Dental Polishing Cup Flex Band for Off-Axis Tooth Contact
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Dental polishing cups applied off-axis can cause tooth damage, ineffective cleaning, and musculoskeletal issues for clinicians due to difficulty in maintaining a right angle and accessing hard-to-reach areas.
Innovation Solution
A dental polishing cup with an enhanced-flexibility band (EFB) that allows for articulation and flaring, facilitating better contact with the tooth surface even when applied off-center, reducing pressure concentration and enhancing accessibility to contoured tooth surfaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the polishing cup is applied off-axis to the tooth, then accessibility to hard-to-reach areas is improved, but the local pressure on the contact area increases significantly causing tooth damage
Solution Approach 1:
The polishing cup incorporates an enhanced flexibility band made of elastomeric material that allows the cup to flex and articulate when applied off-axis to the tooth. This flexibility enables the cup to adapt to contoured tooth surfaces and hard-to-reach areas while distributing contact pressure across a larger area, preventing the pressure concentration that would otherwise cause tooth damage to the dentin structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent modifies the physical parameters of the polishing cup by creating a region with enhanced flexibility through the EFB. This changes the stiffness parameter locally, allowing the cup to deform and articulate when applied at off-axis angles, thereby maintaining adequate contact area and distributing pressure to prevent tooth damage while accessing difficult areas.
2Reliability
If the clinician constantly repositions the dental handpiece to maintain right-angle contact, then cleaning effectiveness is maintained, but musculoskeletal problems such as carpal tunnel syndrome occur
Solution Approach 1:
The polishing cup transitions from a rigid structure to a dynamic, flexible structure that can articulate and adapt its shape in response to applied forces. The enhanced flexibility band allows the cup to dynamically adjust to contoured tooth surfaces and maintain effective contact without requiring constant manual repositioning by the clinician, thereby reducing musculoskeletal strain while preserving cleaning effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible polishing cup performs self-adjustment through its inherent elasticity and articulation capabilities. When applied to the tooth, the cup automatically conforms to the tooth's contour and maintains adequate contact area without requiring constant manual intervention, allowing the device to serve itself in maintaining proper contact geometry and reducing the clinician's physical burden.
3Stability of the object's composition
If a rigid polishing cup is used, then structural stability is maintained, but the cup cannot articulate or flare to contact contoured tooth surfaces effectively
Solution Approach 1:
The polishing cup incorporates a localized region of enhanced flexibility through the EFB while maintaining the overall structural integrity of the cup. This local modification allows specific portions of the cup to flex and articulate when needed, while the rest of the cup maintains its structural stability and shape, achieving both rigidity where needed and flexibility where required for effective contact with contoured surfaces.
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 EFB enables improved tooth surface contact and accessibility, reducing the risk of tooth damage and musculoskeletal strain while ensuring thorough cleaning, even for untrained users.
Implementation Method 1
A portion of the body includes an enhanced-flexibility band (EFB) situated circumferentially at a certain distance from the distal end, the EFB providing a lesser stiffness of the body than other portions of the body that are situated lengthwise immediately distally and immediately proximately of the EFB. The EFB facilitates articulation, contourability, and flaring of the polishing cup in response to applied forces
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
A dental polishing cup includes a body that defines a cup cavity for holding a dental treatment material, with the cup having an opening at its distal end. A portion of the body includes an enhanced-flexibility band (EFB) situated circumferentially at a certain distance from the distal end, the EFB providing a lesser stiffness of the body than other portions of the body that are situated lengthwise immediately distally and immediately proximately of the EFB.