Claims:[001] Claims
We claim:
1. A forceps for extraction of a tooth, wherein the forceps (100) comprises:
a. a beak (101) to engage a root on a tooth;
b. a handle (102) to hold the forceps (100) during extraction; and
c. a neck (103) to connect the beak (101) at the upper portion and the handle (102) at the lower portion of the forceps (100).

2. The forceps as claimed in claim 1, the beak (101) comprises a palatal grip (101a) and a buccal grip (101b).

3. The forceps as claimed in claim 1, wherein the palatal grip (101a) engages the palatal root on the tooth and the buccal grip (101b) engages between the buccal roots on the tooth.

4. The forceps as claimed in claim 1, wherein the inner surface of the beak (101) is concave and the outer surface is convex in curvature.

5. The forceps as claimed in claim 1, wherein the tooth is a maxillary molar.

6. The forceps as claimed in claim 1, wherein the palatal beak (101a) comprises a surface contact or at least a two point contact on the palatal beak and buccal beak (101b) engaging firmly between the roots of the buccal roots giving a tripod contact which provides a firm grip to extract the maxillary molar of both the anatomical and the non-anatomical teeth.

7. The forceps as claimed in claim 1, wherein the tripod contact of the beaks (101) reduces the risk of crushing the tooth or adjacent tooth.

8. The forceps as claimed in claim 1, wherein the handle (102) comprises a first handle (102a) and a second handle (102b) connected with each other in a staggered manner at the neck (103).
, Description:
[001] PREAMBLE TO THE DESCRIPTION
[002] The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed:
[003] Technical field of the invention
[004] The present invention relates to a forceps for extraction of maxillary molar in humans. More particularly, the invention relates to a modified forceps with unique palatal beak shape that provides a surface contact or at least a two point contact on palatal surface. But the buccal beak is conventional that engages the grove between the two buccal roots of the tooth (surface/one point contact). This modification provides a better grip (tripod contact) for a clinician to extract the maxillary molar.
[005] Background of the invention
[006] Tooth extraction, also referred as dental extraction is a process of removal of a tooth from its socket in the bone. In case, the tooth is broken or damaged by decay, it is required for extraction of the tooth. There are two types of extractions namely simple extraction and surgical extraction. Simple extraction involves loosening the tooth with an instrument called as an elevator and removal of the tooth using forceps. In case of surgical extraction, which is more complex procedure, a small oral incision is made into a gum to surgically remove the damaged tooth.
[007] The forceps used in case of simple extraction are available in different sizes and shapes. The choice of forceps depends on the type of tooth to be extracted and also on the type of extraction. Forceps are designed with relatively short beaks and long handles, which provides a larger mechanical advantage.
[008] The upper forceps have their handles in line with the beaks whereas lower forceps have their handles at right angle to the beaks. Further, beaks vary with width, length and curvature to accommodate the different shapes of the roots.
[009] Anatomic teeth are designed to simulate the form of natural tooth. However, sometimes teeth vary in size and shape from individual to individual, some have large teeth, and some have small teeth. In these cases they are considered non anatomic.
[0010] Ideally, the whole of the inner surface of the forceps beak should fit the root surface. In practice the size and shape of roots vary so greatly that it is not possible to achieve this aim. The variation of the shape of the buccal roots can be overcome as the buccal beak will have the similar contact on all teeth (anatomic or non-anatomic). The problem arises when the palatal root varies. The non-anatomic root will touch the beak at only one place on the palatal root called ‘one point contact’ which can cause slippage of the instrument causing trauma to the surrounding tissues. Thus, with the proposed design it is possible to overcome this drawback by attaining a surface contact on anatomic teeth or at least a ‘two-point’ contact on the palatal roots.
[0011] The Patent Application “US6042379A” titled “Dental raising forceps for the rearmost upper molars or their remains” discloses a dental raising forceps for the posterior upper molar in the upper arcade. The forceps comprises a passive part, a hinge, which are conventional and connected together with a contra-angled part in a bayonet form and terminates in certain moving jaws in a circumferential arch, concave on inside and symmetrical. These points are inserted between the second and third upper molars, whether or not the latter has emerged completely or if its crown is in line with the arcade or are leaning sideways out of line towards the vestibule or palate and also if the said crown is whole or is more or less destroyed by caries or fracture. The ideal cross-section for this tool to be inserted between the molars is half-moon in form with a rough inner edge and a frontal surface that is convex with a concave rear surface to hold and direct the crown of the molar. However, the forceps may not be useful to reach non-anatomical tooth.
[0012] The Patent Application “US20100240008A1” titled “Forceps for molar extraction” discloses a dental forceps for removal of rear molars having first and second handles, which are pivotally connected. The distal ends of the handles terminate in a first handle support with an end most pad exhibiting a three dimensional and rounded surface profile extending laterally to one side, as well as a second handle terminating in a correspondingly angled beak. The arrangement of the pad and beak are such that, upon setting in position at the desired molar and the cheek and concurrently placing the pointed beak on the lingual side of the outward rotating force is then exerted on the handles to or rotate the pad and beak such that the molar is forcibly extracted. The forceps is manufactured using medical grade steel. However, the shape of the forceps may be not efficient to extract the molar without crushing the tooth.
[0013] The Patent Application “CN202875496U” titled “Forceps for impacted mandibular third molar” relates to a forceps for extraction of mandibular third molar comprising a mouth of the forceps, a joint and handles of the forceps and each handle of the forceps comprises a forceps mouth part, a joint part and a handle part. The forceps mouth part has a length of 23-25mm and the gap between the first forceps mouth part and the second forceps mouth part is 8-10mm. The maximum relative clearance between a first handle part and the second handle part is 24-26mm. However, the forceps may not be useful to reach non-anatomical tooth.
[0014] It is important to know the anatomy of maxillary molar. The crown of the tooth essentially has four cusps with an additional fifth cusp seen frequently. The maxillary molar has two roots on the buccal side (facing the cheeks) and one root on the palatal (facing the palate). The palatal root is bigger and varies in individuals and thus difficult to obtain a good grip.
[0015] The state of art discloses different types of forceps for extraction of a maxillary molar. The regular forceps has a rounded end on the palatal beak, which is ideal to engage the palatal root on an anatomic tooth. However, not all teeth are anatomically similar to achieve a surface contact on the palatal root, thus sometimes when the root is slender or wider the edge of the forceps tend to have ‘one’ point contact which is not desirable.
[0016] In such scenarios, the tooth slips from round end of the forceps when force is applied during extraction. Generally, the forceps is designed to fit on an anatomic tooth but if the tooth varies from its anatomy, it fails to engage the tooth completely and slips causing injuries to the adjacent structures
[0017] Hence, there is a need for a forceps with an alternate configuration to provide better grip on the palatal root during the extraction.
[0018] The ‘cow horn’ forceps has one pointed end on the buccal beak and two pointed ends on the palatal beak similar to the horns of a cow. It is used for extraction of grossly decayed teeth. These forceps are held in a position different from the regular forceps. The regular forceps are held just below of the cemento-enamel junction (CEJ) over the root, where as a cow horn forceps is designed to grab the tooth at a much lower position which could lead to bone destruction while attempting to remove the tooth. The buccal single point end engages the furcation of the buccal root and the palatal beak encounters a two point contact on the palatal root. But since the design of the forceps is in such a way that it has to be held below the CEJ, it has a very high tendency of crushing the bone surrounding the tooth leading to a traumatic experience for the patient which in turn delays healing.
[0019] Hence, there is a need for a forceps with an alternate configuration to prevent the destruction of bone and adjacent structures along with a surface/tripod contact.
[0020] With the above two designs and their disadvantages, the need for a new design of forceps is necessary and hence explained here after.
[0021] Summary of the invention
[0022] The present invention provides a forceps for extraction of maxillary molar with a unique palatal beak shape with a surface contact or at least a two point contact on the palatal tooth root while retaining the conventional form on the buccal aspect. This ideally creates a tripod contact on the whole tooth. The forceps comprises a pair of beaks, a neck and a handle. The unique shape of the beak provides a better grip for a clinician to extract the maxillary molar. The neck acts as linkage connecting the beak at the upper portion and the handle at the lower portion. The handle of the forceps comprises a first handle and a second handle, which are connected with each other in a staggered way at the neck.
[0023] The forceps with a rounded end on the palatal beak is feasible to engage the palatal tooth on the anatomical tooth. But it is impossible to have surface contact on all teeth. Maxillary molars specially have a higher frequency of varied root anatomy, in which case it is harder to get the ideal surface contact.
[0024] The maxillary molar comprises two roots on the buccal side and one root on the palatal side. The palatal root is bigger in size and varies with individuals, leading to difficulty in attaining grip on the tooth during extraction. The size and shape of the roots usually vary with individuals and hence it is not possible to achieve the complete fit of the forceps into the root surface.
[0025] The forceps is provided with either a surface contact or at least a two point contact on the palatal root, which provides a better grip on the palatal root of both anatomical and non-anatomical teeth. The presence of two point contact on the palatal surface holds the root to be extracted firmly irrespective of the size and shape of the tooth by the forceps thus reducing the damage to the tooth. Whereas the beak on the buccal side engages firmly at the groove between the two roots not involving the furcation (coronal to the furcation). The two point contact on the palatal surface and a one point contact on the buccal surface together give an overall tripod contact on the tooth.
[0026] These forceps are useful for extraction of maxillary molar without crushing the tooth or causing damage to the adjacent teeth. The forceps is useful for safe extraction of the damaged or intact tooth and also reduces the fatigue on the clinician during extraction.
[0027] Brief description of drawings
[0028] FIG 1 illustrates the anatomy of the maxillary molar in buccal, occlusal, palatal, distal and mesial (clockwise) views.
[0029] FIG 2 illustrates the modified maxillary molar extraction forceps.
[0030] FIG 3a illustrates the magnified view of the buccal and palatal beaks of the forceps on the tooth.
[0031] FIG 3b illustrates the magnified view of the palatal beak of the forceps on the tooth.
[0032] FIG 4 illustrates tripod contact, which is achieved with the forceps.
[0033] FIG 5 illustrates cross-sections of the root with the forceps beaks applied on the root surfaces.
[0034] Detailed description of the invention
[0035] In order to make the matter of the invention clear and concise, the following definitions are provided for specific terms used in the following description.
[0036] The term “Forceps” refers to a dental instrument used in grasping or extracting the tooth.
[0037] The term “Maxillary Molar” refers to a grinding tooth located at the upper jaw of the mouth in mammal.
[0038] The present invention provides a modified forceps with a unique beak shape, which provides a better grip for a clinician to extract the maxillary molar without damage to the adjacent structures.
[0039] The extraction of tooth is challenging as all teeth are not anatomically similar. The regular forceps with a rounded end on the palatal beak is feasible to engage the palatal tooth on the anatomical tooth. Hence, the regular forceps usually with one point contact on the tooth is not feasible in case of extraction of non-anatomical tooth.
[0040] FIG 1 illustrates the anatomy of a maxillary molar from buccal, occlusal, palatal, distal and mesial (clockwise) views. The maxillary molar comprises two roots on the buccal side and one root on the palatal side of the tooth. The morphology of the maxillary molar is atypical as it is characterized by two buccal roots with two canals and widely separated orifices and canals. The palatal root is long and slender. It is bigger in size and varies with individuals, leading to difficulty in attaining grip on the tooth during extraction.
[0041] In order to achieve the complete extraction of the tooth without damaging the adjacent structures or crushing the tooth itself, the whole portion of the inner surface of the forceps blade should fit into the root surface. As the size and shape of the roots vary with individuals, it is not possible to achieve the complete fit into the root surface and hence the root is gripped by the edges of the blades.
[0042] FIG 2 illustrates the modified maxillary molar extraction forceps. The forceps (100) comprises a beak (101), a handle (102) and a neck (103). The beak (101) further comprises two types of grips namely palatal grip (101a) and a buccal grip (101b). The palatal grip (101a) is designed in such a way to engage the palatal root. The inner surface of each of the two beaks is concave and the outer surface is convex. The beaks (101) of the forceps (100) are in such configuration to grasp the tooth with maximum contact on the surface of the root. This is achieved in case of anatomical and non-anatomical teeth. Further, the palatal grip (101a) of the forceps (100) provides surface contact or at least a two point contact on the palatal surface of the tooth root and the buccal grip (101b) of the forceps (100) engages in between the two buccal tooth roots providing a tripod contact on the whole tooth, which further increases the grip and reduces the fatigue on the clinician during extraction. The handle (102) of the forceps comprises a first handle (102a) and a second handle (102b), which are connected with each other in a staggered way at the neck (103). The neck (103) acts as linkage connecting the beak (101) at the upper portion and the handle (102) at the lower portion. The handle (102) of the forceps helps in holding the forceps (100) during dental extraction.
[0043] The forceps (100) for maxillary molar extraction is of two types namely right forceps and left forceps according to the tooth being extracted in the arch.
[0044] FIG 3a illustrates the magnified view of the buccal and palatal beaks of the forceps on the tooth. The design of the forceps in the present invention is provided with a better grip on the buccal and palatal root of both anatomical and non-anatomical teeth. The presence of a firm grip in between the buccal roots and surface contact or at least a two point contact on the palatal root holds the tooth to be extracted firmly irrespective of the size and shape of the tooth by the forceps thus reducing the damage to the tooth or to the adjacent structures and also reduces the fatigue on the clinician during extraction.
[0045] FIG 3b illustrates the magnified view of the palatal beak of the forceps on the tooth. The presence of surface contact or at least a two point contact on the palatal surface provides tripod contact, which holds the tooth to be extracted firmly irrespective of the size and shape of the tooth by the forceps thus reducing the damage to the tooth or to the adjacent structures and also reduces the fatigue on the clinician during extraction.
[0046] FIG 4 illustrates tripod contact, which is achieved with the forceps. FIG 4a illustrates the cross-section of the maxillary first molar just below the cemento-enamel junction. FIG 4b illustrates the cross section (401) of maxillary first molar just below the cemento-enamel junction. The one point contact (402) is seen in between the buccal roots (404) and surface contact or at least a two point contact (403) is seen on palatal root (405), which provides an overall tripod contact (406) that is required to stabilize the tooth while extraction. The tripod contact achieved by the forceps of the present invention provide accurate grip during extraction.
[0047] FIG 5 illustrates cross-sections of the root with the forceps beaks applied on the root surfaces. FIG 5a illustrates the surface contact of the forceps beaks on the root surface. FIG 5b illustrates the two point contact on the root surface. FIG 5c illustrates the one point contact on the root surface. Ideally, the whole of the inner surface of the forceps beaks should fit the root surface. However, in practice, the size and shape of the roots vary so greatly that it is not possible to achieve the same and the root is gripped by the edges of the beaks, ‘two point contact’. A single linear contact ‘one point contact’ between the roots and the forceps results in crushing while gripping the tooth. The forceps of the present invention focuses on surface contact or at least the two point contact on the palatal root of the tooth surface thus providing a better grip during extraction.

[0048] The simultaneous two point and one point contact constituting the tripod contact provides accurate grip for the forceps during extraction with damaging the adjacent tissues.
[0049] These forceps are useful for the extraction of maxillary molars. The forceps results in extraction of tooth, which causes less trauma or damage to the surrounding gum tissues and bones. The proper extraction using forceps results in low risk of tooth root displacement into the maxillary sinus. The safe extraction is also associated with bone preservation leading to improved prosthetic replacements.