Dental handpiece and caries removal system

Abstract

To provide a dental handpiece for reducing burdens on dentists and patients by dispensing with detailed and long-time work with fingertips.SOLUTION: A dental handpiece 1 has a substantially pencil shape with a grinding needle-like part 13 at a tip, and includes a water supply passage 11 passing through the inside of a gripping housing 10, and a water supply connection port 12 at a rear end for connection to a water supply circuit of a chair unit (not shown). A water supply passage 11 passes through the inside of the grinding needle-shaped part 13, the part to be inserted into the root canal of a tooth, and a tapered nozzle 14 for grinding the tooth by a fountain is attached to the tip part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a dental handpiece that uses a water jet for actively grinding and removing dental caries parts instead of passively cleaning dental caries sites, and a caries grinding and removing system including a water supply circuit of a chair unit.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, for removing dental caries sites, scraping has been performed by operating a reamer or the like with fingertips, or sandblasting in which an abrasive is blown with air has been used.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0003] However, in order to cut and remove the decayed part with a reamer, fine and time-consuming work by fingertips has often been required. Also, in the case of sandblasting, the treatment is accompanied by the generation of dirt containing an abrasive, which is hard on both the dentist and the patient.

[0004] Therefore, an object of this invention is to solve the above-described problems.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] Prior to solving the above problems, the inventor of the present invention obtained the knowledge that it might be possible to easily grind and remove the decayed part in the root canal by utilizing a water potential such as a water jet or water spray. A relatively high water pressure should be obtainable from the chair unit. Also, if a water flow is utilized, the fatigue of the fingertips should be much reduced, and dirt caused by an abrasive as in the case of sandblasting should not need to be considered.

[0006] Therefore, in the present invention, a water supply connection port for connecting to the supply port of the water supply circuit of the chair unit is provided on one side of the water supply passage, and a water jet port for grinding teeth is provided on the other side of the water supply passage. The water supply passage is configured to have a water supply on-off valve or to use the water supply on-off valve on the water supply circuit side of the chair unit, thereby providing a dental handpiece. As a result, an effect is obtained in that the corroded portion in the root canal can be easily ground and removed by the water pressure radiated from the water jet port.

[0007] In general, a component called a nozzle is often used for the water jet port on the other side of the water supply passage. For example, the nozzle is suitable for determining the shape of the water jet port such as tapered or flared. It is also possible to design such that two tapered water jet ports are provided close to each other to obtain a fan-shaped water jet as a whole for the water jet port.

[0008] The water supply on-off valve may be a push type or a toggle type in the dental handpiece. In the push type water supply on-off valve, water jetting occurs only while it is being pushed. In the toggle type water supply on-off valve, once it is pushed only once, water jetting continues even if the finger is released, and when it is pushed only once again, the water jetting stops. It is also possible to use a water pressure regulating valve on the water supply circuit side of the chair unit, and a foot switch is suitable. It is also possible to perform water pressure adjustment by using a device for measuring the hardness of teeth by a sensor in combination.

[0009] Next, the water jet port for grinding teeth is provided in the direction of the tip of the dental handpiece and is provided at a rotationally symmetric position in the lateral direction about the tip direction axis. Each of these water jet ports can be connected with the other side of the water supply passage being branched. The direction of the tip of the dental handpiece is the direction toward the root canal of the tooth. Separately from this, a water jetting port for jetting water laterally is provided at one location if it is rotationally symmetric once and at two locations if it is rotationally symmetric twice. This water jet port is mainly for grinding and removing corrosion on the side wall of the root canal.

[0010] Next, it is further provided with an air supply passage. One side of the air supply passage is connected to the natural intake port or is provided with an air supply connection port for connecting to the supply port of the air supply circuit of the chair unit. The other side of the air supply passage is connected to a water supply passage that leads to a water spray port provided in the tip direction. The part of the root canal in the tip direction is not as strong against water pressure as the root canal side wall. For example, if the water flow is 200 to 300 atmospheres, it is too strong and may penetrate the part of the root canal in the tip direction. Therefore, by mixing air from the air supply passage into the water flow of the water supply passage, the momentum of the water flow is weakened so as to spray.

[0011] Now, an erosion grinding and removing system can be provided, which uses the dental handpiece according to any one of claims 1 to 3 described above, and is characterized in that the water supplied from the water supply circuit of the chair unit slightly contains a particulate abrasive. Although it is a dental grinding treatment with an effective water flow as described above, while this is not common, following the feeling that the conventional dental grinding treatment with an abrasive is reassuring, it would be good to mix a very small amount of abrasive into the water flow.

Advantages of the Invention

[0012] According to the present invention, by using a water flow with a relatively high water pressure from the chair unit, the grinding and removal of the eroded part in the root canal are performed, so that the fine and long-time work by the fingertips is not required, and the burden on dentists and patients has been successfully reduced.

[0013] Note that, unlike the removal of the eroded part using sandblasting, basically, no dirt containing an abrasive is generated.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0014]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0015] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

Examples

[0016] The dental handpiece 1 shown in FIG. 1 has a substantially pencil shape with a grinding needle-like portion 13 at its tip, and a water supply passage 11 passes through the inside of the grip housing 10. Its rear end is provided with a water supply connection port 12 for connecting to a water supply circuit of a chair unit (not shown). The grinding needle-like portion 13 is a part to be inserted into the root canal of a tooth, and the water jet port for grinding the tooth is a tapered nozzle 14. This part is shown enlarged in FIG. 1. It should be noted that a configuration in which the water jet port is provided on the side wall instead of the tip of the grinding needle-like portion 13 is also possible.

[0017] Next, a water supply on-off valve 15 is attached in the middle of the water supply passage 11, and this opening and closing operation is performed by pressing with a fingertip a switch 16 taken out from the water supply on-off valve 15 to the outside of the grip housing 10. It should be noted that there may also be a configuration in which a water supply on-off valve on the water supply circuit side of the chair unit (not shown) is used instead of the water supply on-off valve 15.

[0018] Previously, the dental handpiece 1 is connected to the water supply circuit of the chair unit. The dentist holds the dental handpiece 1 like a pen and inserts the grinding needle-shaped part 13 into the root canal of the tooth. When the switch 16 is pressed with the fingertip here, the on-off valve 15 for water supply opens, and a high-pressure water flow jets out from the tapered nozzle 14 at the tip of the grinding needle-shaped part 13. With this, the dentist can grind and remove the decayed part of the root canal. To stop the water flow, just release the fingertip from the switch 16. The intensity of the water flow is adjusted by the water supply circuit of the chair unit (not shown). It is also possible to design to use the on-off valve for water supply on the water supply circuit side of the chair unit instead of the on-off valve 15 for water supply.

Embodiment

[0019] The dental handpiece 1 of the above-described Embodiment 1 was in a straight shape of a substantially pen shape. However, in the dental handpiece 2 of Embodiment 2 shown in FIG. 2, an angle is formed between the gripping housing 20 and the grinding needle-shaped part 23 in a substantially pistol shape so that it is easier to handle inside the oral cavity.

[0020] The water supply passage 21 passes through the inside of the gripping housing 20 of the dental handpiece 2, and a water supply connection port 22 for connecting to the water supply circuit of the chair unit (not shown) is provided at the rear end thereof. The grinding needle-shaped part 23 is a part to be inserted into the root canal of the tooth, and the water jet ports for performing the above tooth grinding are composed of a tapered nozzle 25 and a fan-shaped nozzle 27. That is, the tapered nozzle 25 that jets a spray mixed with air is provided toward the tip direction of the grinding needle-shaped part 23 and is provided at two symmetric positions around the axis of the side wall of the grinding needle-shaped part 23.

[0021] The needle-shaped part 23 for grinding has a branch water supply passage 24 inserted into its core part. Therefore, for the water supply passage 21, since it is separated by the branch water supply passage 24 and the surrounding branch water supply passage 26, it is the same as if the water supply passage 21 branches and leads to the tapered nozzle 25 and the fan-shaped nozzle 27. Regarding the branch water supply passage 24 which is one of the branch destinations of the water supply passage 21, the other end of the air supply passage 28 with one end connected to the natural air intake 29 as the air vent provided in the gripping housing 20 is introduced. Therefore, when a water flow is generated from the water supply passage 21 to the branch water supply passage 24, outside air is mixed into this water flow through the air supply passage 28, so the water flow will spout in the form of mist, bubbles, etc. from the tapered nozzle 25 in the tip direction. The fan-shaped nozzle 27 spouts fan-shaped not in the tip direction but in the side direction of the needle-shaped part 23 for grinding to grind and remove the corroded part on the inner wall of the root canal of the tooth.

Example

[0022] Figs. 3(A) and (B) are explanatory views of the nozzle part of Example 3. In (A), two tapered nozzles 30 are provided adjacent to the tip of the needle-shaped part 3 for grinding. Thereby, a fan-shaped water flow is spouted. Also, in (B), since a flaring nozzle 32 is provided at the tip of the needle-shaped part 31 for grinding, a conical water flow is spouted.

Example

[0023] The dental handpiece 4 of Example 4 shown in Fig. 4 imitates the dental handpiece 2 of Example 2 in most of its configurations, but does not have the configuration of the natural air intake 29 and the air supply passage 28. Instead, it is characterized in that an air supply passage 48 is provided in the gripping housing 40.

[0024] The water supply passage 41 passes through the inside of the grip housing 40 of the dental handpiece 4, and a water supply connection port 42 for connecting to the water supply circuit of a chair unit (not shown) is provided at the rear end thereof. The grinding needle-like portion 43, which is the portion inserted into the root canal of the tooth, is provided with a tapered nozzle 45 and a fan-shaped nozzle 47 as water spray ports for grinding the tooth. The tapered nozzle 45 ejects a spray and is provided in the direction of the tip of the grinding needle-like portion 43. The fan-shaped nozzle 47 is provided at two symmetric positions around the axis of the side wall of the grinding needle-like portion 43. A branched water supply passage 44 is inserted into the core portion of the grinding needle-like portion 43. Therefore, the water supply passage 48 branches into a branched water supply passage 44 with the tapered nozzle 45 and a branched water supply passage 46 with the fan-shaped nozzle 47.

[0025] Also, an air supply passage 48 passes through the inside of the grip housing 40 of the dental handpiece 4, and an air supply connection port 49 for connecting to the air supply circuit of a chair unit (not shown) is provided at the rear end thereof. Regarding the branched water supply passage 44, which is a branch destination of the water supply passage 41, the air supply passage 48 provided in the grip housing 40 is introduced. Therefore, when a water flow is generated from the water supply passage 41 to the branched water supply passage 44, air supplied from the air supply circuit of the chair unit is mixed into this water flow through the air supply passage 48. Thus, this water flow ejects from the tapered nozzle 45 as a spray in the tip direction. Only the water flow ejects from the fan-shaped nozzle 47 in a fan shape in the lateral direction of the grinding needle-like portion 43 to grind and remove the corroded portion on the inner wall of the root canal of the tooth.

Example

[0026] FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing a part of the water supply passage 50 on the side of the dental handpiece 5 of an erosion grinding and removing system composed of a chair unit and a dental handpiece. The symbol DA indicates particulate dental abrasive. Since a slight amount of dental abrasive DA is mixed into the chair unit water supply circuit (not shown), particles of the dental abrasive DA can be seen in the water flow passing through the water supply passage 50.

[0027] Although this invention involves dental grinding treatment using water flow, while this is not common, as a measure to draw on the feeling that conventional dental grinding treatment using abrasive agents is reliable, extremely small particles of dental abrasive DA are mixed into the water flow.

Industrial Applicability

[0028] With this invention, water flow can be used to grind and remove the decayed parts in the root canal, eliminating the need for fine and time-consuming work by fingertips, successfully reducing the burden on dentists and patients, and thus contributing to the development of the industry.

[0029] Also, different from the removal of decayed parts using sandblasting, basically no dirt containing abrasive agents is generated, and the fact that gentle treatment can be provided to patients also contributes to the development of the industry. Note that this invention can be used by veterinarians for livestock.

Explanation of Signs

[0030] 1 Dental handpiece 10 Gripping housing 11 Water supply passage 12 Water supply connection port 13 Grinding needle-like part 14 Tapered nozzle 15 Water supply on-off valve 16 Switch 2 Dental handpiece 20 Gripping housing 21 Water supply passage 22 Water supply connection port 23 Grinding needle-like part 24 Branch water supply passage 25 Tapered nozzle 26 Branch water supply passage 27 Fan-shaped nozzle 28 Air supply passage 29 Natural air intake port 3 Grinding needle-like part 30 Tapered nozzle 31 Grinding needle-like part 32 Flaring nozzle 4 Dental Handpiece 40 Gripping Housing 41 Water Supply Passage 42 Water Supply Connection Port 43 Grinding Needle-Like Portion 44 Branch Water Supply Passage 45 Tapered Nozzle 46 Branch Water Supply Passage 47 Fan-Shaped Nozzle 48 Air Supply Passage 49 Air Supply Connection Port 5 Dental Handpiece 50 Water Supply Passage DA Dental Abrasive

Claims

1. A dental handpiece having a water supply connection port on one side of a water supply passage for connecting to a supply port of a water supply circuit of a chair unit, and a water nozzle for grinding teeth on the other side of the water supply passage, and having a water supply opening / closing valve in the water supply passage or using a water supply opening / closing valve on the side of the water supply circuit of the chair unit.

2. 2. The dental handpiece according to claim 1, wherein water nozzles for grinding teeth are provided toward the tip of the dental handpiece and at rotationally symmetric positions on the side with respect to the tip, and the other side of the water supply passage is branched and connected to each of the water nozzles.

3. 2. The dental handpiece according to claim 1, further comprising an air supply passage, one side of which is connected to a natural air intake port or an air supply connection port for connection to a supply port of an air supply circuit of a chair unit, and the other side of which is connected to a water supply passage leading to a water nozzle provided toward the tip.

4. 4. A caries grinding and removal system using the dental handpiece according to claim 1, wherein the water supplied from the chair unit contains a small amount of particulate abrasive.

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