Patent Publication Number: US-2023149139-A1

Title: Connector for a dental valve

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     This disclosure relates to a connector for an ejector or an evacuator for a dental valve and more particularly to a connector for securing a high volume evacuator or a low volume evacuator (saliva ejector) to a dental valve. 
     During a dental procedure it is important to be able to remove saliva, blood, tooth fragments, metals, and other debris from the mouth of a patient. Removal of this matter allows a dentist to be able to perform a procedure in an unobstructed manner. Various systems or devices have been developed to remove liquid and solid materials from a mouth during a dental procedure. One device that is capable of removing saliva is known as a saliva ejector, tip, or straw. A saliva ejector typically comprises a plastic flexible tube, straw, or tip for placement in the mouth of a patient. The saliva ejector tip is connected to a dental valve and the valve is connected to a hose or to a tailpiece that is connected to the hose. The hose is connected to a source of vacuum. In this manner, saliva is passed through the ejector tip, the valve, the tailpiece, and the hose to be disposed of in a sanitary manner. Once the procedure is completed, the ejector tip should be discarded and the valve should be replaced. The used valve should also be sterilized by autoclaving to be used again. Although it is suggested to autoclave the valve after use, it is known that autoclaving is hardly ever done. Another device that is capable of removing solid materials is a high volume evacuator system, tip, or straw. A high volume evacuator system generally consists of a tube, straw, or tip that may be inserted into a mouth of a patient with the tube connected to a dental valve which is connected to a tailpiece with the tailpiece being connected to a hose or tubing that is in fluid communication with a source of vacuum. Again, in this manner, debris may be removed from the mouth of the patient. After the dental procedure, the tip is disposed of and the valve should be replaced. The used valve should also be sterilized by autoclaving to be used again. However, although it is suggested to sterilize the valve after use, it is known that this suggested procedure is hardly ever followed. As can be appreciated, the saliva ejector and the high volume evacuator are used to remove liquids and debris from a mouth of a patient to prevent a patient from swallowing or aspirating liquids and debris produced during a dental procedure. 
     As indicated, the saliva ejector dental valve or the high volume evacuator dental valve is connected to one end of the dental valve. The dental valve has another end that is mated to the tailpiece or the hosing. The saliva ejector valve and the high volume evacuator valve each has a valve body having a passage or a lumen and a valve sealing member. The valve sealing member has an opening that may be aligned with the passage to allow saliva and other material to pass when the valve sealing member is in an opened position. When the valve sealing member is in a closed position, the source of vacuum is cut off by the valve sealing member blocking the passage through the valve body. In this manner, the saliva ejector valve and the high volume evacuator valve may be opened or closed. 
     One problem associated with the use of saliva ejector tips and high volume evacuator tips inserted into the dental valves is that there are a number of manufacturers that produce only the tips and a number of manufacturers that only produce the dental valves. The tips vary in size, shape, and stiffness and there is no standardization of the tip between manufacturers. The dental valves also vary in size, shape, and features and there is no standardization of the dental valves between manufacturers. In view of this, it may be difficult to connect or secure the tip to the dental valve. Also, there is the possibility that a manufacturer may produce tips that do not conform to the manufacturer&#39;s own specifications. In this case, there may be differences in the same tip manufactured by the same manufacturer. Due to this, a dental valve device requires the use of an O-ring or other elastic member in order to hold or secure a tip in place and to establish a seal between the valve device and the tip. The O-ring is used to hold or secure the tip in place during an operation or dental procedure. Over time the O-ring will deteriorate due to use and cleaning and will have to be replaced. An inventory of different sized O-rings must be available to a technician servicing the dental valve. There is also the possibility that the O-ring may fail during a dental procedure and the tip will become disengaged from the dental valve. 
     Although these tips and dental valves are beneficial, one disadvantage associated with their use is that there is no standardization available for the tips and the dental valves. For example, one manufacturer may produce a dental valve that has a tip receiving end of one configuration and another manufacturer may produce a dental valve having a tip receiving end of different dimensions or a different configuration. Mating these different valves to a tip may be difficult, if not impossible. Another problem associated with the use of different tips and dental valves is that a technician will be required to keep track of the various tailpieces, tips, and dental valves that are used and stored. If an error occurs in the use or storage of such devices then a dental station may not be able to be used for a dental procedure. For example, if a dental office runs out of clean dental valves of a certain size and shape that will fit onto a specific tip then a saliva ejector may not be available for a dental procedure. If this were to occur then a scheduled dental procedure would have to be canceled. Further, in a single station dental practice, it may be necessary to cancel many appointments. Also, in a very busy dental practice, having one station out of commission for a period time may also require that several appointments will have to be canceled and rescheduled. As can be appreciated, this will result in lost revenue for the dental practice and should be avoided. Likewise, if there is a dental emergency then the dentist may not be able to provide emergency services. 
     Therefore, it would be desirable to have a connector that is capable of securing or mating a tip to a dental valve. This would assist in providing a vacuum seal between the valve and the tip to prevent malfunctioning during a dental procedure. It would also be advantageous to provide a connector that is used to attach a tip to a dental valve so that a tip of any size, shape, or hardness may be used with any dental valve. It would be further advantageous to provide a connector that includes a fanciful feature or device to be enjoyed by a child during a dental operation. It would be desirable to have a connector that is universal and may be used to connect any sized tip to a dental valve. Further, it would be beneficial to provide a connector that is disposable for a single use to prevent contamination. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY 
     In one form of the present disclosure, a connector for a dental valve comprises a body having an exterior surface, a valve receiving end, a tip receiving end, a lumen formed between the valve receiving end and the tip receiving end, a front section, a center section, and a rear section 
     In another form of the present disclosure, a connector for a dental valve comprises a body having an exterior surface, a valve receiving end, a tip receiving end, a lumen formed between the valve receiving end and the tip receiving end, a front section, a center section, a rear section, and an interior surface with the interior surface having an annular inclined section at the tip receiving end. 
     In yet another form of the present disclosure, a connector for a dental valve comprises a body having an exterior surface, a valve receiving end, a tip receiving end, a lumen formed between the valve receiving end and the tip receiving end, a front section, a center section, a rear section, and an interior surface with the interior surface having a first front nub extending out of the interior surface at the tip receiving end. 
     The present disclosure provides a connector for a dental valve that allows any sized and shaped tip to be mated to a dental valve. 
     The present disclosure provides a connector for a dental valve that is easy to install on the tip and the dental valve. 
     The present disclosure provides a connector for a dental valve that is small, lightweight, easy to handle, easy to install, and easy to use. 
     The present disclosure also provides a connector for a dental valve which is of simple construction and design and which can be easily employed with highly reliable results. 
     The present disclosure is also directed to a connector for a dental valve that does not require any special tools to attach the connector between the tip and the dental valve. 
     The present disclosure is related to a connector for a dental valve that can be connected to a disposable dental valve device. 
     The present disclosure provides a connector for a dental valve that may be disposable for a single use or dental operation. 
     The present disclosure is also directed to a connector for a dental valve that is made of a lightweight material such as plastic, polyethylene, and high density polyethylene or any other similar material so that the connector may be disposable. 
     The present disclosure is related to a connector for a dental valve that may be used to allow dental valves of various sizes to be easily mated to the tip. 
     The present disclosure also provides a connector for a dental valve that may have incorporated therein or coated thereon an antimicrobial agent or chemical further cross-contamination when using the adapter. 
     The present disclosure is directed to a connector for a dental valve that includes a fanciful element to pacify or amuse a child during a dental procedure. 
     These and other advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent after considering the following detailed specification in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    is a front perspective view of a connector for a dental valve constructed according to the present disclosure; 
         FIG.  2    is a side view of the connector for a dental valve constructed according to the present disclosure; 
         FIG.  3    is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the connector for a dental valve taken along the plane of line  3 - 3  in  FIG.  2   ; 
         FIG.  4    is a perspective view of the connector for a dental valve connected to a dental valve and a saliva ejector; 
         FIG.  5    is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of a connector for a dental valve constructed according to the present disclosure; and 
         FIG.  6    is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of a connector for a dental valve constructed according to the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring now to the drawings, wherein like numbers refer to like items, number  10  identifies a connector for a tip for a dental valve constructed according to the present disclosure. With reference now to  FIG.  1   , the connector  10  comprises a body  12  having an exterior surface  14 , a tip receiving end  16 , a valve receiving end  18 , and a lumen or channel  20  formed between the tip receiving end  16  and the valve receiving end  18 . The channel  20  allows any liquid, saliva, blood, tooth fragments, or other debris to flow there through. The connector  10  also has a front or nose section  22 , a center or head section  24 , and a rear section  26 . The nose section  22  may have whiskers  28  formed thereon. The head section may have a pair of eyes  30  and a pair of ears  32 . In this manner, the whiskers  28 , the eyes  30 , and the ears  32  may form a fanciful mouse design  34  that is presented to a patient. Although the mouse design  34  is depicted it is also possible and contemplated to present any other design, such as another animal or a cartoon character, that will placate a patient, such as a child, during a dental procedure. The rear section  26  also has a notch  36  formed therein. The connector  10  may be formed of any suitable material so that the connector  10  is disposable. 
       FIG.  2    illustrates a side view of the connector  10 . The connector  10  has the body  12  having the exterior surface  14 , the tip receiving end  16 , the valve receiving end  18 , and the lumen or channel  20  that extends between the tip receiving end  16  and the valve receiving end  18 . The channel  20  allows any liquid, saliva, blood, tooth fragments, or other debris to flow there through. The connector  10  also has the front or nose section  22 , the center or head section  24 , and the rear section  26 . The nose section  22  shows the whiskers  28  formed thereon. The head section has the pair of eyes  30  and the pair of ears  32 . The whiskers  28 , the eyes  30 , and the ears  32  form the fanciful mouse design  34  that is presented to a patient. The rear section  26  also has another notch  38  formed therein. The reason for the notches  36  and  38  will be explained in detail herein. Further, it is contemplated that there may be more notches formed in the rear section  26 . 
     With reference now to  FIG.  3   , a cross-sectional view of the connector  10  is shown. The connector  10  has the body  12  having the exterior surface  14 , the tip receiving end  16 , the valve receiving end  18 , and the lumen  20  formed between the tip receiving end  16  and the valve receiving end  18 . The connector  10  also has the front or nose section  22 , the center or head section  24 , and the rear section  26 . The head section also has one of the eyes  30  and one of the ears  32 . The body  12  has an interior surface  40 . The interior surface  40  has an inclined section  42  in the front section  22  for receiving and capturing a saliva ejector (not shown) as will be described in detail further herein. The inclined section  42  annular and is used to secure the ejector within the lumen  20  of the connector  10 . 
       FIG.  4    depicts the connector  10  being positioned between a saliva ejector  50  and a dental valve device  52 . The connector  10  is used to mate the saliva ejector  50  to the dental valve device  52 . The dental valve device  52  has a tailpiece or hose receiving end  54  and a front rib  56 , a side rib  58 , and a rear rib  60 . The connector  10  has the body  12  having the exterior surface  14 , the tip receiving end  16 , and the valve receiving end  18 . The connector  10  also has the front section  22 , the center section  24 , and the rear section  26 . The nose section  22  shows the whiskers  28  formed thereon. The head section has the pair of eyes  30  and the pair of ears  32 . The notch  36  is used to receive the front rib  56  of the dental valve device  52 . It is also possible and contemplated that the connector  10  may be constructed with the saliva ejector  50  as a single piece. The ejector  50  may be adhered to the connector  10  or may be molded or formed with the connector  10 . 
     In operation of the connector  10 , the connector  10  may be initially inserted into the dental valve  52 . Once the connector  10  is inserted, the ejector  50  may be inserted into the connector  10  to secure the ejector  50  to the dental valve device  52 . The annular inclined section  42  ( FIG.  3   ) is used to secure the ejector  50  withing the channel  20  ( FIG.  3   ) As is known, a tailpiece (not shown) is connected to a hose (not shown) and the hose is connected to a suction system (also not shown). The ejector or evacuator tip  50  may then placed in a mouth of a dental patient during a procedure to remove debris or fluids from the mouth. As can be appreciated, the design  34  displayed to the patient may pacify a young patient who may be apprehensive about a dental procedure. Once the dental valve  52  is opened, air is allowed to flow through the evacuator tip  50 , the connector  10 , the dental valve  52 , the tailpiece, the hose, and into the suction system for disposal. When suction is not needed during a dental procedure, the dental valve  52  is closed. Further, once a dental procedure has been completed, the dental valve  52  is closed, removed from the tailpiece and the ejector  50 , the connector  10 , and the dental valve device  52  are discarded. In this manner the connector  10  is a disposable or one time use device. As can be appreciated, to begin a new dental procedure for an adult patient an ejector  50  and a dental valve device  52  may be inserted into the tailpiece. Also, if a new dental procedure is being conducted on a young patient an ejector  52 , a connector  10 , and a dental valve device  52  may be inserted into the tailpiece. 
     Referring now to  FIG.  5   , a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of a connector  100  constructed according to the present disclosure is shown. The connector  100  has a body  102  having an exterior surface  104 , a tip receiving end  106 , a valve receiving end  108 , and a lumen  110  formed between the tip receiving end  106  and the valve receiving end  108 . The connector  100  also has a front or nose section  112 , a center or head section  114 , and a rear section  116 . The head section  114  has an eye  118  and an ear  120 . The body  102  has an interior surface  122 . The interior surface  122  has a first nub or protrusion  124  extending out from the interior surface  122  and a second nub or protrusion  126  extending out from the interior surface  122 . The nubs  124  and  126  are positioned near the tip receiving end  106  and are used for receiving and capturing a saliva ejector (not shown). Although not shown in this cross-sectional view, it is possible that the body  102  may also have whiskers, another eye, and another ear to present a fanciful design to a patient. 
       FIG.  6    illustrates a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of a connector  150  constructed according to the present disclosure. The connector  150  has a body  152  having an exterior surface  154 , a tip receiving end  156 , a valve receiving end  158 , and a lumen  160  formed between the tip receiving end  156  and the valve receiving end  158 . The connector  150  also has a front or nose section  162 , a center or head section  164 , and a rear section  166 . The head section  164  an eye  168  and an ear  170 . The body  152  has an interior surface  172 . The interior surface  172  has a first front nub or protrusion  174  extending out from the interior surface  172  and a second front nub or protrusion  176  extending out from the interior surface  172 . The front nubs  174  and  176  are positioned near the tip receiving end  156  and are used for receiving and capturing a saliva ejector (not shown). The front nubs  174  and  176  secure the ejector in place by frictional engagement. The interior surface  172  also has a first rear nub or protrusion  178  extending out from the interior surface  172  and a second rear nub or protrusion  180  extending out from the interior surface  172 . The rear nubs  178  and  180  are positioned near the valve receiving end  158 . The rear nubs  178  and  180  are used to secure a dental valve device (not shown) in place by friction. Although a pair of rear nubs  178  and  180  are shown it is possible that the nubs  178  and  180  are a single annular protruding ring or nub that may snap fit on to a dental valve device. As should be appreciated, it is contemplated that the body  152  may also have whiskers, another eye, and another ear to present a fanciful design to a patient during a dental procedure. It is further possible that the connector  150  may be formed as a single structure with a saliva ejector and the rear nubs  178  and  180  serve to mate and secure the connector  150  to a dental valve device. 
     The connectors  10 ,  100 , and  150  may be formed of any suitable material such as metal, plastic, polyethylene, high density polyethylene, or any other material. Any suitable material may be used to construct the connectors  10 ,  100 , and  150  so that the connectors  10 ,  100 , and  150  may withstand use in a dental operation or procedure. Further, it is also possible and contemplated to incorporate the antimicrobial agent or chemical in the connectors  10 ,  100 , and  150  or to provide a coating of an antimicrobial agent on the connectors  10 ,  100 , and  150  to further prevent cross-contamination when using the connectors  10 ,  100 , and  150  during a dental operation or procedure. 
     From all that has been said, it will be clear that there has thus been shown and described herein a connector for a dental valve which fulfills the various advantages sought therefore. It will become apparent to those skilled in the art, however, that many changes, modifications, variations, and other uses and applications of the subject connector for a dental valve are possible and contemplated. All changes, modifications, variations, and other uses and applications which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the disclosure are deemed to be covered by the disclosure, which is limited only by the claims which follow.