Dentistry Patents (Class 434/263)
  • Patent number: 5134743
    Abstract: A toothbrush for controlling brushing-stroke comprises a brush portion studded with bristles; a handle portion extended from the brush portion; a cavity associated with the handle portion for defining a space; and a moving member placed within the space for reciprocally moving within the space by reciprocal movement of the toothbrush and for hitting an end of the space and making a continuous hitting sound when the brushing-stroke of the reciprocal movement of the toothbrush is longer than a predetermined value. The use of the present toothbrush will reduce the brushing stroke until the continuous hitting warning sound ceases to perform the so-called "Bass' method " or "scrubbing method".
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 1991
    Date of Patent: August 4, 1992
    Inventor: Hiroshi Hukuba
  • Patent number: 5120229
    Abstract: A dental model of teeth mounted in a jaw comprises an artificial jaw member defining tooth-receiving sockets. The teeth have roots, the roots being removably seated in the sockets and bonded there by elastomeric adhesive, whereby the teeth exhibit a resiliently seated characteristic similar to that of the natural teeth in a human jaw. Also, a preformed, artificial gingiva may be applied which exhibits improved, lifelike characteristics for a practice experience that is closer to clinical reality.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 1990
    Date of Patent: June 9, 1992
    Assignee: The Curators of the University of Missouri
    Inventors: Dorsey J. Moore, Connie L. Drisko
  • Patent number: 5108292
    Abstract: The present invention is a dental oral simulator designed to teach the skills an operator will require in practice when dealing with a supine patient in the ergonomically preferred work zone in the midsagittal plane at heart level and in myocentric relationship.Training jaws of the dental simulator are supported to simulate the movement of the jaws in a skull about the occipito-atlantal joint. A concave dish supported on the end or a mounting arm provides bearing support for a semi spherical bowl with the attachment between the bowl and the concave dish operating to allow controlled movement of the bowl through the range of useful dental treatment anatomical movements by a human skull about its occipito-atlantal joint with the mounting for the training jaws located on the mandible plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 1990
    Date of Patent: April 28, 1992
    Assignees: The University of Otago, Medic Corporation Limited
    Inventors: Ewen E. J. Kirk, Tony Pemberton
  • Patent number: 5102340
    Abstract: Dental teaching and practicing apparatus for the simulation and practice of dental-clinical working or operating procedures, such as are generally employed for the education and training of dentists and their assistants. The apparatus which represents or incorporates a patient-simulator can be individually positioned, especially with consideration being given to limited space or place conditions, whereby during non-use thereof the apparatus can be brought into a space-saving stored position, and can also be set up in such a manner that within an unchanged assembly, it is comfortable for either a right-handed or left-handed person.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 1990
    Date of Patent: April 7, 1992
    Assignee: Kaltenbach & Voigt GmbH & Co.
    Inventors: Frank Berlinghoff, Hans-Walter Lang
  • Patent number: 5078732
    Abstract: The oral hygiene device of the present invention combines a tooth brush with a teething ring so that cognitive factors relating to oral hygiene education for caring for baby teeth are maximized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 1990
    Date of Patent: January 7, 1992
    Inventor: Robert C. Ceniceros
  • Patent number: 5071354
    Abstract: An artificial denture-skull for dental teaching and practice purposes, consisting of a model of an upper jaw equipped with teeth and which is arranged on an upper support plate, and a model of a lower jaw equipped with teeth which is arranged on a lower support plate, and wherein both support plates on the inner surfaces facing the dentures for the mounting of the jaw models incorporate an O-ring seating arrangement for the jaw models, against which there can be clamped the jaw models through the application of their base surface with the interposition of a clamping device extending through the support plates and which can be manipulated from the outside. For the most possibly exact simulation of the human head, the denture-skull can be also connected with a cerebral cavity-defining skull portion, as well as with a pocket-shaped covering which includes a mouth opening for the formation of a complete phantom head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 1990
    Date of Patent: December 10, 1991
    Assignee: Kaltenbach & Voigt GmbH & Co.
    Inventors: Hans-Walter Lang, Alfred Straka
  • Patent number: 5044037
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a novelty toothbrush. The toothbrush has a plastic member with a plurality of aligned holes at one end, a head and face portion at a second end and an integral handle for grasping the toothbrush. The toothbrush further has a series of bristles positioned within the holes for brushing teeth and massaging gums, a sound generator housed within the plastic member and a push-button device for actuating the sound generator to play a musical tune for a predetermined time period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 1989
    Date of Patent: September 3, 1991
    Assignee: U.S. Aqua Sports, Inc.
    Inventor: Kenneth A. Brown
  • Patent number: 5030102
    Abstract: A mounting arrangement for a tooth in an artificial dental jaw model, especially in an artificial denture skull, and which is utilized for teaching and practice purposes. The tooth which is to be exchanged or replaced can be pulled out with an ordinary pair of extracting pliers and in an imitation of an actual extracting procedure, and the new tooth can be inserted with the application of a forcible or strong finger pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 1989
    Date of Patent: July 9, 1991
    Assignee: Kaltenbach & Voigt GmbH & Co.
    Inventor: Hans-Walter Lang
  • Patent number: 5028235
    Abstract: A false tooth is made by first making a base that may correspond to the patient's mouth but that has no crown, then modeling a plurality of separate crown pieces that interfit complementarily to form a crown, and finally anchoring the pieces so that they form a complete crown atop the base.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 1989
    Date of Patent: July 2, 1991
    Inventor: Avis J. Smith
  • Patent number: 4968256
    Abstract: An artificial denture-skull for dental teaching and practice purposes, consisting of the model of an upper jaw which is equipped with teeth and of the model of a lower jaw which is equipped with teeth, the lower jaw model being connected with the upper jaw model for pivotal movement through the intermediary of two jaw linkages which are arranged at respectively both sides of the jaw models, whereby the lower jaw model is presently equipped with an articulated ball belonging to the jaw linkages and which is guided within an articulating track arranged in an articulating box on the upper jaw model. For the most possible exact simulation of the human head, the denture-skull can also be provided with a cerebral skull portion, as well as with a pocket-shaped covering possessing an oral or mouth aperture, for the resultant formation of a complete phantom head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 1989
    Date of Patent: November 6, 1990
    Assignee: Kaltenbach & Voigh GmbH & Co.
    Inventors: Hans-Walter Lang, Alfred Straka
  • Patent number: 4934940
    Abstract: A dental hygiene instructional display using a humanoid figure providing a facial expressing exhibiting representations of human teeth in adjacent upper and lower jaws. The teeth are divided into sectors and a pair of light emitting diodes of different colors are dedicated to flashingly illuminate each of the sectors, in sequence. A circuit for controlling illumination of the light emitting diodes adjustably controls both the duration of the period of brushing devoted to each sector, as well as the flash period during illumination of each cycle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 1989
    Date of Patent: June 19, 1990
    Inventor: Winsor T. Savery
  • Patent number: 4902232
    Abstract: A teaching model for dental students includes an upper and a lower jaw each with removable artificial teeth which resemble natural teeth in their hardness and appearance. Each tooth has a crown portion, which extends above the gum line, and a root portion. The root portion is oval-shaped, in cross-section, and tapered along its axis to closely fit in an oval and tapered socket in the jaw. The jaw has open socket holes so that the root portions protrude through orifices in the bottom face of the jaw. Each tooth root portion has embedded therein a rotatable quarter-turn locking device whose locking head passes through the socket orifice and, when turned 90.degree., cams on the bottom face of the jaw to draw the tooth into its socket and thereby lock the tooth in position. A tooth is readily replaced by turning the locking head backwards 90.degree. to release the tooth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 1988
    Date of Patent: February 20, 1990
    Inventor: Irving Neustadter
  • Patent number: 4888251
    Abstract: A personal memento is provided, in which a fallen-off milk tooth is fitted to a decorative article such as an animal toy, an imitation plant, a doll or the like. The milk tooth is incorporated into the overall scope of design of the decorative article to be displayed integral therewith.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 1988
    Date of Patent: December 19, 1989
    Assignee: Park H. Woo
    Inventor: Akihisa Nakada
  • Patent number: 4866807
    Abstract: The tooth brush comprises a figurehead detachably fixed to a handle. The head contains a module with at least one pushbutton, a loudspeaker, a digital sound generator and a battery (19). When the button is pressed, a tune is generated by the sound generator for a particular period of time and played back through the loudspeaker. This design makes the toothbrush less expensive to produce and makes it easier for children to become accustomed to regular and thorough cleaning of their teeth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 1988
    Date of Patent: September 19, 1989
    Inventors: Erwin Kreit, Hans Ineichen
  • Patent number: 4846684
    Abstract: In a jaw model, the jaw arch (2) is provided with a recess (4), which is arranged rotatably an insert part (5) carrying, on sides located opposite one another, different tooth or artificial tooth shapes (7,8) which can be moved into the particular correct position by rotating the insert part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 1987
    Date of Patent: July 11, 1989
    Inventor: Gerd Oestreich
  • Patent number: 4788734
    Abstract: The handle part (2) of a toothbrush houses means which emit acoustic signals in the audible range of the human ear. The means are a chip (3), a battery (4), a sound generator (5), a sound amplifier (6) and a switch (7). By incorporating other similar means, the emission of visual signals is produced. The means (3, 4, 5, 6, 7), which are combined to form a module, are suitable for emitting a melody and/or spoken words. The chip (3) is supplemented with a "timer", the cycle of which is set, or can be set, and preferably lasts for two minutes per actuation. The battery (4) has a life of three months when used twice a day for two minutes in each case.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 1986
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1988
    Inventor: Gerfried Bauer
  • Patent number: 4770637
    Abstract: A dental educational device is presented for use in the oral hygiene field to better inform patients and the like of the proper procedures for cleaning teeth and gums with toothbrushes, floss or other tools. The artificial teeth are formed from a transparent material and include a removable top and if desired a portion of a side whereby, upon removal of the top, an observer can see through the side walls of the tooth to better see and understand the contact of the toothbrush bristles or floss with the outer enamel of the teeth and sulcus areas of the gums.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 1988
    Date of Patent: September 13, 1988
    Inventor: N. Gladstone Harrell, Jr.
  • Patent number: 4716614
    Abstract: A device for monitoring the process of toothbrushing has a handle that is electrically connected to signalling means. The handle has a neck and the neck is designed to consecutively receive various heads of toothbrushes. Removable and replaceable heads, with numerous bristles thereon, can be consecutively mounted on said handle. There are sensing means on the neck to continuously measure a bending moment of the area to which said sensing means is attached. As pressure is exerted on bristles of the head, that pressure is transmitted to said neck and the signalling means can be activated. The device is useful in teaching appropriate methods of brushing, thereby reducing or eliminating abrasion of the teeth. In addition to pressure, the device is able to monitor frequency, duration and direction of brushing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 1986
    Date of Patent: January 5, 1988
    Inventors: Arthur R. Jones, John D. Jones
  • Patent number: 4519109
    Abstract: This invention is concerned with an improvement of a tooth brush for keeping users' decayed teeth and gingival portion in a hygeine and healthy condition comprising a grip portion of a tooth brush shank to be held between their thumb and first finger with respect to their lower jaw and upper jaw, which shank being formed intermediate thereof in an opposedly inclined shape so as to enable them to cleanly brush their tooth especially cased with gold and also whole gingival surface area by a finger massage operation. The invention further involves a construction wherein the grip portion of tooth brush shank is provided rearwardly with a projection which is adapted to press against the gingival portions thereby enabling users to perceive the seat of gingivitis at an earlier stage by feeling pain when the projection is applied to their gingival portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 1984
    Date of Patent: May 28, 1985
    Inventor: Beach D. Raymond
  • Patent number: 4476604
    Abstract: A device for sensing the amount of force applied to the teeth during brushing is disclosed. The device includes a toothbrush holder pivotally supported inside a sleeve. O-rings mounted on the holder act both as fulcrum for the holder and as resistance members to resist the pivoting of the holder inside the sleeve. An adjustment cap is threadedly mounted on the sleeve and can adjustably compress the O-rings to provide variable resistance to the pivoting of the holder. An electrical circuit comprised of fixed and floating contacts detects the holder pivotal movement and lights up a bulb to indicate that the holder is pivoting. A battery is carried in the sleeve to power the circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 1983
    Date of Patent: October 16, 1984
    Assignee: Larry W. White
    Inventors: Larry W. White, Luis Ingels
  • Patent number: 4446453
    Abstract: A method for the registration and evaluation of dental findings corresponding to dental examination points. The method is carried out with an evaluation apparatus including a marking apparatus having spatial allocations corresponding to each examination point and a marking element associated with each spatial allocation. The method comprises the steps of examining the points, one after the other, in a predetermined order to obtain respective dental findings; entering the finding corresponding to each examination point into the evaluation apparatus; and marking the finding of each examination point in the corresponding spatial allocation on the marking apparatus by use of the associated marking element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 1981
    Date of Patent: May 1, 1984
    Assignee: Fried. Krupp GmbH
    Inventors: Algund Eenboom, Edzard Muller
  • Patent number: 4435163
    Abstract: An educational device for teaching dental hygiene is disclosed. The device consists of a model of a human head having a mouth with teeth, moveable jaw and sensors imbedded in the teeth. A microprocessor is provided and the sensors are connected to the microprocessor. A probe and a toothbrush are connected to the microprocessor and may be held in the hand of an operator adjacent the teeth to simulate brushing, flossing, and other dental activities. Light emitting diodes of different colors are imbedded in the teeth and connected to the microprocessor to indicate conditions of the teeth. A speaker and a memory device are connected to the microprocessor to audibly discuss the procedures carried out with the information fed to the microprocessor from the teeth, and a command unit is provided to actuate the jaw to open and close the mouth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 1982
    Date of Patent: March 6, 1984
    Inventors: Oscar A. Schmitt, Robert J. Nedreski, Eskil Karlson
  • Patent number: 4416634
    Abstract: This invention is concerned with a dental practice means having an improved construction wherein dental practice bases are lined up straight in rows to enable man's head models to be disposed at both sides of the means. The means is constructed in a smaller dimensions than the conventional ones, wherein instructors are able to fully communicate with their dental practice apprentices and observe the smallest motions of the apprentices' hands, and their way of using dental instruments. Further the dental practice apprentices are able to learn almost in the same manner as though they are practically making dental treatment to dental patients.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 1982
    Date of Patent: November 22, 1983
    Inventor: Daryl R. Beach
  • Patent number: 4253212
    Abstract: A sound emitting device and/or a light emitting device actuated by brushing movement are provided in the stem of a tooth brush. These devices sense the reciprocating motion and the rotational motion of the brush, and the pressure applied on brushing.The sound emitting device comprises a hollow cylindrical body connected to the stem of the brush and a ball like or columnar movable piece accomodated in the hollow cylindrical body, wherein the movable piece is moved by the motion of the brush in the direction of the axis of the brush so as to hit the end of the inner surface of the hollow cylindrical body for emitting sound. Alternatively, an electrode is provided on the inner wall of the hollow cylindrical body and an electro-conductive movable piece contacts the electrode to form an electrical circuit for emitting sound. For the rotation of the axis of the tooth brush, the movable piece contacts the electrode and a sound is emitted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 1979
    Date of Patent: March 3, 1981
    Inventor: Kinya Fujita
  • Patent number: 4242812
    Abstract: A typodont having one or more removable teeth which may be simultaneously locked in place by a single locking ring. The typodont includes a jaw member having one or more openings for receiving the shanks of the individual removable teeth and a parabolic arch-shaped groove cut in the jaw member which is in communication with each of the openings. The removable teeth each have a notch which is cut in the shank of the tooth with the notch being in alignment with the groove when the tooth is inserted in a jaw member opening. A locking ring having a locking portion which is shaped like the jaw member groove can be placed into the groove so that the locking portion will engage each of the notches in the shanks, thereby locking the removable teeth into place.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 1979
    Date of Patent: January 6, 1981
    Assignee: Ivan H. Randoll
    Inventors: Ivan H. Randoll, Robert C. McShirley