Dental Curette with Angled Eyelet for Plaque Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional dental curettes pose a risk of injury to both patients and practitioners due to their design, and require a set of multiple instruments to clean all teeth effectively, which is inconvenient and inefficient.
Innovation Solution
A dental curette with a distal eyelet and a carrier comprising a shank, angled, and spacer sections, optionally with a vibration generator, designed to minimize the risk of injury and allow effective cleaning of all teeth with a reduced number of instruments by using a handle with two or three different sizes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a conventional sickle-shaped curette with a sharp tip is used, then plaque removal effectiveness is improved, but the risk of injury to patient and practitioner increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention inverts the conventional sickle-shaped design by replacing the sharp pointed tip with a rounded eyelet structure. The cutting action is achieved not at a sharp point but through the rounded contours of the eyelet that engage plaque differently, eliminating the injury risk while maintaining cleaning effectiveness
Solution Approach 2:
The invention converts the potentially harmful sharp tip into a beneficial rounded eyelet structure. The rounded design that would traditionally be seen as less effective for cutting is actually optimized to effectively remove plaque while eliminating the injury hazard, turning a perceived disadvantage into a safety advantage
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple different curettes are used to adapt to different tooth geometries, then treatment coverage is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention creates a universal curette design with a standardized handle and interchangeable working ends that can treat all tooth types. The carrier system with multiple working ends (eyelets of different sizes and orientations) allows a single instrument to perform the functions previously requiring multiple separate curettes
Solution Approach 2:
The invention segments the curette into modular components: a standardized handle and interchangeable working ends (eyelets). This segmentation allows different eyelet configurations to be attached to the same handle, providing versatility without requiring multiple complete instruments, thus reducing overall device complexity
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The curette design reduces the risk of injury and allows for efficient, minimally invasive plaque removal and root surface smoothing across all teeth with minimal bleeding, using two or three sizes to cover the entire human dentition, thereby simplifying the cleaning process.
Implementation Method 1
the handle has a vibration generator, in particular an air-driven vibration generator, which is set up to generate vibrations in the sonic and ultrasonic range
Implementation Method 2
generate vibrations in the sonic and ultrasonic range, in particular in the range from 6000 to 32000 Hz
Data Source
Figure 1~4
Figure 5a~8
Figure 9~14
AI summary
The distal curette has cutting section in an eyelet (1) that is formed at distal end of a handle. A spacer portion is arranged at the front end of a handle. An angle portion (3) is arranged near the spacer portion. A shaft portion (2) is arranged at angle portion. The eyelet is connected to the angle portion. The angle portion and shaft portion are arranged in longitudinal plane along longitudinal axis of the handle. The eyelet is clamped and inclined at an angle in the range of 30-60 [deg] to longitudinal central plane of the handle.