Dentistry – Method or material for testing – treating – restoring – or... – Cleaning
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-21
2001-11-13
Lucchesi, Nicholas D. (Department: 3732)
Dentistry
Method or material for testing, treating, restoring, or...
Cleaning
C433S116000, C433S088000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06315565
ABSTRACT:
The invention relates to tooth cleaning method and apparatus using abrasive powders. The invention provides a method and apparatus of tooth cleaning using abrasive powders applied to tooth surface within a flexible guard (or shield). A powder containing spray is readily applied directly to the entire surface area of the tooth enclosed by the guard by angularly displacing the nozzle from the central axis of the guard. The shield forms a vacuum chamber with a tooth outer surface, and the nozzle either pivots within the nozzle channel of the shield or bending the channel to direct spray to all areas of the tooth enclosed by the shield.
The invention enables the nozzle to be oriented at various angles with respect to the tooth surface while the flexible rubber shielding maintains a peripheral engagement with the surface.
During use prior art nozzle shields loose engagement of the shield to the tooth surface at the peripheral edge of the shield. The invention allows the user to move the nozzle by bending the nozzle channel while the shield retains a fluid tight seal with the tooth outer surface.
The invention reduces user strain by reducing the bending of the wrist required to keep shield in engagement with tooth. The clinician preferably swivels or rotates the nozzle using a fulcrum. The user may sit in an ergonomically correct body position and hand position. This aids in preventing hyper-extending the wrist and over-rotating the shoulder to maintain shield adaptation.
Harrel in International application WO 96/12447 discloses a method and apparatus for removing abrasive powders. Harrel in U.S. Pat. No. 5,378,150 discloses methods and apparatus for controlling the aerosol envelope generated by ultrasonic devices. Coster U.S. Pat. No. 5,197,876 discloses a splatter guard for air polishing devices. Wright et al in U.S. Pat. No. 4,850,868 disclosed a spray shield.
The invention overcomes remove the problems of the prior art.
It is the object of the invention to provide a method of cleaning a tooth by providing a tooth cleaning device having a nozzle extending through a protective shield having a flexible conical cleaning chamber wall, a nozzle channel and a suction channel in fluid flow communication with a cleaning chamber enclosed by the cleaning chamber wall. The nozzle channel has a central generally cylindrical wall portion and an outer end portions formed by generally conical walls. Positioning the protective shield against an outer surface of a tooth and drawing vacuum (pressure less than the pressure of the adjacent atmosphere) in the cleaning chamber a seal is formed. By pivotally directing the nozzle so that the central axis of the nozzle forms angles to the central axis of the cylindrical portion of the nozzle channel without substantially bending the shield whereby substantially the entire outer surface of the tooth enclosed by the protective shield is effectively cleaned.
It is an object of the invention to provide a method of cleaning teeth by providing a flexible plastic shield having a nozzle channel therethrough and a rigid nozzle extending through the nozzle channel. The entire area within the shield is cleaned by positioning the flexible protective shield against a tooth surface reducing the pressure within the chamber formed by the flexible protective shield and the tooth surface to a pressure below the pressure of the adjacent atmosphere bending the nozzle channel by pressing the nozzle against opposite sides of the nozzle channel and maintaining a fluid tight seal at the perimeter of the protective shield.
Tooth cleaning as used herein refers to removal of debris from at least one outer surface of a tooth in a patient's mouth by spraying fluidized powder against the surface(s).
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Hoube Allen G.
Paschke Richard H.
Schuman Robert J.
Slotke Noel
Bieber James B.
Dentsply Research & Development Corp.
Lovercheck Dale R.
Lucchesi Nicholas D.
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