Patent Application
20180368938
This invention relates generally to dental lights which are used in the dental industry.
Lights which are used in the dental industry have typically been large overhead lights mounted to the ceiling of a dental office. These lights use large reticulating arms to position the light in a position to illuminate the mouth of a patient. However, because the dentist is working between the patient and the overhead light, the illumination produced by the overhead light is blocked by the dentist or the instruments being used by the dentist, i.e., a shadow is cast upon the mouth of the patient.
To overcome the problem with creating a shadow, some dental lights have been designed to fit within a patient's mouth. Some such lights have taken on the form of a dental retractor which includes a light source, such as that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,592,344 and U.S. Patent Publication No. 2012/0228528. While these devices provide a light source, they are cumbersome and oftentimes causes discomfort to the patient. Similarly, some lights have taken on the form of a bite spacer, as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,022,214 and 9,532,858 and U.S. Patent Publication Nos. 2005/0239018; 2006/0269898; and 2008/0032252. Again, these devices are cumbersome and oftentimes causes discomfort to the patient. Lastly, a dental light has been designed to be bent and hung upon a patient's lip, such as that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,304,712. A problem associated with these types of lights is that they utilize ancillary portions, such as power cords or light bars, therefore the weight of the light upon the patient's lip causes discomfort. Furthermore, they cannot easily illuminate the upper portions of the mouth.
Accordingly, it is seen that a need remains for a dental light which may be easily used and manipulated while also being comfortable for the patient It is to the provision of such that the present invention is primarily directed.
With reference next to the drawings, there is shown in
The first leg 13 includes a light recess or chamber 21 configured to receive and hold a small light source 22, such as one or more LED lights, to protect the LED from direct contact with the patient, and visa-versa. The first leg 13 also includes a light deflector 24 mounted directly above the light source 22. The light deflector 24 is intended to prevent light from shining in the dentist's eyes while the dental light 10 is in use within a patient's mouth.
The second leg 14 includes a battery compartment 26 having a door 27 for accessing the interior of the battery compartment 26. The battery compartment 26 is configured to house a battery source 29 and a resistor 30, such as the two batteries shown in
The battery compartment 26 includes a battery blocker slot 32 which releasably receives a non-conductive battery blocker or blocker slip 33 which is initially positioned between the battery source 29 and a battery contact 35 to prevent the completion of a closed circuit, i.e., prevent the battery from being in electrical contact with the battery contact 35. The battery blocker slip 33 is removed from between the battery source 29 and contact 35 to activate the dental light 10. Electrically conductive wires 37 extend between the battery contacts 35, resistor 30, and light source 22 to power the light source 22. The electrically conductive wires 37 are positioned within the trough 18 for easy mounting during manufacturing. It should be understood that the configuration shown here is intended to be a one time use or disposable type light, however, should a reusable light be desired the control circuit would include an on/off switch rather than the blocker slip 33 described herein. If made reusable, the batteries may be removable from the housing.
The U-shaped bight portion 16 of the light 10 may be generally rigid, unbending, inflexible if the lip holding space 38 between the first and second legs 13 and 14 is intended to be relatively stable. Alternatively, the U-shaped bight portion 16 may be flexible or semi-flexible to provide a spring biased action to produce a slight pinching of the lip or lip area during use. As another alternative, the U-shaped bight portion 16 may include a spring 40, as shown in
The entire housing 11 may be coated with a soft plastic or rubber material to provide a more comfortable feel for the patient and insulate the circuit.
In use, the dental light 10 is coupled to a patient's mouth, specifically the patient's lip, with the first leg 13 residing within the interior of the mouth and the second leg 14 position outside the mouth. The patient's lip should reside comfortably within the space 38 between the first and second legs 13 and 14. The second leg 13, containing the bulkier battery and electronics components, is positioned outside the mouth to minimize the volume within the mouth for maximum comfort and maintain patient safety as to not accidentally bite on electrical components or the battery.
With the light 10 in this position, the light emanating from the light source 22 illuminates the interior of the patient's mouth. Because of the dental light's small configuration and light weight construction, the patient does not feel any, or at least very little, discomfort associated with the dental light 10. Also, the fight does not interfere or contact the teeth, thus providing a better ability to work upon the teeth. The supple nature of a person's lip allows the dental light 10 to be held in place even if the patient's head is subsequently moved to a different position. However, the optional spring biasing of the U-shaped bight portion 16 may aid the holding of the dental light. Obviously, the dental light 10 may be moved to different locations along the patient's lip during use if a different light illumination or direction of illumination is desired by the dentist.
With reference next to
It should be understood that the U-shape housing is a general shape and the legs are not required to be of the same length. The housing may also be generally J-shaped, a hook shape, be more squared off rather than round, or may even be flat and then manually contoured by the dentist into a desired shape which preferably included a hook or crook to hold onto the lip of the patient. Thus, U-shaped is intended to denote a shape wherein a portion is bent so that two portions generally overlay each other.
With reference next to the drawings, there is shown in
The first kg 63 includes a light chamber 71 configured to receive and hold a small light source 72, shown as a set of three LED lights.
The second leg 64 includes a battery compartment 76 configured to house a battery source 79, a circuit board 80, and an on/off switch 81.
As an alternative to having the on/off switch 81, this embodiment may be adapted to include the previously described battery blocker slot and non-conductive battery blocker or blocker slip. Electrically conductive wires extend between the circuit board 80 and the light source 72 to power the light source 72. As another alternative, the activation of the light may be actuated by the bending of the bight portion 66.
The bight portion 66 of the light 60 is made of a pliable material which holds its shape when bent, as shown in
In use, the light 60 may be utilized by simply bending the bight portion 66 about the lip of a patient so as to position the light source 72 at the proper position to illuminate the intended work area of the patient's mouth.
It should be understood that the number and arrangement of lights or light emitting diodes (LEDs) may be varied without departure from the scope of the invention. The number and arrangement or configuration of lights may be varied to provide different brightnesses or areas of illumination.
It should also be understood that the light may include an orthodontic specific filter, such as an orange light filter to prevent the premature hardening of select dental adhesives or materials. The light source may also be that of a specific wavelength to aid in the detection of cancers, micro-cavities or other dental related problems. Also, the light source may be in the form of a translucent housing that illuminates an entire area.
It should also be understood that the dental lights shown herein are entirely self-contained, thus, there are no wires or other portions which cause extra weight or otherwise may limit movement of the light or pull upon a patient's mouth, such as that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,304,712. Thus, self-contained is intended to mean a dental light which does not have any power cords, accessory wires, light tubes, or any other ancillary portion.
The dental light may be configured so that the leg 13 or 63 is in the form of a bite block to maintain the mouth in an open position.
Lastly, the second leg 14 or 64 may be removable so that this component is reusable.
It thus is seen that a dental light is now provided which is more comfortable for a patient and without interfering with the viewing of the teeth. While this invention has been described in detail with particular references to the preferred embodiments thereof, it should be understood that many modifications, additions and deletions, in addition to those expressly recited, may be made thereto without departure from the spirit and scope of the invention as described by the following claims.
Applicant claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/489,084 filed Apr. 24, 2017 and entitled Dental Light.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62489084 | Apr 2017 | US |
