Dentistry – Apparatus – Having intra-oral dispensing means
Patent
1998-02-17
1999-11-16
Lucchesi, Nicholas D.
Dentistry
Apparatus
Having intra-oral dispensing means
451 90, A61C 302
Patent
active
059846771
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
INTRODUCTION
1. Technical Field
This invention relates to air abrasive technology. More particularly, it relates to methods and apparati for supplying abrasive particles to abrade a surface. The invention is particularly useful for dental applications.
2. Background
The use of air abrasive in the dental industry has considerably reduced the pain and general unpleasantness involved in dental procedures. Traditional air abrasive delivery systems worked much like a salt shaker. They were basically chambers which would be vibrated in order to force the abrasive out of the holes at the bottom of the chamber. Another type of air abrasive delivery system vibrated the abrasive to flow up through a circular track to bring sand up through the top of the chamber. These systems had the common problem of excessive noise and vibration. Systems can be found which avoid the excessive noise and vibration by blowing air over the top of the abrasive to create a dust cloud which could be blown or sucked out to the end piece. These systems had severe difficulty with abrasive flow control.
In addition to the difficulties of obtaining predictable uniform mixing of air with abrasive particles, the existing air abrasive devices do not provide reliable, flexible means for modifying the content of abrasive stream exiting the nozzle from the dental handpiece. The invention set forth in its various aspects in this specification solve these problems.
3. Objects of the Invention
An object of this invention is to provide a device that is useful for more efficiently mixing abrasive particles with air to create a pressurized, moving air/abrasive stream that is directed onto a surface to clean the surface or abrade it to give it a different appearance or to prepare it for further treatment.
Another object of this invention is to provide a device that is useful for efficiently mixing abrasive particles with air to create a pressurized, moving air/abrasive stream that is directed onto a tooth surface to clean the tooth surface or to abrade the surface in preparation for bonding or cavity work.
Another object of this invention is to provide a device or system for more efficiently cleaning or abrading a surface, particularly a tooth surface, which device or system has an easily adjustable flow rate of an air/abrasive stream without having to resort to using multiple flow paths to achieve such adjustable flow rate.
Another object of this invention is to provide a device or system that is simpler in design than similar, existing devices or systems for abrading a surface using an abrasive-laden air stream.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved device or system for abrading a surface using an abrasive-laden air stream, wherein the improvement allows for the easy dilution of the abrasive particles in the air stream.
Other objects of this invention will be apparent to one of ordinary skill upon reading the specification and claims of this patent application.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One aspect of this invention is a device for producing a pressurized stream of a gas and suspended particles, which device comprises a chamber, an inlet tube for allowing particles from a particle source to flow to the chamber, the tube having a proximal end and a distal end, a separating means positioned near the distal end of the particle inlet line to prevent particles that are larger than the distal end opening of the inlet line from getting through the separating means, a gas inlet tube for allowing a gas to enter the chamber under pressure, said gas inlet tube having a proximal end and a distal end, and an outlet tube from said chamber for allowing a stream of fluidized particles to exit the chamber, wherein when the gas is forced through the gas inlet tube to enter the chamber and it flows across the proximal end of the particle inlet tube to create a low pressure region in the chamber which allows particles to flow through the separating means and the distal end of the particle inlet tube through the proximal end of the inlet tube and into
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Blake Thomas S.
Bruns Craig R.
Fernwood Mark S.
Danville Engineering
Lucchesi Nicholas D.
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