IP Library Granted Patent US 8,206,151
Granted Patent B2
US 8,206,151 · App. 11/703,189 · Granted Jun 26, 2012

Dental wedge

Assignee: Triodent Holdings Limited
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,206,151
App. No.
11/703,189
Granted
Jun 26, 2012
Kind
B2
Abstract

A dental wedge for use in the inter-proximal space between adjacent teeth. The wedge includes a taper section ending at a tip, and a body section extending to the tapering section at one end. The body section has an inverted V-shaped cross-section, flexing of the sides of the V-shape allowing the wedge to adapt to various contours of the inter-proximal space. The mid-portion of the body section is narrower than at least a portion of the wedge at either end of the mid-portion.

Claims (23)

1. A dental wedge, for use in the inter-proximal space between adjacent teeth, said dental wedge comprising:

a tapering section ending at a tip,

a body section adjacent to and extending from said tapering section,

said body section having an inverted V-shaped cross-section formed by a first and a second flexible spaced sidewall, each of said first and second sidewall having a bottom edge, and each of said first and second sidewall diverging from a ridge and defining an open-sided hollow space therebetween, wherein flexing of said first and second sidewall of the body section allows the wedge to adapt to various contours of the inter-proximal space and allows gingival tissues to extend into said hollow space, and

said body section including a first widened section adjacent the tapering section, a narrowing mid-portion adjacent the first widened section, and a second widened section adjacent the narrowing mid-portion, wherein the bottom edge of said first and second sidewall follow a wave-like path through the first widened section, the narrowing mid-portion, and the second widened section, wherein each of the bottom edges defines a profile having a concave shape at the narrowing mid-portion and a convex shape at the first widened section and the second widened section.

2. The dental wedge as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the body section, as viewed from a side is of substantially uniform depth.

3. The dental wedge as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said wedge includes a handle and said body section extends between said tapering section and said handle.

4. The dental wedge as claimed in claim 3 , wherein said handle includes a flat member with a hole there through.

5. The dental wedge as claimed in claim 4 , wherein a contour of said body section transitions smoothly along a length of the body section.

6. The dental wedge as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the V-shaped cross-section is continuous along a length of said body section and said tapering section.

7. The dental wedge as claimed in claim 6 , wherein said tip is blunt, with a leading end radius greater than 0.2 mm, and being at least 1.3 mm wide 3 mm from said tip.

8. The dental wedge as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said side walls flex elastically toward each other during insertion through a space narrower than a widest width of said body section.

9. The dental wedge as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a length of said body section is between 10 mm and 20 mm.

10. The dental wedge as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a maximum width of said body section is between 0.8 mm and 3.6 mm.

11. The dental wedge as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a height of the cross-section of said body section is between 1.2 mm and 2.4 mm.

12. The dental wedge as claimed in claim 1 wherein said V-shaped cross-section includes an angle of between 50° and 25° at a most open cross-section.

13. The dental wedge as claimed in claim 12 , wherein said V-shaped cross-section at said narrowing mid-portion includes an angle of between 35° and 15°.

14. The dental wedge as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said V-shaped cross-section at said narrowing mid-portion includes an angle of between 35° and 15°.

15. The dental wedge as claimed in claim 1 wherein the hollow space is a variable size, adapting in size to the flexing of the sidewalls.

16. The dental wedge as claimed in claim 1 wherein the dental wedge is formed from a single material.

17. The dental wedge as claimed in claim 1 wherein the flexible sidewalls are substantially planar.

18. The dental wedge as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first and second sidewall bottom edges of the first and second widened sections, and the narrowing mid-portion transition smoothly between the sections.

19. The dental wedge as claimed in claim 1 wherein the width of the open-sided hollow space between said first and second sidewall of the first and second widened sections is substantially equal.

Assignments (4)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 14, 2014
From: TRIODENT HOLDINGS LIMITED
To: DENTSPLY INTERNATIONAL INC.
Reel/Frame 033946/0305 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded May 23, 2012
From: TRIDENT INNOVATIONS LIMITED
To: TRIODENT HOLDINGS LIMITED
Reel/Frame 028260/0501 →
NUNC PRO TUNC ASSIGNMENT Recorded May 22, 2012
From: MCDONALD, SIMON P.
To: TRIDENT INNOVATIONS LIMITED
Reel/Frame 028252/0017 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 13, 2007
From: MCDONALD, SIMON PAUL
To: TRI-DENT INNOVATIONS LTD
Reel/Frame 019592/0927 →
Priority Claims (2)
NZ 545121 · Feb 7, 2006 · national
NZ 549580 · Sep 1, 2006 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20070254263A1 · Nov 1, 2007