Dental tool

• US 20030027100A1
• Filed: 11/21/2001
• Published: 02/06/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Medivance Instruments Limited
• Original Assignee: Medivance Instruments Limited
• Inventors: Grant, Sidney
• Granted Patent: US 6,676,409 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 433/88
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 3/025 Instruments acting like a sandblast machine, e.g. for cleaning, polishing or cutting teeth
• CPC Class Codes: B24C 11/005 of additives, e.g. anti-corrosive or disinfecting agents in solid, liquid or gaseous form
• CPC Class Codes: B24C 5/02 Blast guns, e.g. for generating high velocity abrasive fluid jets for cutting materials perforating by fluid jet B26F1/26
• CPC Class Codes: B24C 7/0046 the abrasive material being fed in a gaseous carrier

Abstract

A dental tool for the delivery of pressurized air containing abrasive media includes a supply of unpressurized water which joins the leading end of the tool at a location at which the water is drawn to form a curtain about the pressurized air/media flow.

Claims

1. A dental tool comprising a body having a nozzle for providing a stream of pressurised gas containing abrasive media towards a tooth surface, a cap member extending forwardly of the outlet end of the nozzle, the cap member having a bore in generally axial alignment with the bore of the nozzle, the cap having a liquid supply pipe opening into the bore rearwardly of the nozzle outlet, the wall of the bore forwardly of the nozzle being shaped so that unpressurised liquid emerging from the outlet is caused by the gas stream to form a wall of liquid about the gas stream moving towards the tooth surface.

2. A tool according to claim 1, wherein a longitudinal portion of the passageway forward of the nozzle outlet is inclined to influence the direction of movement of the liquid and/or the gas stream.

3. A tool according to claim 1, wherein the cap member is disposable.

4. A tool according to claim 1, wherein the outlet for the liquid is formed in the outer wall of the cap member.

5. A tool according to claim 1, wherein the liquid outlet for the liquid communicates with a source of an unpressurised supply of liquid.

6. A tool according to claim 5, wherein the supply of liquid is in the form of a disposable single-use pack.

7. A tool according to claim 6, wherein the single-use pack of liquid is integral with the cap.

8. A tool according to claim 5, wherein the liquid outlet communicates with a liquid supply via means for preventing reverse flow of the liquid.

9. A tool according to claim 1, including a supply of unpressurised liquid containing a sterilising agent, anaesthetic, flavouring agent or surfactant.

10. A tool according to claim 1, which comprises an air abrasive delivery tube with a swan neck portion for enabling access to a rear tooth surface.

11. A method of treating the surface of a tooth, the method comprising drawing a stream of pressurised gas towards the tooth surface, the gas containing abrasive media, the method including the step of drawing an unpressurised liquid to join the gas stream and shaping the liquid to form a wall about the gas stream.

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein the liquid is passed with the pressurised gas along shaped surfaces of a bore of a cap member attached to the forward end of a nozzle to form the wall of liquid about the gas stream.

13. A dental tool comprising a tube and a cap therefor, the tube having a tapered leading end forming a nozzle of a predetermined diameter, the tube being arranged to supply pressurised gas to the nozzle;

the cap comprising a body having a bore, a liquid supply tube being connected to the cap and having an outlet in the bore at a location rearward of the nozzle.

14. A tool according to claim 13, wherein the nozzle is connected to the body of the tool by a swan neck portion of the tube.

15. A dental tool comprising a body having means at one end for performing a dental treatment, and a liquid supply pipeline arranged to supply unpressurised liquid to the one end, wherein a hand controlled pinch valve is mounted on the tool to control the supply of the liquid to the one end.

16. A dental tool according to claim 15, wherein the liquid supply pipeline is releasably connected to a connector mounted towards the other end of the tool body, whereby the supply pipeline is readily replaceable.

17. A dental tool comprising a body having means at one end for performing a dental treatment, the means being at the end of an extension of the body, the extension being rotatable relative to the body.

18. A dental tool according to claim 17, including a liquid supply pipeline arranged to supply liquid to the dental treatment means.

19. A dental tool according to claim 17, wherein a hand controlled pinch valve is mounted on the tool body and arranged to control the supply of fluid.