Dental articulator
OwnerArthur W. Cheytheyinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A dental articulator having upper and lower mounting plates for supporting upper and lower models of teeth, the upper mounting plate being supported in fixed relation to a base-plate and frame, and the lower mounting plate being movable in a substantially horizontal plane about a centric position with respect to the upper mounting plate, to simulate corresponding movements of a patient's lower jaw. A pair of lower articulating elements attached to the lower mounting plate are held magnetically in engagement with a pair of upper articulating elements on the frame, the upper and lower articulating elements being patterned after the fossae and condyles, respectively, of a human mandibular joint, and being adjustable in lateral spacing and angular orientation to closely simulate the movements of a particular patient's jaws.
Claims6
In a dental articulator having a lower member for mounting a lower tooth model and an upper member for mounting an upper tooth model, the improvement comprising:
- mounting means for supporting said upper member in stationary relationship with respect to said mounting means;
- a pair of upper articulating elements carried by said mounting means and having internal surface contours closely conforming to the surface contours of the fossae forming the upper members of a human mandibular joint;
- a pair of lower articulating elements attached to said lower member in operative relationship with said upper articulating elements and having external surface contours closely conforming to the surface contours of the mandibular condyles forming the lower members of a human mandibular joint;
- means for adjusting the angular orientation of said upper and lower articulating elements to conform with measured characteristics of a particular patient's mandibular joint;
- means for adjusting the lateral spacing of said upper and lower articulating elements to conform with measured characteristics of a particular patient's mandibular joint;
- and
- means for urging corresponding ones of said upper and lower articulating elements together and thereby holding them in continuous contact;
- whereby said lower member can be moved relative to said upper member in close simulation of actual movements of the particular patient's lower jaw.
In a dental articulator having a lower member for mounting a lower tooth model and an upper member for mounting an upper tooth model, the improvement comprising:
- a frame for supporting said upper member in a substantially horizontal plane, and preventing any horizontal movement thereof relative to said frame;
- two pairs of articulating elements each having an upper element mounted on said frame and a lower element connected to said lower member, said articulating elements being magnetized to urge said lower elements into contact with said corresponding upper elements, said upper articulating elements have substantially concave surfaces closely conforming to the surfaces of the fossae forming the upper members of a human mandibular joint, and said lower articulating elements have substantially convex surfaces closely conforming the surfaces of the mandibular condyles forming the lower members of a human mandibular joint;
- means for adjusting the lateral spacing of said pairs of articulating elements;
- and
- means for adjusting the angular orientation of each of said upper and lower articulating elements, whereby the spacing and angular orientation of said articulating elements can be adjusted in accordance with measured characteristics of a particular human mandibular joint;
- and wherein said lower member may be moved relative to said upper member while connected therewith only by said pairs of articulating elements, to provide an accurate simulation of human jaw movements.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.