US2383027A - Carrier means for artificial teeth - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 21, 1945. F. TRYF-US ET AL 2,383,027

I CARRIER MEANS FOR ARTIFICIAL TEETH Filed NOV. 16, 1940 v lNVENTORS ALFRED MFNDEL Patented Aug. 21, 1945 UNITED v STATE s PATENT OFFICE CARRIER MEANS Fo AR'rIFIo h TEETH FredericTryfusgForestllills, and Alfred Mendel, New York, N.-Y. l

Application November 16, 1940,Serial No.; 365,878

.2 Claims. orse-e71 This invention concerns improvements in carrier means for display purposes, particularlyof artificial teeth.

Heretofore used carriers for mounting teeth have many disadvantages as they do not display the teeth in their natural and relative positions, particularly determined by the individual gum form which is more or less curved, thusmaking it impossible to demonstrate and to recognize with It is another object of the present invention to provide an adjustable carrier of the above nature which may be placed in themouth of the patient for comparing .the artificial teeth with the remainder of his teeth. p t

Still another object of the present invention is to provide'a carrier on -whichthear'tiilial teethmay be adjustably arrangedand fixed their adjusted position relatively to each other.

A still further object of the present invention v is to provide a carrier body on which the teeth may be easily and removably fixed so that-they project beyond the lower edge of the 'saidbody whereby the translucency of the teeth at the ends thereof may be observed for comparison and like purposes.

Yet another object of the present invention to utilize said adjustable means for maintainingthe carrier body in a desired shape as a supporting means for holding supplemental portions of the carrier, portions of said adjustable means being also employable as anchoring meansengaging with neighboring or adjacent teeth in themouth of the patient. h

Still a further object of the invention resides in the provision of carrier means whose body color corresponds substantially to that of Y the natural gum of the patient. said carrier body beingpreferably made of rubber or similar elastic material and maybe easily cleaned and inexpensively manufactured. t

Still another object of .the present invention is to provide a carrier body with pockets or cavities whose form and walls are made to hold artificial teeth in their fixed position on said body, no particular fixing means being thus required to place and hold each tooth on :the carrier body.

It is yet another object of the present'invention to provide a flexible or elastic soft carrier bodyfor teeth haying flange or lip portions which overlie said cavitiesof the carrier body receiving the teeth; said "portions facilitating retention of the teeth in position in said cavities, respectively.

"These and other objects; are accomplished and this invention accordingly consistsin the features or construction; combination of parts and in the unique relations of the members and in the -rela-ftive proportioning and disposition thereof; all as more completely outlined herein.

;To enable others skilled in the art so fully to comprehend theunderlying features thereof that they may embody the same by the numerous modifications in structure and relation contemplated by thi invention, a drawing particularly depicting certain formsof' the invention has been 'annexedas apart of this disclosure, and in such drawing like characters of reference denote cor responding parts" throughout all the views, of which: l g Fig. 1 is-a front perspective view illustrating a carrier body made in accordance with the invention. L f

Fig.2isarearviewofFigL- l Fig.3 is an enlarged sectional view of the embodiment of Fig, 1* taken along line 3--3 as positioned in the mouth of a patient;

Fig, 4 is a perspective viewillustrating a tooth fromits rear. 1 t t 5 is a fragmentary detailed view of the carrierbodyfi" Fig. 6 is a fragmentary detailed view of the carrier body in a modified form.

g; '7 isa front elevational view of the carrier body in another form." I 8' is a fra entary detailed view of the carrierJbody in afurther modified form.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, Fig. 1 illustrates a carrienmeans generally designated byYnumeral IUIf rholding and displaying artificial teeth I,I,, Said carrier means comprising a soft, flexible orelastic body 12 preferably niade of rubber or rubber composition, whose color is substantially similar to that of the natural gum of a human being.

In carrier body I2 nearer the lower edge l3 use-d inconnection with the invention and seen.

thereof, there are provided a plurality of cavities or pockets I4 arranged in the form of a any desired location of the body I2; as for ex-' tremities 24, 25 of which may be utilized as anchoring means at neighboring teeth 26, 21 of ample, there may be provided openings I6 (Fig; v 5), grooves II continuous or not (Fig. 6)'*or slits 28, 29 (Fig. 8) provided in the bottom of each pocket-like shaped cavity or recess I4. The tooth II may be also held on said bottom by suction in which case said-openings I6 can be employed as vacuum producing means by forming the same somewhat cup-shaped which will then engage with. the flat rear portion I-8 of the tooth II (Fig. 3). f

To each toot-h II at thei-rearlii. thereof may be further secured one or-rnore pins, IS in any desired. form, preferably-each provided with .a shank. portion 20 anda head 2| adapted to be inserted within; respectiveopenings I 5 -(Figs. 3 and 5). .-Where 'the groove 11; is..employed the tooth may be somewhat adjusted along, said groove in its positioning. within said cavity II. To this. end, the groove- I lis made longer than the distancebetween the extremities of .the pin heads 2I-. Inthe casev oi slits 28, 28 which may extend vertically and-longitudinally- .or crosswise-in cavities I4, further adjustments .ofthe tooth within .itscavity may-be; accomplished, the pins- I9 being then provided without head portions- ZI. The. cavities I4 areso disposed :that the teeth @II when secured -writhin the'cavities- I4 project below the lower edge I3 of carrier body I2 so that the. translucency-andvcoloring of the teeth-may beeasily observed. 1

In the embodiment. shownin Figs..1 to 5, when the tooth I I is inserted within cavity I4,-li-p'portion I5,- of the carrier body I2, extends over-part I5" of tooth II. and the heads io of the pins I9 length of wire 22 or any other formable and relativelystiff materialforthe purpose of adjusting and retaining body I2 in a predetermined, for. instance, curved, shapev or; in. a form- 'determined by the individual gum shape of the patient. "Ihus, the carrienbody- I2.;maybe either applied to the mouth ofthapatient orthe teeth may-beadjustedand. displayed more readily in their naturaLrelationship vand, to. simulate actual mouth conditions. f I

Wire. 22' mayf-urther be employed as, asupporting means to adjacently position and hold a supplemental body part 23 carryinga tooth as shown in Fig. '7. For this purpose part 23 may be threaded on wire 22'(Figs, 3 and 7), the exthe patient. Wire 22 may be attached to or embedded in the material of body I2 in any suitable manner.

It will thus be seen that there has been provided, by this invention, carrier means of the character described in which the various objects hereinabove set forth, together with many thor-- oughly practical advantages, are successfully achieved.

As many possible embodiments may be made of the above invention, and as many changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth, it is to be understood that all matters "hereinbefore set forth or shown in the accompanying drawing areto be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is: I

a .1. A carrier for display of artificial teeth comprisinga substantially gum simulating body of a single piece of flexible and elastic material, said bodyhaving an upper portion tapering. toward its upper end and a lower portion extending from saidupper portion and provided with at least one pocket for the insertion of a tooth therein, said pocket being defined by a rear wall terminating in a lower edge, by an upper wall extending fromsaid rear wall .and recessed. in said upper portion, and by a flexible andiela'stic lip integral with said body and projecting from said upper portion beyond said upper .wall of said pocket; and means integral with said body and formed-in therear wall of said pocket, said means and said lip being adapted upon engagement with a tooth inserted in said I pocket to retain said tooth therein ,for manual adjustment and for removal therefrom, said tooth when placed against said rear wall extending beyond said lower edge of the latter and toward said upper wall of said pocket.

2. A carrier for adjustment and display 'of artificial teeth comprising a substantiallrgum simulating body of a single piece of flexible, un

vulcanized rubber material,v said body .including an upper portion and a lowerportionextending from said upper portion and provided with at least'one pocket for the insertion of a tooth therein, said pocket having a rear wall terminating ina free lower edge, an upper wall extending fromsaid rear-wall toward said upper body portion, and a flexible lip projectingfrom said body beyond said upper wall in downward directiomsaid rear wall of said pocket being provided v withv a slit formation formed in and' in-' tegral .withsaidbody material, said formation being engageablewith a portion of a toothwhen inserted in saidpocketwhereby said tooth abuts against said rear wall and extendstoward said upper wall and beyond said lower edge,-said: lip being adapted to overlie another portion of said tooth extending toward, said upper wall vof said pocket.

, FREDERIC TRYFUS.

ALFRED MENDEL.

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