Color-Marked Dental Needle for Precise Anesthesia Depth Guidance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Administering anesthesia in dentistry is challenging due to difficulties in maintaining the appropriate depth of needle insertion, which can lead to ineffective anesthesia, patient discomfort, or nerve damage, especially for less experienced operators.
Innovation Solution
A needle with visual indicators, including colored marks at specific distances from the bevel to denote recommended depths and ranges for different types of anesthesia, a red mark indicating the risk of breakage, and a bevel orientation marker, ensuring precise and safe administration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If visual indicators are added to the needle body, then measurement precision of injection depth is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies color-coded marks (red, yellow, green, blue) at different positions along the needle body to indicate recommended injection depths for various anesthesia types. This visual indication system allows operators to quickly identify the appropriate depth without complex measurement tools, resolving the contradiction by providing precise depth measurement through simple color-coded visual cues rather than complex mechanical or electronic measurement systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The needle body is segmented into multiple marked positions corresponding to different anesthesia types and injection depths. Each mark represents a specific depth threshold, dividing the continuous needle length into discrete, easily identifiable segments. This segmentation allows operators to select the appropriate depth without needing to measure continuously, simplifying the device while maintaining measurement precision.
2Reliability
If the needle is advanced deeper to ensure anesthesia effectiveness, then reliability of anesthesia delivery is improved, but object-affected harmful factors increase due to risk of nerve damage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent pre-marks the needle body with recommended injection depths for different anesthesia types before the procedure begins. These marks serve as preliminary guidance, allowing operators to plan and execute the injection at the appropriate depth from the start, rather than having to judge depth during the procedure. This preliminary marking system ensures reliable anesthesia delivery while preventing over-insertion and nerve damage.
Solution Approach 2:
The visual marks on the needle provide continuous feedback to the operator during injection. As the needle is advanced, the operator can visually monitor the depth by observing which mark aligns with the injection site, providing real-time feedback to prevent over-insertion. This feedback mechanism ensures the needle reaches the necessary depth for effective anesthesia while stopping before causing nerve damage.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple groups of marks are added to indicate different anesthesia types, then adaptability of the needle is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the single needle adaptable for multiple anesthesia types by incorporating different colored marks that correspond to various injection depths and techniques. The same needle can be used for different procedures (e.g., inferior alveolar nerve block, long buccal nerve block, buccal infiltration) by selecting the appropriate marked depth, eliminating the need for multiple specialized needles and simplifying the overall system.
Solution Approach 2:
Different sections of the needle body have different local qualities in the form of color-coded marks (red, yellow, green, blue) that provide specific information for different anesthesia types. Each color and position combination provides localized guidance for a particular procedure, allowing the needle to be universally applicable while maintaining specialized guidance for each use case through locally differentiated markings.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure teaches a needle for accurately administrating anesthesia in dentistry. A body of the needle may include marks indicating the recommended depth/range for specific types of anesthesia. Wherein, a range may either be indicated by two marks or the same color, or by a widened band of coloring. Wherein, bright colors may be selected for the marks to maximize visual contrast against the body of the needle. Wherein, the body of the needle may also include a mark indicating a “danger zone” toward the hub end of the needle, preferably in red. Wherein, the body of the needle may also include one or more marks indicating a midpoint of the needle. Wherein, types of anesthesia belonging to the same family may be indicated by same-colored marks. Wherein, different colors may also be used to indicate a lower, mid, or higher range of the needle.