Dentistry – Method or material for testing – treating – restoring – or...
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-03
2001-09-18
Lucchesi, Nicholas D. (Department: 3732)
Dentistry
Method or material for testing, treating, restoring, or...
C433S216000, C433S226000, C433S088000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06290502
ABSTRACT:
The invention relates to a method, a device and a medium for the removal of caries in a cavity.
A conventional measure for removing caries consists in that they are removed by machining, e.g. with rotating or oscillating tools, which are held by means of a shaft in a handpiece and in functional operation are moved against the site to be worked. When the caries are deeply lying, this measure is problematic for many reasons. On the one hand it requires a large access opening in order to make it possible for the dentist to have a view into the cavity, so that he is able to determine where caries are located and whether the caries have been completely removed. This is difficult to check visually, and therefore there remains the danger that the caries are insufficiently removed or that healthy tooth substance is removed. Further, the caries may have bizarre spatial forms, so that it is necessary also the remove neighbouring healthy zones or tooth substance with the tool, in order to be able to completely remove the caries.
The above-described disadvantages are then even more grave when a deeply lying caries is enlarged in the tooth and has only a small access opening which is surrounded by healthy tooth tissues. With the known measures for the removal of caries, in addition to the above-mentioned disadvantages, it is necessary to create a sufficiently large access opening, whereby further healthy tooth substance is destroyed.
Although proposals have already been made to remove caries by means of a liquid or gel-like medium, which contains a substance which dissolves caries, these media are insufficient in their effect. Thereby it is to taken into account that the removal of caries should take place in one treatment session, in order to be economic.
The object of the invention is to find a method and a device of the kinds concerned which make it possible to purposively work surface regions.
With the method in accordance with the invention, a medium is employed which contains a substance which dissolves caries and/or contains solid particles, which is introduced into the cavity and which is acted upon with oscillations by means of an oscillation part placed into the medium located in the cavity. Hereby, the effectiveness of the medium is improved in many respects. On the one hand, the penetration of the medium into the cavity and also into small crevices is improved, so that it is also brought to poorly accessible locations of a cavity and can be effective. On the other hand, by means of the oscillations, the effectiveness of the medium is improved and intensified. This applies both for the alternative in which the medium contains a caries-dissolving substance and also for the alternative in which the medium contains solid particles. In the first case, the improved effectiveness is the result of the effectiveness of the caries-dissolving substance being improved by means of the oscillation. In the second case, the solid particles are accelerated by means of the oscillations, whereby the transfer of oscillations extends up to the periphery of the medium, due to the mass of the medium, and the particles located there impact against the wall of the tooth bounding the cavity and remove in particular the tissue infected with caries, which is softer than healthy tissue. The removal effect at healthy tissue, which is harder, is only very slight. This is advantageous because the healthy tissue should be conserved.
The above-described method is suitable both in a closed system, in which the cavity is covered over, and also in an open system, in which the cavity is not covered. The latter is particularly advantageous because a very simple method is involved in which there is no need to provide for a cover, which is naturally linked with a corresponding outlay of effort. In any event, the open system is intended for such treatment situations in which the cavity is open at the upper side. It is naturally also possible to use this method in a closed system, in which the opening of the cavity or access cavity is closed.
Another embodiment of the method according to the invention is intended for a closed system. With this method, the desired improvement of the effectiveness of the medium is achieved in that the medium is supplied to the cavity continuously, at least for periods, e.g. in flowing movement. This leads to a more intensified exchange of the medium at the wall of the cavity and to an improvement of the performance of the medium because effective substance is continuously brought to the wall and to the caries. Further, by means of the flow, the contact between the medium and the cavity wall is improved. This applies in particular for the alternative in which the medium contains hard particles instead of a caries-dissolving substance, which particles are capable of removing the relatively soft tissue, infected with caries, due to the flow. As with the above-described method, the healthy tissue is also conserved with this method.
With both methods in accordance with the invention a particular advantage is to be seen in that the improved effectiveness is attained independently of the shape and size of the cavity, whereby in substance only the tissue infected with caries is removed, whilst the healthy tissue is retained. This is achieved in that the flowable, liquid or pasty medium is shape independent and can therefore also penetrate into bizarre and constricted cavity shapes and carry out effective material removal, without neighbouring regions of healthy tooth substance simultaneously being removed, as is the case with the state of the art.
Some features of the invention improve the effectiveness of the medium. In the first case in that the particles are abrasive at their outer surfaces and in the second case in that the particles, due to their mutual contacting, directly transfer to one another the oscillations and the mass forces brought about thereby, so that the particles located at the periphery are effective.
The above-described advantages apply also for the devices in accordance with the invention, which are distinguished by a simple and functional construction, which make possible in a simple manner a covering or sealing of the cavity and make possible an economic removal of the caries and also an advantageous accessability and manipulability also at inaccessible sites in the mouth.
The above-described advantages apply also for the medium in accordance with the invention, which is suitable for mechanically removing body tissue, in particular caries. For this purpose, the medium in the cavity is to be set in movement so that the solid particles contained therein achieve frictional contact or impact contact with the wall of the cavity and thereby remove the body tissue, in particular caries. The movement may be realized in that the medium is set into oscillation or into flow.
The medium can be improved in that a caries-dissolving substance is mixed in. By these means, the medium is not only mechanically but also chemically effective, whereby the chemical effectiveness is independent of the flow and is also effective with non-flowing medium. By means of the flow, however, also the chemical effectiveness is promoted.
A further improvement of the medium is then attained when the particles are abrasive. This can be achieved through particles which are of an abrasive material or which have at their surface an abrasive material, e.g. are occupied or coated with abrasive grains.
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International Search Report for PCT/EP99/03884 dated Dec. 12, 1999.
Kaltenbach & Voigt GmbH & Co.
Lucchesi Nicholas D.
Marshall O'Toole Gerstein Murray & Borun
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