The Convenience of Dental Disposable Mirrors

In dental practices, mirrors have been an indispensable tool for ensuring a clear and precise view of a patient's mouth during a dental procedure. They also allow a dentist or other dental professional to retract tongues and tissues in order to better see the working site without impinging on the tissue or pinching the lip.

Typically, dental mirrors comprise a stainless handle having a mirror affixed at an angle on the handle's end. These mirrors are costly to manufacture, have a high tendency to fog up, and require sterilization between patients via chemical or thermal processes.

The present invention provides a new and useful design for a disposable dental mirror. The new design consists of a long, thin, flat blade having at one end thereof a reflecting film applied to its top surface.

A plastic base is adapted to hold the mirror on a front surface of the base and has attachment means on the back surface thereof to removably connect the base with a conventional dental mirror handle, the attachment means essentially comprising a receiving aperture integrally formed with the base such that the stem may be inserted into the receiving aperture until the base firmly frictionally attaches to the stem.

The plastic base flexes to accommodate the stem and prevents the mirror from being pressed too far downward on the handle when in use, reducing fatigue and wear. The plastic base may be molded from polypropylene or other materials, and the reflector can be fabricated directly on the plastic base. Alternatively, the plastic base and reflector may be molded from a single piece of material to reduce distortion.