Surgery: light – thermal – and electrical application – Light – thermal – and electrical application – Light application
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-25
2002-03-19
Gibson, Roy (Department: 3739)
Surgery: light, thermal, and electrical application
Light, thermal, and electrical application
Light application
C606S013000, C607S117000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06358272
ABSTRACT:
The present invention relates in general to therapy apparatuses with a laser irradiation device. In particular, the invention relates to an oral hygiene apparatus, an apparatus for therapy of rhinitis and acne, an apparatus for the stimulation of testosterone in the scrotum, an inner-ear-disorder treatment apparatus for therapy of a chronic complex inner-ear disorder, an apparatus for stimulating the central nervous system, an apparatus for therapy and prophylaxis of decubitus, as well as an apparatus for biostimulation of plants.
The oral hygiene apparatuses developed further by the invention are preferably such apparatuses which have a handle that is equipped with a mouthpiece which can be inserted into the mouth, with an oral hygiene device being located at its mouth-side end. Pursuant to a further development of the invention, it preferably covers such oral hygiene apparatuses that are electrically operated. Such an electrically operated oral hygiene apparatus is preferably a water pick or also an electric toothbrush. The advantages of oral hygiene apparatuses operated in such a way, with regard to keeping the teeth clean and/or massaging the gums, are sufficiently known and therefore will not be discussed further here.
In dental practices, so-called “low-level laser irradiation apparatuses” have been increasingly in use; their purpose of use is particularly the therapy and prophylaxis of periodontia, as well as the therapy and prophylaxis of stomatitis aphtosa, of herpes diseases of the lips (herpes labialis), and of the mucosa of the mouth, as well as of acne. The prefix “low-level” (“low level”) for such therapeutic laser irradiation apparatuses was coined because the output, i.e. the dosage of the laser beam given off is dimensioned so that it causes no thermal effect of any kind on the body part that it impacts, in other words particularly the gums.
There are already numerous scientific publications in which the biological and therapeutic effects of coherent light with a suitable wavelength on living tissue have been studied. In many of these publications, a stimulating effect on cell metabolism has been described. A significant effect of coherent light seems to lie particularly in the fact that it stimulates mitochondrial adenosine triphosphate synthesis (“ATP synthesis”). In contrast, no cell-damaging effects of coherent light have been observed as yet, as long as its intensity, i.e. energy content is not selected at too high a level, so that the living tissue obviously cannot be damaged by such a therapeutic irradiation.
In spite of the acknowledged good therapeutic efficacy of such a low-level laser irradiation apparatus, its broader use in gum treatment has been limited by the fact that until now, such apparatuses have been available only in dental practices. Such therapy can therefore only be performed by a dentist. Since the therapeutic efficacy requires a relatively long period of treatment in many cases, the use of such low-level laser irradiation apparatuses is relatively cumbersome for most patients, so that their broader use is also limited in this regard.
The invention is based on the task of creating an oral hygiene apparatus with which therapeutic effects can be achieved.
This task is accomplished, according to the invention, with the measure indicated in the characterizing section of claim 1.
The core idea of the present invention can therefore be seen in a combination of a conventional oral hygiene apparatus and a low-level laser irradiation apparatus, where this low-level laser irradiation apparatus is arranged in the oral hygiene apparatus in such a way that the laser beam it generates can be projected into the mouth via the mouthpiece. The oral hygiene apparatus according to the invention therefore represents a combination apparatus, which not only allows conventional oral hygiene but also therapeutic treatment of the gums and the like. Such a combination apparatus can be structured both in such a way that a low-level laser irradiation apparatus according to the invention is fixed in place in a conventional oral hygiene apparatus, and in such a way that the low-level laser irradiation apparatus (for example in the form of a laser pen) is releasably attached to the oral hygiene apparatus.
In addition to the undisputed advantage that cumbersome visits to the dentist can be avoided with the combination apparatus according to the invention, this has the further advantage that the therapeutic treatment can take place significantly more often and also more regularly, so that it can be expected that the efficacy can actually be improved as compared to the laser irradiation apparatuses installed in dental practices. Because of the frequent use of the oral hygiene apparatus according to the invention, good therapeutic effects can be expected even if a low output of only 1 to 5 mW (laser class IIIA) is selected for the laser beam, for safety reasons.
The low-level laser irradiation apparatus provided according to the invention can be housed, for example, in the handle of the oral hygiene apparatus, where the laser beam it generates is passed through the mouthpiece via a light-guide device, and exits from the mouthpiece via a lens provided at its mouth-side end. Since a compact diode laser is preferably used to generate the laser beam, the total dimensions of the oral hygiene apparatus are hardly increased at all as compared with a conventional oral hygiene apparatus, particularly since the electrical energy supply can be provided via the supply that is installed in the oral hygiene apparatus for the oral hygiene device, such as a water pick or an electric toothbrush, in any case. In the case of a laser irradiation apparatus which is structured as a separate laser pen, the energy supply can be provided via a common charging station, for example in the form of a rechargeable battery stand.
The lens which projects the laser beam is preferably arranged at the mouth-side end of the mouthpiece, in such a way that the laser beam is essentially directed at the gums when the apparatus is used. Since the position of the mouthpiece when using a water pick or an electric toothbrush is essentially defined, the selection of a suitable position of the lens does not present any problems for practical situations. In order to ensure in every case that broad regions of the gums are impacted by the laser beam, it might be possible to transmit the laser beam via several lenses and/or to use a lens with a broad fan effect.
The oral hygiene apparatus according to the invention is particularly used by untrained persons, in its intended use. Improper handling of the oral hygiene apparatus can therefore particularly lead to problems if the output of the laser beam is higher than 5 mW, for example, and if the person in question aims the laser beam at particularly sensitive parts of the body, such as the eye. In order to preclude such risks, it would be possible either to limit the output to non-dangerous values right from the start, or to provide a sensor which detects whether or not the mouth-side end of the mouthpiece, i.e. the lens is located in the mouth; if the sensor detects that this is not the case, the low-level laser irradiation apparatus is automatically switched off by a corresponding control device, so that parts of the body located outside of the mouth cavity cannot be endangered in any case.
Acute or chronic as well as allergic rhinitis is one of the most frequent and also one of the more unpleasant illnesses of the nasal mucosa. If no measures for treatment are taken, cold symptoms are at least connected with a high consumption of handkerchiefs/tissues, which is both expensive and unhygienic. The treatment methods known until now, in the form of administration of medication or the like, have the disadvantage, on the other hand, that the accompanying side effects, such as excessive drying out of the mucosa, are very problematic from a medical point of view, so that the use of such medications is advised against in many cases.
In the practices of ORL physicians, apparat
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