Clip-on dental restoration and tools for removing same

Abstract

The invention relates to a removable dental restoration for filling an edentulous space defined at each end by a natural tooth, the restoration having at each end a means for resiliently gripping the adjacent natural tooth. In a first embodiment, the gripping means is releasable by application of opposing forces to the longitudinal side walls of the restoration. A second embodiment has the gripping means releasable by applying a simultaneous force to the end wall of each respective gripping means. Further embodiments also have gripping means releasable by application of opposing forces to the longitudinal side walls of the restoration, but the gripping means are formed separately from and attachable to the restoration. A plier-type tool is provided for removing the first type of restoration, wherein the plier jaws have a rigid convex central portion surrounded by resiliently compressable locating fingers. The locating fingers permit the jaws to be located at the proper position on the restoration at which time closing of the jaws causes the convex central portions of the jaws to press against the longitudinal walls of the restoration, thereby releasing the gripping means. A tool is provided for removing the second type of restoration by applying forces to simultaneously release the gripping means at each end of the restoration.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.