Patent ID: 7083410

Claim:
A dental articulator for connecting upper and lower dental models, each having a front and a rear, the front to rear direction defining the longitudinal direction; said dental articulator including: an upper arm including: a front end including: upper attaching means for attaching said front end of said upper arm to the upper dental model; a rear end; a bottom; a top; and a pair of laterally spaced, longitudinally oriented, journal receiving surfaces; a lower arm including: a front end including: lower attaching means for attaching said front end of said lower arm to the lower dental model; a top; a bottom; a rear end; a pair of laterally spaced, laterally oriented journals adapted for disposition on said journal receiving surfaces such that: said lower arm may pivot about said journals relative to said upper arm to perform the opening and closing motion of the dental models; said journals may jointly longitudinally slide on said journal receiving surfaces such that said lower arm moves longitudinally relative to said upper arm to perform the protrusive movement of the dental models; and said journals may independently longitudinally slide on said journal receiving surface such that said front end of said lower arm moves laterally relative to said upper arm to perform the lateral movement of the dental model; and biasing means for biasing said pair of journals toward a predetermined position on said journal receiving surfaces including: a cantilever spring including: a front end connected to said upper arm near said front end of said upper arm; and a rear end.