Dental Sensor Holder Shaft Design for Rubber Dam Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional sensor holders for digital dental radiography require biteplates, which are cumbersome and invasive, especially during procedures like root canals, and can contaminate the operating field due to the need to remove rubber dams for sensor placement, limiting the working space and accuracy of imaging.
Innovation Solution
A sensor holding apparatus with a removable holder and a specialized shaft that eliminates the need for biteplates, allowing for compact and versatile sensor placement within the oral cavity, enabling accurate imaging without the need for patients to bite down on a biteplate and minimizing the disruption of the rubber dam.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a traditional biteplate is used to hold the sensor, then the sensor can be securely positioned, but the working space is reduced and the procedure becomes cumbersome
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the biteplate component from the sensor holder system. Instead of using a traditional biteplate that requires the patient to bite down, the invention uses a handle with a shaft that can be inserted through the rubber dam and secured with a retaining mechanism, eliminating the need for the patient to bite on a separate plate and reducing the overall complexity of the procedure.
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor holder is divided into separate functional components: a handle portion for manipulation, a shaft for insertion through the rubber dam, a retaining mechanism for securing the shaft, and a sensor holder portion for mounting the sensor. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function independently, improving ease of operation while maintaining reliability.
2Reliability
If a traditional sensor holder with biteplate is used, then the sensor can be held in place, but the operating field becomes contaminated due to rubber dam removal
Solution Approach 1:
The shaft acts as an intermediary element that passes through the rubber dam without requiring its removal. The retaining mechanism secures the shaft in place through the rubber dam, allowing the sensor to be positioned while maintaining the integrity of the rubber dam barrier, thus preventing contamination of the operating field.
3Manufacturing precision
If a large biteplate is used for sensor placement, then the sensor can be properly oriented, but the working space available to the dental practitioner is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The invention transitions from a two-dimensional biteplate that spreads across the patient's teeth to a three-dimensional handle with a shaft that extends through the rubber dam. This dimensional change allows the sensor to be positioned and oriented accurately while minimizing the space occupied in the oral cavity, thereby increasing the working space available to the practitioner.
Data Source
AI summary
A sensor holding apparatus for facilitating dental imaging, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, comprises a handle, an elongated shaft, and a sensor holder. The holder includes a coupling component configured to removably attach to a portal end of the shaft. The shaft comprises a cross-section adapted to receive a user's bite, the cross-section having a substantially polygonal perimeter to aid manipulation of the sensor inside the patient's mouth. The sensor holder further comprises a substantially flat body having a substantially flat surface adapted for removably attaching a sensor to the sensor holder. Furthermore, the substantially flat surface of the body of the sensor holder may comprise at least one edge that is adapted for removably attaching the sensor to the sensor holder by a pressure, or the sensor holder may be configured to receive an adhesive for removably attaching the sensor to the sensor holder.