Dental hand instrument
US5624259A · kind A · utility
33Cited by
10References
6Claims
0Family size
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | May 8, 1995 |
| Grant date | Apr 29, 1997 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 8, 2015 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA61C3/00
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A dental hand instrument, such as an explorer, which comprises an elongate rigid handle, and an elongate highly flexible blade attached to one or both ends of the handle. The blade is curved and/or bent along its length and is composed of nickel-titanium alloy, which provides a high degree of flexibility and wear resistance. The high degree of flexibility has been found to significantly enhance the tactile feedback to the hand of the dentist, so that the dentist is able to recognize and distinguish surface cracks, areas of decay, and the like as the point is moved across the exterior surface of a tooth.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.