Pseudo-etching of diamond-like carbon coated instruments
AssigneeNobel Biocare AB
InventorAjay Kumar
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention provides a depth gauging system and a method for forming depth indicating bands on amorphous hard carbon coated dental tool bits and the like. The method uses a laser to process, treat or pseudo-etch selected surfaces of the coated tool bit. Advantageously, the laser pseudo-etching creates bands or indicia that substantially preserve or retain some or all of the desirable bulk properties of the hard carbon coating, for example, the corrosion resistance. Desirably, the bands provide visual differentiation during the preparation of an osteotomy in bone material which allows a surgeon to precisely control the depth of the osteotomy.
Claims107
A method of treating the surface of a surgical instrument to provide visual differentiation, comprising the steps of:
- providing said instrument comprising a cutting head and a mounting shank adapted to engage a handpiece or handle;
- forming a hard carbon coating on said cutting head of said instrument;
- and
- pseudo-etching one or more selected portions of the surface of said cutting head to provide one or more bands having a predetermined spacing for indicating the depth of an osteotomy, at least one of said bands comprising a mixture of hard carbon and material from said cutting head.
A method of processing the surface of a coated dental cutting instrument to provide visual differentiation, comprising the steps of:
- providing said instrument comprising a cutting head and a mounting shank adapted to engage a handpiece or handle, having an amorphous hard carbon film on at least said cutting head of said instrument;
- and
- laser processing a plurality of selected coated surfaces of said cutting head to pseudo-etch a plurality of indicia having a predetermined spacing for precisely indicating the depth of an osteotomy formed in a jawbone, at least one of said indicia comprising a mixture of amorphous hard carbon and material from said cutting head.
A surgical instrument for providing visual differentiation, comprising:
- a main body portion;
- a coating of amorphous hard carbon applied on at least a portion of said main body portion;
- one or more indicia formed on said main body portion by laser pseudo-etching of selected surfaces of the hard carbon coated main body portion to provide a depth gauging system on said instrument, said indicia comprising a mixture of amorphous hard carbon and material from said main body portion;
- and
- whereby, the surface finish of the indicia substantially preserves the protective coating properties of amorphous hard carbon.
A dental drilling system for preparing an osteotomy, comprising:
- a tool bit including a cutting head for removing bone/tissue material to form an osteotomy;
- a handpiece for holding said tool bit and adapted to provide rotational motion to said tool bit;
- a coating on said tool bit in the form of diamond-like carbon (DLC) for improving the cutting performance of said tool bit;
- and
- a plurality of pseudo-etched bands formed on said coating to provide visual differentiation and being corrosion resistant, at least one of said bands comprising a mixture of diamond-like carbon and material from said cutting head.
A method of treating the surface of a surgical instrument to provide visual differentiation, comprising the steps of:
- providing said instrument comprising a cutting head and a mounting shank adapted to engage a handpiece or handle;
- forming a hard carbon coating on said cutting head of said instrument;
- and
- pseudo-etching one or more selected portions of the surface of said cutting head to provide one or more bands having a predetermined spacing for indicating the depth of an osteotomy, at least one of said bands comprising hard carbon overlying treated material of said cutting head.
A method of processing the surface of a coated dental cutting instrument to provide visual differentiation, comprising the steps of:
- providing said instrument comprising a cutting head and a mounting shank adapted to engage a handpiece or handle, having an amorphous hard carbon film on at least said cutting head of said instrument;
- and
- laser processing a plurality of selected coated surfaces of said cutting head to pseudo-etch a plurality of indicia having a predetermined spacing for precisely indicating the depth of an osteotomy formed in a jawbone, at least one of said indicia comprising amorphous hard carbon overlying treated material of said cutting head.
A surgical instrument for providing visual differentiation, comprising:
- a main body portion;
- a coating of amorphous hard carbon applied on at least a portion of said main body portion;
- one or more indicia formed on said main body portion by laser pseudo-etching of selected surfaces of the hard carbon coated main body portion to provide a depth gauging system on said instrument, said indicia comprising amorphous hard carbon overlying treated material of said main body portion;
- and
- whereby, the surface finish of the indicia substantially preserves the protective coating properties of amorphous hard carbon.
A dental drilling system for preparing an osteotomy, comprising:
- a tool bit including a cutting head for removing bone/tissue material to form an osteotomy;
- a handpiece for holding said tool bit and adapted to provide rotational motion to said tool bit;
- a coating on said tool bit in the form of diamond-like carbon (DLC) for improving the cutting performance of said tool bit;
- and
- a plurality of pseudo-etched bands formed on said coating to provide visual differentiation and being corrosion resistant, at least one of said bands comprising diamond-like carbon overlying treated material of said cutting head.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.