Abstract: A high-speed dental handpiece of the present invention includes a metal non-disposable body and a plastic disposable cartridge received in the body. The body is a one piece body and has a sleeve and an annular head at an end of the sleeve. The sleeve carries an air input line, an air exhaust path, a water line and a fiber optic cable. The air input and water lines are operatively connected to a supply of air and water, respectively. The fiber optic cable is operatively connected to a source of light to carry the light to a patient's mouth to enable a dentist to more clearly see the area being operated upon. The disposable cartridge carries a turbine and is placed in communication with the air input lines to drive the turbine. A bit is received by the turbine and the water is directed toward the bit for cooling. The cartridge is at least partially made of light transmitting material and the fiber optic cable abuts the cartridge to transmit light therethrough.

Abstract: A plastic, disposable, easy-to-assemble dental angle is provided. The angle includes a one-piece hollow body having a head at its front end which is angled with respect to the body. Both the head and the body have a bore therethrough. The head has an aperture which is centered with respect to the bore of the body to allow insertion of a drive gear through the head of the angle. A driven gear is inserted in the head from above. A snap cap fits within the head over the driven gear to lock both the drive gear and the driven gear in the angle. A sheath on the cap covers the aperture. A latch on the cap is received in the aperture to lock the cap to the head to hold the angle together. An elongated slot in the body permits the body to be force-fit on a dental handpiece.

Abstract: A dental scaler is provided which has a control unit and a handpiece assembly linked to the control unit by a conduit carrying fluid and electrical power. The handpiece assembly includes a conduit connector secured to an end of the conduit remote from the control unit and an autoclavable handpiece removably securable to the conduit connector. The connector and handpiece have slidably connectable bodies, each having mating fluid and electrical connectors. The handpiece connector body includes a check valve to prevent rearward flow of water. The conduit connector body includes a check valve and a double fluid tight seal. The use of the two check valves and two seals reduces the possibility of fluid leaking from the back of the handpiece or from the connector. The conduit connector body is received in a sleeve of the handpiece. The connector has a finger which is received in an axial slot of the handpiece sleeve.

Abstract: A prophylaxis cup is provided to be used with a dental prophylaxis angle. The cup includes an elastomeric body having an upper section and a lower section and a threaded shaft extending axially from the lower section. The shaft has a head embedded in the body's lower section. The lower section has a deformable annular ring concentric with, and adjacent to, the shaft head. The ring is deformable outwardly into an adjacent annular groove radially outboard of the ring. A peripheral slinger or skirt outboard of the groove extends downwardly and away from the groove. The cup's body upper section defines a pocket which receives cleaning abrasives. When the cup's shaft is threaded into a rotatable driven gear on the dental prophylaxis angle, a stationary edge of a hollow cap stem on the angle engages the cup's ring, to form a rotational ring seal. The structure of the cup ensures that the seal is maintained even when the cup is bent or deformed during use.

Abstract: A dental handpiece having a head mounted to a shoulder has a coupling ensemble formed of two coupling assemblies. The first coupling assembly is mounted within the shoulder and comprises a gear mounted to a shaft with the shaft extending into a coupling hand. A second like coupling assembly has a bevel gear with a shaft extending therefrom into a coupling hand. The second assembly is mounted within a throat sleeve, which is mounted within the neck of the head. Each coupling hand has a pair of tongues, with slots formed between the side walls of the tongues, to allow the coupling hands to drivingly lock together. The tongues are shaped so that as they are moved into contact with each other, they are directed to have their side walls interlock with one another. The tongues can have anterior slanted walls extending into a point, to facilitate such directing of the tongues into interlocking position.

Abstract: A dental handpiece having a cross head with one end capped and the other end open, a driven gear in the capped end having a thrust bearing against the cap, and a fixed bearing extending from the gear to the open end with a driven shaft rotatably mounted in the bearing; a threaded socket in the driven shaft to receive the complementary attaching means on a dental tool, a cylindrical recess in the open end to receive a flange on the tool and grooves in the driven shaft to restrain travel of abrasive from the open end toward the closed end thereof, the bearing being long enough to give complete bearing support for the rotating mechanism.