Abstract:
An area-specific dental instrument is provided, which comprises an arcuate S-shaped shank and an arcuate blade further comprising a sharpened convex surface. This instrument can be capable of cleaning plaque and calculus from the lingual surfaces of anterior teeth and concave surfaces between teeth at the cemento-enamel junction.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 12/841,090, filed in the USPTO on Jul. 21, 2010 entitled AN AREA-SPECIFIC DENTAL INSTRUMENT, which is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 12/357,377, filed in the USPTO on Jan. 21, 2009 entitled AN AREA-SPECIFIC DENTAL INSTRUMENT, both applications of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entireties. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present device is an area-specific dental instrument designed to facilitate access the lingual surface of anterior teeth and the surfaces between teeth including the cemento-enamel junction. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    It is well-established that teeth require periodic professional cleaning in order to maintain tooth and gum health. Teeth are irregularly shaped objects, found generally in close proximity to one another and located in the close confines of the mouth. Some tooth surfaces are very difficult for dental professionals to access and clean. One such surface is the concave surface located between molars at the cemento-enamel junction. Another such area is the lingual surfaces of anterior teeth. These parts of the tooth are difficult to reach with commonly used instruments comprising C-shaped working ends comprising either no blade, or a flat blade. 
         [0004]    What is needed is an area-specific dental instrument capable of accessing and removing plaque and calculus from the concave surfaces between molars at the cemento-enamel junction and the lingual surfaces of anterior teeth. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    It is an aspect of the present device to provide an instrument capable of accessing and removing plaque and calculus from the concave surfaces between molars at the cemento-enamel junction and the lingual surfaces of anterior teeth. 
         [0006]    The above aspect can be obtained by a an area-specific dental instrument an elongated handle having a first end and a second end, a first working end connected to the first end of the elongated handle, the first working end further comprising a shaft having a first end and a second end, wherein the first end of the shaft is connected to the first end of the elongated handle, an arcuate, S-shaped shank having a first end and second end, wherein the first end of the arcuate, S-shaped shank is connected to the second end of the shaft and an arcuate blade connected to the second end of the arcuate, S-shaped shank. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0007]    Further features and advantages of the present device, as well as the structure and operation of various embodiments of the present device, will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the preferred embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which: 
           [0008]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a double-ended area-specific dental instrument according to an embodiment; 
           [0009]      FIG. 2A  is an enlarged perspective view of the working end of an area-specific dental instrument, in a vertical position, displaying a shaft, an arcuate, S-shaped shank and an arcuate blade with the point of the blade facing forward and to the right, according to an embodiment; 
           [0010]      FIG. 2B  is an enlarged perspective view of the working end of an area-specific dental instrument, as displayed in  FIG. 2A , which has been rotated counter-clockwise ninety (90) degrees, according to an embodiment; 
           [0011]      FIG. 2C  is an enlarged perspective view of the working end of an area-specific dental instrument, as displayed in  FIG. 2A , which has been rotated counter-clockwise one hundred eighty (180) degrees, according to an embodiment; 
           [0012]      FIG. 2D  is an enlarged perspective view of the working end  201  of an area-specific dental instrument, as displayed in  FIG. 2A , which has been rotated counter-clockwise two hundred seventy (270) degrees, according to an embodiment; 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  is an illustrational view of the area-specific dental instrument being utilized to clean a concave surface between two molars at the cemento-enamel junction of a particular tooth, according to an embodiment; 
           [0014]      FIG. 4  is an enlarged perspective view of a working end of the area-specific dental instrument, according to an embodiment; and 
           [0015]      FIG. 5  is an enlarged perspective view of the tip of the area-specific dental instrument displaying its blade and part of its shank, according to an embodiment. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0016]    This description of the exemplary embodiments is intended to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings, which are to be considered part of the entire written description. In the description, relative terms such as “lower,” “upper,” “horizontal,” “vertical,”, “above,” “below,” “up,” “down,” “top” and “bottom” as well as derivative thereof (e.g., “horizontally,” “downwardly,” “upwardly,” etc.) should be construed to refer to the orientation as then described or as shown in the drawing under discussion. These relative terms are for convenience of description and do not require that the apparatus be constructed or operated in a particular orientation. Terms concerning attachments, coupling and the like, such as “connected” and “interconnected,” refer to a relationship wherein structures are secured or attached to one another either directly or indirectly through intervening structures, as well as both movable or rigid attachments or relationships, unless expressly described otherwise. 
         [0017]    Reference will now be made in detail to the presently preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. 
         [0018]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a double-ended area-specific dental instrument  100 , according to an embodiment. 
         [0019]    The double-ended area-specific dental instrument  100 , as depicted in  FIG. 1 , can be comprised of an elongated handle  101 . The cross-sectional shape of this handle can be cylindrical, triangular, octagonal or any other shape suitable to sufficiently control the double-ended area-specific dental instrument  100 . The instrument  100  is depicted in  FIG. 1  as having a cylindrical cross-sectional shape with grooves  112  carved into its surface to facilitate gripping. 
         [0020]    The double-ended area-specific dental instrument  100 , as depicted in  FIG. 1 , can be composed of stainless steel, titanium, plastic, or any other suitable material known to those of average skill in the relevant art, or a combination of such materials. 
         [0021]    The double-ended area-specific dental instrument  100  can comprise a working end at only one end of the handle  101 , however, the preferred embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 1 , comprises a first working end  113  on one end of the handle  101  and a second working end  114  on the other end, which is the mirror image of the first working end  113 . This configuration allows the user to clean both sides of a particular tooth (not pictured) without changing instruments. 
         [0022]    Each working end  113  and  114  comprises a shaft  102 , which can be connected to one end of the handle  101 . The shaft  102  can taper from its thickest width at the point where it connects to the handle  101  to its thinnest where it meets the arcuate, S-shaped shank  103 , which itself, is connected to an arcuate blade  104  at its opposite end. 
         [0023]      FIG. 2A  is an enlarged perspective view of the working end  210  of an area-specific dental instrument, in a vertical position, displaying a shaft  202 , an arcuate, S-shaped shank and an arcuate blade  204  with the point of the blade  204  facing forward and to the right, according to an embodiment. 
         [0024]    From this viewpoint, the arcuate blade  204  can easily be viewed. In this embodiment the arcuate blade angles slightly downward from the end of the shank. This angle allows the user to hold the instrument at an angle and still maximize the arcuate blade&#39;s  204 &#39;s contact with the tooth surface being cleaned (not pictured). This figure displays the arcuate blade  204  pointing out toward the viewer. 
         [0025]      FIG. 2B  is an enlarged perspective view of the working end  210  of an area-specific dental instrument, as displayed in  FIG. 2A , which has been rotated counter-clockwise ninety (90) degrees, according to an embodiment. 
         [0026]    This viewpoint displays the arcuate, S-shaped shank  203  of an area-specific dental instrument, according to an embodiment. This shank can allow the user to access areas on the surface of teeth which are not easily accessible. For example, the long, narrow, lower portion of the arcuate, S-shaped shank  203  can be used to position the arcuate blade  204  between teeth to clean the inner surface areas of these teeth including the cemento-enamel junction. 
         [0027]      FIG. 2C  is an enlarged perspective view of the working end  210  of an area-specific dental instrument, as displayed in  FIG. 2A , which has been rotated counter-clockwise one hundred eighty (180) degrees, according to an embodiment. 
         [0028]    This viewpoint displays the same angle of the arcuate blade  204  as displayed in  FIG. 2A , but from the reverse angle. In this view, the point of the arcuate blade  204  points towards the back of the page, slightly downward and to the left. 
         [0029]      FIG. 2D  is an enlarged perspective view of the working end  201  of an area-specific dental instrument, as displayed in  FIG. 2A , which has been rotated counter-clockwise two hundred seventy (270) degrees, according to an embodiment. 
         [0030]    This viewpoint displays the same angle of the arcuate blade  204  as displayed in  FIG. 2B , but from the reverse angle. Here, the arcuate blade  204  points directly toward the front of the page and is angled slightly downward. 
         [0031]      FIG. 3  is an illustrational view of the present device being utilized to clean the concave surface between two molars at the cemento-enamel junction of a particular tooth  308 , according to an embodiment. 
         [0032]    This view displays how the arcuate, S-shaped shank  303  allows the present instrument can be utilized to access hard to reach surface areas of the tooth being cleaned  308  by bending around the crown of the tooth and reaching the concave surfaces beneath it. 
         [0033]      FIG. 4  is an enlarged perspective view of a working end of the area-specific dental instrument, according to an embodiment. This working end can be comprised of several parts connected together or formed from a single piece of material such as stainless steel or some other suitable material. 
         [0034]    This viewpoint displays the various parts of a working end of an area-specific dental instrument, according to an embodiment. The working end can be attached to the elongated handle  401 . The working end can comprise a tapered shaft  402 , aligned with the central longitudinal axis of the elongated handle  401 . The arcuate, S-shaped shank  403  can comprise a large curve  406 , which can function to both position the arcuate blade  404  and provide clearance for the instrument to work around a particular tooth (not pictured). The arcuate, S-shaped shank  403  can also comprise a smaller curve  407 , which further comprises the arcuate blade  404  and acts as a platform for the blade  404 . In an embodiment, the instrument can comprise a marking  409  that identifies the instrument as having a blade that is located in an area that is not typical of such dental instruments. The purpose of this marking  409  is to act as a warning to users in order to prevent injury, which could be caused by improper use of the instrument. 
         [0035]      FIG. 5  is an enlarged perspective view of the tip of the area-specific dental instrument displaying its blade and part of its shank, according to an embodiment. 
         [0036]    This viewpoint provides a close-up view of the arcuate blade  504 , which can be a small, quarter-round edge at the very tip of an arcuate, S-shaped shank  503 . This arcuate blade can have a convex cutting shape so as to maximize its contact with concave surfaces, which are often found on the surfaces of teeth, particularly the lingual surfaces of anterior teeth and the surfaces surrounding the cemento-enamel junction. 
         [0037]    Although the invention has been described in terms of exemplary embodiments, it is not limited thereto. Rather, the appended claims should be construed broadly, to include other variants and embodiments of the invention, which may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and range of equivalents of the invention.