US1833720A - Method of and means for repairing dental bridgework - Google Patents

Description

J. H. MOYER 1,833,720

METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR REPAIRING DENTAL BRIDGEWORK Nov. 24,1931.

Filed Dec. 4, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 1' J. H. MOYER Nev. 24, 1931.

METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR REPAIRING DENTAL BRIDGEWORK 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fil'ed Dec. 4, 1930 Patented Nov. 24, 1931 O F C JAMES H. MOYER, or conumnus; 01110,, nssIeNon To THE Commas DENTAL MANU- 'IIACTURING COMPANY, 01' commnus, 01110, A CORPORATION METHOD or AND MEANS FOR REPAIRING DENTAL nnrnenwonx Application filed December This inventionrelates' to a method of and means forrepairing dental bridgework, and particularly to a methodof and means for repairing or replacing a broken post on a BTrupontic or like tooth bridge'without removing the bridge from the mouth of the 1 wearer. a v

Many'fixed bridges are now placed in the I mouth With cast inlay abutments, which make iit very diflicult to remove the bridge in the event Of'POSi' or, tooth breakagewithout destroying abutments. a

One object of my invention isto provide a simp1e,*reliable and'eflicient' method of replacing a broken post one backing or bridge without the necessity'of removing the bridge from the mouth, or of disturbing the abutments, andwhich method may be employed by a dentist without discomfort to the patient.

1 'Another object of the invention is to provide a substitute postmember adapted to be 'applied to take the'place of the original post,

and'a jig for use'in properly and accurately forming in the bridge or backing a seat for 'the substitute post, whereby such seat formformed. i

' ing operation may be easily and quickly per- The' invention comprises a novel method fand f'a novel construction and combination of'partsfor carrying theinventlon into prac- 'ticaliefl 'ect, as hereinafter fully described and claimed, reference being bad to the accom pa-nying drawings, in which:

' aFig. 1 is a side elevationof a type of'tooth J and 'abacking or bridge of the character described embodying my invention. I

v Fig. 2 .is a rear perspective view of the tooth removed from the backing or bridge. I Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the repaired bridge or backing'as it appears prior to'the application Ofth tooth.

' Fig. ll is 'a front to"rear-section through the backing or bridge andthe tooth. applied ret -f a. 1 A

Figib is a section on" line of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a View of the;staple-shaped"repair or replacement 'postfon an enlarged .,-sea1e.;-

Fig. 7 is a seCtion thro gh the backing 0-; bridge with the rep jig applied thereto 4,1930. Serial No. 500,116.

showing thebridge priorto the first working step of the repair method. I I

Y *ig. 8 is a similar view showing the backing or bridge at the completion of the first working step.

Figs. 9 and 10 are views of the jig. Referring now more particularly to the drawings, 1 is a tooth of the characterdescribed, having a facing 2, a root portion 3, and a lingual overhung portion 1', which portion 4' is'p-rovided with a bearing face 5'arrangedat an obtuse or other "suitable angle to the lingual bearing face 6 of the facing 2, the incisal edge of saidfacing being indicated at 7. The tooth portion 4 is provided with a post bore or hole 8 intersecting a slot 9 opening through the face 5, which post hole extends from-the lingual side of the part4 to a point beyond'the lingual side of the facing 2 at'its point of intersection with the face 5, but terminates short of the labial side of said facing. The post hole and slot extend throughout parallel with each other and with the face 5. I e 1 -The tooth 1 isadapted to be mounted upon "a' bac-king or bridge 10, which may be of any suitable form in cross-section, but which, in the form shown, isof triangular cross-section and provided with a lingual face 11 and two labial tooth bear- ing faces 12 and 13, said faces 12 and13 being disposed'in the same angular relation'ship'as the faces 5 and 6 of the tooth, which faces 5 and 6 of the tooth are adaptedto rest respectively against the faces 12 and 13 of thebridge or backing when the tooth is applied thereto. The face 12 of the bridge or backing'is commonly provided with a post formedthereon and shaped to fit and interlock with the hole 8 and slot 9 of the tooth part 4. For the purpose of this inven- --tion,- it is assumed that the original'po'stis broken away or damaged and has been replaced by:a repair or replacement post 14 constructed in accordance with. the: present invention. r r The repair or replacement post 14 is made of gold or; other metal of suitable strength and durability and comprises a U-sha-ped or 'staple like body having a pair of parallel ' arms 15 and 16 and a, return bend or end portion 17 one of the arms 15 serves as an ,anchor member to engage the bridge or backing and the other arm and the return bend or end portion 17 as an anchor for the tooth 1. To this end, one of the arms of the staplelike replacement post, as the arm 15, is fitted in an opening 18 formedin the bridge or backing between its faces 11 and 13 paral-' lel withv theface 12, while the othe'r arm 16 pro ects over the face 12 and forms'tli'epost" proper which engages the bore or hole 8'in the tooth. 'The slot 9 obviously permits passage of the bend '17 and the sliding inter-f engagement of the post. and tooth. In order to adapt the post orstaple 14 to'befitted properly in. position, and said post, and the tooth to be held against any tendency to relative motionon the bridgexor. backing, the

backing is formed at the angle of intersection of its faces 12 and 13 with a groove or recess 19 to receive a part of the return bend 1?, the

sides-of which bend 17are flattened, asshown, to engage said groove and the post hole and slot in thewtooth andform a firmandnonrocking connection between the same: The

,ends of the arms 15 and 16 when the tooth is applied lie flush with the lingual faces of the bridge and tooth, which latter is, in addition ito suchimechanicalconnection; cemented in position.) i I,

In the operation of making repairs when 7 a post is, broken and the tooth 1' detached, I

employ a repair jig 20 of the -construction Y ,shown-in'Figs. 7 to 10, inclusive. This jig comprises a substantially U-shape'dbracket or frame h'avinga'pair' of spaced parallel arms 21and 22 spaced at one end andat the sides to form a bridge :receivingopening 23 and connectedat the other end by' a base or f 'cross'wall 24 having at the bottom ofthe ',opening. 23:: toothbearingfl ;surface"25 ,in-'

clined to the plane of a tooth'beari-ng surface 26' formed by the inner surface of the arm 21.

;That. portion of the bracket or frameforming the arm 21 is bifurcated to form a slot 27 .to engage the-rib 28 formed .by that-part of the broken post left intact with the backing, whereby thelbracket or jig is centered .in po- 2 sition,and saidarm and the adjacent part of Fill the base'24 are cut away orvbev-eled 'tolprovide a;clearance groove 29' which is intersect- .llll

*edby said slotl Thearm .22 projects at its free end somewhat beyond'the plane of. the

free end of the arm 21, and'such en-dof. the

;arm 22 has its outer fa'celbeveledand the arm is formed with an angularly arranged threadedopening receiving a "correspondingly ara ranged cl'ampingscrew 30 provided with a pointedend so 'disposed as to he immediately rearof the center of the arm 21. Formed in the part 2 1' is a guide bore or passage 31 extending in a plane parallel with the inner 7 face [of the arm 21' and communicatingat its inner end through the si'urface .25" with the v opening'123 adjacent the base of said arm.

' breakages in drilling thehard metal of thebridge is composed.

. I claim "'ing s'cr'c'wf30 in ebvious manner: A drill of suitable 8126 to pass'through the guide open ng31 and to form thebore is inserted into the guide opening 31, after a drop of oil has previously been inserted therein, and operated by means'of a dental engine, while being accurately guided bythe opening 81, toform the post hole or opening 18in the bridgeor backing, After thislpost hole 18 is formed, the jig 20 is detached and then,

by means of a small engine operated bur or knife'eedged stone the, groove or recess 19 is cut in the backing; A'staple-shapedreplacement post isthen applied in the manner previously described to the backing, the tooth l fitted and cemented inplace, and any project-ing portions of the armsof the replacement post ground off smooth atfthe back of therepaired bridgework so as tolleavefno rough surfaces liable to cause injury to the tongue. In practice t s advisable to em.

ploy aseries of generallythree drills of progressively; increasing lengths in forming the opening 18 in ordertofiobviate liability of drill which It will evident, from the foregoing description, taken in connection with the drawings, that my invention provides a method and a means whereby a dentistmay readily and conveniently substitute a replacement post; for a broken original-post bridgework of the charactei described without the necessity of removing the bridge. or disturbing its abutments, while 7 at the same time producing a repairj ob eq ual n strength and appearance,-

:if not superionto the original'tooth mount- ,ing- Also it will be seen that the invention 7 provides ainethod and means whereby such repairs may be made without altering, the

construction of the tooth and with utQalter- F 7 ing the construction 'ofthe bridge except n the slight manner indicated. H

' Modifications in theiconstruction of the replacement post and jig, and variations in the method described, may be made, within the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims, without departing from the spa-leer sacrificing any :of the advantages ofth'e invention. r v a 7 Having thus fully desci i ed my invention,

11. The method 0f repairing dentalbridgework of that character having a mechanical interlocking connection between the bridge x andtooth comprisinga post upon'thejbridge to engage a post hole in the tooth, where the post is broken, without removal of the bridge or injury to its abutments, which consists in I forming between the lingual and labial faces of the bridge parallel with its post carrying face a bore, applying to the bridge a U- shaped replacement post by engagement of one of its arms with said bore and so asto dispose its other arm over said post replacement face, and then fittingfa tooth upon the bridge and into-engagement with said replacement post. 7 p V 2. The method ofrepairing dental bridgework of that character having a mechanical interlocking connection between the bridge and tooth comprisinga post upon the bridge to engage a post hole in the tooth, where the post is broken, without removal'of the bridge or injury to its abutments, which consists in forming the bridge with a post receiving bore I extending between its lingual and labial faces 7 V parallel with its post carrying face'together with a seat groove intersecting one end of said bore, fitting upon the bridge'a U-shaped replacement post having a flattened return portion by fitting one of the arms of said post in said bore and disposing the other arm of said post and its return portion so as to respectively overhang the post carrying face and recess of the bridge, and then fitting a tooth upon the bridge and into engagement I with said replacement post.

3. In dental bridgework, a bridge having a tooth bearing face and an opening extending between its lingual and labial surfaces ad jacent to said tooth bearing face, a U-shaped post having one of its arms engaged with said opening and its other arm overhanging o'said bearing face, and a tooth fitted on the bridge and engaged with the latter-named arm of the pos 4. In dentalbridgework, a bridge having a tooth bearing face and an opening extending between its lingual and labial surfaces adjacent to said face, and also provided in a margin of said face with a groove intersecting one end of said opening, a U-shaped post having one of its arms engaged with said opening and its other arm overhanging said bearing face and provided with a flattened return portion seated in said groove, and a tooth fitted on said bridge and having a post hole therein receiving the second-named arm and the flattened return portion'of said post. i In testimony whereof I aflix my signature,

JAMES H. MOYER.

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