Temperature gauge for dental drills and method employing same

• US 5,354,200 A
• Filed: 09/27/1993
• Issued: 10/11/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Michael Klein, Miles J. Yacker
• Original Assignee: Michael Klein, Miles J. Yacker
• Inventors: Klein, Michael, Yacker, Miles J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mancene, Gene
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lucchesi, Nicholas D.
• Application Number:
  US08/127,014
• Time in Patent Office: 379 Days
• Field of Search: 433/72, 433/104, 433/114, 433/172, 433/173, 433/215, 433/229, 433/165, 433/166, 128/736, 408/2, 408/6, 408/7, 408/8, 408/10, 408/11, 408/12, 374/170, 374/179
• US Class Current: 433/72
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/16 Bone cutting, breaking or removal means other than saws, e.g. Osteoclasts; Drills or chisels for bones; Trepans arthroscopic bone cutters A61B17/320016; dental implant drills potentially for other surgical use A61C8/0089; bone grinders A61F2/4644, A22C17/06; A61B17/1662 takes precedence over all other subgroups except A61B17/17
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00084 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 1/00 Dental machines for boring or cutting ; General features of dental machines or apparatus, e.g. hand-piece design
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 19/04 Measuring instruments specially adapted for dentistry A61C5/44 takes precedence; testing vitality of teeth A61B5/0534; radiation diagnosis specially adapted for dentistry A61B6/51
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 8/0089 Implanting tools or instruments

Abstract

A temperature gauge for dental drills of the type having a dental head to which a drill bur having a throughbore extending to its drill bur tip is removably mounted includes a temperature sensor receivable in the drill bur throughbore for sensing and measuring the temperature at the drill bur tip and a thermometer coupled to the temperature sensor for displaying the temperature at the drill bur tip. A method of measuring the temperature of the drill site in the jaw of a patient being fitted with a dental implant is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A temperature gauge assembly for dental drills of the type having a dental head to which a drill bur is removably mounted comprising:

a drill bur having a throughbore extending to a drill bur tip;

temperature sensor means receivable in the drill bur throughbore for sensing and measuring the temperature at the drill bur tip; and

thermometer means coupled to said temperature sensor means for displaying the temperature at the drill bur tip.

2. The temperature gauge assembly of claim 1, wherein said temperature sensor means comprises a two-wire thermocouple probe.

3. The temperature gauge assembly of claim 1, wherein said thermometer means comprises a microprocessor-based thermometer having a digital display.

4. The temperature gauge assembly of claim 3, additionally including a connector for removably coupling said thermocouple probe to said thermometer.

5. A method of measuring the temperature of the drill site in the jaw of a patient being fitted with a dental implant comprising the steps of:

drilling a hole in the jaw of a patient with a dental drill using drill burs of progressively increasing diameter until such time that a hole of predetermined diameter and depth is achieved, said drill burs each being of the type having a central throughbore extending to a drill bur tip;

sensing, measuring and monitoring the temperature at the drill site via temperature sensing means receivable in said drill bur throughbore of the drill bur being used in drilling and thermometer means coupled to said temperature sensing means for displaying the temperature sensed thereby; and

maintaining the temperature of the drill site at the tip of said drill bur being used in drilling below 47°

C. during said step of drilling.