Dental training model with artificial teeth set

• US 4,902,232 A
• Filed: 09/19/1988
• Issued: 02/20/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Irving Neustadter
• Original Assignee: Irving Neustadter
• Inventors: Neustadter, Irving
• Primary Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Assistant Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Application Number:
  US07/246,340
• Time in Patent Office: 519 Days
• Field of Search: 434/263, 434/264, 433/71, 433/75, 433/173, 433/213, 403/348
• US Class Current: 434/263
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 23/283 for dentistry or oral hygiene G09B23/286 takes precedence

Abstract

A teaching model for dental students includes an upper and a lower jaw each with removable artificial teeth which resemble natural teeth in their hardness and appearance. Each tooth has a crown portion, which extends above the gum line, and a root portion. The root portion is oval-shaped, in cross-section, and tapered along its axis to closely fit in an oval and tapered socket in the jaw. The jaw has open socket holes so that the root portions protrude through orifices in the bottom face of the jaw. Each tooth root portion has embedded therein a rotatable quarter-turn locking device whose locking head passes through the socket orifice and, when turned 90°, cams on the bottom face of the jaw to draw the tooth into its socket and thereby lock the tooth in position. A tooth is readily replaced by turning the locking head backwards 90° to release the tooth.

Claims

1. A dental model comprising an artificial lower jaw and an artificial upper jaw, each having upper exposed faces with gum-like portions thereon and bottom faces, and a plurality of artificial teeth removably inserted into each of said artificial jaws;

each of said jaws having a plurality of socket holes to receive said artificial teeth with one socket hole for each tooth;

each of the socket holes having an imaginary central axis extending through a jaw and comprising a lower portion and an upper portion, said upper portion having an orifice at said jaw upper face and said lower portion having an orifice at said jaw bottom face;

the cross-sections of said socket hole lower portion taken perpendicular to said axis being oval and said lower portion being tapered along said axis;

each of said teeth having an upper crown portion which resembles a natural tooth and which fits into said socket hole and protrudes above said jaw upper face, and a root portion which fits into said lower socket hole portion, each root portion having a bottom face, each of said root portions being oval in shape perpendicular to said axis and being tapered along said axis;

a quarter-turn fastener pivotally secured in said root portion and turnable relative to said tooth about said axis a quarter turn to lock said tooth in said socket hole, said fastener including a locking head portion which fits through said socket hole lower portion orifice when in unlocked orientation, said locking head portion having an exposed lower face having turning means thereon and having an upper face which contacts, cams and locks against the bottom face of the jaw adjacent said socket hole when said fastener is in a rotated and locked orientation.

2. A dental model as in claim 1 wherein the holes are graded in size.

3. A dental model as in claim 1 wherein said turning means is a screw slot.

4. A dental model as in claim 1 wherein each of said locking head portions is oval in shape in a section perpendicular to said axis.

5. A dental model as in claim 1 wherein each said locking device is molded in the root portion of the tooth, thus rendering tooth and locking device as a complete unit to prevent separation from each other.