Drug – bio-affecting and body treating compositions – Dentifrices
Reexamination Certificate
2001-08-31
2002-07-16
Gitomer, Ralph (Department: 1623)
Drug, bio-affecting and body treating compositions
Dentifrices
C424S057000, C433S216000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06419904
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to compositions for preparing or conditioning a tooth surface, i.e., enamel and/or dentin, for one or more dental procedures intended to repair, adhere to, or alter the position of, the tooth. In particular, the present invention relates to conditioning compositions that comprise an amount of oil that can be effective to alter, i.e., reduce, eliminate or improve, the sensory properties of the conditioning composition. The invention also relates to methods of utilizing the conditioning compositions to prepare a tooth surface for one or more dental procedures.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Significant advancements have been made in the field of dentistry in recent years; many in efforts to render dental procedures more comfortable for the patient. Patient comfort is not only important to the individual patient being treated, but also to the dental professional performing the treatment. Particularly in that instance when the patient is a child, a patient that is comfortable and relaxed is much less likely to move in a manner so as to make the treatment more difficult for the dental professional to perform. Additionally, a comfortable patient is more likely to take the direction of the dental professional during the treatment, and further, to adhere to any prescribed regimens post-treatment. However, although many new materials and/or procedures have been provided, or existing materials and procedures improved, that enhance patient comfort, i.e., such as improvements in anesthetic materials and the development of more comfortable tooth preparation procedures, there still exist areas within the field of dentistry in which patient comfort could be further enhanced or optimized.
Many patients visit dentists to have various materials adhered to their teeth in order to repair or replace otherwise damaged tooth tissue, to alter the position of the teeth, to provide prophylactic therapy, i.e., to aid in the prevention of decay, or in some instances, for cosmetic purposes. Such materials include oral rehabilitative materials such as inlays, crowns and bridges; oral restoration materials; orthodontic brackets; pit and fissure sealants; cosmetic materials such as veneers, and the like. In each of these, and in fact all dental applications in which materials are desirably permanently bonded to tooth structure, the integrity of the bond between the tooth and the applied material is crucial to the success of the treatment.
In order to enhance the integrity of such bonds, the surface of the tooth, and specifically, the enamel or dentin, is typically prepared in a manner that will later enhance the ability of the desired material to bond to the enamel and/or dentin. Generally, such preparation is carried out via the application of an acidic material, referred to as an etchant when the material is to be applied to enamel and as a conditioner when the material is to be applied to dentin. The materials will hereinafter collectively be referred to as “conditioners” or “conditioning components.” In the case of enamel, these materials selectively decalcify tooth substance, producing a roughened surface capable of interacting with the desired material in a mechanical manner thereby enhancing the bond strength between the roughened tooth structure and the material to be adhered. In the case of dentin, the conditioner removes the “smear layer” of dentin and an amount of hydroxyapatite, leaving exposed collagen. The desired material to be adhered is then capable of forming a “hybrid layer” with the so-exposed collagen, thereby firmly bonding the desired material to the tooth.
Although extremely effective at preparing a tooth surface to firmly and permanently bond with a dental material, many, if not most, of the conditioners used for this purpose have the undesirable quality of having an unpleasant taste, generally due to their acidic nature. This unpleasant taste can result in patient discomfort that can manifest itself in the patients noncompliance with requests or instructions, movement that can make the treatment difficult to perform, and other behavior belying emotional distress on the part of the patient.
In order to enhance the patient's experience, and in keeping with the general trend of making dentistry more acceptable for patients, it would be desirable to at least reduce or eliminate the unpleasant flavor associated with conventional conditioning materials, and would be even more desirable to provide such materials with a pleasant flavor while also beneficially imparting such materials with a pleasing aroma. That is, where the use of conventionally unpleasant tasting conditioning materials could potentially result in the patient having a negative experience, the use of such materials with a pleasant flavor and odor could greatly enhance the patient's experience. Particularly in the instance of children, the ability to choose a flavored material which they find pleasing can be a positive psychological experience that may result in better behavior during the treatment as well as the enhanced future compliance with instructions. Additionally, it is a well known concept in dentistry to increase patient compliance and interest by involving the patient in treatment decisions.
Unfortunately, there has not been provided in the field of dentistry effective conditioning materials with either no, or more preferably a pleasant, flavor and also beneficially with a pleasing aroma. Most probably this is a result of the fact that such conditioning materials desirably leave the treated tooth surface substantially free of contaminants so that effective adhesion with the desired dental material may be achieved. That is, conventional dental knowledge teaches that a clean tooth surface is required in order for a bond with sufficient integrity to be relatively permanent to be formed between the conditioned tooth surface and the desired dental material. Inasmuch as most known flavoring materials, and in particular those provided as oils, are thought to leave residue behind on the tooth that could interfere with ability of the tooth surface to bond to the dental material with the integrity required, such materials have conventionally not been added to tooth conditioning materials, and in fact, their addition to these materials has been avoided.
It would thus be desirable to provide tooth conditioning materials with either no substantial flavor, or more preferably with a pleasant flavor. Such materials would desirably substantially retain their effectiveness as tooth conditioning materials and also would preferably not result in the deposition of a contaminant on the conditioned tooth surface that would substantially interfere with the ability of the conditioned tooth surface to form a bond with a subsequently applied dental material.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is drawn to tooth conditioning compositions that comprise an amount of an essential oil. In particular, the essential oil is preferably included in the tooth conditioning compositions in an amount effective to alter the sensory properties, i.e., flavor and/or odor, of the tooth conditioning composition. It has now been surprisingly discovered that by including such an essential oil in conventional tooth conditioning compositions, that the flavor and/or odor thereof can be altered to a degree so as to be rendered pleasant, but yet the inclusion of such an oil does not substantially interfere with the ability of the conditioned tooth surface to bond with a dental material with sufficient integrity so as to be substantially permanent.
Thus, in one aspect, the present invention provides a conditioning composition for use in dentistry comprising an essential oil in an amount effective to alter one or more of the sensory properties of the conditioning composition. While not wishing to be bound by any theory, it is believed that not only do the essential oils further defined and identified hereinbelow as being suitable for use in the present invention not substantially interfere with free radic
Combe Edward C.
Warford, II John H.
Warford, III John H.
Dakota Dental Development, Inc.
Gitomer Ralph
Kagan Binder PLLC
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