Extension devices for dental handpiece
Extension devices for dental handpiece
The present invention relates to extension devices for dental handpieces for extending the effective length of a dental tool. The invention also relates to dental handpieces including such extension devices. The invention is particularly useful with respect to the dental handpiece described in Israel Patent 107202 of Oct. 6, 1993, and corresponding U.S. Pat.
The above-cited patents and patent application describe a dental high speed handpiece comprising a housing including a hand-gripping section at one end, and a tool-clamping section at the opposite end. The tool-clamping section includes a sleeve for receiving a shaft of a dental tool, such as a drill or bur, and a collet or chuck for clamping the shaft of the dental tool within the sleeve. The dental autoclave further includes a button carried by the housing and depressible to cause the collet to release the shaft of the dental tool in order to permit convenient removable and replacement of the dental tool.
It has been found that the use of dental handpieces in general, and particularly the dental handpieces described in the above-cited patents and concurrently-filed patent application, can be easily adapted for many different dental operations if the effective length of the dental tool can be increased in a quick and convenient manner. As will be described more particularly below, the dental equipment permits dental handpieces, particularly high-speed handpieces driven by air turbines, to be more conveniently used in a wide variety of dental operations, especially in drilling holes for implants.
An extension device constructed in accordance with the foregoing features of the present invention is to be sharply distinguished from that described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,098,293, in which the opposite ends of the extension device are formed with notches interlocking with complementary notches in thedental handpieces and dental curing light , respectively. Such an interlocking construction produces a dissymmetry about the rotary axis, and therefore would hardly be suitable for high-speed dental handpieces, such as those operating at about 400,000 rpm, as in the preferred embodiment of the present invention.
The present invention relates to extension devices for dental handpieces for extending the effective length of a dental tool. The invention also relates to dental handpieces including such extension devices. The invention is particularly useful with respect to the dental handpiece described in Israel Patent 107202 of Oct. 6, 1993, and corresponding U.S. Pat.
The above-cited patents and patent application describe a dental high speed handpiece comprising a housing including a hand-gripping section at one end, and a tool-clamping section at the opposite end. The tool-clamping section includes a sleeve for receiving a shaft of a dental tool, such as a drill or bur, and a collet or chuck for clamping the shaft of the dental tool within the sleeve. The dental autoclave further includes a button carried by the housing and depressible to cause the collet to release the shaft of the dental tool in order to permit convenient removable and replacement of the dental tool.
It has been found that the use of dental handpieces in general, and particularly the dental handpieces described in the above-cited patents and concurrently-filed patent application, can be easily adapted for many different dental operations if the effective length of the dental tool can be increased in a quick and convenient manner. As will be described more particularly below, the dental equipment permits dental handpieces, particularly high-speed handpieces driven by air turbines, to be more conveniently used in a wide variety of dental operations, especially in drilling holes for implants.
An extension device constructed in accordance with the foregoing features of the present invention is to be sharply distinguished from that described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,098,293, in which the opposite ends of the extension device are formed with notches interlocking with complementary notches in thedental handpieces and dental curing light , respectively. Such an interlocking construction produces a dissymmetry about the rotary axis, and therefore would hardly be suitable for high-speed dental handpieces, such as those operating at about 400,000 rpm, as in the preferred embodiment of the present invention.