Dentistry – Apparatus – Hand manipulatable implement
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-22
2001-04-03
Manahan, Todd E. (Department: 3732)
Dentistry
Apparatus
Hand manipulatable implement
C433S159000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06210161
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION:
The present invention relates to an improvement in the design of dental forceps that are commonly employed in the extraction of molars from the mandible of dental patients.
In the practice of dentistry, it is often necessary to remove teeth for a variety of reasons including extensive decay, fractures or advanced periodontal disease. Teeth with more than one root, such as molars, often require the tooth to be sectioned prior to extraction. The sectioning process entails using a dental hand piece to divide the remaining coronal portion of the tooth into sections so that each root may be removed as an individual unit with any remaining coronal portion of the tooth. Use of the currently available instruments often results in forces being applied to the root during extraction that may lead to fracture of the root tip below the level of bone which leaves portions of the root inaccessible to the operator thus, requiring a surgical procedure in order to gain access to the fractured root tip so that it may be removed. This surgical procedure usually involves laying a gingival flap and removal of the cortical and cancellous bone with a surgical hand piece in order to reach the fractured root tip. Use of this surgical procedure can lead to increased post operative pain for the patient, loss of bone that could be used for reconstructive purposes and sensitivity of adjacent teeth.
From this discussion it can seen that it would be desirable to have an instrument that could be used to facilitate the removal of roots in a manner that allows the sectioned roots to be removed individually without the fracture that could necessitate surgical intervention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is the primary objective of the present invention to provide a dental forceps that is capable of being disassembled and used as two separate instruments during the removal of molar roots from the mandible.
It is an additional objective of the present invention to provide such a dental forceps that, when used as a whole, can effectively remove a sectioned molar root from the mandible of a patient.
It is a further objective of the present invention to provide such a dental forceps that, when used as a part of the whole, can be used to apply rotational force between the roots of the sectioned molar which helps to loosen them within the Peridontium and aids in their removal.
It is a still further objective of the present invention to provide such a dental forceps that, when used as a part of the whole, can be used to apply vertical force to the roots of a sectioned molar which also helps to loosen them within the Peridontium and aids in their removal.
Finally, it is the objective of the present invention to provide a dental forceps that will lessen the invasive nature of sectioned molar removal which will result in less post-operative pain to the patient.
These objectives are accomplished by the use of a dental forceps that is made of surgical stainless steel, titanium alloy, or other such material that is appropriate for the construction of such instruments. The dental forceps are primarily made up of a pair of parallel handles that are pivotally mounted to one another towards their forward ends. This pivotal attachment allows the rearward portion of the handles to be manipulated towards and away from each other around the pivot point which in turn opens and closes the forceps jaws that are located on the invention forward of the pivot point.
The two jaws of the invention are each ninety degree extensions of the handles, the most forward jaw being part of the lower handle and the rearward jaw being part of the upper handle.
Each of the jaw components are constructed in a manner so that they taper to a relatively flat point when looking down the length of the invention and they taper to a very fine point when looking at the invention from the side. Additionally, the inner surface of the jaws is constructed in a slightly concave manner which aids in grasping irregularly shaped objects such as molar roots.
The design of the jaws of the present invention allows the operator to grip the mesial and distal surfaces of the root during the extraction process which provides more gripping surface area than the previous method of gripping on the buccal lingual surfaces of the root. This feature decreases slipping of the instrument from the root surface and allows for the easier removal of the roots of a sectioned molar then was previously available. Thus, the jaws of the present invention are designed in a manner that will allow them to securely grasp and remove irregularly shaped objects from small and relatively inaccessible places such as the mandible of a dental patient and to do so in a manner that will result in less trauma and post-operative pain to the patient.
Additionally, the individual handles of the present invention can also be used as separate dental instruments when the forceps is disassembled. The disassembly is accomplished by removing a screw at the pivot point and separating the lower and upper handles. The lower handle is then configured as a handle with a ninety degree downwardly oriented spike having a curved outer edge and a straight inward edge. Additionally, the upper surface of the lower handle that is located directly over the jaw is equipped with a ridged grip surface that provides a point at which leverage can be applied to the front portion of the instrument during its use.
In the disassembled configuration, the present invention is used in two fashions to apply rotational and upward force to the mesial and distal roots of mandibular molars after they have been sectioned. The first of these is to place the tip of the jaw of the instrument between the mesial and distal roots and to rotate the handle of the invention in a clockwise and counter clockwise manner. The second manner in which the disassembled invention is used is to place the tip of the jaw against the mesial and distal surfaces of the roots themselves and again to apply clockwise and counter clockwise rotational force to the molar roots. The rotational forces applied in this manner is transferred to the mesial and distal roots by the tip of the jaw and serves to help loosen the roots from the socket prior to their removal which makes their extraction much easier and lessens the resulting trauma and post-operative pain to the patient.
For a better understanding of the present invention reference should be made to the drawings and the description in which there are illustrated and described preferred embodiments of the present invention.
REFERENCES:
patent: 733114 (1903-07-01), Anderson
patent: 1376005 (1921-04-01), Cohane
patent: 1518021 (1924-12-01), Truxillo
patent: 2030798 (1936-02-01), Krajeski
patent: 5122058 (1992-06-01), Lukase et al.
Harr Curtis V.
Manahan Todd #E.
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