Treatment method using orthodontic tools

Abstract

A method of treating or self-treating an orthodontic patient wearing braces or aligners to straighten their teeth using an orthodontic tool in the form of a tool set having at least three arms coupled together at one end by a fastener. The arms are rotatably movable about the fastener. One arm of the tool set has a sanding tool. Another arm has a hook. A third arm has a pick. The method includes utilizing the tool set by extending one of the arms outwardly from the other arms and inserting the leading end of the arm into the patient's mouth to perform the function.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of treating or self-treating an orthodontic patient wearing braces or aligners to straighten their teeth using an orthodontic tool comprising:
 utilizing a tool set having at least three arms coupled together at one end by a fastener, with the arms being rotatably movable about the fastener and each arm having a free end and an opposite end connected to the fastener, said tool set comprising:
 an arm having a sanding tool; 
 an arm having a hook; and 
 an arm having a pick; 
   extending one of the arms outwardly from the other arms;   confirming the aligner is seated inside the patient's mouth where the patient is an aligner patient and inserting the outwardly extended arm into the patient's mouth and performing a function associated with the arm to treat the patient, wherein the functions include one or more of:
 using the arm having the sanding tool to sand and smooth a part of a plastic aligner or sanding an end of a metal wire of braces in the patient's mouth; 
 using the arm having a hook to remove an aligner from the teeth or to install or remove a rubber band from an aligner and from a bracket of braces; 
 using the arm having a pick to remove food or debris from between the patient's teeth for patients wearing braces or aligners, for unlocking brackets of braces when lose off a braces wire, or for removal of a rubber band from a bracket of braces of a braces' patient; 
   or;   using the tool outside the patient's mouth to perform a function associated with the arm to treat the patient, wherein the function includes:
 using the arm having the sanding tool to sand and smooth a part of a plastic aligner for an aligner patient. 
   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the arms are rotatably coupled to the fastener and the step of extending one of the arms outwardly involves rotating the arm around the fastener to extend the arm away from the other arms. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the sanding tool is coupled to the free end of the sanding tool arm, the hook is coupled to the free end of the hook arm, and the pick is coupled to the free end of the pick arm, and the method step of inserting the outwardly extended arm into the patient's mouth includes extending the free end into the patient's mouth to perform the function. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein a sanding pad is coupled to the free end of the sanding tool arm and the method step of using the tool outside the patient's mouth to perform a function involves using the sanding pad at the free end of the arm to sand an aligner outside of the patient's mouth and further comprising inserting the aligner into the patient's mouth to confirm that the aligner has been fixed. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising, after using the tool set, rotating the arm that was used so that all the arms align and storing the tool set. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the arms of the tool set are substantially the same length as one another and when the arms are rotated to align, the tool set forms a substantially rectangular bundle of tools. 
     
     
         7 . An orthodontic tool for a patient wearing braces or aligners to straight their teeth comprising:
 a tool set having at least three arms coupled together at one end by a fastener, with the arms being rotatably movable about the fastener and each arm having a free end and an opposite end connected only to the fastener, said tool set comprising:
 an arm having a sanding tool positioned at the free end thereof opposite the fastener, the sanding tool comprising a file or sanding pad for sanding and smoothing a part of a plastic aligner for an aligner patient, or an end of a metal wire of braces in the patient's mouth; 
 an arm having a hook positioned at the free end thereof opposite the fastener, the hook being configured to permit a patient to remove an aligner from the teeth or to install or remove a rubber band from an aligner and from a bracket of braces; and 
 an arm having a pick positioned at the free end thereof opposite the fastener, the pick being configured to permit a patient to remove food or debris from between the patient's teeth for patients wearing braces or aligners, for unlocking brackets of braces when lose off a braces wire, or for removal of a rubber band from a bracket of braces of a braces' patient, 
   wherein the tool set is for self-use by the patient in the patient's mouth.   
     
     
         8 . The orthodontic tool of  claim 7 , wherein the fastener is a post that extends through the tool set. 
     
     
         9 . The orthodontic tool of  claim 7 , wherein each arm of the plurality of arms is a substantially flat sheet of metal. 
     
     
         10 . The orthodontic tool of  claim 7 , wherein the hook is sickle-shaped. 
     
     
         11 . The orthodontic tool of  claim 7 , wherein the sanding pad is flat and is applied to a surface of the arm. 
     
     
         12 . The orthodontic tool of  claim 7 , wherein each arm has a front side and a rear side, and the sanding pad is applied to one of the front side or the rear side. 
     
     
         13 . The orthodontic tool of  claim 7 , wherein the arm having a pick has a body formed of a sheet of metal and a wire-shaped member attached to the body. 
     
     
         14 . The orthodontic tool of  claim 13 , wherein the wire-shaped member has a plurality of bends such that the free end of the pick is angled relative to a longitudinal axis of the body of the arm having a pick. 
     
     
         15 . The orthodontic tool of  claim 14 , wherein the free end of the pick has a tip that is narrower in width than a width of the body. 
     
     
         16 . The orthodontic tool of  claim 13 , wherein the wire-shaped member has a width where it attaches to the body and a width at its free end, and the width of the wire-shaped member at the free end is narrower than the width of the wire-shaped member where it attaches to the body. 
     
     
         17 . The orthodontic tool of  claim 7 , wherein the arms are rotatable about the fastener to extend the arms in different directions from one another. 
     
     
         18 . An orthodontic trimmer for use in a patient's mouth comprising:
 a lever having a non-cutting lever leading edge;   a base having a non-cutting base leading edge;   a spring positioned between the lever and the base;   a first transversely extending portion extending from the lever adjacent the lever leading edge; and   a second transversely extending portion extending from the base adjacent the base leading edge;   with the first and second transversely extending portions being positionally aligned and having a cutting surface associated therewith that permits cutting at an angle that is substantially perpendicular to the leading edge,   wherein the lever and the base have a complementary shape that is either curved or straight.   
     
     
         19 . The trimmer of  claim 18 , wherein when the patient presses the lever towards the base, the first and second transversely extending portions engage one another to cut a wire, and the cut part of the wire is held between the first and second transversely extending portions to permit the patient to remove the cut part of the wire from the patient's mouth. 
     
     
         20 . The trimmer of  claim 18 , wherein the spring is movable between an operable position and an inoperable position; and
 when the spring is in the operable position, the lever is angled at an angle ranging between about 10 degrees to about 40 degrees relative to the base; or   when the spring is in the operable position, the lever is angled at an angle ranging between about 15 degrees to about 30 degrees relative to the base.