Dentsply Research & Development Corp.

John Michael Brassil

Shu Kun Chang

Andrew C Burroughs

Dickon Isaacs

Stephen Dylan Berry

Roberto G Fraquelli

Gary Neilsson

John Andrew Lake

Roberto Giovanni Fraquelli

John A Lake

Reynaldo Jose Quintana

David Howard Annett

Stephen D Barry

An evacuation hand piece for collecting debris during dental procedures. The hand piece is adapted for attachment to evacuation apparatus and provides both intra- and extra-oral suction. A body member of the hand piece has a contoured outer gripping surface which makes the hand piece easier to grasp. A mask is disposed at one end of the hand piece to create a suction area which is larger than the cross sectional area of the body member. The mask is attached to a spherical tip of the body member to form a ball and socket-type connection which permits directional adjustment of the mask, thereby maximizing the effective extra-oral suction of the hand piece. The mask is formed from transparent material to allow viewing through the mask during dental procedures.

Evacuation hand piece for use during dental procedures

A system for treating teeth and associated tooth structure using a pressurized air propellant mixed with abrasive material includes a manifold which defines air passages leading from the pressurized air source to dispensing chambers which hold the abrasive material. The manifold further provides a convenient structure for mounting a number of the system components. The manifold simplifies assembly of the system and improves the integrity of air passages within the system. The air abrasion system also has a mixing block and continuous purge feature which eliminate crosstalk and backflow problems when switching between abrasive materials. Evacuation apparatus incorporating a cyclone separator is integrally provided with the system which requires minimal regular maintenance and maximizes suction flow through the apparatus. A boost feature of the system is provided to selectively increase the ratio of abrasive material to air in an air-abrasive material mixture, thereby increasing the rate of tooth reduction, without requiring additional air pressure.

Air abrasion system for use in dental procedures

Dental evacuation hand piece

An abrasion hand piece for use with an air abrasion system to perform dental procedures. The hand piece is adapted for connection to the air abrasion system by a hose and has a body member which allows tips to be releasably attached thereto. The releasable tip feature allows the body member to be used with a number of different tips, thereby reducing the number of tools that the dentist must have on hand and must sterilize between procedures. The tips have an outer coating which is softer and warmer to the patient when placed in the mouth. The outer coating is color coded so that the orifice size of the tips may be readily identified. An illumination device is attached to the hand piece to allow the dentist to better monitor the procedure and to provide for aiming the hand piece at the desired tooth area. The hand piece with releasable tip feature, when used with an abrasion system having a continuous purge, allows the tip to be removed and used later during the same procedure without creating a crosstalk or backflow situation.

Abrasion hand piece for use with abrasion system

Air abrasion hand piece

Countertop air abrasion system

Portable air abrasion system

Growing community of inventors

Glenview, IL, United States of America

John Michael Brassil