Back to results
US 5,527,181 AGranted
Shape-conforming dental wedges
AssigneeBoard of Regents, The University of Texas System
InventorsH. Ralph Rawls, Jerry W. Nicholson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A one-piece dental wedge comprised of a rigid core and an elastic outer component. Both the core and the outer component are comprised of biocompatible materials. The core may be comprised of a plastic, like a polymethyl methacrylate resin, wood, metal, or the like. The elastic outer component is comprised of an elastomer of either the gel or non-gel type.
Claims18
A dental wedge, comprising:
- a rigid, substantially conical core;
- and
- an elastomeric outer component coupled to said rigid core to form a one-piece structure, said outer component being sufficiently elastic to conform to the contours of tooth surfaces.
A dental wedge, comprising:
- a rigid, substantially conical core;
- and
- an elastomeric outer component coupled to said rigid core to form a unitary structure, said outer component being sufficiently hard to cause separation between two teeth and sufficiently soft and elastic to conform to the interproximal surfaces of said teeth.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.