U.S. patent number 3,574,259 [Application Number 04/874,578] was granted by the patent office on 1971-04-13 for device for obtaining impression of occlusal surfaces of the teeth in centric occlusion.
Invention is credited to Russel J. Jones.
United States Patent |
3,574,259 |
Jones |
April 13, 1971 |
**Please see images for:
( Certificate of Correction ) ** |
DEVICE FOR OBTAINING IMPRESSION OF OCCLUSAL SURFACES OF THE TEETH
IN CENTRIC OCCLUSION
Abstract
The tray comprises two identical frames each open at the front
and having a buccal frame member and a lingual frame member
connected by a rear frame member. The buccal member at its forward
end has a handle which, at its forward end, has a connecting
portion. A clamp common to the frames detachably clamps the
connecting portions in adjusted positions wherein the frames are
spaced edgewise from each other in coplanar relation with the
lingual members innermost. The frames can be adjusted edgewise by
swinging them about the connecting portions and by moving the
connecting portions bodily toward and away from each other. A sheet
of soft, flexible woven sheet material bridges from the lingual to
the buccal frame member of each frame. Each frame is composed of
plastic with the members, handle, and connecting portion integral.
The lateral margins of the sheet material are embedded in the
plastic midway between the upper and lower surfaces of the
frame.
Inventors: |
Jones; Russel J. (Cleveland,
OH) |
Family
ID: |
25364107 |
Appl.
No.: |
04/874,578 |
Filed: |
November 6, 1969 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
433/38;
433/43 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61C
9/00 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A61C
9/00 (20060101); A61c 009/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;32/17 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Peshock; Robert
Claims
I claim:
1. A device for introducing bite registration material between the
occlusal surfaces of the teeth, and comprising a pair of open end
frames;
each frame having a buccal frame member, a lingual frame member
spaced laterally therefrom, and a transverse end frame member at,
and connecting, the rear ends of the buccal and lingual frame
members, said buccal frame member having at its forward end a
forwardly extending handle portion;
a sheet of soft, flexible woven open mesh material bridging the
space between the buccal and lingual frame members;
characterized in that said members of each frame are of integral
set soft resilient synthetic plastic material which can be cut
readily with a knife, and the buccal and lingual frame members are
unconnected at their forward ends so that the lingual frame member
is readily resiliently flexible toward and away from the buccal
frame member;
said frames are free from buccal and lingual buttressing sidewall
portions extending an appreciable distance from the plane of the
sheet;
said sheet has its lateral margins permanently bonded to the buccal
and lingual frame members, respectively, by interpenetration of the
plastic material with said lateral margins;
said handle portion of each frame has at its forward end a
connecting portion; and
detachable clamp means common to the two connecting portions are
provided and are operable to detachably engage the connecting
portions in different adjusted relative positions, wherein the
frames are spaced a selected position apart edgewise and are in
coplanar relation, and to hold them firmly in said relatively
adjusted positions.
2. The structure according to claim 1 wherein the connecting
portions are of greater width than the handle portions and are
accommodated in the clamp means in laterally spaced relation to
each other for rotation about axes, respectively, normal to the
plane of the frames.
3. The structure according to claim 1 wherein the margins of the
sheet of material of each frame are embedded in the buccal and
lingual frame members midway between the opposite surfaces of the
frame.
4. The structure according to claim 3 wherein each frame is so
shaped that it can be interchanged from a right-hand to left-hand
position; and
the frames are generally coplanar with each other when either frame
is in the right-hand position and the other frame is in the
left-hand position.
5. The structure according to claim 3 wherein the frames are
duplicates.
6. A bite tray comprising an open end frame having:
a buccal frame member, a lingual frame member spaced laterally
therefrom, and a transverse end frame member at, and connecting,
the rear ends of the buccal and lingual frame members; said buccal
frame member having at its forward end a forwardly extending handle
portion;
a sheet of soft, flexible, organic, open mesh woven material
bridging the space between the buccal and lingual frame
members;
characterized in that
said members are integral, set soft resilient synthetic organic
plastic material which can be cut readily with a knife, and the
buccal and lingual frame members are unconnected at their anterior
ends to that the lingual frame member is readily resiliently
flexible toward and away from the buccal frame member;
said frames are free from buttressing sidewall portions extending
an appreciable distance from the plane of the sheet;
the sheet is permanently bonded at its lateral margins to the
buccal and lingual frame members, respectively, by interpenetration
of the plastic material with said lateral margins of the sheet.
7. The structure according to claim 6 wherein the frame members are
of such thickness in a direct normal to plane of frame that the top
of the frame is disposable below the occlusal surfaces of the teeth
in the closing position of the bite;
whereby the frame can fit around the outside of the lower teeth;
and
the handle portion is of greater thickness in said direction than
the lingual and end frame members.
8. The structure according to claim 6 wherein the frame members are
sufficiently stiff to support a charge of bite impression paste
carried on the sheet without substantial lateral contraction due to
the weight of the paste and to exert light lateral tension on the
sheet, and the forward portion of the buccal frame member and of
the handle contiguous thereto are more resistant to resilient
flexure normal to the frame than is the lingual frame member.
9. The structure according to claim 6 wherein the margins of the
sheet lie in a median plane substantially midway between the upper
and lower faces of the frame.
Description
This invention relates to a disposable bite impression tray and is
an improvement on the tray disclosed in my U.S. Letters Pat. No.
2,713,202, of Jul. 19, 1955, entitled Bite Tray.
As more fully described in the above patent, in taking a bite
impression, the earlier practice was to insert a wad or sheet of
soft wax between the upper and lower teeth and to have the patient
bite them until his teeth reached a closed position. It was therein
noted that if there is any substantial resistance to closure, the
teeth are temporarily shifted from that position which would occur
were they closed with no resistance to closure, and, therefore, it
was almost impossible to obtain duplicate bite registrations. To
overcome the difficulties in the prior structures the bite tray of
the above patent was invented.
It employs two forwardly open frames arranged in coplanar relation
and adjustable edgewise with respect to each other. These frames
could extend above the lower teeth at opposite sides of the jaw,
respectively. To eliminate any substantial resistance to closure, a
sheet of very thin woven gauze of plastic material was detachably
mounted on each frame and used to support the impression material.
The gauze was provided at one edge with a tubular support which
slid over the lingual frame member, the opposite edge of the sheet
being lapped over the buccal frame member.
This manipulation is inconvenient for the dentist due to the time
required for installing the gauze on the frame and due to the frame
being of hard wire metal from which removal of the gauze with the
impression material therefrom after taking the bite impression, is
difficult. The patented tray is too expensive to be discarded after
each use and, accordingly, is cleaned and reused repeatedly. The
frame must be sent to the dental laboratory with the impression
attached, and is unavailable for use by the dentist meanwhile.
The present invention is directed to an improved tray by which
objections and inconveniences of the earlier tray are
eliminated.
The present tray is very inexpensive to produce and is a disposable
item. It can be used for taking the bite impressions of either side
of the mouth, selectively, or of both sides concurrently. It is
readily adjustable to the size of the mouth and can be clamped
firmly into the adjusted position so that no slippage whatever can
occur. The tray is of a material which can be readily cut by a
knife or lancet so as to separate the frame from the set impression
material. It is stiff enough to support the impression material
adequately during the taking of an impression and to resist lingual
displacement of the frame by engagement of the cheeks with the
buccal frame member. The gauze sheet for the impression material is
permanently attached to the frame by interpenetrating margins of
the gauze with the plastic of which the frame is composed.
Various specific objects and advantages of the invention will
become apparent from the following description wherein reference is
made to the drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a tray embodying the principles of the
present invention;
FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the tray illustrated in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a fragmentary longitudinal cross-sectional view taken on
the line 3-3 in FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view, similar to FIG. 3, and
showing a modification of the invention; and
FIG. 5 is a side elevation of the tray illustrated in FIG. 4.
Referring first to FIGS. 1 through 3, the tray comprises a pair of
frames 1. Each frame comprises an inner or lingual frame member 2,
an outer or buccal frame member 3, spaced laterally therefrom, and
a transverse rear end frame member 4 which at its ends is connected
to the adjacent ends of the frame members 2 and 3.
A handle portion 5 is provided on the outer or forward end of the
buccal frame member 3 and has at its outermost end a clamping
portion 6.
Mounted on the frame members 2 and 3 is a sheet 7 of soft,
flexible, open meshed woven gauze. The sheet or gauze bridges the
space between the frame members 2 and 3 and terminates in forwardly
spaced relation to the transverse rear end frame member 4.
The frame members 2, 3, and 4, handle portion 5, and connecting
portion 6 are integral and comprised of molded plastic material,
such as a dry heat thermal setting plastic which is medium hard,
and resilient when set.
The sheet 7 is connected at its lateral margins to the frame
members 2 and 3, respectively, preferably by interpenetration of
the unset plastic material of the frame with the margins of the
sheet. It is desirable that the margins of the sheet be in a median
plane midway between the upper and lower faces of the associated
frame. Hence the sheet is installed during the molding of the frame
by supporting the sheet with its margins in the median plane and
embedding the margins in the plastic at this plane by the molding
operation.
The frame members must be soft so that they can be cut readily by a
knife or lancet at the laboratory for the purposes of removing all
or part of the frame from the set impression material. At the same
time, each frame is made sufficiently stiff to hold the sheet 7
under light lateral tension, to support the weight of the bite
impression material without lateral contraction, and to prevent
displacement of the frame in the lingual direction by flexure of
the handles or flexure of the buccal frame members due to the
pressure exerted on the frame by the jaws of the patient after the
frames are adjusted and released by the dentist.
At the same time the frame must be such that it will fit in spaced
relation around the lower teeth at a location below the occlusal
surfaces of the teeth so as to assure that the teeth of the patient
do not in any way strike the frame as such contact, due to the
reflexes of the patient, would cause the lower teeth to be moved
laterally relative to the upper teeth, in a manner for chewing
instead of directly in a manner for taking a bite impression.
Accordingly, the frame members 2 and 3 are made as small as
consistent with the weight to be supported, and the handle portion
5 and the forward end of the buccal frame member are thickened in
the direction normal to the plane of the frame, as indicated at
8.
The connecting portion 6 is preferably in the form of an integral
disc and is thinner than the thickened portion 8 of the handle 5.
The connecting portion 6 can be gripped and held between the
fingers for taking an impression if only a unilateral bite is to be
taken.
Frequently it is necessary to take a bilateral bite impression, in
which cases, the impression of the teeth at both sides of the jaw
must be taken simultaneously. For this purpose, two of the frames
are supported with their lingual frame members facing, but spaced
laterally from, each other. To support the frames, a clamp 10 is
provided. The clamp 10 is preferably a sheet of stiff resilient
metal bent between its ends to provide a generally base portion 11
of generally circular cross section, and clamping jaws 12 connected
thereto. The jaws 12 are spaced apart so as to receive snugly
therebetween the connecting portions 6 and to hold them in place
sufficiently tightly so that the frames can be adjusted to fit the
mouth of the patient, either by rotating the portions 6 about axes
normal to the plane of the frames or by moving the connecting
portions bodily laterally of the clamp to desired positions, or
both.
After the frames are adjusted in position in the mouth of the
patient, the clamp is tightened by means of a screw 13 and a nut 14
so as to assure that the frames will be held securely precisely in
position during the taking of the impression. In order to assure
that the clamp can exert sufficient pressure without undue
deflection, the margins of the jaws 12 are upturned to provide
integral stiffening flanges 15.
Further, to assure that the frames do not shift during the taking
of the impression, the jaws 12 may be provided with small nibs or
projections 16 which are distributed over the inner faces of the
jaws 12 so that at least two of the nibs will engage the connecting
portion 6 between the jaws, regardless of the position transversely
of the clamp to which the portions 6 are moved.
It is important that the frames be coplanar in the position in
which used. If, for example, one frame is offset from the other
slightly in a direction normal to their planes, then if a bilateral
bite impression is to be taken, a true impression cannot be
obtained. Therefore, the margins of the sheet 7 on each frame
should be coplanar with the margins of the sheet 7 on the other
frame.
In the form illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 3, in order to make the
frames 1 interchangeable from left to right while maintaining the
sheets 7 and frames in coplanar relation, the lateral margins of
each sheet 7 are embedded in its frame members midway between the
upper and lower planes or surfaces of the frame. Also, the clamp
engaging surfaces of the connecting portions 6 are equidistant from
the median plane between the upper and lower planes.
Under such conditions, assuming the frame on the right in FIG. 1 is
installed, a duplicate frame rotated 180.degree. about its
longitudinal axis and placed at the left will be disposed with its
sheet 7 in coplanar relation with the sheet of the right-hand
frame.
If this is not done, then a pair of right-hand and left-hand frames
would have to be used to maintain this coplanar relation. This
coplanar relation is desirable, however, even in the latter
case.
In the modified form of tray, duplicate frames such as illustrated
in FIGS. 4 and 5 are employed. As there illustrated, instead of the
connectors 6, the frames have connectors 20 which are similar to
the connectors 6 in that they are integral with the handles of the
frames. However, these connectors are offset from the median plane
of the frame faces to a degree such that if the frames are placed
in reverse positions for right and left use, the juxtaposed faces
of the connectors 20 lie on the median plane midway between the
opposite faces of the frames and, therefore, in a plane of the
gauze sheet. The two connecting portions 20 have aligned apertures
21 therethrough, through which extends a bolt 22. A washer 23
engages the outer face of one of the connectors 20 and a wingnut 24
cooperates with the bolt to draw the two connectors 20 into tight
face-to-face contact. The inner adjacent faces of the members may
be slightly roughened, if desired, with a mat finish, so that they
will retain their position firmly when so clamped.
It is apparent, therefore, that with the present structure, a very
simple and economical bite tray is provided, in that the frame
members are duplicates of each other, and yet may be readily
assembled as rights and lefts while assuring that the two frames
are coplanar.
* * * * *