WO2005004746A1

WO2005004746A1 - A dental tool

Info

Publication number: WO2005004746A1
Application number: PCT/SG2003/000164
Authority: WO
Inventors: Somu Rangaswamy
Original assignee: Somu Rangaswamy
Priority date: 2003-07-09
Filing date: 2003-07-09
Publication date: 2005-01-20
Also published as: AU2003253568A1

Abstract

A rotary dental tool (10) for use with a dental handpiece includes a polishing cup (12) that defines an operative surface (14) for application to a tooth. A dental compound carrier (16) is positioned in the cup (12), the dental compound carrier (16) being configured to retain a quantity of dental compound. A quantity of dental compound is pre-loaded in the dental compound carrier (16).

Description

TITLE

A Dental Tool

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a dental tool. More particularly, this invention relates to a dental tool for use with a dental handpiece.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The cleaning of human or animal teeth by professionals usually entails an initial manual cleaning with such devices as sealers and curettes. These are used to clean the crowns of the teeth and then the subgingival (under the gums) portions of the teeth. Once this has been carried out, a prophylaxis polishing cup mounted on a contra-angle dental handpiece is used to continue the cleaning operation. The polishing cup is generally of a flexible elastomeric material. The polishing cup defines a recess into which a required dental paste is scooped from a container. The polishing cup is then held against the tooth while being rotatably driven by the dental handpiece. The paste serves to polish or abrade the surface of the tooth to achieve as smooth a surface as possible. The smooth tooth surface inhibits the re-growth of plaque and subsequent build-up of tartar. It is understood by dental professionals that the smoother the surface of the tooth, the longer it takes for plaque to adhere to the tooth. There are a number of disadvantages associated with the presently used polishing cup. During the polishing process, the operator scoops the dental paste from a container. This can be inconvenient and time-consuming. Further, during operation, some of the dental paste can be flung off the cup resulting in a loss of paste and fouling of the operator or patient. It is an object of the present invention to address these disadvantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a dental tool for use with a rotary dental handpiece, the dental tool including a polishing cup that defines an operative surface for application to a tooth; a dental compound carrier that is defined by the cup, the dental compound carrier being configured to retain a quantity of dental compound; and a quantity of dental compound that is pre-loaded in the dental compound carrier. The dental compound carrier may be in the form of a chamber defined by a side wall, a floor and a roof wall of the polishing cup. The chamber may be in fluid communication with the operative surface via at least one passage defined by the roof wall and opening at the operative surface. The roof wall may define a single passage substantially at the centre of the roof wall. A feed tube may extend through the roof and into the chamber to define the passage. A valve may be positioned in the feed tube to control the flow of dental paste from the feed tube. The operative surface may define a plurality of raised formations for enhancing a polishing or abrading action of the operative surface. The plurality of raised formations may include a peripheral rim and a number of fins connected to the rim and extending radially inwardly towards the centre of the operative surface, the peripheral rim defining a cavity in which the fins are positioned. The body may be a one-piece moulding of a resiliently flexible material. A connecting piece may be fast with the polishing cup and opposite the operative surface, the connecting piece being engageable with the rotary dental handpiece. The connecting piece may be detachable from the polishing cup so that the polishing cup can be replaced. The dental compound carrier and the quantity of dental compound may be defined by the polishing cup being impregnated with the quantity of the dental compound. The dental compound carrier and the quantity of dental compound may be defined by a quantity of pre-coated dental compound on the polishing cup. According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a dental tool for use with a dental handpiece, the dental tool including a polishing cup that defines an operative surface for application to a tooth, a chamber in which a dental compound can be received and at least one passage in fluid communication with the chamber and the operative surface so that the dental compound can be fed from the chamber onto the operative surface, in use. The invention is now described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings: Figure 1 shows a three-dimensional view of a first embodiment of a rotary dental tool, in accordance with the invention. Figure 2 shows a plan view of the dental tool. Figure 3 shows a side-sectioned view of the dental tool taken through Ill-Ill in figure 2. Figure 4 shows a three-dimensional view of a second embodiment of a rotary dental tool, in accordance with the invention. Figure 5 shows a three-dimensional view of a third embodiment of a rotary dental tool, in accordance with the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In figures 1 to 3, reference numeral 10 generally indicates a first embodiment of a rotary dental tool, in accordance with the invention, for use with a dental handpiece. The tool 10 includes a polishing cup 12. An operative end 28 of the cup 12 defines a rubbing surface 14 for application to a tooth. The cup 12 includes a side wall 22, a roof wall 24 and a floor 20 that define a chamber 16 in the cup 12. A dental compound 48 can be stored in the chamber 16. The cup 12 is of a resiliently flexible plastics material or can be of heat-resistant rubber. Further, the cup 12 is of a one-piece molding. An opposed end 30 of the cup 12 is engaged with a connecting piece in the form of a shank 32. In order to achieve this, the opposed end 30 defines a hole 34 in which one end 36 of the shank 32 is received. The cup 12 and the shank 32 define complementary connecting formations 38. In one embodiment, the connecting formations 38 can be configured to permit the cup 12 to be detached from the shank 32. The shank 32 is connectable, in a conventional manner, to a rotary dental handpiece (not shown). Thus, on operation of the handpiece, the tool 10 is rotated in the same manner as a conventional polishing cup so that the rubbing surface 14 spins and can be applied to a tooth. The chamber 16 is in fluid communication with the rubbing surface 14 via a passage 18 defined through the roof wall 24. The rubbing surface 14 defines a plurality of raised formations for enhancing a rubbing or scrubbing effect of the surface 14. The raised formations include a peripheral rim 26 on the operative end 28 of the cup 12, the peripheral rim 26 and the floor 20 defining a cavity 46. The raised formations also include a number of fins 40 that are connected to the rim 26 and extend radially inwardly from the rim 26 within the cavity 46. The passage 18 is defined through the centre of the roof wall 24 so that the fins 40 bound the passage 18. Thus, dental compound 48 fed out of the passage 18 moves evenly between the fins 40 to achieve an even distribution of the paste in the cavity 46. A feed tube 42 that is positioned in the roof wall 24 and extends into the chamber 16 defines the passage 18. A valve 44 is positioned in the feed tube 42. The valve 44 is configured to control the flow of dental compound 48 from the passage 18. The valve 44 is in the form of a release valve that is configured to release the dental compound 48 from the chamber 16 when the cup 12 is urged against a tooth. As can be seen in Figure 1 , the tool 10 can be supplied without the valve 44. The provision of the valve 44 relies on factors such as cost and consistency of the dental compound 48. It will be appreciated that any form of dental compound that is conventionally used with a polishing cup can be received in the chamber 16. For example, the dental compound 48 can be a polishing compound in the form of paste or pumice. The dental compound 48 can also include an anaesthetic paste. The tool 10 can be configured for use in an autoclave, so would be suitable for more than one use. In this case, the first use would be as described above. Thereafter, the tool 10 can be used as a conventional polishing cup. Instead, the tool 10 can be disposable. However, in this case, the cup 12 comprises a disposable portion of the tool 10, which would be disposed of once used. In this embodiment, the cup 12 could be supplied with any one of a number of dental compounds. For example, if a polishing process were required, a cup 12 containing a polishing compound could be selected. If an anaesthetic were required, a cup 12 containing an anaesthetic paste could be selected. It follows that a dental professional could be supplied with a variety of different cups 12 having pre-selected dental compounds. The shank 32 is configured to fit into either a straight or a contra-angle handpiece. In figure 4, reference numeral 50 generally indicates a second embodiment of a dental tool, in accordance with the invention, for use with a dental handpiece. With reference to figures 1 to 3, like reference numerals refer to like parts, unless otherwise specified. Instead or in addition to the dental compound in the chamber 16, the tool 50 incorporates a layer 52 of dental compound impregnated in the cup 12 to be embedded in an outer surface 64 of the cup 12. This layer 52 is configured to release the dental compound during operation. It will be appreciated that any part of the outer surface 64 can be urged against a tooth during operation. Thus, the fact that the outer surface 64 is impregnated ensures the release of the dental compound during any application of the cup 12 to the tooth. In figure 5, reference numeral 60 generally indicates a third embodiment of a dental tool, in accordance with the invention, for use with a dental handpiece. With reference to figures 1 to 4, like reference numerals refer to like parts, unless otherwise specified. Instead or in addition to either or both of the dental compound in the chamber 16 and the impregnated dental compound of figure 5, the tool 60 has a pre-coating of a dental compound 62 positioned on the outer surface 64 of the polishing cup 12. The dental compound 62 can be retained in position in the cavity 46 with a suitable fixative. The fixative is configured so that the dental compound 62 forms a dry, relatively hard coating that softens in contact with moisture such as saliva. Thus, when not in use, the coating is retained in position until such time as the cup 12 is used. The Applicant believes that the invention provides a rotary dental tool that obviates the disadvantages associated with conventional dental tools. Most significant is that the invention provides a dental tool with a polishing cup that can be used without having to constantly dip into a supply of dental compound.

Claims

1. A rotary dental tool for use with a dental handpiece, the dental tool including a polishing cup that defines an operative surface for application to a tooth; a dental compound carrier that is defined by the cup, the dental compound carrier being configured to retain a quantity of dental compound; and a quantity of dental compound that is pre-loaded in the dental compound carrier.

2. A rotary dental tool as claimed in claim 1 , in which the dental compound carrier is in the form of a chamber defined by a side wall, a floor and a roof wall of the polishing cup.

3. A rotary dental tool as claimed in claim 2, in which the chamber is in fluid communication with the operative surface via at least one passage defined by the roof wall and opening at the operative surface.

4. A rotary dental tool as claimed in claim 3, in which the roof wall defines a single passage substantially at the centre of the roof wall.

5. A dental tool as claimed in claim 4, in which a feed tube that extends through the roof and into the chamber defines the passage.

6. A dental tool as claimed in claim 5, in which a valve is positioned in the feed tube to control the flow of dental paste from the feed tube.

7. A dental tool as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the operative surface defines a plurality of raised formations for enhancing a polishing or abrading action of the operative surface.

8. A dental tool as claimed in claim 7, in which the plurality of raised formations include a peripheral rim and a number of fins connected to the rim and extending radially inwardly towards the centre of the operative surface, the peripheral rim defining a cavity in which the fins are positioned.

9. A dental tool as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the body is a one-piece moulding of a resiliently flexible material.

10. A dental tool as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which a connecting piece is fast with the polishing cup and opposite the operative surface, the connecting piece being engageable with the rotary dental handpiece.

11. A dental tool as claimed in claim 10, in which the connecting piece is detachable from the polishing cup so that the polishing cup can be replaced.

12. A rotary dental tool as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the dental compound carrier and the quantity of dental compound are defined by the polishing cup being impregnated with the quantity of the dental compound.

13. A rotary dental tool as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 11 , in which the dental compound carrier and the quantity of dental compound are defined by a quantity of pre- coated dental compound on the polishing cup.

14. A dental tool for use with a dental handpiece, the dental tool including a polishing cup that defines an operative surface for application to a tooth, a chamber in which a dental compound can be received and at least one passage in fluid communication with the chamber and the operative surface so that the dental compound can be fed from the chamber onto the operative surface, in use.

15. A new dental tool, substantially as described herein, with reference to the accompanying drawings.