Disposable dental handpiece
AssigneeAxenic Dental, Inc.
InventorsEli Thomssen, Dirk Schipper, Kevin Turner
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A sterile, substantially maintenance free disposable dental handpiece is constructed from two shells and a center core, the center core having a flow deflector on one end. The shells are joined around the core with mating protrusions and/or tapered walls to form the body and head of the handpiece. A base is integrally-formed with the center core. The base has conduits that allow entry of light and pressurized air and/or water into the body. The head at the opposite end of the body from the base rotatably mounts an impeller assembly having an impeller shaft. The impeller shaft includes blades driven by the pressurized air. The blades can have cavities to reduce weight.
Claims10
A dental instrument driven by compressed air comprising:
- an elongated body comprising:
- a first shell half, a second shell half, and a core, the shell halves joined to form an exterior surface for manual manipulation, the halves forming a cavity, the cavity comprising various passageways as fluid conduits;
- a base comprising a plurality of conduits, the base communicating with an outside source of light and fluid through the conduits, the conduits communicating with the passageways defined by the elongated body;
- a head located at the opposite end from the base, the head comprising a turbine shaft rotatably mounted within the head, a turbine impeller, the turbine impeller connected to the turbine shaft, the turbine impeller being driven by an outside source of air through an air nozzle to rotate a dental bit;
- at least one opening located under the head configured to deliver fluid away from the dental instrument;
- and
- at least one opening located under the head configured to deliver light away from the dental instrument, wherein the core comprises a flow deflector located on the end of the core nearest the head, the flow deflector projecting further towards the first shell half than towards the second shell half, an edge of the flow deflector forming a part of the nozzle, and wherein the flow deflector comprises protrusions on upper and lower portions of the flow deflector, the protrusions configured to mate the flow deflector and core to the first shell half.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.