US 4,302,187 AGranted

Removable attachment for partial denture

OwnerHan S. Yooninventor

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Abstract

The present invention provides a removable attachment for a partial denture with a sliding locking assembly. The locking assembly is provided with a relatively wide slot and narrower sliding slot or recess which has a major axis which is horizontal and at a right angle to the row of teeth, a locking member including a lock pin and a protruding member suitable for being retained in a recess of the denture and has a hole which may be engaged by the lock pin. The lock member is retained in position by a spring loaded pin and detent to receive the pin. The attachment may be easily operated by a fingertip without injury to the finger and no sudden separation of the partial denture is experienced. It may be used in cases where only the canine teeth of both sides exist as well as in cases where bilateral and/or unilateral teeth are missing. General dental instruments can be adapted for use with this attachment and no special instruments are necessary. The attachment can be fabricated from various standard dental materials and is reasonably economical.

Claims10

Dependent claims

A removable attachment for a partial denture comprising;

(a) a support extending approximately the length of at least one tooth;
(b) a lock member adapted to have its outer surface function as the artificial tooth;
(c) one of the support or the lock member defining a receiving slot extending substantially the width thereof and having both wide and narrow slot sections and which is horizontal and at a right angle to the major axis of the denture;
(d) an extending surface formed to slidably engage the receiving slot in a relatively tight fit and extending from the other of the support or lock member;
(e) a protruding member which is adapted to be connected to and extend from an adjacent tooth;
(f) a recess defined by the support member and dimensioned to receive the protruding member when the support member is positioned adjacent to the tooth from which the protruding member extends;
(f) a lock pin formed on the lock member and extending therefrom and which engages the protruding member when the lock member is slid along the slot to thereby secure the support to the adjacent tooth;
and
(h) a means to attach the support to the partial denture.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.