Dentistry – Apparatus – Having suction orifice
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-10
2001-02-27
Wilson, John J. (Department: 3732)
Dentistry
Apparatus
Having suction orifice
C433S140000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06193513
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a dental device acting simultaneously as a mouth opener, an oral dam and a saliva ejector.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A dental instrument of this type is already known from Italian Patent Application No. RC94U 000011, which has the same inventor as the present application. This instrument comprises:
a casing having a shape reproducing the shape of the dental arches and able to maintain the patient's mouth open once inserted into it in contact with the dental arches; and
a saliva discharge opening communicating with a tube for removing the saliva by suction applied to the other end of the tube.
The aforedescribed instrument is conveniently provided with means for coupling the instrument to the patient's teeth in order to maintain the instrument in position relative to the patient's mouth.
Using such an instrument, it has been found that although being very useful in achieving sufficient opening of the patient's mouth, its casing is too bulky in the mastication direction, so that it is uncomfortable to insert into the patient's mouth.
Moreover, because of its size in mastication direction, the known dental instrument does not leave sufficient space free for the dentist to carry out the operations required within the patient's mouth with ease.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a device of the aforesaid type which avoids the above-mentioned drawbacks of the instrument disclosed in Italian Patent Application No. RC94U 000011, i.e., it does not have a casing which is bulky in the mastication direction and therefore it is not uncomfortable to insert into the patient's mouth, and leaves sufficient space free for the dentist to operate in the patient's mouth.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved dental device acting as a variable-height mouth opener, a saliva ejector and an oral dam.
In order to attain these objects and others, a dental device in accordance with the invention comprises means for varying the size of the device casing in the mastication direction from a minimum to a maximum. In this manner, the device casing can be easily inserted into the patient's mouth when in its minimum size state, after which, the casing can be made to assume its maximum size in the mastication direction.
Further, to provide for sufficient space for the dentist to operate in the patient's mouth, the device has a casing of reduced size in the mastication direction and from the casing, once inserted into the patient's mouth, an element having transverse dimensions substantially smaller than the transverse dimensions of the casing itself is able to project towards the palate until it makes contact with the palate. This projecting element is lockable in its projecting position. In this manner, a considerable free space occupied only by the projecting element remains between the casing and palate.
Conveniently, the free end of the projecting element is shaped to adapt to the shape of the palate region with which it is intended to make contact.
Preferably, the casing is hollow and open at the insertion end for the patient's tongue so that this can enter the casing.
In one particular embodiment, the dental device comprises a casing having a shape reproducing the shape of dental arches and adapted to maintain the patient's mouth open once inserted into the patient's mouth and in contact with the dental arches, the casing including a saliva discharge opening adapted to receive a tube for removing saliva from the patient's mouth by suction applied to an end of the tube, and engaging means coupled to the casing for selectively engaging a palate of the patient's mouth and thereby secure the casing in the patient's mouth. The engaging means comprise a projecting element having a first end and a second end and is movable between a first position in which the first end is situated in the casing and the second end is exterior of the casing and a second position in which the first end is situated exterior of the casing and the second end is situated in the casing. When the first end is exterior of the casing, the casing has a larger size in the mastication direction then when the first end is situated in the casing. The projecting element may be lockable in the second position, e.g., by locking means, and may also be sickle-shaped and lie substantially in a vertical plane. In the latter case, a horizontal pin pivotally mounts the projecting element to the casing at an intermediate point and the casing comprises a slit in a front face through which the first end of the projecting element projects when in the second position. thus, the locking means may entail the slit comprising two notches and a wedge adapted to be inserted into one of the notches to lock the projecting element in a position of maximum projection of the first end.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4215984 (1980-08-01), Reichley
patent: 4992046 (1991-02-01), Sharp
patent: 5516286 (1996-05-01), Kushner
patent: 2347918 (1977-11-01), None
Bumgarner Melba
Steinberg & Raskin, P.C.
Wilson John J.
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