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US 5,690,488 AGranted
Anti-splattering rotary dental instrument for cleaning teeth
AssigneeSpintech, Inc.
InventorRonald P. Spinello
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A prophylactic dental apparatus is designed to minimize splatter from rotation of a rotating resilient element with a diverter which substantially surrounds at least a portion of the resilient element while affording full visibility to the operator of the instrument.
Claims11
A splatter resistant prophylactic dental apparatus comprising:
- a rotatable tooth-cleaning element comprising a resilient, radially-flarable tooth-engaging head portion and a base portion to carry said head portion;
- a housing to carry said tooth-cleaning element;
- and
- means for diverting splatterable migrating slurries on the rotatable element before they detach therefrom by centrifugal force as splatter, said diverting means closely surrounding at least a portion of said base portion of said tooth-cleaning element to define a narrow gap therebetween;
- said base portion is sufficiently rigid to preclude contact with the diverting means during rotation;
- the forward end of said diverting means terminating at a point which affords an open view of the radially flarable head portion but precludes engagement therewith both in its flared working configuration and in its unflared non-working configuration;
- whereby the diverting means is positioned to engage slurries which migrate on the outer surface during rotation of the tooth-cleaning element without touching the element to damp the rotational momentum of the slurry before accumulations thereof are hurled into the surrounding environment as contaminated splatter.
4 more elements
A method of dental prophylaxis comprising the steps of:
- pressing a radially flarable resilient, rotary element against a tooth surface in the presence of a slurry comprising an abrasive and the patient's saliva;
- thereby creating migrations of the slurry along the outer surface of the rotary element having a tendency to accumulate and be hurled into the surrounding environment;
- and
- intercepting the migrating slurry without touching the rotary element while it is on the rotary element before said slurry reaches the outer end of the rotary element to damp the rotational momentum of the slurry before accumulations of the slurry can be hurled into the surrounding environment as contaminated splatter, the point of interception being sufficiently high on the wall of the rotary element to afford an open view of the flarable, working end of the rotary element.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.