working efficiency in the orthodontic treatment, i.e., making the dentist have a difficulty in concentrating his or her attention and extending the working time in treating the orthodontic patient.
Accordingly, the present invention is contrived to solve the problems pertaining to the orthodontic cutter and the ligature tucker conventionally used as orthodontic instruments.
It is the principal object of the present invention to provide a novel orthodontic cutter detachably incorporated with a ligature tucker, in which the orthodontic cutter and the ligature tucker essentially distinct in configuration from each other and of no co-operative relationship are combined into a single incorporated structure, which makes it possible to overcome the disadvantages of alternately using the separate instruments without saying that it can successfully fulfill the respective inherent functions of the cutter and the tucker in the incorporated state, thus enhancing the working efficiency in handling the orthodontic instruments.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel orthodontic cutter detachably incorporated with a ligature tucker, allowing the user to optionally disassemble the cutter or the tucker from the incorporated structure and to easily replace or repair the disassembled parts upon finding a breakdown, wherein the tucker is optionally replaceable with any other similar orthodontic hand instrument distinct in configuration of the tip but able to perform the function of the tucker, such as band seater or scaler.
To achieve the above objects of the present invention, there is provided an orthodontic cutter, which will be described in detail by referring to FIGS. 4 and 5 as one of the several preferred embodiments. The orthodontic cutter comprises a cutter part 1 including a pair of handles 11, one of the handles being shorter than the other, which cross at a pivot axis and a pair of jaws 13 which have cutting edges; a tucker part 2 including a short stick-type handle 21 having the lower end thereof provided with a tip 211; a holder 12 formed on the lower lateral side of the shorter one of the handles 11 of the cutter part and provided with an insertion hole 121; an insertion post 22 formed on the top end of the short stick-type handle 21 of the tucker part 2, provided with a clamping hole 221, and inserted into the insertion hole 121 of the holder 12; and a clamping bolt 3 mated with the clamping hole 221 for holding the insertion post 22 in the insertion hole 121. In the orthodontic cutter, the tucker part 2 is detachably incorporated with the cutter part 1, being able to perform a rotation movement on its own axis.