CA2549635A1 - Orthodontic torque pliers - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention pertains to a tool or pliers for effecting a torque twist to orthodontic arch wire. The pliers have two handles pivotally associated by a core, the core having a slot therein.
One of the handles has a bifurcated head with the other handle having a single head adapted to fit within said bifurcated head and pivot on the core. The bifurcated headed handle has at least one slide reciprocally associated with a side of the bifurcated headed handle, the slide having a slot in an end thereof, the slide being manipulated so that its slot into aligned association with the slot in the core. The core is detachably secured to the single headed handle. Slots are in the single and bifurcated headed handles to access their bores so that all the slots can be aligned to accept an arch wire being passed through the slots in the handles and into the slots of the core and slide. Squeezing of the handles causes relative rotation between the core and slide to impart a twist to the wire. The degree of twist can be adjustably controlled.
Preferably, there are two slides, one in each side of the bifurcated headed handle.

Claims (2)

1. Orthodontic torque pliers for twists in orthodontic arch wire, comprising:

a first handle having a single headed portion with a bore therethrough and a rectangular slot;

a second handle having a bifurcated headed portion, each bifurcation having a bore therethrough accessed by a slot, said bifurcated headed portion adapted to accommodate the single headed portion wherein the bores of both handles are in alignment and the slots of the bifurcated head are in axial alignment with the slot of said single headed portion;

a core for insertion within said bores of the single headed portion of the first handle and bores of the bifurcated headed portion of the second handle means and provides as a pivot for the handles;

said core having a rectangular slot therein adapted to accept a portion of the arch wire;

said second handle having at least one slide means operatably associated with a side of the second handle wherein the slide means can be manipulated from a retracted position to an extended position, the slide means having a rectangular slot therein and in the extended position, the slot of the slide means in alignment with the core slots and the slots of said single and bifurcated portions of said handles, said slide slot adapted to accept a portion of the arch wire, wherein squeezing the handles together about the core acting as a pivot causes the core slot and the slide slots to rotate relatively to each other to impart a twist to the arch wire.

2. A method of creating a torque twist in orthodontic arch wire, comprising:

providing torque pliers having a first handle with a single head means having a bore and rectangular slot, and a second handle with a bifurcated head, each bifurcation having a bore and a slot, said handles pivotally connected by core means within said bores of the handle heads, said core means having a rectangular slot adapted to accept the arch wire when aligned with said slots of said handle heads, said second handle having at least one slide slidingly associated with a side of said second handle, said slide having a rectangular slot in an end thereof and movable from a retracted position to an extended position;

aligning said slide slot, said core slot and said handle slots;

inserting the arch wire through the slots of the handle heads into both said slide slot and said core slot;

squeezing said handles together to rotate the slide slot and core slot relative to each other, to cause torque twist in the arch wire;

releasing pressure slightly on said handles and retracting said slide; and removing said arch wire from the core slot and through the slots of the handle heads.