Dentistry – Apparatus – Hand manipulatable implement
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-01
2001-03-27
Wilson, John J. (Department: 3732)
Dentistry
Apparatus
Hand manipulatable implement
Reexamination Certificate
active
06206698
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a hand-held dental tool used to condense, or pack, soft composite filling into a prepared tooth cavity. The tool comprises an elongated handle, not unlike dental tool handles common to the industry, with at least one end angled in a manner to permit easy and efficient access to a patient's tooth surfaces. Attached to each angled end of the elongated handle is a bulbous, malleable head of sufficient diameter to cover the average human tooth.
The existing art dental instruments commonly used to condense filling material have rigid metal, plastic or ceramic tips, which were designed to accommodate condensing silver amalgam alloys into tooth cavities. The rigid tips are not conducive to compressing soft composite filling in that they displace the soft filling material without condensing it, apply uneven compression, generally, and potentially causing holes and air pockets to form in the material. The result is that dental professionals waste time and often resort to use of fingers to achieve uniform pressure over the composite surface sufficient to condense the material evenly into the prepared cavity.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention disclosed herein to provide a relatively low cost dental instrument that can be used to condense soft, composite filling material into a prepared tooth cavity, uniformly and efficiently, reducing or eliminating problems associated with uneven compression, including inducing holes and air pockets into the filling material.
It is another object of the invention disclosed herein to achieve application of uniform pressure across the surface of composite filling material through deformation of a bulbous, malleable tip in response to physical force applied by the dental professional.
It is another object of the invention disclosed herein to maximize efficiency in condensing soft, composite filing material and to minimize chair-time of the patient.
The invention achieves the above objects by providing a simply-designed, handheld dental instrument having an elongated handle with at least one angled end, to which is attached a bulbous, pliable tip. The tip would be available in various sizes to accommodate anticipated variations in human tooth sizes. The dental professional would prepare a tooth cavity for filling in the traditional manner through drilling and insert soft, composite filling material into the prepared cavity. The filling material would then be condensed using the disclosed invention by insertion of the instrument into the patient's mouth, placement of the pliable tip onto the exposed surface area of the composite filling material and application of pressure in the direction of the filling material sufficient to compress the material into the prepared cavity. The application of pressure would be repeated until desired compression is achieved.
REFERENCES:
patent: 532721 (1895-01-01), Dennis
patent: 4521191 (1985-06-01), Ehrnford
patent: 4586901 (1986-05-01), Tanaka et al.
patent: 5358404 (1994-10-01), Schumacher
Bumgarner Melba
Greenblum & Bernstein P.L.C.
Wilson John J.
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