X-Ray Film Holder

This invention relates to an x-ray film holder for intra-oral photographing, comprising a holder head with three slots intended to hold films in different positions and to be inserted in the mouth-cavity of the patient with a film in any of the said slots, and a handle comprising at least a substantially flat bite portion.

There are available many strong and good holders for so called bitewing pictures, i.e. pictures of the type where crowns as well as the border portion of the bone in both the upper jaw and the lower jaw are visible at the same time on the developed picture, and also for so called apical pictures, i.e. pictures of the type where crowns as well as the border portion and that the jaw-bone in one jaw are visible on the developed picture. However, there are no quite good holders available for so called upright bite-wing pictures, and above all there does not exist any holders which can firmly hold films for all the three conventional types of intra-oral x-ray pictures. It is particularly a drawback that it does not exist any very good holders for so called upright bite-wing pictures, since such pictures often are required in order to make correct diagnosis of the degree of parodontose or parodontite which a patient possibly may suffer from, and it is for this purpose necessary to be able to see the position of the border of the bone in relation to the length of the tooth. As far as the expression " bite-wing" is concerned, the expression possibly emanates from the fact that in the past there were used films which were mounted on a folded strip of paper, wherein the patient bit about a paper wing, while today the expression "bite-wing" relates to the final picture, i.e. a film on which the crowns of the teeth and the border of the bone are visible at the same time in both the jaws. It is the latter meaning that shall be interpreted in the expression "bite-wing" in this text.

The purpose of the invention is to solve the above mentioned problems by offering a new, improved x-ray film holder. The holder shall in the first place be able to be used for the type of film that is normally used for intra-oral x-ray photographing, i.e. a film which for time being normally has a breadth of 41 mm and a height of 31 mm, but the holder shall advantageously also be applicable for so called children's film which has smaller dimensions; for the time being the size 35.times.22 mm. These and other objects can be achieved therein that the invention is characterized of what is stated in the appending patent claims. Further characteristic features and aspects of the invention will be apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment.

In the following description of a preferred embodiment, reference will be made to the accompanying drawings, in which

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a holder according to the preferred embodiment,

FIG. 2A is an end-view of the holder with an x-ray film mounted for so called bite-wing exposure,

FIG. 2B shows the same end-view with an x-ray film mounted for so called upright bite-wing exposure and

FIG. 2C shows the same end-view with an x-ray film mounted for apical exposure.

The holder shown in FIG. 1 consists of a handle 1 and a holder head 2. At least the portion 3 of the handle which is adjacent to the head 2 is flat. The holder 2 exhibits an inner end wall 4 which extends at right angle downwards (or upwards, depending on how the holder is held) from the flat portion 3, and an outer end wall 5, which is parallel with the inner end wall 4 and extends from a bottom 6 up to a level coinciding with the longitudinal center line 15 of the handle 1. The line 15 has been shown by dashed lines in FIG. 1. Further there is an inner partition wall 7 and an outer partition wall 8. The inner partition wall 7 extends from the plane of the handle down to a bottom 9, and the outer partition wall 8 extends from said bottom 9 up to at level with the center line 15 of handle 1.

Between the outer wall 5 and the outer partition wall 8 there is a first slot 10 for so called bite-wing pictures 13A. This slot 10 has a depth which corresponds exactly with half the height H, FIG. 2A, of a normal sized x-ray film, see above, provided in slot 10 for bite-wing exposure.

Between the two partition walls 7 and 8 there is a second slot 11 for so called upright bite-wing pictures 13B, the depth of this second slot 11 being exactly half the breadth B, FIG. 2B, of a normal sized x-ray film, see above, for bite-wing exposure.

Finally, between the inner wall 4 and the inner partition wall 7 there is a third slot 12 for apical pictures 14. The depth/height of this third slot 12 is 2/3 of the height H, FIG. 2C, of a normal sized x-ray film, see above, in order to support the film and prevent that it will be bent when the patient bites about the handle 1. This slot also can be used for children's film, which has somewhat smaller dimensions than normal film (usually 35.times.22 mm), see above.

When the device is to be used, a bite-wing film 13A, 13B is mounted in one of the two outer slots 10 and 11, or an apical picture film 14 is placed in the inner slot 12. The holder is held either as is shown in FIG. 1 for exposure of in the first place teeth in the lower jaw, or up and down for the exposure of substantially teeth in the upper jaw. In both cases the films 13A, 13B, and 14 and will be held firmly in all the slots and in a correct manner when the patient bites about the flat portion 3 of the handle 1.

The embodiment of the holder according to the invention may modified within the spirit and scope of the invention, as defined by the appending claims. For example the walls 4, 5 and 6 need not necessarily be "unbroken" but may advantageously also be provided with a number of minor holes or with a single large opening, which may facilitate the manufacturing through moulding. The walls thus may more or less be shaped as loops or frames.