Patent ID: 9131909
Filing Date: 2015-09-15
Classification: A61B

Abstract:
1. An apparatus for capturing an image of a patient's entire set of teeth in a single x-ray energy beam exposure comprised of: a u-shaped mouthpiece, said u-shaped mouthpiece having an outer u-shaped segment and an inner u-shaped segment, said outer u-shaped segment and said inner u-shaped segment further having an upper u-shaped cavity and a lower u-shaped cavity located between said outer u-shaped segment and said inner u-shaped segment, said upper u-shaped cavity and said lower u-shaped cavity dimensioned to allow a patient's upper teeth to fit into said upper u-shaped cavity and said patient's lower teeth to fit into said lower u-shaped cavity; a u-shaped image sensor embedded within said outer u-shaped segment, said u-shaped image sensor reactive to impinging x-ray energy and having a surface area capable of generating an image of said patient's entire set of teeth; an outer x-ray beam energy barrier located between the outer surface of said u-shaped image sensor embedded within said outer u-shaped segment and the outer surface of said outer u-shaped segment, said outer x-ray barrier suitable for significantly attenuating impinging x-ray energy; a focusing tube protruding from the front of said outer surface of said outer u-shaped segment, said focusing tube having at its center a waveguide means suitable for transmitting substantially unattenuated x-ray energy to the interior of said inner u-shaped segment; an inner waveguide means located within said inner u-shaped segment, said inner waveguide means conforming to the shape of said inner u-shaped segment and interfacing with said focusing tube waveguide means such that x-ray energy entering said focusing tube waveguide means passes substantially unattenuated to said inner waveguide means; an inner x-ray beam energy barrier located between the inner boundary of said inner waveguide means and the inner surface of said inner u-shaped segment, said inner x-ray barrier suitable for significantly attenuating impinging x-ray energy, and; an interface cable attached at a first end to said u-shaped image sensor within said outer u-shaped segment and a second end of said interface cable capable of being attached to a computer system such that said x-ray energy impinging upon said u-shaped image sensor generates data interpretable by said computer system thereby presenting a real time image of said patient's entire set of teeth.