Dental veneer instrument

A dental instrument for use in supporting and handling a dental veneer or the like, said instrument comprising:

• an elongated and generally tubular handpiece having front and rear ends and defining an internal passage extending therebetween, said handpiece further defining a valve port formed therein near said front end;
• a hollow tubular probe connected to the front end of said handpiece and extending generally forwardly therefrom, said probe defining an internal path communicating with said handpiece passage and further including a free end presented in a direction generally away from said handpiece;
• a valve sleeve on said handpiece for sliding movement between a first position exposing said valve port and a second position substantially covering and sealing said valve port;
• means for coupling said rear end of said handpiece to a vacuum source communicating with said handpiece pas and
• a flexible, substantially transparent outwardly presented and generally cup-shaped tip mounted at said probe free end with the interior of said cup-shaped tip communicating with said probe path, whereby said tip is adapted to conform with exterior surface contours of and to vacuum-support a dental veneer when said valve port is closed.