Patent ID: 6315565
Filing Date: 2001-11-13
Classification: A61C

Abstract:
A dental tooth cleaning system comprisinga nozzle anda unitary elastomeric injection molded flexible protective shield, said flexible protective shield havinga cleaning chamber wall having an inner wall having an inner wall perimeter,a cylindrical vacuum conduit wall having an effectively linear vacuum conduit central axis anda cylindrical nozzle channel wall having an effectively linear channel central axis,said nozzle havinga nozzle body anda nozzle orifice end,said nozzle body being integrally connected to said nozzle orifice end, said nozzle body extending through said nozzle channel, said nozzle orifice end being positioned within said cleaning chamber,said vacuum conduit central axis intersecting said nozzle channel central axis at an acute angle,said shield being connected to a source of vacuum, said inner wall perimeter of said cleaning chamber wall forms a fluid tight seal with a tooth outer surface, said inner wall and said tooth outer surface enclose a tooth cleaning chamber,said cleaning chamber wall being integrally connected to said nozzle channel wall, said cleaning chamber wall being integrally connected to said vacuum conduit wall,said nozzle and said nozzle channel being adapted to seal a vacuum in said cleaning chamber, said nozzle being connected to a fluid source, and fluid from said fluid source traveling directly from said nozzle to less than half of the tooth surface area enclosed by said inner wall perimeter,said nozzle being pivotally supported by said nozzle channel, said nozzle being readily repositioned to positions in which the nozzle axis is angularly offset from the central axis of said shield and said fluid directly travels from said nozzle to substantially the entire outer surface area of said tooth enclosed by said tooth cleaning chamber.