METHOD AND APPARATUS IMPARTING VIBRATIONS TO BONE

摘要

Vibrations for application to hard living tissue, such as bones, teeth, etc., are derived from a magnetorestrictive element (20) disposed in a varying electromagnetic field to create dimensional variations in the magnetorestrictive element (20). In an audiodontic vibrator for the hearing impaired, a magnetorestrictive rod (20) is disposed in the hollow core of an electromagnetic coil (17) through which current flows in response to acoustic signals. The resulting electromagnetic field in the core passes through the magnetorestrictive rod (20), causing small dimensional variations in the rod (20) corresponding to amplitude variations in the field. An actuator (31) in contact with the rod extends from the housing and transmits the dimensional changes as low amplitude vibrations to the hard tissue via a bracket (41) mounted on a tooth (40) by an adhesive resin-based cement. The bracket (41) has a receiving channel (43) contoured to slidably and removably receive the distal end (37) of the actuator (31) in close fitting frictional relation.