Patent ID: 8651860
Filing Date: 2014-02-18
Classification: A61C,B33Y

Abstract:
1. A dental preparation guide apparatus in a single body, the single body apparatus comprising a lingual sidewall, a buccal sidewall opposing the lingual sidewall, and an occlusal wall interconnecting the lingual and buccal sidewalls to form the single body, wherein the lingual sidewall, the buccal sidewall and the occlusal wall in combination define an interior space in which to receive a tooth comprising a buccal surface, a lingual surface, a mesial surface, a distal surface and an occlusal surface such that the lingual surface faces the lingual sidewall, the buccal surface faces the buccal sidewall, and the occlusal surface faces the occlusal wall, the apparatus further comprising a guide channel formed in the single body and shaped to receive a cutting tool and guide the cutting tool to travel along a trajectory; the guide channel comprising two opposing channel surfaces that are substantially parallel to each other and extend along the trajectory such that the cutting tool is constrained by the two opposing surfaces while traveling along the trajectory, the guide channel further comprising at least one anti-tilting configuration formed into at least one of the two channel surfaces and configured to engage with the cutting tool for preventing or reducing tilting of the cutting tool in a plane parallel to a direction of movement of the cutting tool at a given point of the trajectory while the cutting tool travels along the trajectory; wherein the guide channel comprises a buccal section, a lingual section, and an interconnecting section interconnecting the buccal and lingual sections, which are connected to provide the guide channel as a single integrated channel that allows the cutting tool to travel through the buccal, interconnecting and lingual sections of the guide channel without having to remove the cutting tool therefrom; and wherein when viewing in a direction toward the occlusal wall, the buccal section extends generally along the buccal sidewall, and the lingual section extends generally along the lingual sidewall.