Bite block with a needle alignment attachment system
OwnerArin Alexanderinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A bite block with inclined surfaces fits between a patient's upper and lower jaws to hold them apart and fixes the bite block position relative to the jaws. A support plate slides relative to the bite block to position a needle guide on the support plate along an axis of the support plate. A position stop on the support plate contacts the anterior border of the Ramus of the patient's mandible to position the needle guide along the axis. A syringe needle is guided by the needle guide to a predetermined location to administer anesthetic, preferably to the inferior alveolar nerve as it enters the mandible. The needle guide is inclined to avoid gaging and a tongue depressor attached to the support plate positions the patient's tongue.
Claims20
A dental apparatus for aligning a needle tip of a syringe to administer an anesthetic in the oral cavity of a patient having a mandible with teeth thereon, comprising:
- a bite block having upper and lower teeth engaging surfaces inclined at an angle to each other and oriented in opposing directions so as to engage a portion of the upper and lower teeth, respectively, when inserted between the teeth on one side of the patient's jaws during use;
- a support plate having a front end with first and second, spaced apart support arms extending rearward during use and parallel to each other;
- the bite block including two alignment guides extending along a length of the bite block with each alignment guide being on an opposing side of the bite block, each support arm including a mating alignment guide that mates with and moves along a different one of the alignment guides, each support arm having a rear end;
- a position stop extending laterally and outward from the first support arm at a location that is behind the rear end of that first support arm;
- a needle guide connected to the second support arm and extending along a needle axis, and when the alignment guides and mating alignment guides are in mating engagement the needle guide and needle axis extend outward away from the sagittal plane, extend downward toward the mandible, and extend backward toward a location between the anterior and posterior borders of the Ramus.
A dental apparatus for aligning a needle tip of a syringe with a patient's mandible to administer an anesthetic to the patient, the mandible having teeth thereon, comprising:
- a bite block having an upper and lower teeth engaging surfaces inclined at an angle to each other and facing in opposing directions, the tooth engaging surfaces being in a first plane;
- a wall extending along the first plane and connected to at least the lower teeth engaging surface;
- two alignment slots extending along a length of the bite block and parallel to the lower teeth engaging surface and located on opposing sides of the wall;
- a support plate having first and second, spaced apart support arms each configured to engage and slide along a different one of the alignment slots, each support arm having a length;
- a position stop extending outward from a rear portion of the first support arm and extending a distance sufficient to engage an anterior border of the patient's Ramus during use;
- and
- a needle guide extending from the second support arm along a needle axis inclined toward the rear of the support plate and inclined downward relative to the support plate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.