DENTAL PROPHYLAXIS ANGLE AND A PIVOTABLE PROPHY CUP THEREFOR

Abstract: In a dental prophylaxis angle, an angle housing defines a main passageway and an ancillary passageway communicating therewith and extending at a substantial angle thereto. A drive shaft extends through the main passageway, while a cup holder is rotatably disposed in the ancillary passageway, the cup holder being drivingly coupled to the drive shaft. A flexible prophy cup is mounted to the cup holder, and a bearing is rotatably disposed in the main passageway about the drive shaft. The bearing has a snap-lock element projecting into a recess provided in the housing, thereby fixing a longitudinal position of the bearing with respect to the housing and holding the drive shaft in driving engagement with the cup holder. The prophy cup is coupled to the cup holder via a ball and socket joint and is provided in a region about the ball and socket joint with a flexible skirt defining an annular groove, the cup holder having an annular seat projecting into the groove. The seat preferably has an outer surface inclined at an angle with respect to a longitudinal axis of the cup holder. The skirt engages the outer surface of the seat and bends upon such engagement during use of the prophylaxis angle. In addition, the prophy cup is provided with outwardly extending projections in the groove, the seat being formed with inwardly extending teeth meshing with the projections for driving the cup.

Description: DENTAL PROPHYLAXIS ANGLE AND A PIVOTABLE PROPHY CUP THEREFORE Background of the Invention This invention relates to a dental prophylaxis angle. Dental prophylaxis angles, known also as "Prophy Angles", are dental instruments used for rotatably holding dental tools such as brushes or prophy cups having receptacles which hold a dental prophy composition for application to tooth surfaces with rotary motion These prophy angles typically include a body having a head at an angle relative to the body, most commonly 90 degrees A dπve shaft extends through the body to engage a drive gear incorporated in the angle for rotatably driving a tool located on the head The body is attached to a handpiece which connects the drive shaft to a remotely located motor Because of its use in the mouth, the prophy angle must be either sterilizable or disposable, and a single use disposable angle is preferred Consequently, a low cost yet reliable prophy angle is needed Various disposable prophy angles are known such as those described in U S Patent Nos 5, 156,547, 5,040,978, or 5,028,233, among other However, in each case, the number of parts and degree of complexity in assembly result in increased costs It is also desirable to provide prophy angles which incorporate a bend in a neck portion of the housing to facilitate movements within the mouth However, many of the existing prophy angles are not easily modified by incorporating such a bend due to conflicts with the bearing system or other drive components. For example, the prophy angle of U S Patent No 5,040,978 includes an enlarged shaft portion which cannot tolerate such a bend It is also desirable to assure access to all tooth surfaces, particularly interproximal surfaces Most disposable prophy angles currently on the market have a short cup rigidly mounted to a rotatable cup holder. In order to reach all dental surfaces, the clinician must work the dental handpiece back and forth and at various angles while applying considerable pressure to conform the cup to the tooth surfaces. In addition to patient discomfort, such use may give rise to repetitive movement injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome. One known disposable prophylaxis angle currently on the market has a relatively long prophy cup. .Although this design increases cup flexibility, the larger size of the cup and associated prophy angle head makes it more difficult to treat all tooth surfaces and increases discomfort as the dentist maneuvers the large cup and angle within the mouth. Summary of the Invention It is an object of the present invention to provide a dental prophylaxis angle having a prophy cup which conforms well to tooth surfaces and has good interproximal access. Another object of the present invention is to provide a dental prophylaxis angle which is easy to use, for example, which the clinician need not constantly reposition to align the cup to the angled tooth surfaces. A further object of the present invention is to provide a short prophy cup with enhanced flexibility. Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a disposable prophylaxis angle having a simplified structure with a minimum number of parts for ease in assembly to reduce costs. These and other objects of the invention are achieved by a dental prophylaxis angle comprising a unitary housing defining a main passageway and an ancillary passageway extending at a substantial angle thereto. A drive shaft extends through the main passageway, with a cup holder rotatably disposed in the ancillary passageway, the cup holder being drivingly coupled to the drive shaft. A bearing is rotatably disposed in a forward end of the main passageway about the drive shaft, the bearing having a flexible snap-lock tab containing an element which projects into a recess provided in the housing, thereby fixing the bearing with respect to the housing and holding the drive shaft in driving engagement with the cup holder. The bearing serves to hold the position of the drive shaft with respect to the driven cup holder, but is sufficiently short to allow a neck portion of the housing to be bent by from about 5 to 15 degrees. Moreover, the snap-lock coupling of the bearing to the housing facilitates assembly of the prophylaxis angle. Preferably, an inner end of the drive shaft is provided with a widened portion in sliding engagement with the bearing. The bearing and the widened shaft portion cooperate to hold the drive shaft in position against the cup holder. The drive shaft is preferably drivingly connected to the cup holder via meshing gears on the drive shaft and the cup holder. The drive shaft has a longitudinal extension which projects forward from the widened shaft portion which is received in a groove in the cup holder. This serves in part to limit axial displacement of the drive shaft, and also to prevent removal of the cup holder from the ancillary passage. . In accordance with another optional feature of the present invention, an inner surface of the housing along the main passageway is provided with a groove longitudinally aligned with the recess for facilitating an insertion of the snap-lock element into the recess. After insertion, the relatively hollow neck portion of the housing can be bent, without interfering with the drive components. In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, the prophy cup has a spherical pocket for receiving a ball extending from the cup holder and a tapered passage leading to the pocket for coupling to the cup holder via a ball and socket joint. The cup additionally has a flexible skirt defining an annular groove about the ball joint, the cup holder having an annular seat which projects into the groove. The seat preferably has an outer surface inclined at an angle with respect to a longitudinal axis of the cup holder. Gaps are provided between the opposed upper and lower surfaces of the cup holder and prophy cup, respectively, to allow tilting of the prophy cup about the ball joint in use. The flexible skirt engages the outer surface of the seat and bends over the inclined surface during use of the prophylaxis angle, to provide conformance of the cup to contoured tooth surfaces, without altering the angle of the head. After disengagement, the skirt prompts the cup to return to its upright position, while also preventing pinching of soft mouth tissue between the cup holder and the prophy cup. The dental prophylaxis angle is easy to use inasmuch as the clinician need not move the angle constantly to reposition the prophy angle to conform the cup to the tooth surfaces. In addition, since the cup is not long and conforms to the tooth surfaces almost automatically, less manually exerted pressure is needed, providing more comfort for the patient, less heat generated at the tooth surfaces and less clinician fatigue. Brief Description of the Drawings Fig. 1 is an exploded longitudinal cross-sectional view, on an enlarged scale, of a dental prophylaxis angle in accordance with the present invention. Fig. 2 is longitudinal cross-sectional view, on an enlarged scale, of the dental prophylaxis angle of Fig. 1, in an assembled configuration. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view, on an enlarged scale, of the prophy cup and a portion of the cup holder of Figs. 1 and 2, showing pivoting and deformation of the prophy cup during use. Fig. 4 is an end elevational view of the prophy cup of Figs. 1-3, taken along line IV-IV in Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is an end elevational view of the cup holder of Figs. 1 and 2, taken along line V- V in Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a perspective view, on an enlarged scale, of the bearing shown in Figs. 1 and 2 Fig. 7 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view, on an enlarged scale, of the dental prophylaxis angle with a bent neck, Fig. 7a is a top view showing the "c" shaped receptacle in the housing. Description of the Preferred Embodiments Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, a dental prophylaxis angle 8 comprises a unitary housing 10 defining a main passageway 12 which receives an elongate drive shaft 14. Housing 10 also defines an ancillary passageway 16 which communicates with the main passageway 12 and extends at an angle of 90 degrees relative thereto. A cup holder 18 is rotatably disposed in ancillary passageway 16. The cup holder 18 is rotatably retained in housing 10 in part via a cylindrical projection 17 which extends into an axial bore 19 in cup holder 18. The projection provides axial stability during rotation and assists in maintaining gear alignment The cup holder 18 is provided with a plurality of gear teeth 20 which mesh with a plurality of gear teeth 22 on an inner end of drive shaft 4, to rotatably drive the cup holder. A prophy cup 24 made of a flexible polymeric material is mounted to the cup holder 18 via a ball and socket joint 26. Cup holder 18 has a base 29 from which a post 30 extends having a ball 31 on the end. The ball 31 is received in a spherical pocket 32 in the prophy cup 24. A tapered passage 33 leads to the pocket, to ease insertion of the ball into the pocket. The tapered passage also allows a degree of tilt when using the prophy cup. The prophy cup 24 has a flexible cylindrical skirt 34 which surrounds an annular groove 35 The groove 35 receives an upwardly extending annular seat 36 of the cup holder 18, with a gap 37 provided between a top wall 38 of the seat and a base wall 39 of the groove. A second gap 40 is also provided between a lower surface 41 of the prophy cup and the base 29 when the ball is received in the pocket The seat 36 has an outer surface 42 which is inclined at an angle with respect to a longitudinal axis 43 of the cup holder 18 As illustrated in Fig 3, as the prophy cup 24 pivots about the ball 31 , for example, when moving over a contoured tooth surface, the skirt 34 engages and slides over the inclined outer surface 42 of seat 36, until the top wall abuts the base wall, and the lower surface 41 abuts the base 29, thereby enhancing the flexibility of the prophy cup 24, without jeopardizing cup stability, when the cup is removed from the tooth surface, the flexible shirt guides the cup to return to its upright position. The prophy cup is made of a flexible material such as natural or synthetic rubber, silicone or another elastomer The housing and cup holder are typically made of a rigid plastic, as is the bearing, and there are numerous materials available for producing these parts The drive shaft is also produced of plastic, sufficiently rigid to transmit the rotational motion but having a degree of flexibility to accommodate the neck bend One familiar with prophy angles can readily determine suitable materials for each component As shown in Figs 1 and 4, prophy cup 24 is provided with four drive projections 44 which extend into the groove 35. As shown in Figs 1 and 5, the seat 36 is provided with four complimentary slots 45 for receiving the projections The projections 44 engage the slots 45 in the manner of a gear coupling for transmitting rotary force from the cup holder 18 to prophy cup 24. The slots and projections are sized to accommodate tilting displacement without disengagement That is, each component is of a sufficient length to allow displacement along the longitudinal axis during tilting without separation This drive coupling enables the cup to tilt on the ball 31, thereby facilitating the pivoting of prophy cup 24 during use. Of course, the number and shapes of the projections and slots can vary, and the invention is not limited to the illustrated arrangement As illustrated in Fig. 2, a bearing 46 is rotatably disposed in the main passageway 12 about a bearing portion 47 of the drive shaft 14 The bearing 46 has a snap-lock element 48 projecting from a resilient tab 49 into a recess or aperture 50 provided in the housing 10 The snap-lock coupling of bearing 46 to housing 10 fixes the position of the bearing and holds the bearing stationary with respect to the housing while rotatably supporting the drive shaft 14 The aperture is shown as a through passage to allow disassembly, if desired, by pressing in the locking element and pulling on the end of the drive shaft. Of course, if such disassembly is unnecessary, a depression type aperture rather than a through aperture may be used. Gear teeth 22 extend from a widened portion 52 of the drive shaft 14 The widened portion 52 is held in position by an inner bearing surface 53 The bearing 46 and the widened shaft portion 52 cooperate to hold the drive shaft 14 in alignment with the cup holder gears 20 The position of the drive shaft 14 relative to the cup holder 18 is further maintained by a longitudinal extension 54 of the shaft 14 The extension 54 promotes meshing of gear teeth 20 and 22 by limiting movement of the drive shaft 14 towards the cup holder 18. Thus, the extension 54 and the bearing surface 53 cooperate to prevent axial movement of the drive shaft The extension 54 also serves to prevent removal of the cup holder as it is received within a circumferential groove 55 about a stabilizing leg 56 of the cup holder This leg contains the axial bore 19, and also has a step 57 which prevents removal of the cup holder through engagement with the extension 54 As illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 6, the bearing 46 is formed with a longitudinally extending resilient tab 49 on which the snap-lock element 48 is disposed. The tab 49 is located between a pair of spaced longitudinally extending slots or cutouts 58 and 60 in bearing 46. ln this embodiment, these slots are received by corresponding raised bosses 61 in the housing 10 which additionally has along the main passageway 12, a groove 62 longitudinally aligned with aperture 50 for facilitating insertion of the snap-lock element 48 into the recess. When the bearing is received in the housing, the tab is bent inwardly as it travels along the groove until the element 48 enters the aperture. This locks the bearing to prevent rotation or withdrawal, thus completing the assembly. However, it is not necessary to include the bosses and groove, as illustrated in Fig. 7. The prophylaxis angle thus is produced with a minimum number of parts, that is, a unitary housing, a drive shaft, a bearing and a cup holder. Each part is integrally produced ready for assembly. First, the cup holder is placed in the passage way 16. The drive shaft is inserted until the gears engage and then the bearing is pushed into the housing, over the drive shaft until the element 48 snaps into the aperture 50. Thus, a single locking element holds all the components together. An additional advantage of the invention, is that the bearing is forwardly located and relatively short and consequently, once assembled, the housing may be bent without interference with the drive components. Referring to Fig. 7, a prophy angle 65 has a bend 66 at an angle of about 15 degrees relative to the axis 67. The bend 66 is adjacent to a snap lock bearing 68 having a locking element 69 residing in a recess or aperture 70. The bearing resides in a forward bent portion 71 of a housing 72. In this housing, the optional longitudinal groove and raised bosses were not used. In this embodiment, an alternative to the post 17 was used for rotatably supporting the cup holder. Here, a "c" shaped receptacle 73 maintains the axial alignment of a cup holder 74 by surrounding a collar 75 on a stabilizing leg 76 of the cup holder. The "c" shaped receptacle is best seen in Fig. 7a. Again, this works in cooperation with an extension 77 on a drive shaft 78, to prevent removal of the cup holder from the housing. The prophy angle 65 includes the drive shaft 78 which has an end 79 extending beyond an end 80 of the housing. This allows guidance of the end 79 into a hand piece (not shown) connected to a drive motor (not shown). These drive shafts are typically made of plastic and thus are easily bent with light pressure to the phantom position shown in Fig. 7a, for entry into the hand piece. The bearing 68 assures that despite the bend, proper rotational motion is transmitted to a prophy cup 81 mounted in the cup holder 74. Although the invention has been described in terms of particular embodiments and applications, one of ordinary skill in the art, in light of this teaching, can generate additional embodiments and modifications without departing from the spirit of or exceeding the scope of the claimed invention. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the drawings and descriptions herein are proffered by way of example to facilitate comprehension of the invention and should not be construed to limit the scope thereof.

Claims: WHAT IS CLAIMED IS: 1. A dental prophylaxis angle comprising: a unitary housing defining a main passageway and an ancillary passageway extending at a substantial angle thereto; a drive shaft located within the main passageway, a cup holder rotatably disposed in the ancillary passageway, the cup holder being drivingly coupled to the drive shaft; and a bearing rotatably disposed in a forward end of the main passageway about the drive shaft, the bearing having a flexible snap-lock tab containing an element which is locked into a recess provided in the housing, thereby fixing the bearing with respect to the housing and holding the drive shaft in driving engagement with the cup holder. 2. The dental prophylaxis angle of claim 1 wherein said drive shaft has a drive end engaging said cup holder, said drive end having a widened portion in contact with a forward surface of said bearing. 3. The dental prophylaxis angle of claim 2 wherein said drive shaft is drivingly connected to said cup holder via meshing gear teeth on said drive shaft engaged to corresponding teeth on said cup holder, said drive shaft having an extension positioned within a circumferential groove about a leg of the prophy cup holder to limit axial displacement of the drive shaft. 4. The dental prophylaxis angle of claim 1 wherein said tab is defined by a pair of spaced longitudinally extending slots in said bearing. 5. The dental prophylaxis angle of claim 1 wherein said housing has an inner surface along said main passageway, said inner surface having a groove longitudinally aligned with said recess for facilitating an insertion of said snap-lock element into said recess. 6. The dental prophylaxis angle of claim 1 wherein said cup holder has a base with an upwardly extending post, a ball located on the end of the post to provide a ball and socket joint, said cup holder having an annular seat with an inclined outer surface and spaced inwardly projecting gear portions for driving a tool mounted in the cup holder. 7. The dental prophylaxis angle of claim 1 wherein the housing has a neck portion which is bent at an angle of up to 15 degrees. 8. A dental prophylaxis angle comprising: an unitary housing defining a main passageway and an ancillary passageway extending at a substantial angle thereto; a drive shaft extending through said main passageway; a cup holder rotatably disposed in said ancillary passageway, said cup holder being drivingly coupled to said drive shaft; and a flexible prophy cup mounted to said cup holder, said prophy cup being coupled to said cup holder via a ball and socket joint, said prophy cup having a flexible skirt defining an annular groove, said cup holder having an annular seat projecting into said groove, gaps provided between the opposed upper and lower surfaces of the cup holder and prophy cup, respectively, to allow tilting of the prophy cup about the ball joint in use 9. The dental prophylaxis angle defined in claim 8 wherein said seat has an outer surface inclined at an angle with respect to a longitudinal axis of said cup holder, said skirt engaging said outer surface and bending upon over the inclined surface during use of the prophylaxis angle. 10. The dental prophylaxis angle defined in claim 8 wherein said prophy cup has drive projections extending into said groove, said seat having inwardly extending teeth which mesh with said projections for driving said cup. 11. The dental prophylaxis angle defined in claim 8 further comprising a bearing rotatably disposed in said main passageway about said drive shaft, said bearing having a snap- lock element projecting into a recess provided in said housing, thereby fixing a longitudinal position of said bearing with respect to said housing and holding said drive shaft in driving engagement with said cup holder, said drive shaft having an inner end engaging said cup holder, said inner end being provided with a widened portion in sliding engagement with said bearing. 12. A dental method comprising: providing a dental prophylaxis angle wherein a flexible prophy cup is pivotably mounted to a cup holder in turned rotatably mounted to an angle housing, said prophy cup is provided with a flexible skirt defining an annular groove, said cup holder having an annular seat projecting into said groove, said seat having an outer surface inclined at an angle with respect to said axis of said cup holder; depositing a dental prophy composition into said prophy cup; placing said prophy cup with the deposited dental prophy composition against a tooth surface; rotating said cup holder and concomitantly said prophy cup while moving said prophy cup with the deposited dental prophy composition along said tooth surface; during the movement of said prophy cup with the deposited dental prophy composition along said tooth surface, pivoting said prophy cup with respect to said cup holder so that an axis of said prophy cup is oriented at a substantial angle relative to an axis of said cup holder; and bending said skirt against said outer surface during an engagement of said skirt with said outer surface upon the pivoting of said prophy cup with respect to said cup holder. 13. A dental prophylactic cup for mounting on a cup holder having means for accepting the prophy cup thereon, the prophy cup comprising an upwardly projecting cup portion having a receptacle for accepting a prophy composition therein, a lower portion having a flexible skirt defining an angular groove mateable with a seat of the cup holder, the groove having a depth sufficient to provide a gap between an upper surface of the seat and a bottom wall of the groove for accommodating the tilt of the prophy cup, the flexible seat slidable over an outer surface of the cup holder to bias the cup holder into an upright position. 14 The prophy cup of claim 13 further comprising a plurality of spaced drive projections for engaging corresponding recesses in the cup holder 15 The prophy cup of claim 13 wherein the means for accepting the prophy cup is a ball provided on an extending post, the prophy cup having a pocket for receiving the ball and a tapered passage leading to the pocket 16 The prophy cup of claim 15 wherein the tapered passage has a lower surface, a gap provides between the lower surface and a base of the cup holder to allow tilting of the prophy cup in use

Inventors: SALE WILLIAM DAVID, SALE, WILLIAM, DAVID
Applicants: PROFESSIONAL DENTAL TECH, PROFESSIONAL DENTAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Application year: 1997
Main classification: A61C17
IPC codes: A61C17