Abstract: A dental handpiece (10) has a rotor (15) and a ball bearing assembly (13, 14) supporting the rotor (15). The handpiece (10) also has a pusher (32), wedge (20) and chuck jaws (22). Any or all of the handpiece components in metal-to-metal contact (such as, 15, 13, 14, 15, 22, 30, and 32) may be coated with an anti-friction and/or anticorrosion coating.

Abstract: A dental handpiece having a bur-receiving chuck with spring jaws which exert a strong clamping force on the shank of a bur for operatively securing the bur to the handpiece rotor, such handpiece also having a lever-actuated bur release mechanism for forcing the jaws apart when removal and replacement of a bur is desired. A force-multiplying control lever for camming open the clamping jaws is an integrated part of the handpiece assembly and is carried by a removable disk-shaped cover that may be rotated with respect to the head of the handpiece to position the lever at whatever radial direction the user prefers. A helical cup spring frictionally engages the cover to maintain the lever in its selected direction of operation, and at least one annular leaf spring bears against a cam portion of the control lever to hold the lever in a retracted or lowered position during operation of the handpiece.

Abstract: A quick connect/disconnect coupling for dental handpieces that includes a pair of telescoping coupling sleeves equipped with a plurality of bayonet slots and lugs for detachably connecting the sleeves together. In one sleeve is a spring-loaded connector body having a plurality of axially extending passages communicating with the fluid (air and water) conduits of a supply hose, the connector having a hard-surface planar end face exposed at the distal end of the sleeve. The other sleeve is a proximal extension of a handpiece and contains a plurality of tubes arranged and dimensioned to be received in the passages of the connector body when the two sleeves are coupled together. A resilient gasket, confined by a rigid support ring, surrounds the tubes and includes frusto-conical ring portions about such tubes for sealingly engaging the end face of the connector body.

Abstract: A connector for attaching a supply hose to a dental handpiece, the connector including a generally cylindrical body having a longitudinally-extending socket containing a lamp for directing light towards a fiberoptic light conductor of the handpiece during operation. The body also includes an exhaust air passage that extends alongside the socket and communicates with that socket through a slot extending substantially the full length of the socket. The lamp includes bulb and base portions with the base portion having a lug projecting radially outwardly through the slot into the exhaust air passage. A tool has stem and head portions insertable into the exhaust air passage for engaging the lug when extraction of the lamp is desired.

Abstract: A dental handpiece having an improved water/air spray system including a pair of substantially parallel tubes, one for water and the other for chip air, extending through the handle of the handpiece and terminating in a nozzle chamber having a discharge orifice. The tubes are generally cylindrical but are partially deformed at their distal ends, such deformation constituting a flattening of adjacent wall portions of the respective tubes. Such adjacent wall portions are disposed in contiguous relation and are cut away for a limited distance at the discharge end of the tube assembly to define the unitary nozzle chamber. The wall of the chamber is provided with a water-deflecting surface aligned with the water passage and sloping inwardly and distally toward the orifice to deflect water from the water passage into the path of air discharged from the chip air passage immediately prior to the discharge of said water/air spray from the nozzle chamber.

Abstract: A dental handpiece having an improved water/air spray system including a pair of substantially parallel tubes, one for water and the other for chip air, extending through the handle of the handpiece and terminating in a nozzle chamber of oval cross section. The tubes are generally cylindrical but are partially deformed at their distal ends, such deformation constituting a flattening of adjacent wall portions of the respective tubes. Such adjacent wall portions are disposed in contiguous relation and are cut away for a limited distance at the discharge end of the tube assembly to define the unitary nozzle chamber. The chamber has an oval discharge orifice for directing an elliptical spray pattern towards the tip of the dental bur. At the opposite end of the handpiece, the handle is equipped with a plug terminating in an external end face. Tubular extensions project from that end face for conveying air to the drive air and chip air passages.

Abstract: A dental handpiece having a rotor housing with a chamber, a rotor within the chamber, and an improved spring grip chuck. The chamber has upper and lower openings coaxial therewith, the rotor has a bore aligned with the openings, and the chuck is received within the bore. The chuck is fixed to the bore and has a plurality of tapered spring jaws at its upper end which normally slope inwardly for frictionally contacting and holding a dental bur. The upper end of the bore is provided with a pusher nut which is accessible by means of a suitable wrench through the upper opening in the housing and which is adjustable for engaging and forcing open the jaws to permit removal and replacement of the bur.