Dental Prosthesis Removal Tool Beak Design
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for removing dental prostheses, such as dentures, are cumbersome and difficult, especially for individuals with limited manual dexterity, often requiring fingers to be placed inside the mouth and can lead to damage to the dentures, limiting retention force design for practitioners and causing discomfort.
Innovation Solution
A dental prosthesis removal tool with a handle, top portion, and beak configuration that engages both maxillary and mandibular dentures without reorientation, made from injection molded plastic or other materials, designed to be durable, low maintenance, and inexpensive, allowing easy removal without finger insertion and minimizing damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If fingers are used to remove dentures by pushing against acrylic flanges, then the method is simple and requires no tools, but it causes damage to metal clasps through bending and work hardening, and is ineffective for dentures requiring high retention force
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a dedicated removal tool as an intermediary device between the user and the denture. This tool features a beak portion that engages the denture's flange or clasp area, allowing removal forces to be applied through a specialized instrument rather than directly through fingers or fingernails. The tool's design distributes and directs forces to minimize damage to metal clasps while maintaining effective removal capability.
2Reliability
If precision attachments are used to retain overdentures, then retention force is significantly improved, but the dentures become much more difficult to remove, requiring up to five pounds of force and limited manual dexterity
Solution Approach 1:
The removal tool is designed with specific geometric features including a beak portion with optimized angles and contours that allow it to engage different types of denture retention mechanisms. The tool's structure enables dynamic adaptation to various denture designs, providing mechanical advantage that reduces the force required by the user while maintaining effective engagement with precision attachments.
3Ease of operation
If a dedicated removal tool is designed with specialized features for engaging dentures, then removal effectiveness is improved, but the device complexity increases with multiple components and potential moving parts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates multiple functional features into a single unified tool structure. The handle portion, transition portion, and beak portion are designed as an integrated unit that combines force application, directional control, and denture engagement capabilities. This merging of functions into one device avoids the complexity of multiple separate components while maintaining removal effectiveness.
4Reliability
If dentures are designed with higher retention force, then prosthesis stability is improved, but the risk of damage during removal increases and limits practitioner design options
Solution Approach 1:
The removal tool is designed with pre-configured geometric features that prepare for optimal engagement with the denture structure before force application. The beak portion's shape and angle are predetermined to match common denture flange and clasp geometries, allowing the tool to engage properly and distribute removal forces in advance, minimizing sudden stress concentrations that could cause damage.
Data Source
AI summary
A dental prosthesis removal tool includes a handle portion and a top portion, the top portion including a head portion and a beak portion. The beak portion is configured to engage both a maxillary dental prosthesis and a mandibular dental prosthesis without the tool needing to be reoriented. The dental prosthesis removal tool makes it possible for a dental prosthesis wearer to remove dental prostheses without the user placing his or her fingers inside of his or her mouth. The dental prosthesis removal tool also allows a denture wearer to remove dental prostheses without bending, work hardening, or breaking metal clasps contained in some dental prostheses. The dental prosthesis removal tool further allows a denture wearer to more comfortably remove his or her dental prosthesis, promoting better patient compliance with maintenance procedures and oral hygiene.