JP2003325551A - Dental scaler tip, and dental scaler using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain new dental scaler tips which are inexpensively provided, hardly injure tooth planes or gum, and are variably changed to have a fine surface roughness, a partially coarse surface, and the coarse surface with a projecting/recessed shape (steep or gentle projections/recessions, etc.), and to provide a dental scaler using the same. <P>SOLUTION: The dental scaler tips 2 (4) are successively connected to the end of a dental scaler body 1, and include operating parts 22 (41) for cleaning the tooth planes or interdentium. The operation surfaces 23 (42) of the operating parts 22 (41) are formed to be coarse with the projections/recessions, which are obtained by performing a projecting/recessing work on the front surface of each base material constituting the operation parts. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a dental scaler tip which is used in dental treatment for removing tartar, polishing tooth surfaces, cleaning tooth surfaces (including tooth spaces), and forming teeth and the like. For dental scalers.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Dental plaque and tartar are not only a major cause of tooth decay, but also impair the aesthetics. In recent years, dentists have found that dental plaque is not only a treatment for tooth decay but also a preventive and esthetic treatment. The cleaning treatment of the tooth surface such as the removal of calculus and tartar has come into the spotlight. As a jig for cleaning such tooth surfaces, conventionally, the tip of the grip portion (may be both ends)
A hand scaler with the tip part integrally coupled to the motor, a motor handpiece that causes the tip part to act on the tooth surface by rotational movement, an air scaler that causes the tip part to act on the tooth surface by vibrating motion using air as the driving medium, and the same electricity. An electric scaler or the like is used as a driving medium.

[0003]

In recent years, as the tip portion of various scalers as described above, fine particles such as diamond are fixed on the surface of a metal base material by electrodeposition in order to enhance the polishing effect, and the working surface thereof. Roughened surfaces have also been used. Chips with such fine diamond particles fixed are effective for the formation of teeth and the removal of dirt with strong adhesive properties such as tartar, but the fine fine particles that cause diamond fine particles to fall off during use. It is difficult to control the depth and is not suitable for a variety of polishing and cleaning treatments.Since the hardness of diamond is large and the main purpose is to form teeth, it is easy to damage the tooth surface and gums, and masking during electrodeposition is impossible. There were some problems such as partial roughening, high cost, etc.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, can be supplied at a low cost, does not damage tooth surfaces and gums, has a fine surface roughness, and is partially roughened. The present invention also provides a novel dental scaler chip that can be prepared in various ways and a dental scaler using the same.

[0005]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention according to claim 1 is a dental scaler tip connected to the front side of a dental scaler main body, which comprises tooth formation and teeth. Including a working portion for cleaning a surface or a space between teeth, the working surface of the working portion is an uneven rough surface, and the rough uneven surface is formed by subjecting the surface of the base material itself forming the working portion to uneven processing. The dental scaler chip is characterized by being obtained.

According to this structure, since the working surface of the working portion is roughened by subjecting the surface of the base material itself constituting the working portion to roughening treatment, diamond fine grains are electrodeposited. Unlike the ones, fine particles do not fall off during use and can be manufactured at low cost.

According to a second aspect of the invention, in the scaler chip according to the first aspect, the base material forming the acting portion is
It is characterized by being stainless steel. And
A method such as shot blasting (claim 3) or etching (claim 4) is preferably adopted as the uneven processing, but it is also possible to roughen the surface simply by polishing.

In such unevenness processing by shot blasting or etching, masking is possible, and therefore, it is also possible to roughen a desired portion (for example, only one surface) of the tip working portion, so that various treatments can be performed. A chip can be prepared according to the application. In addition, the base material made of stainless steel is not only rust-free and has excellent durability and is hygienic, but it is easy to process such as shot blasting and etching, and has a surface hardness and a surface roughness described later. There is also an advantage that it is easy to adjust the height.

As described above, a material that is simply roughened can be used, but after the uneven processing, in order to change the processed surface to an appropriate hardness, heat treatment may be performed after the uneven processing (claim 5). It is desirable to perform chrome plating (claim 6) or dry plating (claim 7). In addition, it is also possible to adopt surface treatment such as ion plating or vapor deposition of metal.

A dental scaler tip according to an eighth aspect of the present invention is the dental scaler tip according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, wherein the hardness of the working portion is Hv300 to 1200 in Vickers hardness.
Is characterized in that. Vickers hardness is Hv300
When it is less than the above value, it is not suitable for removing hard stains such as tartar, and when the Vickers hardness exceeds Hv1200, the difference from the hardness of the tooth surface becomes large, and the tooth is mainly formed.

A dental scaler tip according to a ninth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in any one of the first to eighth aspects, the surface roughness of the rough surface is R _{MAX 3 to} 125 μm. Within this range, the tooth surface is efficiently cleaned, and it is also suitable for gum massage. If the surface roughness is less than R _MAX 3 μm, the polishing effect is not sufficient, and if it exceeds R _MAX 125 μm, excessive polishing tends to result in a tooth formation region. Such surface roughness can be adjusted by appropriately selecting the size, shape or type (emery, alundum, stainless steel balls, etc.) of the small particles to be used in the case of the above-mentioned shot blasting, depending on the cleaning purpose. Various types of surface roughness can be prepared, and various cleaning treatments are promised.

A dental scaler according to a tenth aspect of the present invention comprises a dental scaler main body and a dental scaler tip connected to the front side of the main body, and the dental scaler tip according to any one of the first to ninth aspects. The dental scaler tip according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

According to this construction, the operator holds the dental scaler main body, and applies the working surface, which has been subjected to the roughening treatment of the tip working portion, to the tooth surface to be cleaned or between the teeth,
The tooth surface and the like can be cleaned by performing a polishing operation. At this time, the roughened rough surface acts on dirt adhering to the tooth surface and the like, and the dirt is scraped off so as to reduce damage to the tooth surface and gums.

The dental scaler according to an eleventh aspect of the present invention is the dental scaler according to the tenth aspect, wherein the dental scaler tip is detachably attached to the tip of the dental scaler body. Since the scaler tip is detachably attached to the scaler main body, an efficient cleaning treatment can be performed by replacing the scaler tip with an appropriate tip according to the state of the cleaning target site. Further, after use, the tip can be removed for disinfection and cleaning, which is particularly useful when the vibration generating source, which will be described later, is built in the scaler body.

A dental scaler according to a twelfth aspect of the present invention is the dental scaler according to the tenth or eleventh aspect, wherein a vibration source is built in the dental scaler main body, and the vibration from the vibration source acts on the dental scaler chip. It is characterized in that it is transmitted to the department. Air (claim 13) or ultrasonic waves (claim 14) are preferably employed as the power medium of the vibration source.

According to these configurations, the operator holds the dental scaler main body, applies the working surface of the tip working portion to the tooth surface to be cleaned or between the teeth, and turns on the vibration source switch to cause vibration. Is transmitted to the acting portion, and the rough surface of the acting surface acts on the dirt adhering to the tooth surface or the like to remove it so as to scrape it away. When the power source of the vibration source is air or ultrasonic waves, the scaler body does not become heavy unlike the case where the scaler main body has a built-in motor, and therefore the operator's fingers are less burdened.

In the dental scaler according to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, the minute movement of the operator who holds the dental scaler body is transmitted to the operating portion of the dental scaler tip.
It is characterized by being a hand scaler that forms teeth and cleans tooth surfaces or between teeth based on the transmitted minute movements.

In the present configuration, unlike the one in which the vibration generating source is built-in, the operator performs a minute operation transmitted to the action portion by the handling operation of the operator himself to clean the tooth surface. It is a thing. Therefore, the scaler itself can be supplied at a low cost, and since the supply pipe line for the power medium is not connected to the rear end of the scaler, the operability is superior to that of the vibration source built-in.

[0019]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway exploded view of a dental scaler of the present invention. Reference numeral 1 denotes a dental scaler main body including a grip portion for an operator to grip, and the scaler main body 1
Is a vibration source 1 using air or ultrasonic waves as a power medium.
0 is built in. At the base end of the scaler body 1,
A pipeline or electric wire for supplying air to the vibration source 10,
Further, if necessary, a flexible hose 11 in which water-injecting pipes (not shown) are bundled and accommodated is connected.

A dental scaler tip 2 is attached to the tip of the scaler body 1. The scaler chip 2 includes a male screw portion 21 on the base side and an action portion 22 on the front side, and is screwed and fixed to the tip of the scaler body 1 by using the male screw portion 21. The scaler tip 2 is loosened when the scaler tip 2 is replaced depending on the content of treatment, the scaler tip 2 is washed, the scaler tip 2 is replaced due to damage, or is required for other maintenance. Can be separated from. The working portion 22 further includes working surfaces 23 that act directly on the tooth surfaces or between the teeth.

When the scaler chip 2 is screwed and fixed to the scaler body 1 shown in FIG. 1 and the switch of the vibration source 10 is turned on, the vibration generated by the vibration source 10 passes through the body of the scaler chip 2 and its action is caused. It is transmitted to the unit 22. Thus, if the working surface 23 of the working portion 22 is applied to the tooth surface to be cleaned or between the teeth, the working surface 2
By the contact of 3 and the vibration action, the tooth surface or the tooth space is polished and cleaned. At this time, if the surface to be cleaned is filled with water, the removed plaque and the like will be washed away at the same time.

The scaler tip 2 shown in FIG. 1 is formed by bending a metallic material such as stainless steel (preferably SUS420J2) into a beak shape.
The surface of No. 2 serves as the working surface 23, and the base material itself of this working portion 22 is subjected to the rough surface processing. This beak-like shape is formed so as to be easily inserted into the oral cavity and act on the dentition, and various shapes shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 described later are adopted.

2 (a) and 2 (b) respectively show A- in FIG.
The A line sectional view and the BB line sectional view are shown. The action portion 22 has a circular cross section as shown in (a), but the peripheral surface of the tip portion is partially cut 24, and the edge portions 24 are formed on both sides thereof.
a is formed. The scaler chip 2 having such a structure is used to grind the tooth surface or the like by causing the rough surface of the working surface 23 to act on the tooth surface or between the teeth, and also attached to the tooth surface by the edge portion 24a. It is used to scrape off dirt.

3 and 4 show the scaler chip 2 described above.
FIG. 3A and 3B are of the same type as the scaler chip 2 shown in FIG. 1, and are so-called curette chips. These have different degrees of bending and are appropriately selected and used according to the site to be cleaned, and are mainly used for removing tartar in the lower gingival margin and periodontal pocket. Other configurations are shown in FIG.
Since it is the same as the one described above, the same reference numerals are given and the description thereof is omitted.

The scaler chip 2 shown in FIGS. 3 (c) and 3 (d).
Is called the root planing chip,
A small ball portion 25 is integrally formed at the tip of the action portion 22. The difference between (c) and (d) is that the surface of the small sphere portion 25 is subjected to the rough surface roughening treatment with the working surface 23, or a part of the working portion 22 including the small sphere portion 25 is used as the working surface 23. The difference is whether or not roughening processing has been performed. Both scaler tips 2 are mainly used for cleaning periodontal pockets.

The scaler chip 2 shown in FIG. 4 (a) is a so-called universal chip, and has a working portion 22.
Is formed in a tapered conical shape, and the conical surface is used as the working surface 23 to perform the rough surface roughening treatment. This scaler tip 2 is mainly used for removing supral calculus.

The scaler chip 2 shown in FIGS. 4 (b) and 4 (c)
Is formed into a thin plate shape by cutting 26 on both sides from the midpoint to the tip of the action portion 22, and the both-side cut surfaces 26, 26 are used as the action surface 23 to perform a rough surface roughening process. The scaler tip 2 is provided for cleaning between teeth by inserting the thin plate-shaped action portion 22 between the teeth.

5 to 7 show the case of a hand scaler. In FIG. 5, 3 is a scaler main body as a grip portion of the hand scaler, and the surface thereof is knurled 31 in order to prevent slippage during gripping. Two scaler chips 4 and 4 having different shapes are integrally or detachably connected to both ends of the scaler body 3. These scaler chips 4
Includes a working portion 41 having a working surface 42 on the front side, and the working surface 42 is subjected to the same rough surface roughening treatment as described above.

In such a hand scaler, the operator grips the scaler main body 3 and applies the working surface 42 of the operating portion 41 to the tooth surface or the like, while the operating portion 41 is finely moved by the operator's manual operation. The roughened surface 42 is used to polish and clean the tooth surface. Then, depending on the state of the part to be cleaned, the scaler body 3 can be held between the left and right, and the other scaler chip 4 can be made to act on the tooth surface and the like to perform the same polishing cleaning.

6 and 7 show another form of the scaler chip, and FIG. 7 is an enlarged view taken along the line CC in FIG. In the scaler tip 4 of this example, the front side of the cylindrical action portion 41 is curved, and further, the inner peripheral portion of this curved portion is cut 43 along the longitudinal direction of the action portion 41 to form a sickle shape. Is. Edge portions 43a and 43a are formed on both side edges of the cut surface 43. In addition to the case where the cut surface 43 is formed obliquely as shown in FIG. 7, a case where the cut surface 43 is formed at a right angle to the action portion 41, and a case where the inclination is gentler or steeper than this are adopted. . Therefore, the sharpness of the edge portion 43a varies depending on the degree of inclination of the cut surface 43.

The back surface of the cut surface 43 serves as the working surface 42, and the working surface 42 is subjected to the same rough surface roughening treatment as described above. The scaler tip 4 of this example has a working surface 4
The roughened surface of No. 2 is used to grind the tooth surface and the like, and the edge portion 43a is used to scrape off the dirt on the tooth surface. Further, due to the sickle-like shape, it is easy to scrape off dirt, and if various kinds of cutting surfaces 43 having different inclination angles are prepared, the sharpness of the edge portion 43a differs depending on the degree of dirt adhesion. Can also be used selectively.

The scaler tip 4 in the hand scaler shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 is merely an example, and the working surface of a scaler tip of another conventionally known shape is also subjected to the same concavo-convex processing as in the present invention. Needless to say, the same use as described above can be achieved and the same effect can be obtained.

Although it has been described that the concave and convex processing of the working surfaces 23 and 42 can be performed on a desired portion by masking, it is also possible to form regions having different surface roughness on the same working surface 23 and 42. By doing so, a single tip can be used for various purposes such as polishing and cleaning the tooth surface.

[0034]

According to the dental scaler chip of the present invention and the dental scaler using the same, the working surface of the working portion is roughened by subjecting the surface of the base material itself constituting the working portion to uneven processing. Since it is the one that has been made into a solid, like the one in which the diamond fine particles are electrodeposited, the fine particles do not fall off during use, and the rough surface can be smooth without sharpness. It is less likely to damage the tooth surface and gums and can be manufactured easily and inexpensively (claims 1, 2 and
10).

Further, in the case where the unevenness processing is performed by shot blasting or etching, masking is possible at the time of processing, so that a desired portion (for example, only one side) of the chip working portion is roughened or has the same function. Since it is also possible to form regions with different roughness in the part, it is possible to prepare various types of chips according to various applications, and when performing uneven processing by these methods, the surface roughness of It is easy to adjust, and its suitability for various preventive and aesthetic treatments of dentistry increases. Particularly, when the surface roughness is set to R _{MAX 3 to} 125 μm by these methods, the tooth surface can be efficiently cleaned, and a single tip enables multipurpose use such as tartar removal, polishing, and cleaning. (Claims 3, 4, 9, 10).

Further, in the case where the heat treatment, the chrome plating treatment or the dry plating treatment is performed after the above-mentioned concavo-convex processing, the surface hardness can be made a little harder than the tooth surface hardness. This makes it possible to prioritize tooth surface polishing, tartar removal, and tooth surface / tooth clearance cleaning, rather than tooth formation. In particular, by these treatments, the hardness of the action part is from Hv300 to Vickers hardness.
In the case of 1200, it is possible to perform treatment with emphasis on tooth surface polishing, tartar removal, and cleaning rather than tooth formation, and without forming extra teeth, the surface is not sharp like that of diamond electrodeposition, so the tooth surface As described above, the suitability for dentistry prevention and esthetic treatment is increased (claim 5).
6, 7, 8, 10).

Since the base material of the working portion is stainless steel, it is easy to perform processing such as shot blasting and etching, and in addition to the above-mentioned merit that surface hardness and surface roughness can be easily adjusted (claim). Item 2).

When the scaler tip is detachably attached to the scaler body, efficient cleaning treatment can be performed by replacing the tip with an appropriate tip according to the state of the portion to be cleaned, etc., and it is inexpensive. Can be provided to. After use, remove the tip and disinfect
It can be used for cleaning, and is particularly useful when the vibration source is built into the scaler body (claims 11 and 1).
2).

Furthermore, when the vibration source is built in the dental scaler main body and air or ultrasonic waves are used as the power source of the vibration source, the operator grasps the dental scaler main body and operates the tip. Apply the working surface of the part to the tooth surface to be cleaned or between the teeth, and turn on the switch of the vibration source to transmit the vibration to the working part, and the rough surface of the working surface acts on the dirt attached to the tooth surface etc. Then remove it by scraping it off. Further, the scaler body does not become heavy unlike the case where the scaler body has a built-in motor, and therefore the operator's fingers are less burdened (claims 12, 13, 1).
4).

In addition, the present invention can be applied to a hand scaler, can be supplied at a lower cost, can be easily handled by an operator, and is easy to use (claim 1).
5).

[Brief description of drawings]

1 is a partially cutaway exploded view of a dental scaler of the present invention.

2 is a cross-sectional view of a chip, (a) of FIG.
A line sectional view, (b) is a BB line sectional view of FIG.

3 (a), (b), (c), and (d) are diagrams showing various modifications of the chip.

4 (a), (b) and (c) are views showing further various modifications of the chip.

FIG. 5 is an exploded partial cutaway view of the dental handscaler of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a partially cutaway exploded view of the other dental hand scaler.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged view taken along the line CC of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 scaler body 10 Vibration source 2, 4 scaler chips 22, 41 Working part 23, 42 Working surface

Claims (15)

[Claims] 1. A dental scaler tip connected to a front side of a dental scaler main body, which includes an operating portion for forming teeth, cleaning tooth surfaces or interdental teeth, and the operating surface of the operating portion is A dental scaler chip, characterized in that it is an uneven rough surface, and that the uneven rough surface is obtained by subjecting the surface of the base material itself forming the action portion to uneven processing. 2. The dental scaler tip according to claim 1, wherein the base material forming the acting portion is stainless steel. 3. The dental scaler tip according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the uneven processing is performed by shot blasting. 4. The dental scaler chip according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the uneven processing is performed by etching. 5. The dental scaler tip according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the roughened surface is obtained by subjecting the roughened surface to a heat treatment. . 6. The dental scaler chip according to claim 1, wherein the roughened surface is obtained by further performing chrome plating after the roughening treatment. . 7. The dental scaler chip according to claim 1, wherein the roughened rough surface is obtained by dry plating after the roughening treatment. . 8. The hardness according to claim 1, wherein the hardness of the acting portion is Hv300 to 1 in Vickers hardness.
A dental scaler tip having a size of 200. 9. The dental scaler chip according to claim 1, wherein the rough surface has a surface roughness of R _{MAX 3 to} 125 μm. 10. The dental scaler chip according to claim 1, comprising a dental scaler body and a dental scaler tip connected to a front side of the dental scaler body. A dental scaler characterized by being. 11. The dental scaler according to claim 10, wherein the dental scaler tip is detachably attached to a tip of the dental scaler body. 12. The dental scaler body according to claim 10 or 11, wherein a vibration source is built in, and the vibration from the vibration source is transmitted to an operating portion of the dental scaler tip. A characteristic dental scaler. 13. The dental scaler according to claim 12, wherein the vibration generating source uses air as a power medium. 14. The dental scaler according to claim 12, wherein the vibration source uses ultrasonic waves as a power medium. 15. The tooth movement according to claim 10 or 11, wherein a minute movement of an operator who holds the dental scaler main body is transmitted to an action portion of the dental scaler tip, and based on the transmitted minute movement. A dental scaler characterized by being a hand scaler that cleans tooth surfaces or tooth spaces.