dental needles

Self-sheathing dental needle

A self-sheathing dental needle includes a finger grip slideably mounted to a syringe body and a plunger to expel a fluid medicament from the syringe body. The finger grip is formed with a tang that is positioned near the distal end of the syringe body when the finger grip is fully advanced in the distal direction. A needle cartridge is provided having a needle mounted in a needle holder, a sheath slideably mounted to the needle holder, and a lock body for locking the sheath in position over the distal end of the needle. When the cartridge is attached to the syringe body and aligned, the lock body can be reconfigured to release the sheath for movement relative to the needle. Specifically, the finger grip can be translated to cause the tang to engage the lock body, release the sheath, and expose the distal end of the needle.

Dental needle with stick resistant protective sleeve

A protective device for a dental needle is disclosed. The device comprises a generally cylindrical sleeve having therein a sliding hub assembly adapted to receive a dental syringe having a cannula with distal and proximal ends and generally rectangular openings in the walls thereof. The hub assembly includes locking means extending through the generally rectangular openings to retain the syringe in a retracted position. The sleeve extends over and covers both the distal and proximal ends of the cannula when the sleeve is in a retracted position so as to protect the dental health professional from contact with the needle.