Variable land, multiple height flute contour design for endodontic files
OwnerL. Stephen Buchananinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A tapered endodontic rotary file for shaping or cleaning a root canal in a tooth has one or more flutes spiraling along the length of the file. The diameters of the one or more flutes tapers in a non-uniform manner from a first diameter in a shank portion of the file to a smaller diameter in a tip portion of the file such that at least one flute region intermediate the shank portion and the tip portion has a diameter less than a straight line taper from the shank portion to the tip portion. The flutes can also be landed and the width of the lands can be varied along the length of the file. In particular, the width of the lands in the intermediate region are wider than the width in the tip or shank portion.
Claims9
An improved endodontic instrument for shaping or cleaning a root canal in a tooth comprising a file with one or more flutes spiraling along the length of the file, the one or more flutes having a first outer diameter at a shank end of the file, a second, smaller outer diameter at a tip end of the file, said first and second outer diameters conforming to a straight taper line between a shank portion and a tip portion of the file, the outer diameter of the flutes along an intermediate portion located between the shank portion and the tip portion of the file being less than the first diameter, and a cutting edge on a leading edge of the one or more flutes, wherein the flutes in the shank portion and the tip portion are landed flutes, non-landed flutes or a combination thereof, the improvement comprising:
- at least one region in the intermediate portion with flute diameters which are less than the straight taper line between the shank portion and the tip portion wherein the flutes in the at least one region in the intermediate portion are landed flutes and all the lands on the flutes in said one region in the intermediate portion have widths greater than the widths of the lands in the shank portion or tip portion.
A tapered endodontic file for shaping or cleaning a root canal in a tooth comprising one or more flutes spiraling along the length of the file, the diameters of the one or more flutes tapering in a non-uniform manner from a first diameter in a shank portion of the file to a smaller diameter in a tip portion of the file such that at least one flute region between the shank portion and the tip portion has reduced diameter which is less than a straight line taper from the shank portion to the tip portion wherein the flutes in the shank portion and the tip portion are landed flutes, non-landed or a combination thereof, the flutes at least in the intermediate flute region are landed flutes and all of the lands on the flutes in the intermediate flute region have widths greater than the widths of the lands in the shank portion or tip portion.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.