Dental x-ray film holders

Claim 1

An instrument for holding and positioning intra-oral dental X-ray film packets for all anterior, posterior and bitewing views comprising: an essentially triangular bite platform having two straight edges forming a right angle and a third curved edge, said bite platform having an upper and a lower biting surface for engagement by upper and lower posterior teeth simultaneously; slotted film holding means formed by perpendicularly projecting sidewalls at one straight edge of said bite platform, extending above and below the bite platform surfaces, forming two adjacent `U` shaped slots diametrically opposed to each other so as to provide slotted means for holding a dental X-ray film packet at right angles to either the upper or the lower bite platform surface when taking posterior periapical views; a relatively long straight narrow extension joining the triangular bite platform at its curved edge side, in a direction perpendicular to the film holding slots, forming a `T` shaped intersection, said long narrow extension providing means for aligning an X-ray beam source at right angles to the X-ray film packet as it is held in place by the slot of the upper bite surface or as it is held in the slot of the lower bite surface a relatively short straight narrow extension forming a right angle with the `T` shaped intersection and projecting in a direction 180° opposite to the direction of the X-ray beam alignment extension, said short straight narrow extension forming a bite platform having flat upper and lower biting surfaces suitable for engagement by upper and lower posterior teeth simultaneously; and a `U` shaped X-ray film holding means joined to the end of said short straight narrow extension, said `U` shaped means being formed by sidewalls perpendicular to the biting surface of the extension, thereby providing a `U` shaped slot by which an X-ray film packet can be held at right angles to the X-ray beam alignment extension when the upper and lower posterior teeth engage the biting surfaces of the short straight narrow extension when bitewing views are taken.