Abstract:
The present invention relates to a hand held interproximal dental tool for detaching unwanted materials from a patient&#39;s teeth and to methods of manufacturing such tools. The interproximal dental tool includes a compact, ergonomically designed housing which is gripped by a dental practitioner during use and a blade extending from and structurally supported by the housing which includes serrations for cutting or abrasive materials for sanding unwanted material.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to an interproximal dental tool, and more particularly, an interproximal dental tool for detaching unwanted material from teeth. 
     2. Discussion of Prior Art 
     Interproximal dental tools which are currently in use for detaching unwanted material by and large are ineffective, are often difficult to use and far too often lead to injuries to the patient or dental practitioner. For example, interproximal dental tools in the form of dental saws currently are elongated, flexible, thin metal strips having a serrated edge which is inserted between the teeth to remove excess or unwanted material. This type of tool is operated by gripping each end and working the tool back and forth between the teeth in order to cut away the undesired material. As such, the dental practitioner must insert at least one hand into a patient&#39;s mouth which results in discomfort to the patient. Worse yet, in the event that the tool is used on teeth posterior to the incisors, it may be required that both of the dentist&#39;s hands are at least partially inserted into the patient&#39;s mouth which is even more uncomfortable. 
     Another perceived problem with the prior art dental saws is that far too often injury results at least in part due to the flexible nature of the thin metal strip material. Because it is difficult to control the depth of insertion between the teeth, particularly the teeth in the posterior region of the mouth, it is not uncommon to lacerate the gum tissue with this type of prior art device. Additionally, because the serrated edge of the tool extends virtually its entire length, far too often the dental practitioner&#39;s hands are injured when handling the device. 
     Still another perceived problem relates to the overall effectiveness of the prior art tool. Because the tool is highly flexible to allow for the insertion between the teeth, an inherent drawback is the difficulty in generating sufficient leverage on the tool when in use to effectively remove unwanted material. 
     In view of the foregoing it is readily apparent there is a need in the art for an improved interproximal dental tool which is effective at removing unwanted material, easier to use, and less likely to result in injury to the patient or dental practitioner during use. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with the present invention, there is provided an interproximal dental tool for detaching material from teeth comprising: 
     a housing, including a body, having spaced first and second ends; and 
     a blade fixedly attached to said housing and extending between the first and second ends, said blade including a leading portion having means for detaching material from teeth. 
     Examples of unwanted materials which can be detached from the teeth are materials used to repair teeth or used in cosmetic dental procedures. Such materials include by way of non-limiting example, cements, ceramics, composites, thermoplastics, and adhesives. Other unwanted materials may include calculus. 
     Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating the preferred embodiment of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an interproximal dental tool in accordance with the teachings of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a side view of the interproximal dental tool of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is an end view of interproximal dental tool of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a cross sectional view taken along lines  4 - 4  of the interproximal dental tool of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a side view of interproximal dental tool of  FIG. 1  depicting a blade imbedded within the molded handle; 
         FIG. 6  is a top view of the interproximal dental tool of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of an interproximal dental tool in accordance with the teachings of the present invention; 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view of still another alternative embodiment of an interproximal dental tool in accordance with the teachings of the present invention; 
         FIG. 9A  is a top view of the interproximal dental tool of claim  8 ; 
         FIG. 9B  is a bottom view of the interproximal dental tool of claim  8 ; and 
         FIG. 10  is an end view of the interproximal dental tool of claim  8 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The following description of various embodiments is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention, its application, or uses. 
     Generally, the present invention describes a new and improved interproximal dental tool which is easy to use, effective and inexpensive to manufacture. Referring to  FIGS. 1-6 , a first embodiment of an interproximal dental tool  10  contemplated under the present invention includes as its major components, a blade  12  which is fixedly attached to a housing  14 . The housing  14  which serves as a handle for gripping the tool along the outer edge  16  and/or along the respective opposing side walls  18  and  18   a  depending upon which teeth are being worked on, has a substantially U-shaped body  20  which results in a recess  22  extending from a first end  24  of the housing  14  to a second end  24   a . Disposed within the recess  22  is blade  12  which extends from the first end  24  to the second end  24   a  of the housing  14 . As will be described in greater detail below, the housing  14  is generally formed from a suitable injection moldable thermoplastic material which has a relatively high coefficient of friction to enhance gripping of the interproximal dental tool during use. 
     The housing is ergonomically sized to be conveniently used between the practitioner&#39;s index finger and thumb as shown in phantom in  FIG. 1 . For example, the length of the tool from the first end  24  to the second end  24   a  along the leading edge  42  is generally no more than about 1.25 inch. The height dimension of the dental tool as measured from the center point  34  of the housing base  26  to the leading edge  42  of the blade  12  along center line  4 - 4  is generally no more than about 0.75 inches. Likewise, the blade height as measured along the center line  4 - 4  from the terminal edge  50  of the housing to the leading edge  42  of the blade is generally no more that about 0.4 inches such that the blade can be fully inserted between the teeth. Thus, as should be appreciated, by ensuring that the blade height is no more than about 0.4 inches, the terminal edge  50  effectively serves as a stop mechanism to prevent undue penetration of the gum tissue. The width dimension at the widest point along the outer edge  16  is generally no more than about 0.5 inches. As should be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the dimensions set forth above may differ slightly for different oral care applications, provided the tool is small enough to be used between the thumb and fingers of the dental practitioner. 
     As shown most clearly in  FIGS. 1 and 3 , respectively, the outer edge  16  may include enhanced gripping means for maintaining the dental practitioner&#39;s fingers along the tool during periods of use. Thus, by way of non-limiting example horizontally aligned ribs  30  are shown that rise above the face  32  of the outer edge along at least one of the first and second ends. The side walls  18  and  18   a  of the housing may taper inwardly from the outer edge  16  of the housing  14  toward the blade  12  which assists in maintaining a grip when the user needs to grip the dental tool along the sides. In addition to the inward tapering, the housing material may be thinner at the center point  34  and thicker toward the ends  24  and  24   a  respectively such that the housing is essentially concaved along either side as depicted most clearly in  FIG. 6 . Likewise the outer edge  16  may be slightly concaved as indicated by reference numeral  36  in  FIG. 4  to enhance gripping. 
     The blade  12  is generally formed from a thin, sterile metallic strip such as stainless steel. The blade as shown, includes along its length, a first edge area  40  which is embedded within the housing  14  and thus is shaped to meet the molding requirements to obtain a substantially U-shaped housing as described above. The blade  12  also includes an exposed portion including a second area  42  otherwise referred to herein as the leading edge area extending along the length of the blade opposite the first edge area and proximate to the distal portions of the first and second ends  24  and  24   a  of the housing. As shown in  FIGS. 1-6  serrations  48  project from the leading edge area which are shaped to cut away material. The serrations  48  can vary in shape and size as is known in the art. 
     The average width of the blade should be no more than about 0.1 mm, and preferably no more than about 0.05 mm to effectively fit between the teeth. Widths of about 0.05 mm allow the blade to flex during use which is helpful in accessing hard to reach areas. 
     Referring to  FIG. 7 , an alternative embodiment is depicted. Under this embodiment, the leading edge area  42  includes a band of abrasive material  52  along at least one blade side  28  and  28   a  which are referenced in  FIG. 6 . By providing an abrasive, the dental tool of the present invention can be used when a sanding or smoothing activity is called for to detach unwanted material. As demonstrated, typically the band of abrasive will be discontinuous thereby providing an abrasive free gap  54 . The abrasive free gap  54  allows for the blade to be inserted between the teeth and to avoid undesired abrasion of the teeth. The width of the abrasive band can vary according to need but typically will be less than about 0.25 inches. Additionally, the grit of the abrasive can be varied along the band such that a first section  56  has a first grit and a second section  56   a  has a second grit. This may allow a dental practitioner to perform both sanding (course to medium grit) and smoothing (medium to fine grit) with a single dental tool. The abrasive materials employed are considered a matter of design choice. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 8-10 , still another alternative embodiment is depicted. For ease in description, the reference numeral designations will be increased by 100 for previously described elements. According to this embodiment, the interproximal dental tool  110  includes two blades  112 ,  112   a  provided on opposite ends on the same tool. The body  120  of the housing  114  includes first and second opposing substantially U-shaped portions thereby resulting in an overall dog bone shape. By providing multiple blades  112 ,  112   a  the dental practitioner could optionally perform multiple tasks with a single tool. For example, as depicted in  FIG. 8 , the bottom half  160  of the tool  110  may include a blade  112  having serrations  148  along the edge  140  and the other half  160   a  of the tool may include a blade  112   a  having a band of abrasive material dispersed in proximity to the leading edge. As should be appreciated, such an embodiment would allow the dental practitioner the option of cutting away unwanted material with the serrated portion and optionally smoothing and sanding away unwanted material with the abrasive portion. Again, it is beneficial to include an abrasive free gap  154 . Still, other combinations are anticipated with the embodiment of  FIG. 8  such as both blades  112 ,  112   a  including serrations, optionally with different size and/or shaped serrations. Likewise, both blades  112 ,  112   a  could have different abrasive materials, e.g. different grits, to carry-out differing functions as described above. While reference is made to “multiple blades”, it should be understood by those familiar with injection molding, the blades  112 ,  112   a  may be separate pieces or may be a single piece having two distinct blade sections. 
     The housing would also generally include of the features described with reference to the embodiments of  FIGS. 1-7 . For example, the sidewalls  118 ,  118   a  can be tapered inwardly from the dot and dash center-line  162  toward each of the perspective blades  112 ,  112   a . Likewise, the housing material may be thinner at the center point  134  than along the ends  124 ,  124   a  as depicted in  FIG. 9 . The outer edge of the tool  116  may be concaved and may include ribs  130  as shown in  FIG. 9 . 
     Regarding the manufacture of the interproximal dental tools depicted with reference to  FIGS. 1-6 and 7 , a preferred method involves the steps of positioning the blade  12  within an injection molding cavity and injection molding the housing  14  relative to the blade(s). Upon molding, the blade becomes fixed to the housing and projects from the housing to substantially occupy the recess  22  leaving the leading edge area and sides  28  and  28   a  freely exposed. Thus, the first edge area  40  of the blade  12  which is depicted with dot and dash lines is embedded in the housing. To enhance fixation of the blade  12  to the housing, the blade  12  may include a plurality of apertures  46 , as shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , disposed near the first edge area  40  through which the thermoplastic material flows. Thus after injection and upon curing the thermoplastic material, an effective dynamic interproximal dental tool is achieved. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 8-10 , still another alternative embodiment is depicted. For ease in description, the reference numeral designations will be increased by 100 for previously described elements. According to this embodiment, the interproximal dental tool  110  includes two blades  112 ,  112   a  provided on opposite ends on the same tool. The body  120  of the housing  114  includes first and second opposing substantially U-shaped portions thereby resulting in an overall dog bone shape. By providing multiple blades  112 ,  112   a  the dental practitioner could optionally performing multiple tasks with a single tool. For example, as depicted in  FIG. 8 , the bottom half  160  of the tool  110  may include a blade  112  having serrations  148  along the edge  140  and the other half  160   a  of the tool may include a blade  112   a  having a band of abrasive material  152  dispersed in proximity to the leading edge. As should be appreciated, such an embodiment would allow the dental practitioner the option of cutting away unwanted material with the serrated portion and optionally smoothing and sanding away unwanted material with the abrasive portion. Again, it is beneficial to include an abrasive free gap  154 . Still, other combinations are anticipated with the embodiment of  FIG. 8  such as both blades  112 ,  112   a  including serrations, optionally with different size and/or shaped serrations. Likewise, both blades  112 ,  112   a  could have different abrasive materials, e.g. different grits, to carry-out differing functions as described above. 
     The description of the invention is merely exemplary in nature and, thus, variations that do not depart from the gist of the invention are intended to be within the scope of the invention.