US2440443A

US2440443A - Dental clasp

Info

Publication number: US2440443A
Application number: US712809A
Authority: US
Inventors: Gary M Holden
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1946-11-29
Filing date: 1946-11-29
Publication date: 1948-04-27
Anticipated expiration: 1965-04-27

Description

April '27, 1948. G. M. HOLDEN 2,440,443

DENTAL CLASP Filed NOV. 29; 1946 Patented Apr. 27, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE DENTAL CLASP Gary M. Holden, Beverly Hills, Calif.

Application November 29, 1946, Serial No. 712,809

3 Claims.

The present invention relates to dental clasps or rests for maintaining teeth in fixed position in a partial denture.

It is desirable to manufacture dentures which simulate as much as possible natural tooth and gum formation so that the use of such denture, as such, is not appreciably noticeable or conspicuous and so that the user may not be made self-conscious. Difficulties arise, however, where one or more of the teeth are held in the denture with the aid of a clasp or rest inasmuch as they are of metal and their presence produces a decided contrast with the teeth which they engage.

It is, therefore, an object of the present in vention to provide an improved denture structure having clasps or rests associated therewith of such a nature that they contrast well with the teeth they engage.

Another object of the present invention is to provide improved dental clasps or rests having a material affixed thereto of the same color as the color of natural human teeth, the material and its affixation to the metal portion of the clasps or rests, as the case may be, being of such nature that they may be used permanently without loss or chipping of the material.

The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. This invention itself, both as to its organization and manner of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may be best understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a denture having a clasp mounted thereon incorporating the present invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line 2-2 of Figure 3.

Figure 3 is a view in elevation of a portion of a denture or partial denture having a rest mounted thereon incorporating the present invention.

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken substantially on line 4-4 of Figure 3, and

Figure 5 shows a section through a rest or clasp incorporating the present invention with the porcelain covering material removed therefrom.

In Figure 1, the denture In has two teeth ll, l2 fastened thereon by means of the metal clasp Hi, the outside surface of which is covered with a material I 4 having a color that contrasts well with the color of the teeth I I, I2. This material l4 has preferably a milky white color and is preferably porcelain. This clasp l3 may take well recognized forms and shapes and may engage the teeth II and I 2 in conventional manner thereby to maintain them rigidly on the 2 acrylic material i5 within which one end of the clasp is anchored or buried.

Figures 2 and 3 show an arrangement like that one described in connection with Figure 1 but in this case, the tooth fastening member l3 does not extend the full width of the tooth l1 and is thus, in accordance with well established nomenclature termed, not a clasp, but a rest. This abbreviated clasp or rest E3 in Figure 3 may be fastened to the tooth il in conventional manner to thereby hold in firmly on the acrylic material it within which one end of the rest I3 is firmly embedded or anchored.

An important feature of the present invention resides in aiiixing the coating material M on the member 53. This material covers substantially the entire outer surface of the metal member l3 which would otherwise be exposed to vision. This outer surface is made reentrant by forming dovetail type of grooves 20 therein which extend along the longitudinal length of the member l3 and at least along that length which would otherwise be exposed to vision.

These dovetail type of grooves 29 maintain the porcelain material i l firmly in position both during the time the porcelain material applied thereto is allowed to harden and after the material hardens.

While the particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from this invention in its broader aspects and, therefore, the aim in the appended claims is to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of this'invention.

I claim:

1. A dental clasp of metal, and a thin layer of porcelain material affixed to said metal and extending along the length of clasp which would otherwise be exposed to vision, when inuse.

2. A dental rest of metal having a reentrant outer surface, and material having substantially the color of natural human teeth maintained in position on said metal by said reentrant surface.

3. A dental clasp of metal having a reentrant outer surface, and material having substantially the color of natural human teeth maintained in position on said metal by said reentrant surface.

GARY M. HOLDEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,426,935 Wiechert Aug. 22, 1922