Dental handpiece

Claim 2

In a dental handpiece having a head formed of two housing halves having abutting planar surfaces defining a central plane and means removably securing said housing halves together, the improvement comprising: each housing half having a generally cylindrical cavity, opening to said central plane and opposed to the cavity in the other housing half to define therewith a cylindrical chamber; each of said cavities having a cylindrical recess in the bottom thereof, of less diameter than said cavities, the outermost portions of said cavities and recesses lying in the surface of an imaginary sphere and the outer surfaces of said housing halves being configured to define a sphere concentric to said imaginary sphere and of only slightly larger diameter; an antifriction bearing seated in each recess; a generally cylindrical turbine rotor in said cylindrical chamber and jourNalled in said bearings; and duct means for directing operating fluid into said chamber and onto said rotor, said duct means being provided by a groove extending along at least one of said planar surfaces to said chamber.

Claim 3

A dental handpiece comprising a first head housing terminating in a plane and having a first cavity therein, a second head housing terminating in a plane and having a second cavity therein, means for securing said first and second head housings together with said plane terminations together and said cavities in communication, a first shaft bearing in said first head housing, a second shaft bearing in said second head housing, a shaft mounted in said bearings for rotation about an axis and extending through said first and second cavities, a turbine wheel mounted on said shaft between said bearings, means for supplying said turbine wheel with operating air including a duct with one half formed in said first head housing and open to said plane and the other half formed in said second head housing and terminating in said plane, and means on said shaft for receiving a dental burr, shank extensions on said head housings, a tubular handle at one end fixed onto said shank extensions, and a swivel connector mounted in the other end of said tubular handle and rotatable with respect to said handle.

Claim 4

A dental handpiece comprising a first head housing terminating in a plane and having a first cavity therein, a second head housing terminating in a plane and having a second cavity therein, means for securing said first and second head housings together with said plane terminations together and said cavities in communication, a first shaft bearing in said first head housing, a second shaft bearing in said second head housing, a shaft mounted in said bearings for rotation about an axis and extending through said first and second cavities, a turbine wheel mounted on said shaft between said bearings, means for supplying said turbine wheel with operating air including a duct with one half formed in said first head housing and open to said plane and the other half formed in said second head housing and terminating in said plane, and means on said shaft for receiving a dental burr, shank extensions on said head housings, a tubular handle at one end fixed onto said shank extensions, and a swivel connector mounted in the other end of said tubular handle and rotatable with respect to said handle.

Claim 5

A dental handpiece as in claim 2 including means forming an air supplying conduit in said swivel connector, and a flexible tube within said tubular handle connecting said air supply conduit to said means for supplying said turbine wheel with operating air and adapted to be flexed when said swivel connector is rotated with respect to said handle.