US20100196864A1 - Dental training device - Google Patents
Dental training device Download PDFInfo
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- US20100196864A1 US20100196864A1 US12/798,842 US79884210A US2010196864A1 US 20100196864 A1 US20100196864 A1 US 20100196864A1 US 79884210 A US79884210 A US 79884210A US 2010196864 A1 US2010196864 A1 US 2010196864A1
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- G—PHYSICS
- G09—EDUCATION; CRYPTOGRAPHY; DISPLAY; ADVERTISING; SEALS
- G09B—EDUCATIONAL OR DEMONSTRATION APPLIANCES; APPLIANCES FOR TEACHING, OR COMMUNICATING WITH, THE BLIND, DEAF OR MUTE; MODELS; PLANETARIA; GLOBES; MAPS; DIAGRAMS
- G09B23/00—Models for scientific, medical, or mathematical purposes, e.g. full-sized devices for demonstration purposes
- G09B23/28—Models for scientific, medical, or mathematical purposes, e.g. full-sized devices for demonstration purposes for medicine
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- G—PHYSICS
- G09—EDUCATION; CRYPTOGRAPHY; DISPLAY; ADVERTISING; SEALS
- G09B—EDUCATIONAL OR DEMONSTRATION APPLIANCES; APPLIANCES FOR TEACHING, OR COMMUNICATING WITH, THE BLIND, DEAF OR MUTE; MODELS; PLANETARIA; GLOBES; MAPS; DIAGRAMS
- G09B23/00—Models for scientific, medical, or mathematical purposes, e.g. full-sized devices for demonstration purposes
- G09B23/28—Models for scientific, medical, or mathematical purposes, e.g. full-sized devices for demonstration purposes for medicine
- G09B23/283—Models for scientific, medical, or mathematical purposes, e.g. full-sized devices for demonstration purposes for medicine for dentistry or oral hygiene
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- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
- A61C—DENTISTRY; APPARATUS OR METHODS FOR ORAL OR DENTAL HYGIENE
- A61C19/00—Dental auxiliary appliances
- A61C19/04—Measuring instruments specially adapted for dentistry
- A61C19/042—Measuring instruments specially adapted for dentistry for determining the position of a root apex
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Abstract
A dental training aid and method which assists a student in learning how to determine the position of a root canal apex, repair of dental decay, and how to perform crown and bridge procedures. In certain embodiments, modular inserts are utilized that include structure thereon for performing root canal procedures, repair of dental decay procedures, crown and bridge procedures or other procedures. The inserts can be assembled and configured to all provide practice on the same procedure or on different procedures and can be exchanged for other inserts once they are no longer reusable or because the user wants to train on a different procedure.
Description
- The present application is a divisional of prior U.S. application Ser. No. 11/541,365, filed Sep. 29, 2006 which was a continuation-in-part of prior U.S. application Ser. No. 11/297,248, filed Dec. 9, 2005, now abandoned which was a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 10,767,793 filed Jan. 29, 2004, entitled DENTAL TRAINING DEVICE, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,988,894 which was a continuation-in-part of prior application Ser. No. 10/024,683 filed Dec. 18, 2001 and entitled DENTAL TRAINING DEVICE, now abandoned, which was a continuation-in-part of prior application Ser. No. 09/848,739 filed May 3, 2001 and entitled DENTAL TRAINING DEVICE, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,520,775, all of which are incorporated by reference herein.
- The present invention related to dental equipment, and more particularly, to teaching tools for the use of endodontic apical location equipment.
- During certain dental procedures, the pulp of the tooth must be removed and other procedures must be performed on the root canal. Persons training to become dentists must learn how to properly remove such pulp and perform the other necessary procedures. Precise location of the root apex is vitally important for the correct endodontic treatment of a tooth. Pulp tissue is richly vascularized and innervated and is contained in the pulp cavity inside the tooth including in the pulp chamber and in pulp canals in tooth roots. The pulp canals are often referred to as root canals. If the endodontic procedure of extracting and cleaning the pulp tissue from a root pulp canal is performed at a length short of the apex, pulp tissue may remain in the canal. Failure to remove all pulp tissue may lead to infection and pain for the patient and necessitate additional surgery. If the endodontic procedure is performed beyond the length of the root apex, the reamer may penetrate into the periodontal ligament leading to pain and extreme sensitivity to the patient. Therefore, current endodontic procedures normally require the careful locating of the root apex at the base of the pulp canal before the reamer or other tools are used to enlarge the pulp canal.
- Multiple methods are currently utilized to determine the location of the apex during an endodontic procedure on a live patient. One procedure is the use of x-ray radiographs of the tooth while a metal endodontic reamer is located in the root canal. This allows the dentist to visually compare the length of the metal reamer to the location of the end of the root to determine the location of the root apex. This method is often unreliable and not cost-effective.
- A second method is to use an electrically aided apical position location. Certain electronic aids and methods of their use include those described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,759,159 to Masreliez, U.S. Pat. No. 5,211,556 to Kobayashi et al, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,059,569 to Otsuka, all incorporated herein by reference. These patents describe apical position locators utilizing impedance measurements to determine the location of the apex that use electrical conductance. In the electrical conductance approach, an electrically-conductive probe is inserted into the root pulp canal and a second electrode is attached to the patient's body, such as by hanging a hook-shaped electrode from the patient's mouth. As the probe is inserted into the root pulp canal and advanced through the root pulp canal to the root apex, the electrical impedance between the probe and the electrode is continuously measured. The electrical impedance is greater when there is little conductance between the probe and the electrode, such as when the probe is in the pulp canal, and lower when there is greater conductance between the probe and the electrode, such as when the probe touches the tissue at the bottom of the pulp canal that is much more conductive than the pulp canal itself. Once the impedance lowers and reaches a predetermined range or value, the location of the apex is indicated and the depth of the probe is noted for future use with other instruments. The electrical approach using impedance for determining apex location is currently the preferred and standard technique used in endodontic practice and taught in dental schools.
- Instruction in the use of electrical apical position locators has generally required practice upon live patients in need of endodontic treatment. Performing endodontic procedures on healthy teeth is unethical and represents dental malpractice. Endodontic patients are often in pain prior to seeing the dentist, and are usually apprehensive about the endodontic procedure and less than enthusiastic about serving as subjects in dental instruction on the use of apical position locators. The additional pain which may be encountered, or the mere potential for such additional pain, results in few such patients volunteering to allow students to perform the procedure.
- The number of endodontic procedures that a dental student or a doctoral student in general dentistry performs on live patients is severely limited by the number of willing participants in need of such procedures. Dental students and general dentists would benefit from additional training and instruction in the use of apical position locators in a realistic setting. In turn, the endodontic patient would benefit from the additional training received by the practitioner.
- Prior to this invention, no adequate surrogate for the live patient has been developed for instruction in the use of electrical apical position locators. U.S. Pat. No. 5,503,562 described a transparent endodontic inspection block which allows the dental student to simulate the cleaning out the root pulp canal. The student utilizing the inspection block could look through the side of the inspection block and locate the root apex. This invention is not designed to train apex location techniques and does not represent realistic conditions of endodontic treatment. U.S. Pat. No. 4,137,633, issued in 1979, disclosed a resilient mass located at the apex of a block of transparent material to simulate the tactile sensation of the periodontal membrane located at the apex of a natural tooth. Thus, prior devices permitted students to visually locate a simulated apex through the addition of a resilient mass located at the apex. However, no known prior devices have disclosed providing a simulation of a live tooth and human tissue to practice using an electrical apical position locator.
- Additionally, during training to do such procedures, it is important to have the procedure simulated on an actual patient, as much as possible, so that the student can learn how to overcome problems of working in the patient's mouth. Therefore, it is also desirable to provide a training device that can be utilized for at least some of the student endodontic procedures and which simulates a live patient, as much as possible.
- In addition to the need for a training device for use in teaching root canal procedures, it is also desirable to have such a device that can be used to teach other types of procedures such as how to treat dental decay and how to do crown and bridge procedures. Because training devices may be expensive for the student, it is preferable that the device allow the student to practice different types of procedures which preferably require somewhat different structure. Root canal procedures require real or artificial teeth having a root and with structure allowing electrical conductance. Crown and bridge work require a section of teeth wherein one or more is missing and real or artificial teeth can be modified to accept a bridge with a skin like structure over the gum, as it is important for the student to correctly interface the bridge with the skin. Dental decay procedures do not require a root or electrical conductance, but preferably utilizes real or artificial teeth that are mounted in such a manner so as to simulate the interaction of the teeth with each other and with ligament tissue that normally holds such teeth in place. Each of these and other procedures are preferably performed on separate or different practice units to allow the student the best range of training.
- Furthermore, it is desirable that the different sections be modular so that a student can preform one, two or all procedures within a single assembly. For example, when working on one procedure, all the individual modular inserts in an assembly may be designed for a single procedure to provide multiple locations to practice or such can be changed to provide modular inserts for multiple procedures for practice or testing. Because the individual modular inserts can be easily changed, when one is used and is not reusable, it can easily be replaced by another without requiring that the entire assembly be discarded.
- The present invention provides an improved device and method for the training of the use of an apical position locator. The invention uses a real or replicated tooth with a root and a root pulp canal (often referred to as a root canal) having an apex at the root tip. Real teeth with pulp in the root canals are available from a supply of such teeth removed from patients for other reasons or from cadavers. In the present invention a student practices on a tooth set in a hard medium which mimics the electrical impedance of human tissue so that an electronic apical locator may be used. In a first embodiment, the tooth is mounted in a single, rigid conductive medium which mimics the conductivity and impedance characteristics of human tissue. An alternative embodiment uses a first highly conductive medium wrapped around the root tip to cover the apex of the tooth which is then surrounded by a second rigid medium so as to set the tooth in a fixture containing the second medium. The second medium may be less conductive and holds the tooth suitably for manipulation training purposes.
- An electronic apical position locator has one lead connected to an endodontic probe or reamer and the other to an electrode blade extending from the medium. When the reamer is inserted in the root canal and extended so that the reamer tip contacts the conductive medium at the root apex, the electronic circuit of the apical position locator is closed, the impedance is measured and the apex is appropriately indicated by the apical position locator.
- In another embodiment of this invention, the tooth is mounted in a manikin jaw that simulates a working human jaw. Preferably, the manikin jaw has sockets at various locations that are located whereat various teeth would normally be found. Each tooth upon which the student is to train is mounted in an electrically conductive medium that has a lower impedance than the training tooth root canal and which desirably has approximately the conductance or impedance of tissue found around the natural live root apex. A highly conductive medium is preferably placed in a protective sleeve and a second medium or matrix is placed about the tooth within a sleeve and then allowed to harden. The sleeve is sized and shaped to be received in one or more of the sockets. The sleeve may be held in place by a pin, such as a thumbscrew or similar fastener, that also acts as an electrical conductor in contact with the conductive material in the sleeve and in turn is electrically connected to an electrode of an apex location apparatus. The entire matrix may be a highly conductive medium or a less conductive medium may be used externally relative to the sleeve. Further, if the pin connects directly with the highly conductive medium in the sleeve, the remainder of the matrix does not have to be conductive.
- A more detailed understanding of the invention will be obtained from the following description of the preferred embodiments taken in conjunction with the attached drawings.
- This invention provides an actual or replicated human tooth with an electrically equivalent replicated human tissue medium, especially in a human form manikin, to provide a realistic simulator for training in the use of an electrical apical position locator. Patient volunteers do not normally clamor for dentists-in-training to practice root canals upon them, so this invention allows the dental student the opportunity to practice in a realistic environment, preferably with real teeth having pulp in the root canals thereof. The user may select a partially radiopaque electrically conductive medium, which allows the student to also simulate the determination of the location of the root apex through the use of an x-ray radiograph.
- In yet another modification of the invention, the training aid is provided with modular inserts that mimic various portions of the jaw and which can be easily exchanged with other inserts that mimic the same portion of the jaw. In this manner, the inserts can include one or more units for training for particular procedures such that all of the assembled inserts may be for the same procedure or for different procedures. Each insert can be easily replaced by another for the same or a different procedure.
- Different inserts may be advantageous for many different procedures. For example, the inserts may be especially designed to act as an instruction aid for root canal procedures, repair of dental decay procedures, for crown and bridge procedures or for other procedures. The root canal procedure inserts are preferably of the type described above with the added feature of providing a common electrical conductor for the entire insert support structure so that electrical conductance will be available whether none, one or multiple inserts are for root canal procedures. The dental decay procedure inserts preferably include structure to allow teeth to be mounted in a matrix that mimics the setting of live teeth relative to ligaments that support and hold live teeth, so the student more closely encounters the feel of working on live teeth, especially crowding by adjacent teeth and flexing under pressure. The crown and bridge procedure inserts preferably include an artificial skin layer that mimics a patient's skin, so that the student gains experience in mounting crowns and bridge relative to skin tissue.
- Certain embodiments of the invention provide a plurality of inserts that are removably secured to a receiving tray by screws, magnets or the like in an abutting manner so as to simulate a gum line of a human mouth while providing at least one actual or replicated tooth upon which a practitioner can perform a dental procedure.
- Therefore, the objects of the present invention are: to provide a training aid for dental students comprising a holder or fixture for holding a tooth in a solid medium or material that is at least in part approximately as electrically conductive as non-boney tissue found in humans that surrounds teeth so as to simulate the electrical conductivity or impedance found in such tissue and thereby allowing a student to perform practice root canal procedures, including practice with an electrical apical position locator, without need for living patients; to provide such a training aid wherein the fixture is an independent container partially filled with solid electrically conductive medium or material that simulates the electrical conductivity or impedance of human tissue surrounding teeth; to provide an alternative embodiment of such a training aid wherein the fixture includes a socket in a manikin that simulates a human jaw structure; to provide such a training aid wherein the sleeve is sized and shaped to fit in such a manikin socket to allow easy removal and cleaning after the training session is complete; to provide an alternative manikin training aid wherein teeth with a highly conductive media about the root tips thereof are molded directly into the manikin; to provide such a training aid wherein a thumbscrew is used as a pin to secure such a sleeve in a socket and wherein the thumbscrew also functions as an electrode for the apical position locator; to provide such a training aid that includes a set of modular training inserts wherein such inserts can be exchanged for similar or different inserts to form a training assembly; to provide such a training aid that provides such inserts wherein each insert is especially adapted to particular procedures, such as treatment of dental decay procedures, root canal procedures and crown and bridge procedures; to provide such training aid wherein all of the inserts in a final assembly may be selected for training on the same procedure or for different procedures to meet the needs of the student using the training aid; to provide a method of training aspiring dentists in endodontic procedures using the aforementioned training aids such that the students become skilled without having to practice on live patients; to provide such a training aid having inserts removably securable to a receiving tray and abutting one another so as to form a gum line of a simulated patient; and to provide such training aids that are easy to use, comparatively inexpensive to make and especially well suited for the intended purpose thereof.
- Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein are set forth, by way of illustration and example, certain embodiments of this invention.
- The drawings constitute a part of this specification and include exemplary embodiments of the present invention and illustrate various objects and features thereof.
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FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a training aid in accordance with the present invention. -
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a first alternative training aid. -
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the first alternative embodiment of the training aid shown in connection with an electronic apex locator. -
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a second alternative training aid in accordance with the present invention, illustrating a training procedure being performed and with portions broken away to show internal detail thereof. -
FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a sleeve, tooth and highly conductive medium during a first step in assembly of the second alternative training aid. -
FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a second step subsequent to the first step shown inFIG. 5 in the assembly of the second alternative training aid. -
FIG. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the second alternative training aid showing a third step in assembly thereof. -
FIG. 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the second alternative training aid fully assembled and shown in a fragmentary manikin as shown inFIG. 4 . -
FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of a third modified training aid according to the present invention having a plurality of modular inserts wherein each insert is utilized for training a student with respect to a different dental procedure. -
FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the third modified training aid with inserts assembled. -
FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the third modified training aid showing the assemblage being prepared for and during specific dental training procedures. -
FIG. 12 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the third modified training aid, taken along line 12-12 ofFIG. 10 . -
FIG. 13 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the third modified training aid, taken along line 13-13 ofFIG. 10 . -
FIG. 14 is a plan view of a jaw dental training aid with retainer mechanism. -
FIG. 15 is an elevational view of the training aid shown inFIG. 14 . -
FIG. 16 is a fragmentary, exploded and perspective view of a fourth modified training aid in accordance with the present invention. -
FIG. 17 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the fourth modified training aid with portions broken away to show detail thereof. -
FIG. 18 is a fragmentary, exploded and perspective view of a fifth modified training aid and in accordance with the present invention. -
FIG. 19 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the fifth modified training aid with portions broken away to show detail thereof. - As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure.
- Referring to
FIG. 1 , the reference numeral 1 generally indicates a training device according to the present invention which is useful to create an effective simulation of a tooth in a patient, so that a student may practice using an electronic apical position locator. The training device 1 consists of a tooth 2 which may be an extracted human tooth or a replica, which is set in a fixture 3 and connected to anapical position locator 4,FIG. 3 , as hereinafter described. In more detail, an illustrated exemplary tooth 2 is a pre-molar with two roots 10, each with a root canal 11 ending at an apex 12 near thetip 13 of each root. Other tooth forms are equally suitable. In a live tooth, the root canal 11 is filled with nerve pulp tissue. Also, a live tooth is set into a periodontal ligament which surrounds the root 10 and acts as a barrier between the tooth root and the bone that holds the tooth. In a patient the periodontal ligament or tissue around the tooth is moist and electrically more conductive than the tooth, thereby enabling the use of an electronicapical position locator 4 which relies on the measurement of impedance to determine when the more conductive tissue is encountered and therefore when the apex is reached. When the measuring probe electrode approaches the apex, the magnitude of impedance or the phase angle of the impedance between the measuring probe and oral probe electrode starts to change. The detector identifies the apex when the designated range or the frequency of impedance is reached. - In the illustrated example, the tooth 2 is a “dead” tooth which has been extracted from a patient or cadaver and is not supported by a living periodontal ligament or other live conductive materials. As shown in
FIG. 1 , the tooth 2 is set in a container or fixture 3 which is selected for ease of manipulation by a student. Preferably, asingle setting material 15 is selected which provides sufficient rigidity to support the tooth 2 during handling and during the practice of root canal procedures. Ideally, the selectedmaterial 15 should also replicate the range of impedance of live human tissue in order to provide an impedance in the range of the apex locator setting. Since there are many different types of apex locators on the market, a single conductive material having an impedance not in the range of live human tissue can also be used for some apex locators of simple design and it is foreseen that a conductive material could be selected for a specific locator. Generally, the selectedmaterial 15 should replicate the conductivity of live human tissue in order to provide an impedance generally matched to the impedance of live tissue. Because an electric apex locator of advanced design contains circuitry and components to measure the impedance of human tissue and then compare the impedance value to the impedance values obtained by a measuring electrode inserted into the root canal, a closer match of impedance between the material 15 and the circuit of theapical locator 4 in the locating of apex is normally preferred. A suitable range for the volume resistivity of the medium 15, 20 and 22 supporting the tooth 2 in the fixture 3 is in the range from 1015 to 10−3 ohm/cm. - To obtain a suitable support medium, conductive material is mixed with different binders. Such a binder can be plastic resin, polymer resin, plaster, stone, clay etc. Various types and concentrations of conductive materials in the binder have been conceived and include carbon, carbon fiber, graphite, silver powder, metal or metal coated fiber or powder or flakes, silicon, silicon dioxide, germanium, selenium, conductive polymer and others in slight to significant concentrations. If a radiopaque support medium can be tolerated, then a high metallic content or radiopaque chemical such as barium sulfate or stainless steel fibers or powder are usable with a binder. If radio transparency is needed, then metallic content is limited and carbon or other non radiopaque materials are increased to a proportion balancing strength, conductivity and human tissue impedance. The attribute of impedance matching is intended to bring impedance values into a range sensed by the circuit of the electronic apex locator.
- A second embodiment of the present invention is shown in
FIGS. 2 and 3 and uses two conductive medium components. The second embodiment is essentially the same as the first embodiment described above except for a modification to the medium supporting the tooth and is thus numbered the same except for this medium. In particular, in the second embodiment, a firstconductive medium 20 is applied to theroot tip 13 to cover the apex 12, generally in a ball about theroot tip 13. When applying the first conductive medium 20 to theroot tip 13, care is exercised so as not to pack the medium 20 into the canal 11, but to merely cover the apex 12 as it intersects with the root 10. The preferred material of the firstconductive medium 20 is a water based or a highly conductive material. The first conductive material or medium 20 can be a mixture of water, alginate, agar, gum, clay or a highly concentrated carbon or metal powder that is a very good electrical conductor in plastics, especially acrylics, or a mixture with a calcium or sodium inorganic salt, such as calcium sulfate. - The tooth with its root tip coated with the first conductive medium is placed in a second conductive medium 22 which fills the fixture 3 and which is initially soft or even liquid. The second
conductive medium 22 is preferably then set or hardened to form a solid support for the tooth 2. Settling can be accomplished by allowing the medium to dry, where appropriate, allowing it to chemically set such as an epoxy or acrylic, heat setting the medium 22, where it is capable of being heat set, or the like. Thesecond medium 22 is preferably mixed with a conductive element as mentioned before, typically a resin type material, so that it can hold the tooth 2 in place for handling and practicing root canal procedures, after being hardened or set. - The first
conductive medium 20 and the secondconductive medium 22 may possess radiopaque material, if training utilizes radiographs to simulate use in a real patient. Such radiopaque material may include material such as metal fibers, metal-coated fibers, carbonaceous material, metallized glass or barium sulfate, as a substantial component of the medium 22 in sufficient amount to produce radiopaqueness. The firstconductive medium 20 and the secondconductive medium 22 may possess materials of differing radiopacity to simulate the different radiopacity of the periodontal ligament and the bone in a patient. -
FIG. 3 shows the training device 1 in connection with anapical position locator 4. To enable the training device 1 to be utilized with theapical position locator 4, a measuring probe such as anendodontic reamer 25 is connected to theapical position locator 4 via leads 26 and a connector, such as analligator clip 28. Theapical position locator 4 is connected to the conductive medium such as the secondconductive medium 22 vialead 30 and a connector such as analligator clip 32, connected to an electrode or probe 34 set in secondconductive medium 22. In the illustrated example,apical position locator 4 indicates the closure of an electronic circuit when theendodontic reamer 25 contacts or almost reaches the conductive medium 20 at the apex 12. Then the resistance or impedance of these materials are measured, compared and calculated based on the pre-set formula in the apex locator. A final reading will indicate reaching the apex by the tip of the dental reamer. Normally, the apical position locator possesses sufficient sensitivity that it can determine the distance between the tip of theendodontic reamer 25 and the apex 12 and the locator provides a visual readout of that distance. - In the practice of the invention, a tooth such as an extracted human tooth 2 is used to train a user by placing the tooth 2 into a container or fixture 3 and supporting the tooth 2 therein by a conductive medium, such as the
single medium 15 shown inFIG. 1 . Alternatively, a first conductive medium 20 can be molded around theroot tip 13, being careful not to enter the canal 11. Next, the tooth 2 with first conductive medium 20 wrapped around the root 10 is placed in second conductive medium 22 in the fixture 3. The secondconductive medium 22 is allowed to set so that it firmly holds tooth 2 in place. Theapical position locator 4 is connected to theendodontic reamer 25 and theprobe 34 so that when thereamer 25 is placed in the root canal 11 and the reamer tip contacts the first conductive medium 20 or single medium 15 (FIG. 1 ) at the apex 12, the locator electronic circuit completes the measurement of electronic resistance or impedance and theapical position locator 4 so indicates. Importantly, the resistance of the conductive medium is selected so that the electronic apical locator measures the resistance. - Optionally, the training device may be utilized along with x-ray machines and radiographic film to simulate the verification of the location of the apex 12 through simulation of the relative radiopacity of the periodontal ligament and bone by utilizing differing levels of radiopaque materials in the first
conductive medium 20 and the secondconductive medium 22. - Various forms of conductive media may be used as desired including thermoplastic resins, acrylic, polymers and plasters with fillers such as carbonaceous material or metal fibers or flakes.
- Illustrated in
FIGS. 4 through 8 is a third embodiment of a dental training device in accordance with the present invention that is generally represented by thereference numeral 100. Thetraining device 100 has certain aspects that are similar to the devices that are illustrated and disclosed in the previous embodiments and reference is made to those embodiments for certain details such as materials of construction. - The
training device 100 generally comprises amanikin 110 having at least one socket 111 and, unlike the previously disclosed embodiments, includes asleeve 112 operably received in the socket 111 and within which atooth 113 is mounted in a generallysolid matrix 114. - The
manikin 110 is preferably a type of device which is sometimes also referred to as a typodent that is utilized in the training of dental students. Themanikin 110 has an upper jaw ormaxilla 120 and a lower jaw ormandible 121 that are mounted on asupport frame 122, such that thejaw 120 can be articulated with respect to thejaw 121 in a manner that is similar to that of a human jaw, so as to simulate a human jaw for purposes of training of a dental student. Thejaws simulated teeth 126 that are positioned about the facing surfaces of thejaws jaws - As will be discussed below, the material of construction of the
jaws FIG. 4 , theupper jaw 120 of the present embodiment is hinged on thesupport frame 122 and is biased to a closed position bysprings 128 wherein theteeth 126 of theupper jaw 120 engage similar teeth of thelower jaw 121. This simulates a patient with a mouth that can be opened and in which a student must work to perform procedures using thedevice 100. - The sockets 111 are provided in the
jaws FIG. 4 . Sockets 111 are also provided in other locations such as are illustrated in theupper jaw 120 where somewhat more forward teeth are normally located. A training procedure is illustrated inFIGS. 4 to 8 with respect to an upper jaw socket 111, such as is shown inFIG. 4 . Each socket 111 is sized and shaped to receive asleeve 112 snugly therein. Each of the sockets 111 has a shape that is somewhat in the form of a hollow truncated cone and is accessible from the rear of eachjaw FIG. 4 ). - As is best shown in
FIGS. 5 through 7 , eachsleeve 112 has a general truncated conical shape with athin wall 129 and has a hollow interior so as to form acavity 130 with an openupper end 131 and openlower end 132. Thecavity 130 has an interior surface 133. Thesleeve 112 is sized and shaped to receive atooth 113 and combined form aninsert 134. Such aninsert 134 is shown in phantom lines inFIG. 8 prior to placement in the socket 111 wherein the insert is shown in solid lines. - As has been described with the previous embodiments, the
tooth 113 is preferably a human tooth that has been removed from a live patient for some other reason or is a tooth that has been harvested from a cadaver. In certain instances where a human tooth is unavailable, an artificial tooth that is sized and shaped to mimic a real tooth may be used. Such atooth 113 includes apulp chamber 137 and at least one root pulp canal orroot canal 138 that extends along eachroot 139 of thetooth 113. Normally, such atooth 113 would includepulp 141 intact in theroot canals 138 andpulp chamber 137. Theroot canals 138 containing thepulp 141 extend to an apex or tip 143 of eachroot 139. - The
practice tooth 113 extends outwardly from thesleeve 112 such that acrown 146 of thetooth 113 is exposed and thetooth roots 139 are located within thesleeve 112. Thetooth 113 is snugly and rigidly held in its associatedsleeve 112 by thematrix 114. In the present embodiment, thematrix 114 has twocomponents - The first matrix component is a relatively good electrical conductor that is chosen to simulate the electrical conduction found in human tissue in the ligament and gum surrounding a live human tooth. The highly
conductive matrix component 148 can be any of the materials that have been discussed in the previous embodiments for such a component. - In the present embodiment the highly
conductive component 148 is a malleable or semi-solid material that is molded about eachroot tip 143. Because the material is soft and can be stripped from theroot 139 accidentally, aprotector 149 is placed over the highlyconductive component 148. In the present embodiment the protectors areannular sleeves 151 that are placed over eachtooth root 139, as is shown inFIGS. 5 and 6 . The highlyconductive component 148 is specifically designed to provide good conductance at eachroot tip 143. Eachsleeve 151 is manually snugged against arespective root 139 and about the highlyconductive component 148 to hold the latter in touch with arespective root tip 143. It is foreseen that other forms and shapes could be utilized for the highlyconductive component 148 such as a cup or the like and without a protector. - The
second component 150 of thematrix 114 can be several different types of materials depending on whether or not it is desired for thecomponent 150 to also be highly conductive or for conduction to be transferred from the highlyconductive component 148 to the locating device described below through some other structure. Consequently, it is foreseen that thematrix component 150 can either be a highly conductive material similar to that ofcomponent 148, a semi-high conductive material that would be useful in providing conduction between thecomponent 148 and a locator or alternatively, may not be conductive at all. - It is important that the
matrix component 150 be at least semi-solid and preferably rigid during usage of the device 1, so as to support thetooth 113 in position while procedures are being performed on thetooth 113. For this purpose, various thermally set materials or the like could be utilized wherein thecomponent 150 is initially a resin or powder into which thetooth 113 can be initially pushed or embedded after which thecomponent 150 is heat set and solidified. Alternatively thematrix component 150 may be a stick-type resin that forms a liquid when heated and which can be dispersed into thesleeve 112, such as is illustrated inFIG. 7 , and thereafter allowed to harden by drying, chemical reaction, heating with subsequent cooling or the like. It is foreseen that other types of matrix components may be used in accordance with the invention. For the purpose of dispersion, aheating gun 155, such as a glue gun, distributes drops or a stream of conductive liquid orgel material 156 into thesleeve 112 around thetooth roots 139 which thereafter solidifies or hardens asmatrix component 150. - A
pin 160 is utilized to secure thesleeve 112 in a respective socket 111. While it is foreseen that in some instances, thematrix 114 could be placed in a socket directly without asleeve 112, such asleeve 112 is preferred as same allows for quick change out and reduces the time that would otherwise be required to clean the hardened matrix out of the socket. - The illustrated
pin 160 is a thumb screw that has a threadedshank 163 andflat head 164. Thepin 160 is received throughopenings 167 in themanikin jaws FIGS. 4 and 8 . The threadedshank 163 provides two functions. In particular, theshank 163 locks thesleeve 112 in position relative to a respective socket 111 and also provides a metallic conductor that directly engages the highlyconductive component 148 when assembled, as shown inFIG. 8 . Thehead 164 also provides two functions. Thehead 164 allows a grasping structure for a user to insert thepin 160 and further provides a surface that is comparatively shaped to receive analligator clip 171, as will be discussed below. - It is foreseen that the
tooth 113 can be inserted into thematrix 114 in thesleeve 112 in a number of ways, but one alternative is shown inFIGS. 5 to 7 . In particular, thecrown 146 of thetooth 113 to be mounted is placed in anindentation 173 in ablock 174 of wood, embedded in a putty-like material, or the like. The highlyconductive matrix component 148 is placed over theroot tips 139 and thereafter theroot sleeves 149 are placed over thetooth roots 139 and thecomponent 148. Then thematrix holding sleeve 112 is placed over the lower part of thetooth 113 with the sleevelower end 132 engaging anupper surface 175 of theblock 174. Theliquid material 156 that forms thesecond matrix component 150 is then deposited in thesleeve 112 so as to preferably cover theroot tips 143, theconductive component 148 and theprotectors 149, so as to secure thetooth 113 in thesleeve 112. Thesleeve 112 with thetooth 113 secured therein is then placed in a selected socket 111 and thepin 160 is used to secure thesleeve 112 in the socket 111. Thepin 160 preferably also touches a respective highlyconductive component 148 in which case the remainder of thematrix 114 that iscomponent 150 does not have to be electrically conductive. If thepin 160 is not positioned to touch the highlyconductive component 148, then thematrix component 150 must also be electrically conductive. - After the
sleeve 112 is placed in the socket 111, astudent 170 connects anapical position locator 180 to thedevice 100. In particular thestudent 170 uses an elongate reamer or probe 181 that has ashaft 182 sized to extend through a selectedroot canal 138. Theshaft 182 is a conductive metal and is electrically joined by analligator clip 184 attached to a lead 185 or the like to the main body (not shown) of thelocator 180. Thealligator clip 171 with alead 187 is attached to thepin head 164, as is seen inFIG. 4 . After opening the tooth crowns 164 by a well known process, the student then practices finding the bottom of theroot canal 138 in the manner previously described. In an endodontic procedure, the finding of the apex of theroot canal 138 is accompanied by removal of thepulp 141 and enlargement of the pulp orroot canal 138 to the depth determined by the above described procedure. Thereafter, subsequent root canal procedures are performed. - It is foreseen that when a patient has a tooth that has a metallic filling or crown extending into or near the pulp chamber or root canal, it may be necessary to use a probe that is insulated over at least the portion of the shaft that would engage the filling or crown. For this purpose part of the shaft may be coated with nonconductive material. It is also foreseen that a hook, eye or the like may be joined to and extend outward from the probe shaft to facilitate connection of the locator device and especially an alligator clip.
- It is also foreseen the manikin may be constructed of conductive material as well as the
entire matrix 114 in which case it is not necessary that the pin be conductive, but only that the locator lead hook onto or otherwise join with the manikin jaw somewhere therealong. It is also foreseen that the sleeve holding the tooth may be held in place by something other than a pin or set screw. For example, a cover hinged to the manikin or a moveable hook could be used to hold the sleeve in the manikin during training procedures. - It is foreseen that the highly conductive material may include a filler of conductive carbonaceous material, including furnace black, channel black, acetylene black, graphite fiber and carbon fiber; conductive fiber materials, including aluminum, nickel, copper, iron and stainless steel fibers; and metal coated fibers, including metallized glass, metallized graphite and metallized plastic fibers; conductive metal powders, including metallic flakes, powder and milled or ground metallized glass; and other conductive materials, including conductive organic polymers, glues, sponges, epoxies, paints, alginates and the like. A binder for the highly conductive component may be chosen from thermoplastic resins, including acrylic, polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polystyrene, abs (acrylonitrite butodiene styrene resin), polyphenylene ether, polycarbonate, styrene and ethylene vinyl acetate; polymers, including bis-gma, TEGAMA and HEMA; and others, including plasters, yellow stone, clay and the like.
- The following radiopaque materials may be added to some embodiments: barium sulfate and substantial concentrations of metal fillers such as nickel, stainless steel and the like.
- It is foreseen that a conductive portion of the tooth holding matrix can also be a mixture of conductive materials including water, glycerine and other conductors, especially a percentage of from about 1 to 80% by weight in combination with a filler or gelatin selected from clay, silica, gum, agar, alginate and the like. Further, the conductive material is preferably water with sodium hypochlorite, EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid), conductive aluminum compounds, conductive calcium and sodium salts, conductive carbonate compounds, conductive basic compounds and the like in a range from 1 to 80% by weight with the remainder being binder or miscellaneous fill.
- The following examples are provided to illustrate the invention and are not intended to be limiting on the scope or interpretation of the claims:
- Highly conductive matrix components were produced in accordance with the invention having the following formulation by weight:
-
Composition A ethylene vinyl acetate 68 % carbon powder 30% steel fiber 2% -
Composition B flour 45 % salt 15 % water 35% oil 5% - The highly conductive matrix component Composition B was applied to roots of these teeth, as is shown in
FIG. 5 and a root sleeve of plastic tubing was placed about Composition B, as is shown inFIG. 6 . Composition A was then placed about the tooth root in a sleeve, such assleeve 112, as is shown inFIG. 7 , and a procedure was performed using an apex locator as described in the last embodiment to find the distance from the crown to each tooth root apex. Two other procedures were performed on each of the teeth to determine root length which were by x-ray measurement and by in vitro measurement. The results are provided in Table 1. -
TABLE I Test Result: Root length Root length Root length by in vitro in mm by x-ray in mm apex locator in mm Anterior teeth 23 23 23 Two root bicuspid 20, 20 20, 20 20, 20 Three root molar 19, 19, 19 19, 19, 19 19, 19, 19 - Matrix conductive components of compositions C and D were prepared and tests were performed in the same manner as in Example I. The Composition D was applied directly to each root apex and the Composition C was used to surround and support each tooth and around Composition D.
-
Composition C Clay 70% Carbon-coated fiber 30% -
Composition D Agar 30% Salt 10% Water 55% Oil 5% - Table II illustrates the results of testing:
-
TABLE II Root length Root length Root length by in vitro in mm by x-ray in mm apex locator in mm Anterior teeth 23 23 23 Two root bicuspid 20, 20 20, 20 20, 20 Three root molar 19, 19, 19 19, 19, 19 19, 19, 19 - Matrix conductive components of compositions E and F were prepared and tests were performed in the same manner as in Example I. The Composition D was applied directly to each root apex and the Composition E was used to surround and support each tooth and around Composition F.
-
Composition E acrylic 70 % carbon powder 30% -
Composition F Gum 30 % Salt 15% Water 50% Oil 5% -
TABLE III Root length Root length Root length by in vitro in mm by x-ray in mm apex locator in mm Anterior teeth 23 23 23 Two root bicuspid 20, 20 20, 20 20, 20 Three root molar 19, 19, 19 19, 19, 19 19, 19, 19 - Matrix conductive components of compositions G and H were prepared and tests were performed in the same manner as in Example I. The Composition H was applied directly to each root apex and the Composition G was used to surround and support each tooth and around Composition H.
-
Composition G epoxy 70% conductive sponge 30% -
Composition H Glycerine 77% Salt 5 % Water 15% Carbopol 3% -
TABLE IV Root length Root length Root length by in vitro in mm by x-ray in mm apex locator in mm Anterior teeth 23 23 23 Two root bicuspid 20, 20 20, 20 20, 20 Three root molar 19, 19, 19 19, 19, 19 19, 19, 19 -
Composition I Ground Stone 60% Carbon Powder 40% -
Composition J Alginate 60% Water 40% -
TABLE V Root length Root length Root length by in vitro in mm by x-ray in mm apex locator in mm Anterior teeth 23 23 23 Two root bicuspid 20, 20 20, 20 20, 20 Three root molar 19, 19, 19 19, 19, 19 19, 19, 19 - The test results for each of the Examples I to V indicate that locating root length apexes utilizing devices in accordance with the invention have essentially the same accuracy as direct measurement (which cannot be accomplished in a living patient) and x-ray.
- It is foreseen that teeth may be imbedded in the matrix by several different methods. The matrix can initially be powder, soft, pliable or the like and the tooth pushed into the matrix. The matrix may be poured about the tooth as seen in the third embodiment. Furthermore, it is foreseen that the highly conductive component of the matrix may be located only about the tooth root and surrounded by a second component or the highly conductive component may completely fill a sleeve sized for insertion in a socket or a container, or the highly conductive component may be a layer having less conductive material above and/or below the highly conductive component, including a thin layer of matrix fixing material that forms a substantially solid layer of matrix near the top of the tooth.
- As will be apparent to persons skilled in the art, various additional modifications, adaptations and variations of the foregoing specifically disclosed embodiment and method for training in the use of an apical position locator may be made without departing from the objectives and scope of the present invention. Various modifications and changes may be made to the embodiment disclosed herein by those skilled in the art and such are contemplated by the present invention and are to be understood as included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
- Illustrated in
FIGS. 10 through 13 is a fourth embodiment of a dental training aid in accordance with the present invention and generally indicated by thereference numeral 200. The fourth embodiment includes elements of the first three and reference is made to the first three embodiments for greater detail. - The
dental training device 200 includes a tray orstructural support 203, threetraining inserts plate 207. - The
structural support 203 is generally in the shape of a human jaw and in conjunction with theinserts FIG. 4 . - The
support 203 includes aperipheral wall 210 extending upward from a lower and generallyflat base 211 to acontoured end 212. A central andrearward portion 214 of thebase 211 extends upwardly and has a pair of spaced and threadedbores 216 that extend downward vertically from a top thereof. The remainder of thebase 211 is covered by a relatively thin metalconductive plate 220 that is somewhat crescent or horseshoe in shape and which preferably receives all of the training inserts 204, 205 and 206 thereon in touching relationship. Theplate 220 includes a metalconductive ring 225 that extends through and protrudes outwardly from thesupport 203. Theplate 220 has anupper surface 228 that is below anupper surface 229 of thebase portion 214. - The
support wall 210 has an interior facing aperture or slot 230 for eachinsert inserts support 203 and which are used for securing theinserts support wall 210 as described below. - The present embodiment includes three
inserts - In the present embodiment, insert 204 is especially designed for training in repair of tooth decay procedures, insert 205 is designed for training in crown and bridge procedures and insert 206 is designed for training in root canal procedures. Each of the
inserts single aid 200 device that can be used multiple times to teach different procedures and can be assembled in such a manner, as shown, to allow training or testing on multiple procedures at the same time or a plurality of training sites for a single procedure. In particular, in some uses, all of the inserts may be for the same procedures. - The
insert 204 includes abase structure 235 that simulates the right rear third of the lower jaw. It includes apertures, sockets oropenings teeth 250 to be used in training for treating tooth decay. Theopenings single tooth 250 each. Theopening 239 is wider than the others and receivesmultiple teeth 250, so that theteeth 250 therein can be set to simulate a close positioning. - A
tongue 255 extends outwardly from theinsert 204 and is shaped and sized to be received in one of theslots 230. Each of theopenings insert 204. Glue or adhesive may be utilized to hold the tooth and a surroundingmatrix 250 in theopening 238. Abore 261 extends through thebase 235 and allows the alternative use of screw to hold thetooth 250 in the socket oropening 238. In use each of theopenings tooth 250 for performing repair of dental decay procedures as described before. Theinsert 204 has aninward facing lip 257 near the bottom thereof for securing in place. Afront 260 of theinsert 204 has arecess 261 therein.Teeth 250 are placed in each of theopenings matrix 262 that gives slightly with pressure so as to simulate the ligaments that are attached to live teeth. Preferably, thematrix 262 is at least partly constructed of rubber, silicon or the like to provide some degree of flexure. It is foreseen that the top of thematrix 262 can be solid with thetooth 250 and only the bottom of a flexible material. - The
insert 205 is designed for crown and bridge work and in the present embodiment simulates the portion of the jaw normally holding the front 6 lower teeth of the mouth with the intent to use the two outer teeth for supporting a bridge. In particular,openings pegs FIG. 11 . The student prepares abridge 275 withartificial teeth pegs drape 284 of polyurethane, silicon, rubber or the like extends over theinsert 205 and simulates the flexibility and structure of gum tissue, since it is important for the student to carefully interact with gum in crown procedures. - The
insert 205 also includes an outward facingtongue 290 that is positioned to fit in one of theslots 230 and an inwardly facinglip 291. On opposite ends of theinsert 205 are position outward extendingpegs 293 that are sized and shaped to be received in respective recesses ininserts recess 261 ininsert 204. - The
insert 206 simulates the left side of the lower rear third of the jaw and includes sixopenings tooth 308 and do extend to thebottom 307 of theinsert 206. Each of theopenings unit 310 which includes atooth 308 and a surroundingconductive media 311. Theunits 310 are glued or otherwise affixed in theopenings teeth 308 are preferably real teeth having a root canal. The student performs root canal procedures on theteeth 308 in the manner described before. The top part of themedia 311 does not need to be conductive, but the lower portion onto which thetooth 308 root canal opens must be conductive between thetooth 308 and theplate 220. The material of themedia 311 engages theplate 220 so as to provide a conductive path between the bottom of each tooth root and thering 225. Theinsert 206 has atongue 318 and alip 319 similar to like structure found on theinsert 204. - The securing
plate 207 is sized and shaped to be secured to the base 211 usingscrews 324 set inapertures 325 that are received inbores 216 in thesupport 203. The securing plate extends outwardly toward eachinsert lips inserts support 203 when secured in place by thescrews 324. - In use the various inserts are used in the manner shown in
FIG. 11 . Anelectrode 330 attached by analligator clip 331 to theconductive ring 225 when root canal procedures are performed in any of theinserts inserts - It is foreseen that each insert would have an inwardly directed extension plate that could be attached by a single thumb screw, by multiple screws or the like to the
support 203 and could replace theplate 207. Also, it is foreseen that an electrode could be attached to theplate 220 in a different manner than is shown which could replace theconductive ring 225. - An alternative embodiment is shown in
FIGS. 13 and 14 and designated as training device 350. Device 350 has a base 353 with aperipheral rim 354 and a base plate 355. The plate 355 hasmultiple locator holes 360 to enable connection to a dental manikin. The holes are arrayed in a triangular arrangement with a center hole so that the plate 355 is adapted for fitting to a variety of dental manikins. These manikins have pins in the oral cavity and the plate 355 slides onto the locator pins. Thebase 353 is a holder formandible segments 365, which may be several in number, such as three or four and which are interconnected, as by tongue and groove connectors. Thesegments 365 havesockets 366 holdingartificial teeth 368. Theteeth 368 are removable and replaceable for use in training for root canal procedures. - The
mandible segments 365 are removable from theholder base 353 for cleaning and detailed work. Aholder mechanism 370 extends across a rear of themandible segments 365 to hold them in place against the underlying plate 355. Because the rear segments are interconnected with the front segments, the front segments are also held in place. Adhesives or magnetic strips may be used to aid in holding the front segments in place. Themechanism 370 in the illustrated example consists of acenter post 372 extending upwardly from a centered hold through the base plate 355. A lower stop in the form ofhead 373 stops the post and a topwinged tee 375 provides an upper stop. Other forms of lower stops could be used such as keeper ring, cross pins, magnets or the like. Similarly, other forms of upper stops could be used including, for example, keeper rings, pins, friction or screw caps magnets or any such stop. Acoil spring 377 biases acrossbar 380 to an upper position. Thecrossbar 380 has alongitudinal slot 383 accommodating thetee end 375 so that thepost 372 can be rotated and allow thecrossbar 380 to be locked down or released up. Thecrossbar 380 has ends 390, 391 engaging themandible segments 365 to hold them down. Exemplary measurement for theslot 383 andtee end 375 are 10-30 mm. - The hold down
mechanism 370 provides an efficient and secure method of retaining the teeth and gum segments on thebase plate 353 yet allowing ease of removal when intended. - A further alternative embodiment of a
dental training device 400 is shown inFIGS. 16 and 17 . Thedevice 400 may be utilized in conjunction with a manikin device such as that shown inFIG. 4 or as a stand alone training aid or tool for teaching a dental practitioner to perform various procedures or for demonstrating actual dental procedures on whole teeth suitable for receiving the procedure during testing or the like. - Shown in
FIGS. 16 and 17 is only alower device 400; however, if thedevice 400 were used with a manikin structure, such as shown inFIG. 4 , then an upper mirror image of thedevice 400 may also be utilized with the same or different teaching block inserts, as described below. - The
device 400 includes a lower support ortray 402 with at least two training inserts 403 and 404. Thetray 402 has a relatively thin bottom wall 410 with a generally planar insert receiving and engaging surface 411 surrounded by aperipheral ridge 415 that generally surrounds the surface 411. At least onescrew receiving aperture 417 for securinginserts respective screw 418. The illustrateddevice 400 includes acentral aperture 420 for attaching thedevice 400 to a manikin with a screw (not shown). - The
inserts gum region 423,teeth 424 andempty cavities 425 for teeth. - In the illustrated embodiment the
teeth 423 are fixed and non removable and either provide a dentist or trainee with environment within to work, or are utilized for procedures that do not require destruction or partial destruction of the teeth, or are placed on a disposable insert that may be discarded at the end of usage and replaced by another. - The
cavities 425 are designed to receive teeth of the type illustrated and discussed with respect toFIGS. 5 , 6, 7, 11 and 13 wherein each tooth may be inserted and secured therein. Subsequently a procedure may be performed on the tooth, such as a root canal or filling, that effectively destroys or modifies the tooth or renders the tooth unusable for further procedures. In this case, the used tooth can be removed from an associatedcavity 425 and replaced with another tooth. Yet further, a tooth can be selected for a specific procedure and permanently secured in thecavity 425. Theteeth 424 or those teeth in thecavities 425 may be real human teeth or artificial teeth. After the procedure is completed, theentire insert - The present embodiment is configured to receive three inserts, including
rear insert 403 andfront insert 404, along with a mirror image rear insert. Eachinsert surface 430. Theinsert 403 has a threadedaperture 431 for receiving arespective screw 418. Theinsert 403 also includes an undercutregion 436 for operably interlocking withinsert 404. Theinsert 404 has aprojection 440 that is operably received in theregion 436 of theinsert 403 when assembled and a forward projectingpeg 442 that is received in theperipheral ridge 415 when assembled. In this manner, the rear inserts, such asinsert 403 are secured to thetray 402 by thescrews 418 and the central orfront insert 404 is secured to thetray 402 by thepeg 442 and theprojections 440 being received in therearward insert regions 436. - The
inserts tray 402 and present teeth, such asteeth 424 and teeth incavities 425, so as to be available for simulating actual dental procedures by a dentist in training, teaching, testing or the like. In this way a dentist can perform and/or demonstrate these procedures in a manner that is quite similar to performing then on a human subject, but without requiring a live subject. - After the procedures are complete, the inserts, such as
inserts inserts having teeth 424 for simulating the same or different procedures and/or the teeth incertain cavities 425 can be removed and replaced. Theinserts inserts tray 402 and are both secured to thetray 402 and to each other by securing therearward inserts 403 to the tray with screws and theforward insert 404 to therearward inserts 403 by interlocking structure. - Preferably the
tray 402 and inserts 403 and 404, except for teeth therein, are constructed of a material that does not impede x-rays, so that the dentist can use x-rays or the like in assisting with procedures performed on thedevice 400. Thescrews 418, while x-ray opaque are preferably low profile (near the bottom or away from the teeth 424) and not likely to impede the process. - Shown in
FIGS. 18 and 19 is yet another embodiment of adental training device 460 that is similar in many ways to theprevious device 400. Thedevice 460 has atray 462 and inserts 463 and 464 that are similar totray 402 and inserts 403 and 404 except with respect to the following differences. - In particular, the rear inserts 463 and
front insert 464 are removably secured to thetray 460 bymagnets 470. Themagnets 470 of the illustrated embodiment are located in thetray 460 and are preferably comparatively high gauss ceramic magnets that are snugly received in suitably sized apertures 472 in thetray 462 hld therein by adhesive 461. Themagnets 470 of the illustrated embodiment are secured by the adhesive 461 to thetray 462; however it is foreseen that themagnets 470 could be secured by other suitable means such as screws and the like. Located in theinserts blocks 480 of material such as iron that is attracted to magnetic fields. Theblocks 480 are each positioned opposite themagnets 470. While theblocks 480 of the illustrated embodiment are glued by adhesive 481 into theinserts blocks 480 are located in the lower part of theinserts magnets 470 are illustrated in thetray 462 and theblocks 480 in theinserts blocks 480 could also be magnets. - It is to be understood that while certain forms of the present invention have been illustrated and described herein, it is not to be limited to the specific forms or arrangement of parts described and shown.
Claims (18)
1. A human jaw manikin for practicing dental procedures, said jaw comprising:
a) a first tray including:
i) a planar base portion having an insert-engaging surface; and
ii) an upwardly extending wall portion joined to said base portion and surrounding said insert-engaging surface;
b) said first tray sized and shaped to receive at least one gum insert.
2. The manikin of claim 1 , further comprising:
a) a second tray including:
i) a planar base portion having an insert-engaging surface; and
ii) an downwardly extending wall portion joined to said base portion and surrounding said insert-engaging surface;
b) said second tray sized and shaped to receive at least one gum insert.
3. The manikin of claim 2 , further comprising:
a) a first gum insert sized and shaped to releasably secure to said first tray; and
b) a second gum insert sized and shaped to releasably secure to said second tray.
4. The manikin of claim 1 , wherein:
a) said first tray is sized, shaped and arranged to simulate a mandible; and
b) said second tray sized, shaped and arranged to simulate a maxilla.
5. The manikin of claim 1 , wherein:
a) said first and second trays each includes a rear portion; said manikin further including:
b) a hinge configured and arranged to articulatingly connect the rear portion of said first and second trays.
6. The manikin of claim 5 , further comprising:
a) support frame including said hinge.
7. The manikin of claim 5 , wherein:
a) said hinge includes a spring.
8. The manikin of claim 1 , further comprising:
a) a gum insert having at least two sockets sized and shaped to releasably receive a tooth unit.
9. The manikin of claim 8 , wherein:
a) said gum insert includes at least two gum inserts.
10. The manikin of claim 8 , wherein:
a) said insert-engaging surface being associated with at least one of a magnet and a magnet-attracting plate for releasably securing a gum insert to said insert-engaging surface.
11. The manikin of claim 8 , further comprising:
a) said insert-engaging surface comprising a magnet-attracting plate for releasably securing a gum insert having a magnet associated with a tray-engaging surface of said gum insert.
12. The manikin of claim 1 , further comprising:
a) said insert-engaging surface including a first magnet for releasably securing a gum insert having a second magnet associated with a tray-engaging surface of said gum insert; said first and second magnets being configured and arranged to attract each other.
13. The manikin of claim 1 , further comprising:
a) a screw for releasably securing a gum insert to said planar base.
14. A dental manikin for simulating the human mouth during dental procedure training, the manikin comprising:
a) an articulating support having an upper portion and a lower portion;
b) a simulated maxilla attached to said upper portion and including an upper tray and an upper gum insert interchangeably attached to an insert-engaging surface of said upper tray; said upper gum insert having at least two tooth-receiving sockets;
c) a simulated mandible attached to said lower portion and including a lower tray and a lower gum insert interchangeably attached to an insert-engaging surface of said lower tray; said lower gum insert having at least two tooth-receiving sockets;
d) a plurality of teeth received in the teeth-receiving sockets.
15. The dental manikin according to claim 14 wherein:
a) at least one of the teeth is removable from a socket associated therewith and said teeth are selected from the group consisting of simulated human teeth and extracted human teeth.
16. The dental manikin according to claim 14 wherein:
a) said articulating support includes a hinge.
17. The dental manikin according to claim 16 wherein:
a) said hinge is spring-loaded.
18. The manikin of claim 14 , further comprising:
a) at least two securing subassemblies for securing said gum inserts to said trays, said securing subassemblies selected from the group consisting of a magnet and a plate attracted to said magnet, a pair of magnets, and a screw.
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US09/848,739 US6520775B2 (en) | 2001-05-03 | 2001-05-03 | Fixture and method for training and use of apical position locator |
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WO2014085107A2 (en) * | 2012-11-30 | 2014-06-05 | Dentsply International Inc. | Device for teaching the taking of dental x-ray images |
JP2015141214A (en) * | 2014-01-27 | 2015-08-03 | 株式会社ニッシン | Pulp cavity model |
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Cited By (4)
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US20160188658A1 (en) * | 2011-05-26 | 2016-06-30 | Clayton Alexander Thomson | Visual search and recommendation user interface and apparatus |
US9990394B2 (en) * | 2011-05-26 | 2018-06-05 | Thomson Licensing | Visual search and recommendation user interface and apparatus |
WO2022214895A1 (en) * | 2021-04-05 | 2022-10-13 | 3M Innovative Properties Company | Dental model, dental kit, and method |
WO2023175593A1 (en) * | 2022-03-18 | 2023-09-21 | Universidad Ces | Modular multi-purpose dental anatomical simulator |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
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US7713063B2 (en) | 2010-05-11 |
US20070037130A1 (en) | 2007-02-15 |
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