DENTAL PASTE DISPENSING DEVICE AND METHOD OF USE
A dental paste dispensing device having a modified dispensing end for atraumatic contact with soft tissue is disclosed. The dispensing device includes a needle having a dispensing end with a terminal edge for dispensing the dental paste to a location in a patient mouth containing soft tissue, wherein the dispensing end includes an atraumatic modification. The modification comprises one of a non-metal coating on an outer surface of the dispensing end, a plastic tip member over the dispensing end, or a decreasing diameter at the terminal edge from a first point on the outer surface to a distal-most point of the outer surface.
Latest Kerr Corporation Patents:
This application is a divisional of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/214,933 filed Aug. 22, 2011 and entitled DENTAL PASTE DISPENSING DEVICE AND METHOD OF USE, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety as if completely set forth herein below.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThis invention relates to a dispensing device for use in delivering a paste in a dental procedure.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThe restoration of a patient's tooth or teeth often includes the replacement of natural tooth structure by a manufactured dental restoration or dental prosthesis. Typically, a tooth that is to be restored is first prepared by a dentist to remove undesired tooth substance and to provide the tooth with a shape appropriate to receive the dental restoration. The dental restoration is typically mated precisely with the remaining tooth shape prepared by the dentist on the basis of an impression of the prepared tooth. Therefore the dental impression should be very precise, and should represent all tooth structure required to determine the shape of the mating surface of the later dental restoration. In particular, the dental impression should represent the transition or the “margin” between the shape prepared in a tooth and the natural tooth shape. For dental restorations that extend below a patient's gingiva (or gums), the dentist also should make the part of the margin accessible for the dental impression that would normally be covered by the gingiva. The procedure of displacing the gingiva from the tooth to make the margin accessible is also known as “gingival retraction” in the field of dentistry.
A common gingival retraction procedure includes the insertion of a retraction cord in the gingival sulcus, which displaces the gingiva from the tooth. However, the insertion of a retraction cord is relatively time consuming and is generally perceived as being relatively inconvenient for the dentist and uncomfortable for the patient. An alternative for the retraction cord is a gingival retraction paste, which is typically a high viscosity paste that is squeezed or injected into the gingival sulcus, thereby displacing the soft gingival tissue from the tooth. The gingival retraction paste in one example is provided in a syringe or applicator that is connectable with a metal dispensing cannula or needle. The cannula or needle dispenses the paste around a tooth towards the entry of the gingival sulcus to thereby squeeze it into the gingival sulcus.
However, soft tissue in the mouth is very sensitive and trauma to the tissue can occur when a metal device makes contact. This issue may also occur in other dental procedures besides gingival retraction, where dental paste is being applied in a region containing soft tissue that may be contacted by the dispensing end of the device. There is thus a need for an improved dispensing device for providing dental paste to a region with soft tissue.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention provides a dental paste dispensing device having a modified dispensing end for atraumatic contact with soft tissue. To that end, in one embodiment, the dispensing device comprises a needle having a dispensing end with a terminal edge for dispensing the dental paste to a location in a patient mouth containing gingival tissue. The dispensing end has a decreasing diameter at the terminal edge from a first point on the outer surface to a distal-most point of the outer surface for laterally displacing the gingival tissue atramatically to permit the dental paste to be dispensed into the givigival sulcus.
In another embodiment, the dispensing device comprises a metal needle having an attachment end adapted to be attached to a capsule containing the dental paste and a dispensing end with a terminal edge for dispensing the dental paste to a location in a patient mouth containing soft tissue, wherein the dispensing end includes a modification for atraumatic contact with the soft tissue. The modification comprises one of a non-metal coating on an outer surface of the dispensing end, a plastic tip member over the dispensing end, or a decreasing diameter at the terminal edge from a first point on the outer surface to a distal-most point of the outer surface. In one embodiment, the metal needle has a dispensing end coated with a rubbery material. In another embodiment, the metal needle has a rounded or slanted terminal edge at the dispensing end. In yet another embodiment, the metal needle includes a plastic tip attached thereto having an inner channel with a flattened oval shape in a static position and a rounded shape in a dynamic position with sidewall bumps adjacent the inner channel for displacing soft tissue.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with a general description of the invention given above, and the detailed description given below, serve to explain the invention.
In accordance with embodiments of the invention, the shape, material, and/or dimensions of the needle tip of a dispensing device may help to avoid damage to soft tissue during use of the device of the invention in a patient's mouth. One use is a gingival retraction procedure in which the device dispenses dental paste into the gingival sulcus between a tooth and the gums (gingiva). The invention also may allow the dental paste to be inserted relatively deep into the gingival sulcus, without causing trauma to the soft tissue. Deep penetration of the dental paste in the gingival sulcus may help to effectively retract the gingiva from a tooth, and consequently may help to provide an acceptable impression particularly of a preparation margin of a tooth. Other dental procedures may likewise involve application of a dental paste to oral locations with soft tissue, whereby a modification to the needle tip in accordance with the invention prevents trauma to the soft tissue.
In one embodiment, the capsule 22 is filled with paste for dental use. The device 10 may use a capsule 22 having an integrated needle 30 made of the same plastic material as the capsule 22, as depicted in
The non-metal coating 34 may be spray-coated, dip-coated, or over-molded onto the dispensing end 32, and advantageously covers the terminal edge of the metal needle 30, so that upon contact with the soft tissue, no metal touches the soft tissue. Any other suitable means of applying a non-metal coating 34 to a metal needle 30 may be employed other than the means recited above, whether now known or hereafter developed. The non-metal coating 34 may be a rubbery material, such as natural or synthetic rubber, polyethylene, polyethylene propylene, or any other elastomer suitable for use in an oral environment.
Both
While the present invention has been illustrated by the description of one or more embodiments thereof, and while the embodiments have been described in considerable detail, they are not intended to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail. Additional advantages and modifications will readily appear to those skilled in the art. The invention in its broader aspects is therefore not limited to the specific details, representative apparatus and method and illustrative examples shown and described. Accordingly, departures may be made from such details without departing from the scope of the general inventive concept.
Claims
1. A dental paste dispensing device, comprising:
- a metal needle having an attachment end adapted to be attached to a capsule containing the dental paste and a dispensing end with a terminal edge for dispensing the dental paste to a location in a patient mouth containing soft tissue, wherein the dispensing end includes a modification for atraumatic contact with the soft tissue, where the modification comprises one of a non-metal coating on an outer surface of the dispensing end, a plastic tip member over the dispensing end, or a decreasing diameter at the terminal edge from a first point on the outer surface to a distal-most point of the outer surface.
2. The dispensing device of claim 1, wherein the modification is the non-metal coating of a rubbery material.
3. The dispensing device of claim 1, wherein the modification is the plastic tip member comprising a first inner channel engaged over the dispensing end and a second inner channel of larger size than an inner diameter of the dispensing end, where the second inner channel has a flattened oval shape in a static position and a rounded shape in a dynamic position.
4. The dispensing device of claim 3, wherein the plastic tip member further includes a pair of opposed sidewall bumps adjacent and protruding outwardly from the second inner channel for displacing gingiva during delivery of the dental paste.
5. The dispensing device of claim 1, wherein the modification is the decreasing diameter at the terminal edge, where the decrease is non-linear to form a rounded terminal edge.
6. The dispensing device of claim 1, wherein the modification is the decreasing diameter at the terminal edge, where the decrease is linear to form an inwardly slanted terminal edge.
7. The dispensing device of claim 1 further comprising:
- a capsule for containing the dental paste, wherein the attachment end of the metal needle is attached to the capsule for receiving the dental paste into the metal needle.
8. The dispensing device of claim 7 wherein the attachment end of the needle is permanently attached to the capsule.
9. The dispensing device of claim 7 wherein the attachment end of the needle is removably attached to the capsule.
10. The dispensing device of claim 7, further comprising:
- an applicator body including a piston and a trigger mechanism for advancing the piston; and
- a carrier attached at a first end to the applicator body and having a channel therein in which the capsule is positioned for engagement proximate the first end with the piston and having the metal needle extending from a second end distal of the first end for dispensing the dental paste from the capsule through the needle to the dispensing end.
11. A dental paste dispensing device for dispensing a dental composition into a gingival sulcus, the device comprising: a needle having a dispensing end with a terminal edge for dispensing the dental paste to a location in a patient mouth containing gingival tissue, wherein the dispensing end has a decreasing diameter at the terminal edge from a first point on the outer surface to a distal-most point of the outer surface for laterally displacing the gingival tissue atramatically to permit the dental paste to be dispensed into the givigival sulcus.
12. The dispensing device of claim 11, wherein the decreasing diameter at the terminal edge is non-linear to form a rounded terminal edge.
13. The dispensing device of claim 11, wherein the decreasing diameter at the terminal edge is linear to form an inwardly slanted terminal edge.
14. The dispensing device of claim 11, further comprising:
- an applicator body including a piston and a trigger mechanism for advancing the piston; and
- a carrier attached at a first end to the applicator body and having a channel therein for receiving a capsule containing the dental composition, the channel positioned for engagement proximate the first end with the piston and having the needle extending from a second end of the applicator body distal of the first end for dispensing the dental paste from the capsule through the needle to the dispensing end.
15. The dispensing device of claim 11 further comprising:
- a capsule for containing the dental paste coupled to the needle, and a piston for engagement with the capsule for advancing the dental paste into the metal needle toward the dispensing end.
16. The dispensing device of claim 15 wherein the needle is fixedly attached to the capsule.
17. The dispensing device of claim 16 wherein the needle and the capsule are made of different materials.
18. The dispensing device of claim 16 wherein the needle and the capsule are made of the same material.
19. The dispensing device of claim 15 wherein the dispensing end is angled relative to a longitudinal axis of the capsule.
20. The dispensing device of claim 15 wherein the capsule is made of a plastic material and the needle is made of metal and is removably coupled to the capsule.
Type: Application
Filed: Mar 14, 2013
Publication Date: Aug 8, 2013
Applicant: Kerr Corporation (Orange, CA)
Inventor: Kerr Corporation (Orange, CA)
Application Number: 13/826,249
International Classification: A61C 19/06 (20060101);