GB2318515A

GB2318515A - Endodontic instrument for securing the shaft of a tool

Info

Publication number: GB2318515A
Application number: GB9720948A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Patrick Michael Kildea
Original assignee: DENTAAOAACARE Ltd
Current assignee: DENTAAOAACARE Ltd
Priority date: 1996-10-02
Filing date: 1997-10-02
Publication date: 1998-04-29
Also published as: GB9720948D0

Abstract

The instrument comprises a proximal portion 12 for gripping by the user's hand, a middle portion 14 of smaller cross-section and having a tapered transition area 24 extending from the proximal portion, and a distal portion 16 of larger cross-section than the middle portion, such distal portion being threaded for receipt of a nut 32 and having a transverse aperture through the thread which is sized to closely receive the shaft of a dental tool. After the nut has been threadably received on the threaded portion 16, it is rotated to tighten it against the shaft of the selected tool and thereby secure the tool to the instrument. The proximal portion may have a tapered handle end 22 and the distal portion may have a radiused distal end 28. The middle portion may itself be tapered and may be bent. The proximal portion and the nut may be textured to improve grip and the instrument may be made of aluminium to reduce weight and increase "feel".

Description

ENDODONTIC INSTRUMENT The present invention relates to endodontic tools, and more specifically to an improved endodontic handle, useable with numerous attachements, for cleaning teeth, performing root canals and related dental procedures.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Endodontics is the branch of dentistry concerned with tooth diseases. Tooth disease can affect a person's general health and, conversely, illness can cause dental problem. A common dental problem is tooth decay or cavities. Tooth decay is generally caused by acids secreted by bacteria that adhere to a tooth's surface in a film called plaque. The acids cause minerals in the tooth enamel to soften, allowing bacteria and food particles to ent: the tooth. If left untreated, decay can eventually lead to loss of the entire tooth.

Periodontal diseases involve the gingiva, or gums, and underlying structures, and they usually affect adults. Improper dental hygiene and lack of professional care promote periodontal disease. Periodontitis is a bacteria inflammation at the base of the teeth including the ligament that holds the teeth to the bone and the bone Itself. The main cause is the builcp of tartar, which irritates the gums and permits bacteria to become es-abiished. if untreated, the guns r::ede, the bone leeches away, and the teeth fall OUL Periodontitis is the major cause of tooth loss in adults.

Prophylaxis, or prevention of tooth decay, involves thorough cleaning of the teeth by a dental hygienist. Abrasives and scraping tools are used to remove tartar and other material from the teeth. Tartar is formed from mineral salts that react with dental plaque and saliva to form crusty areas that cannot be removed by daily brushing. This buildup of tartar encourages tooth decay and irritates the gums.

A dental examination generally starts with X rays of the teeth. The X.rays are used bv the dentist to detect decay or other problems, such as an impacted tooth. Mi impacted tooth is one that is unable to erupt normally through the gum. The condition ofthe gums and other soS tissue is also inspected, and previous dental work such as fillings. inlays, and bridges are examined for irregularities that need correcting.

When a tooth is found to have a cavity, the decay is removed with a high-speed drill.

After decay removal, the cavity is filled. Usually the area where the work is to be done is numbed first with a local anesthetic such as Novocain or procaine, and sometimes the anesthetic gas nitrous oxide is used. The material used to fill the cavity may be an inert, nontoxic mixture of silver and mercury, or it may be gold, porcelain, or plastic. This is packed tightly into the cavity and the outer surface is smoothed When decay reaches the pulp of a tooth and inflames the need, causing pain and infection, root canal, or endodontic. treatment becomes necessary. The treatment procedure entails pulp removal from the tooth and replacement with metal, cement, or some other material A crown, gold inlay, or filling material is used to close the cavity. Crowns, or caps, cover t.e entire tooth. These are used when the enamel of a tooth has been removed. Crowns are made of porcelain, plastic, or gold.

The drilling, filling, packing and smoothing procedures require individual specialized tools and attachments. As a result the dentist may change tools and attachments often during a typical visit. As a result of the requirement for numerous individual tools and attachements, the dentist's office becomes cluttered with numeous tools. The dentist is forced to fumble for a specific tool, create extra space for a tool set up and maintain duplicate tools for each dentist chair used in the office and incur the expense of duplicate tools. In addition, the many dental tools may have different handles causing the dentist to tax his or her dexterity in different ways when using the different handles. As a result a need has arisen for a dental tool with a single handle that can easily accommodate numerous dental attachments. The tool should be small enough to fit in a dentist's hand. have a precise shape so as to reach into the numerous crevices of the mouth, have a universal affixing system to securely hold small attachments in order to conserve office space, be useabie in numerous offices, be cast effective, and have the structural integrity to allow the dentist to effectively use the variety of dental attachments.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,490,410 1 0 discloses a dental tool holder including a variety of shock absorbing internal devices to reduce vibration of the tool during use.

U. S. Pat. No. 5,228,852 discloses an elongated hand piece assembly used with a dental laser for facilitating precisely aligned and controlled use of tic laser during dental procedures.

U. S. Pat. No. 5,236,358 discloses a dental tool having ar. opening at a front end for receiving an elongated abrasive dental attachement, wherein the attachment has a maximum diameter. of less than 0.014 inches.

While all of the above identified U.S. Patents disclose apparatus and methods which adequately perform the fictions for which they are intended, none of them disclose an apparatus and method for easily, quickly and efficiently interchanging between dental attachements. Therefore, there is a need for a single tool which facilitates interchange between a plurality of denta1 attachments while providing the dentist with a familiar grip and shape.

SUMMARY OF THE Therefore, whatis needed is a dental tool: having a single elongated Shaped handle for reaching into a Fatitnr's mouth; having the structural integrity to provide the dentist with effective use of the numerous dental attachments; and having the capability of holding and accommodating numerous dental attachments.

These objects and advantages arc accomplished by the present invention, wherein a dental tool is provided having an elongated handle. The handle has numerous gripping areas. A firs; area used mostly for heavy and course use of a dental attachement. A second area is used mostly for fine and precise use of a dental attachment The dental tool includes a front portion having a transverse attachment aperture extending transversely through the front portion. The font portion is threaded to receive a threaded nut therecn The shat of a selected dental tool is ins. end into the transverse attachment aperture and releasably secured to the front portion by threadably biasing the nut against the shaft of the selected dental tool. The nut is preferably taxtured for ease of grasping and tightening the nut against the shaft of the selected dental tool with finger pressure. When the dentist wishes to change dental tool attachments, the dentist simply rotates the nut to bias the nut away frown the shaft of the dental tool. The current dental tool attachment may then be removed from the transverse attachment aperture, in preparation for insertion of a different dental tool attachment.

The above mentioned features and objects of this invention, and the manner of attaining them will be best understood by reference to the following description of an embodiment of the invention, when considered in conjunction with the accompanytng drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an exploded top view ' of the present invention FIG. 2 is a view of a forward segment of the handle showing a radiused portion of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The structue and operation of our invention together with further objects and advantages may be better understood from the following description given in ccnnection with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 depicts an exploded top view of a preferred embodiment ofthe present invention. As shown, t.e present invention comprises a handle 10 having a back portion 12, rniddle portion 14, and a front portion 16. The front portion is threaded 30 to threadably receive a nut 20 thereon. Preferably, the fr from; portion 16 is threaded as a-40 UNS-2A thread, extending one half inch long.

The shaft of a dental tool attachment (not shown), is inserted into a transverse aperture 18 extending through the front portion 16 ofthe handle apparatus 10. The dental attachment is releasably secured within the transverse aperture 18 by means of nut 20 which is selectively thightened or loosened on the threaded 30 front portion 16. While the nut 20 is shown in exploded view in FIG. 1 the nut 20 need not be removed from the threaded front portion 16. The transverse aperture 18 extends through the threaded 30 front portion l 6, so that the nut 20 may be threadably biased against the shaft of the dental tool attachement to selectively releasably secure the dental tool attachement to the handle apparatus 10. In this way numerous dental attachements may be selectively releasably secured to the handle apparatus 10.

The back portion 12 of the handle apparatus 10 has a generally elongated cylindrical shape, which preferably has a textured gripping surface 32 to facilitate gripping by a user's human hand while positioning of the front portion 16 of the handle apparatus 10 within a patient's mouth. The textured gripping surface 32 may be knurled, ribbed or otherwise treated to improve the finger gripping surface. The back portion 12 ofthe handle apparatus 10 is preferably cylindrical in cross-seeticnal shape, and preferably about four inches long. Other shapes and sizes may also be used without departing from the spirit of thins disclosure, nor from the scope of the following claims. The back portion 12 is griped by the user when gross placement and application ofthe selected dental attachment is desired. By gripping the back portion 12, the user can apply force in a particular diction, through the front pcrtion 16, and the dental attachment to cause the dental attachement to forcefully contact and engage a portion of the inside ofthe patient's mouth. The force applied by the user can be in a single or in multiple directions as rnay be required by one skilled in the dentistry art.

The back portion 12 of the handle apparatus 10 has a handle end 22 which is preferably inclined, tapered or radiused to avoid e sharp edee thereon. The middle portion 14 of the handle apparatus 10 is preferably of a reduced cross sectional area for ease of insertion and manipulation within the patient's mouth. The transition between the back portion 12 ard the middle portion 14 is preferably tapered 24. The middle portion 14 may extend straight frorn the centerline of the back portion, as shown in FIG. 1, or may be radiused as shown in FIG. 2, to suit design or manufacturing preferere. The cross sectional area of the middle portion 14 may be of any desired shape. such as cylindricaI. oval or multi sided to suit manufacturing preference. The back portion 12 of the handle apparatus 10 provides the user with a place to exert controlled forward as well as rotational force on the handle 10.

The front portion 16 is preferably larder in cross sectional area than the middle portion 14. The transition between the middle portion 14 and the front portion 16 is preferably tapered 26, which provides the user with a location to e: precise controlled angular force on the front end 16. The back portion 12, middle portion 14 and the front portion 16 are preferably made of a one piece metal construction.

The middle portion 14 may be of uniform size, or may be adapted to taper in a direction which narrows towards the front portion 16. The middle portion 14 also provides a location on the handle 10 where the user can apply precise and controlled force to the front portion 16 which releasably secures the shaft ofthe dental attachmen. (not shown) in the transverse aperture 18.

The middle portion 14 may extend straight along tie centerline of the back portion in one embodiment, or may extend in a partial radius from fifteen degrees to forty-five degrees from the centerline ofthe back portion in an alternate embodiment, Either embodiment may be used in accordance with the disclosure provided wherein.

The front portion 16 is larger than the middle portion 14 and is threaded 30 to threadably receive a threaded nut 20 thereon. The distal end 28 cf the front potion 16 is preferably smaller than the threaded portion 30, and the distal end 28 is preferably inclined, radiused cr tapered, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2.

The front portion 16 has a transverse aperture 18 extending through the threaded 30 front portion 16. The transverse aperture 18 is prefcrably 0.160 diameter, plus .002 inches, minus .000 inches. Other transverse aperture 18 sizes may be used, depending upon the size of the shaft of the dental tool selected This enables the user to position the shaft of a selected dental tool attachment from either end of the transverse aperture 18. This is important where the middle portion 14 is partially radiused, as shown in FIG. 2.

The threaded nut 20 is preferably a No. -20-UNS-2B nut, 0.31 inches long. Other thread and nut sizes may be used without departing from the spirit of this disclosure, or from the scope of the following claims.

The shaft of the selected dental attachment is inserted in a desired position into one end of the transverse aperture 18, and the threaded nut 20 is tightened against the side of the shaft of the dental attachment tool, to releasably sectre the dental attachment within the transverse aperture 18. The threaded nut 20 preferably has a textured gripping surface 32 for ease of rotation by the user's fingers. The textured gripping surface may be knurled, ribbed or otherwise roughened to improve the finger gripping surface.

Figure 2 depicts the handle apparatus having a partially radiused middle portion 14. The partially radiused "R" middle portion provides tile user with an alternative embodiment for reaching into areas of the mouth that woj'd be difficult or impossible to reach with a straight middle portion 14.

The partially radiused middle portion 14 4 is preferably radiused from one and one-half inches to two and one-half inches in length, and radiused "R" to incline from fifteen degrees to forty five degrees from the centerline of the back portion 12, as shown in FtC. 2.. Most preferably, the partially radiused middle portion 14 is radiesed "R" to incline thirty degrees from the centerline of the back portion 12.

The handle apparatus 10 inay be made of any suitable metal, scch as steel, stainless steel. aluminwtn, brass etc. The handle apparatus 10 is preferably made of 6061T651 aluminum rod The aluminum rod is preferably selected from 3i16 6 inch rod to inch rod, with inch rod being most preferred. The length of the handle apparatus 10 is preferably from five inches to 9 inches, with six to seven inches being most preferred.

In use, the handle apparatus 10 is positioned to receive the shaft of a desired dental attachment within the transverse aperture 18 located in the front portion 16 of the handle apparatus 10. Once positioned in the desired orientation in relation to the handle apparatus 10, the threaded nut 20 is tightened to abut the shaft of the selected dental tool attachment to releasably secure the dental attachment to the handle apparatus 10.

The user then grasps the back portion 12 and/or the middle portion 14 of the handle apparatus 10 to position and manipulate the dental attachment in the patient's mouth.

When the task is completed, or w1len a different dental attachment is desired, the user may quickly change dental attachments by threadably biasing the nut 20 away from the shaft of the dental tool. Once the nut has been loosened, the dental attachment may be removed from the transverse aperture 18, so that a different dental attachment may be inserted within the transverse aperture 15.

Once the shaft ofthe selected dental tool has been positioned and aligned within fre transverse aperture 18, the nut 20 may once again be thightened against the inserted shaft portion cf the dental attachment. In this way, many types of dental attachments may be used, without requiring a different handle apparatus 10.

While the handle apparatus disclosed herein has been disclosed for use in securing the shaft of a selected dental attachment7 it is within the scope of this disclosure to use the handle apparatus 10 disclosed herein for other uses, such as for surgery, pottery, shaping, wood carving, sculpting, etching, etc. , ar.d such alternate uses a-e intended to be incorporated within the scope of the following claims.

Particularly when formed from aluminum or a suitable aluminum alloy, the light weight of the endodontic handle of the present invention affords a high degree of 'feel' when, for example, the user is exploring a root canal. Further, when a canal has been located, the nut 20 which has a smooth tool-shaft-engaging face can be loosened and the handle withdrawn, to leave the tool such as an endodontic file in position for rotation, oscillation or other manipulation by the user's fingers. It will be appreciated that positioning the nut 20 on the proximal side of the aperture, and tool shaft1 minimises any danger of the nut loosening and separating from the threaded front portion 16.

While this invention has been described with reference to a particular embodiment, it is to be understood that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of this invention, or from the scope of the following Claims.

Claims

Claims: 1. An endodontic instrument apparatus, which comprises: a) a back portion sized to be comfortably received within a users's hand, the back portion having a tapered handle end; b) a middle portion sized to be smaller in cross-section than the back portion, with a tapered transition area extending between the back portion and the middle portion; and

c) a front portion of larger cross-sectional size than the middle portion, the front portion threaded to threadably receive a nut thereon, a transverse aperture extending through the threaded front portion, the transverse aperture sized to closely receive a shaft of a dental tool therein, the front portion further having a radiused distal end portion of a size smaller than the threaded front portion.
2. The endodontic instrument apparatus of Claim 1, wherein the middle portion extends from one and one-half inches in length, and is partially radiused from fifteen to forty-five degrees from the centerline of the back portion.
3. The endodontic instrument apparatus of Claim 1, wherein the middle portion extends from one and one-half inches to two and one-half inches in length, and extends straight along the centerline of the back portion.
4. The endodontic instrument apparatus of any preceding Claim, wherein the back portion, the middle portion and the front portion are made of a one-piece metal construction.
5. The endodontic instrument apparatus of Claim 4, wherein the onepiece metal construction is made of 3/16 inch to 3/4 inch 6061-T651 aluminum rod, from five inches to nine inches in length.
6. The endodontric instrument apparatus of Claim 5, wherein the one piece metal construction is made of 1/4 inch aluminum rod, six and 1/2 inches long.
7. The endodontic instrument apparatus of any preceding Claim, wherein the back portion is textured to provide an improved gripping surface.
8. The endodontic instrument apparatus of any preceding Claim, wherein the nut is textured to provide an improved finger gripping surface.
9. The endodontic instrument apparatus of any preceding Claim, wherein the transverse aperture is sized to be .160 inches in diameter, plus .002, minus .000 inches.
10. The endodontic instrument apparatus of any preceding Claim, wherein the threaded front portion is 1/4-40 UNS-2A, and the nut is 1/4-40 UNS-2B.
11. The endodontic instrument apparatus of any preceding Claim, wherein the middle portion is of uniform cross-sectional size.
12. The endodontic instrument apparatus of any of Claims 1 to 10, wherein the middle portion tapers to narrow towards the front portion.
13. An andodontic instrument apparatus for releasably securing a shaft of a selected dental tool, which comprises: a) a back portion sized to be comfortably received within a user's hand; b) a middle portion sized to be smaller in cross-section than the back portion, with a tapered transition area extending between the back portion and the middle portion; the middle portion is partially radiused from fifteen to forty-five degrees from the centerline of the back portion; and

c) a front portion having a larger cross-sectional size than the middle portion, the front portion threaded to threadably receive a nut thereon, a transverse aperture extending through the threaded front portion, the transverse aperture sized to closely receive the shaft of a selected dental tool therein.
14. The endodontic instrument apparatus of Claim 13, wherein the back portion. the middle portion and the front portion are made of a onepiece metal construction.
15. The endodontic instrument apparatus of Claim 14, wherein the onepiece metal construciton is made of 3/16 inch to 3/4 inch 6061-T651 aluminum rod, from five inches to nine inches in length.
16. The endodontic instrument apparatus of Claim 15, wherein the one piece metal construction is made of 1/4 inch aluminum rod, six to seven inches long.
17. The endodontic instrument apparatus of any of Claims 13 to 16, wherein the back portion is textured to provide an improved gripping surface.
18. The endodontic instrument apparatus of any of Claims 13 to 17, wherein the nut is textured to provide an improved finger gripping surface.
19. The endodontic instrument apparatus of any of Claims 13 to 18, wherein the transverse aperture is sized to be .160 inches in diameter, plus .002, minus .000 inches.
20. The endodontic instrument apparatus of any of Claims 13 to 19, wherein the threaded front portion is 1/4-40 UNS-2A, and the nut is 1/4 40 UNS-2B.
21. The endodontic instrument apparatus of any of Claims 13 to 20, wherein the middle portion is of uniform cross-sectional size.
22. The endodontic instrument apparatus of any of Claims 13 to 20, wherein the middle portion tapers to narrow towards the front portion.
23. An endodontic instrument apparatus, which comprises: a) a back portion sized to be three to five inches in length and 3/16 to 1/2 inch diameter, b) a middle portion sized to be smaller in cross-section than the back portion, with a tapered transition area extending between the back portion and the middle portion, the middle portion extending straight along the central axis of the back portion; and

c) a front portion of larger cross-sectional size than the middle portion, the front portion threaded to threadably receive a nut thereon, a transverse aperture extending through the threaded front portion, the transverse aperture sized to closely receive a shaft of a dental tool therein, the front portion further having a radiused distal end portion of a size smaller than the threaded front portion.
24. The endodontic instrument apparatus of Claim 23, wherein the back portion, the middle portion and the front portion are made of a onepiece aluminum construction.
25. An endodontic instrument apparatus, substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.