Dental handpiece having an optical fiberscope

Claim 1

A dental handpiece for connection to a dental unit, comprising: a handle portion having a power head assembly integrally supported on the front end of said handle portion, said power head assembly having therein an air turbine for driving a dental tool; a base cylindrical member located in the cylindrical hollow interior of said handle portion, said base cylindrical member having a first axial central passage with a fiberscope therein, a second side passage for supplying air under pressure to said air turbine, a third side passage for supplying water to the dental tool and a fourth passage for exhaust of air from said air turbine, the rear end of said fiberscope projecting slightly out of the rear end portion of said first central passage, each of said second, third and fourth passages extending parallel to said axial central passage and being equally peripherally spaced therearound; a middle connecting means having an outer cylindrical member and an inner cylindrical member which is integrally fitted into said outer cylindrical member, said inner cylindrical member having a large diameter front hollow portion fitting into said handle portion around said base cylindrical member in fluid tight engagement therewith and a small diameter rear hollow portion into which the rear end of said base cylindrical member extends, three further side passages extending parallel to the axis of said cylindrical members in peripheral positions corresponding to the peripheral positions of said three side passages in said base cylindrical member and being in fluid communication with said three side passages, and releasable locking means engaging said base cylindrical member for locking said middle connecting means to said handle portion; and a rear connecting means having a first axial central passage, a still further second side passage for supplying air under pressure, a still further third side passage for supplying water, and a still further fourth side passage for exhaust, said still further passages being aligned with corresponding ones of said further side passages in said middle connecting means, a stop element projecting radially from the outer periphery of said rear connecting means, a jack in said central passage, a lampholder and a lamp inserted into said jack, said lamp projecting into the rear hollow portion of said middle connecting means adjacent the end of said fiberscope, and a cap having internal threads and rotatably mounted around the outer periphery of said rear connecting means over said stop and threadedly engaged with the rear end of said middle connecting means for firmly attaching said rear connecting means to said middle connecting means.