Abstract:
Composition and methods include a dental bleaching agent, potassium nitrate a fluoride salt for enhanced whitening and reduced tooth sensitivity. The potassium nitrate and fluoride salt both reduce or eliminate tooth sensitivity that may otherwise be caused by the bleaching agent. For prolonged treatment of teeth, lower quantities of potassium nitrate (e.g., 0.5%) have actually been found to work better than larger quantities (e.g., 3%). The dental compositions may be applied directly to the person's teeth, or they may be loaded into a comfortable fitting, flexible, thin-walled dental tray and placed over the person's teeth. In that case, the dental compositions will include a tackifying agent, such as carboxypolymethylene, which assists the composition in retaining the dental tray over the person's teeth as a result of the adhesive properties of the dental composition rather than due to mechanical interlocking of the tray over the person's teeth. The dental compositions may further include anticariogenic and antimicrobial agents.
Abstract:
A dental treatment tray used to provide a desired treatment is injection molded from a composition that includes at least one thermoplastic resin and at least plasticizer. The plasticized thermoplastic resin permits the dental treatment tray to be injection molded even while having a wall thickness less than about 0.015 inch. The plasticizer increases the melt flow index of the thermoplastic resin while in a molten state, which facilitates complete filling of the mold cavity by the thermoplastic resin. The plasticizer also softens the thermoplastic polymer while in a solidified state in order to yield a dental tray that is even more flexible and comfortable for the user to wear.
Abstract:
Dental instruments and appliances made from a super-flexible alloy, which includes atoms from the group IVB and group VB transition metals and oxygen have superior strength and flexibility. The metal alloys are cold worked to increase the tensile strength of the dental instruments and appliances. Cold working the metal also increases the flexibility of the dental instruments and appliances. In one particular example a super-elastic endodontic file is described.
Abstract:
A flexible protective cover cushions the impact of a rigid light emitting device when placed in contact with a patient's teeth or a dental appliance. The protective cover includes a base configured to attach to a rigid light emitting device, and a flexible translucent body. The body includes a first and second end. Light from the light emitting device enters the cover through the first end and exits through the second end. The flexible cover may be made of polyurethane, silicone, flexible polyethylene, or another elastomer.
Abstract:
A dental curing light including an elongate wand having a proximal end and a distal end, a plurality of LEDs disposed at or near a distal end of the elongate wand and a printed circuit board for mounting the plurality of LEDs. The LEDs include a main through mount LED and a plurality of surface mount LEDs positioned around the main through mount LED. The main LED is through mounted relative to the printed circuit board such that the power connections of the main through mount LED are made through a hole or holes in the printed circuit board. The power connections of the main through mount LED are made on an opposite surface of the printed circuit board relative to the “top” surface to which the surface mount LEDs are mounted.
Abstract:
A non-custom, tray-shaped dental treatment device includes a moisture-resistant barrier layer having a front side wall and a bottom wall, and a dental treatment composition. In addition, the tray-shaped dental treatment device includes at least one of the following anatomical features to enhance the fit of the device: (1) the bottom wall includes a plurality of cuts positioned to help the bottom wall better conform to abrupt changes in the diameters of a person's teeth where the bicuspids and canines meet, and/or (2) the bottom wall includes at least one V-shaped or U-shaped indentation configured to be inserted into the depression typically found along the top surfaces of a person's molars, and/or (3) the front side wall and bottom wall include radii of curvature that account for typical flaring of a patient's incisors.
Abstract:
Gingival retraction cords are constructed from two or more strands that are interlocked to form a knitted, braided, woven, or twisted retraction cord. At least one strand is made from an absorbent material and another strand is made from a degradation-resistant material, such as nylon, polyester, fiberglass, or metal. The absorbent strands are impregnated with an active agent. The degradation-resistant strands resist degradation by the active agent. Alternatively, one or more strands are used to make the knit, weave, or braid and each strand is made from two or more different fibers. For example, one or more absorbent fibers and one or more synthetic fibers can be twisted to make a blended strand. The blended strands can be used to knit, braid, or weave a retraction cord. Because the degradation-resistant strands are part of the strand pattern, the retraction cords can be made sturdier without adversely affecting the cord's inherent deformation properties.
Abstract:
Dental bleaching methods and kits employ a dental bleaching composition, a protective composition and a barrier layer. The dental bleaching composition is positioned so as to contact a person's tooth surfaces. The protective composition is positioned so as to shield a person's gingival tissue from the bleaching composition during tooth bleaching. The barrier layer protects at least the bleaching composition from saliva and/or mechanical forces during tooth bleaching. The dental bleaching composition and protective composition can be in the form of a sticky and viscous gel. The protective composition may alternatively be a flexible polymerizable material. The barrier layer may be a substantially flat sheet, strip or patch, or it may comprise a dental tray.
Abstract:
A kit that may be used to place a dental bracket and a medicament-releasing pellet in the mouth of a patient, and methods for using such kits. The pellet is designed to provide slow release of fluoride or another medicament over a desired period of time. The kit includes a medicament-releasing pellet, a dental bracket, and a placement device. The dental bracket comprises a base and a socket. The bracket may be installed by a dental practitioner and may remain attached to the patient's tooth for up to 20 years. The placement device aids the dental practitioner in placing the bracket on a patient's tooth.
Abstract:
A placement device for placing a dental bracket designed to receive a medicament-releasing pellet onto a tooth of a patient. According to one embodiment, the placement device includes a body and a protrusion disposed on the body. The protrusion is sized and configured so as to releasably attach to the socket of a dental bracket used to receive and retain a medicament-releasing pellet. The protrusion may be male, or alternatively, may include a female cavity designed to receive a socket of a dental bracket.