Illuminated suction tool with a disposable tip

A dental suction tool has a disposable sanitary plastic suction tip to prevent cross contamination from one patient to the next. Additionally, a light source such as a fiberoptic bundle with or without a ring light is provided on the interior of the dental suction tool to provide light to the end of the plastic disposable suction tip. Illumination from the ring light or directly from the fiberoptic bundle is transmitted along the length of the suction tip and is emitted from the end thereof to illuminate the oral cavity during dental procedures.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to a suction tool, and more particularly to suction 
tool with a disposable tip that also provides illumination to the oral 
cavity of the patient. 
The present invention was developed to add further function to the widely 
accepted evacuation systems currently used for suction or aspiration. The 
concept of suction or aspiration in the dental office has its roots in the 
old fashioned spittoon. The spittoon was later replaced by the gravity 
flow cuspidor, then by the flush cup and finally by the suction 
tip/aspirator tip/vacuum tip which are interchangeable terms varying by 
the user and based on the size of the aperture in the device. 
These dental suction instruments are used by dentists to remove fluids and 
other foreign objects that accrue in the patient's oral cavity during 
typical dental procedures. The conventional dental suction tool comprises 
a suction tip connected by a long tubing to a vacuum source. The dental 
suction tool can be configured to hang in the corner of the patient's 
mouth or is manipulated by the dentist to suction the oral cavity. 
With the rising incidence of communicable diseases such as hepatitis and 
acquired immune deficiency syndrome, extreme care must be taken to prevent 
the transmission of germs (viral or bacteria) from one patient to the 
next. With the conventional suction devices, it is necessary to sterilize 
at least the tip of the suction device after each patient use. During the 
use of the suction device, water, saliva and blood from the patient's 
mouth is drawn into the tip for removal from the oral cavity. If cleaning 
and sterilization is not effected, it would be very easy to transfer 
infection from one patient to the next. Also, latent bacterial growth can 
be promoted in both the tip and the entire vacuum suction system lines 
because of the existence of this potentially contaminating material. To 
further mitigate this possibility of cross-contamination from one patient 
to the next, the routine sterilization of suction tips is desirable. 
It is desirable to also supply light into the oral cavity to assist the 
dentist in performing necessary dental procedures. Most dental operatories 
have an overhead task lighting system with reflective surfaces that help 
concentrate the light on the patient's mouth. However, the dentist will 
often stand in the path of the light which minimizes the effectiveness of 
the overhead light. One of the major nuisances and frustrations in the 
practice of dentistry is the constant need for the dentist to spend time 
adjusting the direction of this overhead lighting. 
Various dental tools have been provided with a light source to assist the 
dentist during various dental activities. For example, a typical dental 
drill will include a fiberoptic bundle that transmits light from a light 
source to the end of the dental drill which allows the dentist to provide 
light directly to the area in which the drilling is occurring. 
Representative of this technology are the disclosures shown in U.S. Pat. 
No. 4,507,085 (Mosimann) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,088,924 (Woodward). 
Dental syringe tip handpieces have also been provided with a light source 
to illuminate the area into which the air and/or water are to be sprayed. 
Representative of these devices is the disclosure of U.S. Pat. No. 
4,619,612 (Weber) which shows a fiberoptic bundle disposed down the center 
of a metal syringe tip assembly. A light bulb acts as the light source and 
is disposed in the interior of the handpiece. The syringe tip used in the 
disclosure of the Weber patent is a metal, non-disposable syringe tip 
which must be autoclaved prior to use on the next patient. 
Previous attempts to use light in conjunction with a suction tip were done 
by running a fiberoptic bundle tangent and parallel to the suction tip. 
The optical conduit for the fiberoptic bundle was fixed to the suction tip 
by a series of clamps along the length of the suction tip. However, the 
results from this configuration were less than desirable for several 
reasons. 
The fiberoptic bundles that were attached to the suction tips still needed 
to be sterilized before being used on the next patient. Fiberoptic bundles 
are not particularly amenable to the heat of sterilization and the expense 
and inconvenience of frequent replacement of these fiberoptic bundles can 
be prohibitive. It is also necessary to clean up the areas on the suction 
tip at which the clamps are attached and this can be quite cumbersome and 
time consuming. Another problem with this fiberoptic bundle configuration 
is that the light is positioned off-center from the suction tip so that 
the light being transmitted into the oral cavity of the patient still 
casts shadows from the suction tip, itself, which can do more harm than 
good. 
The novel concept developed herein is to transmit light to the field of 
operation by transmitting a light source through a transparent plastic 
material which simultaneously serves as the suction tip of the dental 
suction device. The fact that the light is centered relative to the 
suction tip minimizes any shadows in the oral cavity and reduces the need 
for the dentist to rely on his overhead task lighting, which is constantly 
in need of adjustment. 
It is proposed that the use of the present invention in conjunction with 
the light source that is coupled to the air/water syringe tip will provide 
sufficient light in the patient's oral cavity to obviate the need for the 
overhead task lighting and eliminate the time spent constantly adjusting 
this task lighting. 
It is an object of the present invention to provide a disposable suction 
tip as part of the dental suction tool so that each patient can receive a 
clean and uncontaminated suction tip. 
It is a feature of the present invention that the suction tip portion of a 
dental suction tool is made from a disposable plastic material. 
It is an advantage of the present invention that cross-contamination 
between patients due to improperly cleaned or sterilized suction tips is 
eliminated because each patient is provided with a new, clean and 
uncontaminated suction tip that is only used on that patient. 
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a useful source 
of light that can be transmitted into the oral cavity of the patient 
whenever the dentist is using a dental suction tool. 
It is a further feature of the present invention to provide a light source 
at one end of the suction tip on the interior of the adaptor that holds 
the suction tip in the dental tool. Light from the light source is 
directed into one end of the suction tip and carried along the length 
thereof. At the opposite end of the suction tip, the light radiates from 
the suction tip and can be used to illuminate the oral cavity of the 
patient. 
It is a further advantage of the present invention that a dentist will be 
able to illuminate the oral cavity using the same instrument that he is 
using to suction liquids and other foreign matter from the oral cavity of 
the patient. Any dental procedures that require use of the dental suction 
tool will be more easily, safely and effectively carried out because the 
dentist will be able to see exactly where in the oral cavity he is 
working. 
Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become 
apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
A dental suction tool has a disposable sanitary plastic suction tip to 
prevent cross contamination from one patient to the next. Additionally, a 
light source such as a fiberoptic bundle with or without a ring light is 
provided on the interior of the dental suction tool to provide light to 
the end of the plastic disposable suction tip. Illumination from the ring 
light or directly from the fiberoptic bundle is transmitted along the 
length of the suction tip and is emitted from the end thereof to 
illuminate the oral cavity during dental procedures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
The dental suction tool of the present invention is shown generally at 10 
in FIG. 1. The dental suction tool 10 comprises a valve cap 20, a valve 
body 40, a lever 50 and a light assembly 70. A suction tip 80 is mounted 
in the valve body 40 and the entire dental suction tool 10 is connected to 
a source of vacuum and electrical power (not shown). 
The valve cap 20 comprises an externally threaded cap section 22, 
preferably configured as a hollow cylinder. On each of the diametrically 
opposite sides of the threaded cap section 22, a cylinder aperture 24 is 
provided of sufficient diameter to receive the rotating cylinder 60 
therethrough when the dental suction tool 10 is assembled. Toward the rear 
of the threaded cap section 22, there is provided a cap top 26 and a cap 
extension 30. The cap extension 30 is provided with an annular groove 32 
to receive the tubing connector base 38. The tubing connector base 38 is 
attached to the tubing (not shown) that runs from the power supply and the 
vacuum suction supply typically provided at a remote location from the 
dentist's chair. 
The valve body 40 includes a generally hollow threaded body section 42 with 
a set of internal threads 46 that cooperate and receive the threaded cap 
section 22 of the valve cap 20 when the valve cap 20 is assembled with the 
valve body 40. The valve body 40 has a cylinder aperture 44 on its one 
side and another cylinder aperture (not shown) on the opposite side of the 
threaded body section 42. These cylinder apertures receive the rotating 
cylinder 60 when the dental suction tool 10 is assembled. 
The rotating cylinder 60 is a generally cylindrical body with a cylinder 
passageway 62 diametrically therethrough. Each end of the rotating 
cylinder 60 has a fastening recess shaped to correspond to the fastening 
pins on the lever 50. One end of the rotating cylinder 60 has an annular 
groove 66 that receives an O ring 67 and the other end of the rotating 
cylinder 60 has a like annular groove 64 that receives an O ring 65. 
The lever 50 can be of any suitable configuration such as the generally 
U-shaped configuration shown. The lever 50 has a first side arm 51 with a 
first fastening connector 53 mounted thereon that fits in the associated 
first fastening recess (not shown) on the rotating cylinder 60 and a 
second side arm 52 with a second fastening connector (not shown) that fits 
in the associated second fastening recess 63 on the rotating cylinder 60. 
Each of the first side arm 51 and the second side arm 52 are connected by 
the cross piece 56 so that each arm moves with the other to rotate the 
rotating cylinder 60 upon movement of the lever 50. 
The dental suction tool 10 also includes a light assembly 70 comprising a 
light ring 72 at one end of a fiberoptic bundle 74 that extends the length 
of the dental suction tool 10. Adjacent, but slightly separated from the 
light ring 72 is an alignment cylinder 78 which assists in properly 
aligning the light assembly 70 on the interior of the dental suction tool 
10 when all of the elements of the dental suction tool 10 are assembled 
together into its working state. 
The valve body 40 includes a suction tip passageway 48 which opens at the 
end of the conical end section 43 in which is inserted the disposable 
suction tip 80. The suction tip 80 may have a number of configurations as 
will be further explained herein. 
FIG. 2 shows in cross section the dental suction tool 10 in an assembled 
condition with the lever 50 set so that the rotating cylinder 60 is open 
to allow the vacuum source to provide suction to the suction tip 80. The 
valve body 40 has a light ring cavity 45 that receives the light ring 72 
and the alignment cylinder 78. When the suction tip 80 is inserted into 
the suction tip passageway 48 of the valve body 40, the end of the suction 
tip 80 abuts the light ring 72. The suction tip 80 is held securely inside 
the valve body 40 by means of one or more O rings 49 provided therein 
along the length of the suction tip passageway 48. By simply pulling out 
the suction tip 80, a new suction tip 80 can be inserted into the valve 
body 40 for each new patient thereby maintaining a clean and sanitary 
suction tool and the elimination of any possible cross contamination 
between patients. 
Activation of the power supply to the light assembly 70 transmits light 
through the fiberoptic bundle 74 and into the light ring 72. The light 
emitting from the light ring 72 is transmitted along the length of the 
suction tip 80 and out the end thereof into the patient's oral cavity. 
In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 2, the suction tip 80 is a 
bi-layered extrusion. The inner layer is a fiberoptic tubing 86 which will 
transmit the light from the light ring 72 along the length of the 
fiberoptic tubing 86 and out its end into the patient's mouth. The outer 
layer is plastic layer 84 which can be clear or opaque as desired. In the 
preferred embodiment, the plastic layer 84 should be a clear 
light-transmitting plastic material which can also transmit light from the 
light ring 72 along the length of the plastic layer 84. 
When the lever 50 is rotated approximately 90.degree. as shown in FIG. 3, 
the rotating cylinder 60 likewise rotates approximately 90.degree.. This 
disassociates the cylinder passageway 62 from the alignment cylinder 
passageway 79 and no suction will be provided to the suction tip 80. 
However, light from the light ring 72 will continue to be transmitted 
along the length of the suction tip 80 and into the patient's oral cavity 
as long as power is supplied to the fiberoptic bundle 74. This allows the 
dental suction tool 10 to function as a light source even when suction is 
not required for a particular dental procedure. 
FIGS. 4-6 show a modification of the dental suction tool 10 of the present 
invention. Like reference numerals are used to identify the elements from 
FIGS. 1-3 that are the same in FIGS. 4-6. 
In FIGS. 4 and 6, a tip insertion block 90 is added to the rear cavity 45 
in front of the light ring 72. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the tip 
insertion block 90 has beveled top and bottom portions on its internal 
bore that correspond to the beveled sections 82 on diametrically opposed 
sides of the suction tip 80. As the suction tip 80 is inserted into the 
valve body 40, the beveled sections 82 align with the beveled top and 
bottom portions on the interior of the tip insertion block 90 and effect 
the proper alignment of the suction tip 80 in the valve body 40. 
FIGS. 7, 8 and 9 show another modification of the dental suction tool 10 of 
the present invention. Like reference numerals are used to identify the 
elements from FIGS. 1-3 that are the same in FIGS. 7 and 8. 
In FIGS. 7, 8 and 9, a key 96 is added to the interior of the valve body 40 
in front of the light ring 72. This key 96 will act as an alignment device 
when the suction tip 180 is inserted into the valve body 40. 
As shown in FIGS. 7 and 9, the suction tip 180 has a plurality of recesses 
182 that are positioned around the circumference of the suction tip 180 in 
equally spaced locations. When the suction tip 180 is inserted into the 
valve body 40, one of the recesses 182 aligns with the key 96 and effects 
the proper alignment of the suction tip 180 in the valve body 40. Since 
the suction tip 180 has a slight bend therein, by providing a plurality of 
recesses 182 around the circumference of the suction tip 180, a dentist 
may orient the suction tip 180 in a number of directions to permit the 
suction tip 180 to be utilized in any desired manner by the dentist. 
FIG. 8 also shows another embodiment of the suction tip 180 which 
eliminates the fiberoptic layer on the inside of the suction tip. In this 
embodiment, a clear plastic material that is light transmitting is used 
for the suction tip 180. When the light ring 72 is activated, light 
emitting therefrom will travel through the body of the suction tip 180 and 
be emitted from the end thereof. This embodiment simplifies the 
manufacturing of the suction tip 180 and lowers its cost. 
FIGS. 10 and 11 show still another modification of the dental suction tool 
10 of the present invention. Like reference numerals are used to identify 
the elements from FIGS. 1-3 that are the same in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10. 
The embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 also use the 
key 96 that is added to the rear cavity 45 in front of the light ring 72. 
This key 96 will act as an alignment device when the suction tip 280 is 
inserted into the valve body 40. 
The suction tip 280 also eliminates the fiberoptic layer on the inside of 
the suction tip. In this embodiment, the suction tip 280 is comprised of 
two extruded layers of plastic material, an outer layer 284 of opaque 
material and an inner layer 286 of clear plastic material that is light 
transmitting. The suction tip 280 has a plurality of recesses 282 that are 
positioned around the circumference of the suction tip 280 in equally 
spaced locations. When the light ring 72 is activated, light emitting 
therefrom will travel through the inner layer 284 of the suction tip 280 
and be emitted from the end thereof. The outer layer 284 being opaque will 
prevent light loss through the lateral sides of the suction tip 280 so 
that the light intensity emitted from the end of the suction tip 280 is 
increased. 
Another embodiment of the dental suction tool of the present invention is 
shown generally at 300 in FIG. 12. The dental suction tool 300 comprises a 
valve body 320, a tip holder 340, a rotating cylinder 350 and a plurality 
of fiberoptic bundles 312. A suction tip 380 is mounted in the tip holder 
340 and the entire dental suction tool 300 is connected to a source of 
vacuum and electrical power (not shown). 
The valve body 320 comprises a main section 321 including a suction line 
connector 316 integrally formed therewith. The main section 321 and the 
suction line connector 316 have a passageway 318 extending therethrough so 
that the source of vacuum can be provided to the suction tip 380. On the 
top of the main section 321 are a plurality of fiberoptic bundle channels 
326 in which are seated the fiberoptic bundles 312 and a top valve body 
cover 322 is placed thereover by any suitable fastening means, such as the 
interlocking shoulder assembly shown in FIG. 15. The bottom of the main 
section 321 also has a plurality of fiberoptic bundle channels (not shown, 
but similar to channels 326) which also seat the fiberoptic bundles 312 
and are covered by the bottom valve body cover 324 which is also held in 
place by any suitable fastening means, such as the interlocking shoulder 
assembly shown in FIG. 15. The fiberoptic bundles 312 extend through the 
main section 321 and terminate on the interior of the main section 321 at 
the point in which the main section 321 joins to the main section 
extension 329. This allows the light emitting from the end of the 
fiberoptic bundles 312 to interact with the end of the suction tip 380 as 
will be explained further herein. As an alternative to the use of 
fiberoptic bundles 312, any suitable light transmitting conduits may be 
used; as few as one light transmitting conduit can be used as long as the 
intensity of the light transmitted through the light transmitting conduit 
to the suction tip and from there into the patient's oral cavity is 
sufficient to provide the desired amount of illumination. 
On each of the diametrically opposite sides of the valve body 320, an 
aperture 327 is provided of sufficient diameter to receive the rotating 
cylinder 350 therethrough when the dental suction tool 300 is assembled. 
The rotating cylinder 350 comprises a cylinder body 354 having a 
passageway 356 therethrough and the rotating cylinder 350 is held in place 
inside the valve body 320 by means of O ring 355 and O ring 357. The 
rotating cylinder 350 also has a cylinder cap 352 which can be gripped by 
the user to effect rotation of the rotating cylinder 350 to open and close 
the passageway 356 relative to the passageway 318 to control the suction 
provided to the suction tip 380. 
At one end of the main section 321 there is a main section extension 329 
that comprises a hollow cylindrical body. This main section extension 329 
surrounds a bushing extension 330 which is press fit into a recess in the 
main section 321. The bushing extension 330 has a tip bushing 332 thereon. 
The tip bushing 332 preferably has a circumferential conical shape to 
receive the end of the suction tip 380 as will be explained herein. The 
bushing extension 330 also has an internal passageway 331 aligned with the 
passageway 318. At the approximate junction of the main section extension 
330 with the main section 321, there is provided a groove 334 which 
receives an O ring 349. 
Also provided is a tip holder 340 which is preferably a conically-shaped 
member. The wide end of the tip holder 340 has an interior circumferential 
shoulder 342 that cooperates with the O ring 349 to hold the tip holder 
340 in place when it is assembled onto the valve body 320. 
The tip holder 340 includes a suction tip passageway 348 which opens at the 
end of the tip holder 340 and in which is inserted the disposable suction 
tip 380. 
The details of one of the preferred embodiments of the suction tip 380 are 
shown in FIG. 17. The suction tip 380 is a generally cylindrical hollow 
member having at one end a beveled section 382. At the opposite end of the 
suction tip 380, there are provided a plurality of fingers 384. In the 
preferred embodiment of the present invention, four slots 388 are shown 
equally spaced around the circumference of the suction tip 380. While the 
maximum depth of the slots 388 should not exceed the axial length of the 
tip holder 340 (in order to maintain the vacuum inside the suction tip 
380), the minimum depth of the slots 388 should not be less than 0.125". 
The slots 388 create a plurality of fingers 384 at the end of the suction 
tip 380. The end of each finger 384 is provided with an interior shoulder 
386 of the appropriate size to interact with the tip bushing 332 on the 
bushing extension 330. 
FIGS. 15 and 16 show the assembly of the dental suction tool 300. The O 
ring 349 is mounted into the groove 334. The tip holder 340 is positioned 
over the bushing extension 330 and is snapped into place by means of the 
shoulder 342 interacting with the O ring 349. The end of the suction tip 
380 having the fingers 384 is inserted into the tip holder 340 and pushed 
therein until the fingers 384 spread out and hook over the tip bushing 332 
on the bushing extension 330. The shoulders 386 on the interior of the 
fingers 384 interact with the tip bushing 332 to prevent the suction tip 
380 from simply falling out of the tip holder 340, but the suction tip 380 
is flexible enough to allow the suction tip 380 to be manually removed and 
replaced with a new suction tip 380 when needed. 
When the suction tip 380 is inserted into the suction tip passageway 348 of 
the tip holder 340 and pushed onto the tip bushing 332, the end of the 
suction tip 380 is positioned adjacent the ends of the fiberoptic bundles 
312 so that light emitting from the ends of the fiberoptic bundles 312 can 
be transmitted into the suction tip 380. By simply pulling out the suction 
tip 380, a new suction tip 380 can be inserted into the tip holder 340 for 
each new patient thereby maintaining a clean and sanitary suction tool and 
the elimination of any possible cross contamination between patients. 
Activation of the power supply transmits light through the fiberoptic 
bundles 312. The light emitting from the fiberoptic bundles 312 is 
transmitted along the length of the suction tip 380 and out the end 
thereof into the patient's oral cavity. 
Other modifications can be made to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 18, 
the suction tip 380 can be made with a single slot 388 instead of the four 
slots 388 shown in FIG. 17. In this single slot 388 embodiment, there is 
still enough flexibility in the plastic material so that the open end of 
the suction tip 380 can expand around the tip bushing 332 and be held in 
place. As long as at least one slot 388 is used, the suction tip 380 is 
functional. More than one slot may also be used. 
FIGS. 19 and 20 show another modification of the suction tip 380 of the 
present invention. In this embodiment, the shoulder 386 is omitted and an 
internal groove 392 is used in its place. When the suction tip 380 is 
pushed onto the tip bushing 332, the tip bushing 332 sets into the 
internal groove 392 to hold the suction tip 380 in place. One or more 
slots 388 are required, such as the two diametrically opposed slots 388 
shown in FIGS. 19 and 20. Additionally, a vacuum relief aperture 394 can 
be provided at the closed end of the slot 388. Also, to provide additional 
gripping pressure on the suction tip 380, an O ring 396 can be included in 
the tip holder 340. 
In the preferred embodiment of this modification, a clear plastic material 
that is light transmitting is used for the suction tip 380. Suitable 
materials that can be used are acrylics, cellulosics and other light 
conducting plastics. 
While the invention has been illustrated with respect to several specific 
embodiments thereof, these embodiments should be considered as 
illustrative rather than limiting. Various modifications and additions may 
be made and will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the 
invention should not be limited by the foregoing description, but rather 
should be defined only by the following claims.