The present invention relates to a dental product, for temporary use, which alters the color, size and shape of an individual's teeth, and more particularly to a temporary dental product which can be applied by the individual user or dental professional.
There are many teeth whitening and bleaching products on the market at present. These include various toothpastes, rinses, bleaching strips and trays, and other over the counter products, however, these often produce undesirable and unpredictable results. The bleaching/whitening process is required to be repeated frequently which adds significant cost to the individual. Other methods include more invasive procedures such as bridge-work and laminates which are expensive and usually involve a physical preparation of the person's teeth which is irreversible. A need exists for a coloring and cosmetic product which can provide consistent, reliable results without permanently altering the teeth in a physical manner.
The present invention overcomes the above mentioned disadvantages by providing a dental product that includes a tooth veneer having a cervical edge, an incisal edge, and a pair of proximal edges where the veneer can be temporarily bonded to a natural tooth surface with a temporary adhesive. The words “temporary adhesive” should be understood to include semi-permanent adhesives as well as temporary adhesives. The present invention is a temporary dental veneer for attachment to the labial enamel surfaces of anterior teeth or labial surfaces which have had other restorative dentistry, such as permanent veneers or crowns. The veneer is placed on a tooth having an undesirable appearance in order to alter the appearance of the tooth by displaying a different color, size, or shape than the underlying tooth. In the present invention, the tooth veneer is made from a polymer material which is non-toxic and non-water soluble, and preferably from an ethyl cyanoacetate based polymer. The tooth veneer is preferably formed from either a prefabricated mold or a customized mold of a patient's mouth. In the dental product of the present invention, the veneer is preferably a solid unitary piece and has a thickness from approximately 1/10 of a millimeter to 2/10 of a millimeter. The veneer may be thickest at the center point and is thinnest at the pair of proximal edges, at the incisal edge, and at the cervical edge to resemble a natural tooth's contour. In one embodiment, the veneer may have an approximate uniform thickness throughout the veneer.
In the present invention, multiple tooth veneers may be used by an individual at the same time. In this manner, a second or multiple veneer(s) each having a cervical edge, an incisal edge, and a pair of proximal edges and each capable of temporarily bonding to a second or different tooth surface with a temporary adhesive are used simultaneously by an individual with the first veneer.
In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the temporary veneer has a bottom surface and a bottom rim extends lingually from the bottom surface at the incisal edge for strength and support of the cover piece.
When in use, the dental product of the present invention covers the entire surface of the tooth. This is achieved when the cervical edge of the veneer preferably aligns with the cervical edge of the tooth of the user. The temporary veneer may be applied by the user or the dental professional and is likewise removable by either person. The temporary veneer remains on the tooth of the user for preferably up to seven days, but may be used for less than one day or even one hour. The dental product of the present invention may be produced in pre-selected colors or color enhanced through the use of color modifiers. Preferably, the colors are multiple shades of white. The color is chosen from a shade guide provided to the individual. With one embodiment of the present invention, a user selects a desired color, size and shape for the veneer.
The dental product of the present invention includes a veneer having a bottom surface which receives the adhesive to form a temporary bond with the surface of the tooth. With the present invention, the temporary adhesive used may be clear or opaque. A clear adhesive is used to reflect the color of the natural tooth and an opaque adhesive is used to block the color of the natural tooth. The adhesive may be a gel, a liquid, or a paste.
In a preferred embodiment, a color modifier is used to enhance the color of the tooth. The color modifier may be applied on the inside or outside of the veneer, or mixed into the adhesive. The veneer is then pressed onto a selected tooth. As the veneer is translucent, the color of the veneer which is displayed during use is the color of the underlying adhesive with the color modifier. The appearance of an individual's teeth is thereby altered temporarily while using the veneer. Various combinations of color modifiers may be used with various colored veneers.
In another alternative embodiment of the invention, there is provided a temporary veneer which includes the temporary adhesive material already provided on the rear side of the temporary veneer. In this embodiment, the adhesive material is covered by a removable backing. The user or dental professional removes the backing to expose the adhesive and then presses the veneer onto a selected tooth. In this manner, the rear side of the veneer with the exposed adhesive bonds onto the surface of the selected tooth. The adhesives may include the color modifiers described previously.
The present invention also provides a method of altering the physical appearance of a tooth. The method includes the steps of selecting a tooth with an undesirable appearance and then selecting a tooth veneer with a desirable appearance, preferably based on size, shape, or color choices. In the method of the present invention, the user then applies adhesive to the bottom surface of the selected veneer and presses the veneer with the adhesive onto the selected tooth to temporarily alter its appearance. The veneer may be removed by the user as desired.
In the method of the present invention, the veneer alters the appearance of the tooth by displaying a different color than the tooth or by coverage of an undesirable area of the tooth. In the method of the present invention, the veneer is made from a polymer material which is non-toxic and non-water soluble, preferably an ethyl cyanoacetate based polymer. With the method of the present invention, the veneer preferably has a thickness from 1/10 of a millimeter to 2/10 of a millimeter. Additionally, as mentioned above, the veneer has a center point and may be thickest at the center point. In an embodiment of the method, the veneer may be thinnest at the pair of proximal edges, at the incisal edge, and at the cervical edge. In one embodiment, the veneer has an approximate uniform thickness throughout the veneer. Molding techniques are used to form the veneer of the method of the present invention.
With the method of the present invention, it includes an embodiment where at least a second veneer, and preferably multiple veneers are used simultaneously by an individual with the first veneer. In this embodiment, each of the additional veneers has a cervical edge, an incisal edge, and a pair of proximal edges and is temporarily bonded to another tooth surface with an adhesive.
In an alternative embodiment of the method of the present invention, the veneer has a bottom rim extending from the bottom surface. In each of the embodiments of the methods of the present invention it is preferable that the cervical edge of the veneer is aligned with a cervical edge of the tooth of the user in order to provide the cosmetic effect.
In the methods of the present invention, the veneer is applied by the user or the dental professional and can be removed by either the user or the dental professional. In the methods of the present invention, the veneer remains on the tooth of the user for at least one hour, or one day, and preferably up to seven days. In the methods of the present invention, the veneer is produced in pre-selected colors or with color modifiers applied to the veneer, preferably in multiple shades of white.
In yet another embodiment, the veneers of the present invention are shaped to cover an exposed cervical root area of a tooth for individuals who suffer from a receding gum line. The extended tooth cover is similar to those described previously, but extends cervically/apically above the cervical edge to cover the exposed root (ie, the missing gum section). The temporary veneer is bonded to the tooth with adhesive materials as described previously. The extended area is colored a desired shade of pink, red, or a shade which corresponds to the user's gum color in order to cosmetically blend the veneer into the gum line. The veneer itself may be colored in sections to correspond to the desired color of the tooth and gum, or color modifiers may be used with the adhesives, or a combination of colors added to the veneer and color modifiers added to the adhesive. Removable backings may also be placed on the adhesive area in this embodiment.
The present invention also provides for a kit which includes veneers for each of the various shapes of teeth, such as centrals, laterals, cuspids, and bicuspids as well as the various items and instructions necessary for proper application of the veneers. These items include adhesives and applicators/brushes, files and shaping tools to shape the veneers, handling sticks, an LED light for curing the adhesive, color modifiers, and graphite/plastic scalers to remove any residual adhesive. The dental professional or users therefore have a convenient pre-packaged kit to create tooth coloring and coverage for individuals.
The present invention provides for a dental product and methods of using the dental product which allows temporarily changing the color, size, and shape of an individual's teeth in a cost effective manner without physically altering the teeth. The present invention is a cosmetic temporary veneer which is attached to a single human tooth by a non-permanent adhesive type material. A plurality of veneers can be used to color and/or cover multiple teeth at a single time. Each veneer is shaped and fitted for a particular tooth, and preferably made from a polymer based material. The color of each veneer can be chosen by the person or the person's dentist from multiple pre-selected colors and shades. The dental professional or the user presses the veneer with the adhesive onto the selected tooth to temporarily alter its appearance. The veneers are able to remain on the teeth for a period of several hours and up to one week and can be removed by simply pulling the tooth cover off the individual tooth.
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In order to make individual veneers 12, the manufacturing process requires molds of individual human teeth from an adult human mouth. The mold may be a mass produced generic mold which is made in a variety of sizes, such as central incisors, lateral incisors, and cuspids that are of typical dimensions for an adult human set of teeth. Alternatively, a customized mold may be produced for each individual patient by taking an impression of the patient's mouth. The impression is then poured and dried to make the mold through methods known in the art.
Overall, the manufacture of molds may be completed by standard plastic mold filling or injection molding techniques known in the art. Veneers 12 which are manufactured and cut from films or sheets of material are also within the embodiments of the present invention. As described above, the material used for creating the individual veneers is preferably a non-toxic, non-water soluble polymeric material, such as an ethyl cyanoacetate based material or other suitable plastic which may be approved for use in the mouth.
Molds may also be made for each type of tooth. The veneers 12 are therefore able to be individually mass produced according to the particular tooth—centrals, laterals, cuspids or bicuspids. The individual veneers 12 can be further shaped and filed either at the dentist's office or by the individual at home. The edges and corners may be filed, sanded, or polished to achieve the desired shape whether it is for front teeth, incisors, cuspids or bicuspids.
In
The adhesive 70 may be from a typical temporary dental adhesive known in the art and may be dispensed onto the bottom surface 40 of veneer 12 by known methods in the art, such as dispensers or brushes. The adhesive 70 is selected from known temporary adhesives which are approved for use in the mouth of humans and may be in the form of a liquid, paste, or gel. The term “temporary adhesive” should be understood to include semi-permanent adhesives, as well as temporary adhesives, which form non-permanent bonds. Commercially available light cured glues, such as Kerr Temp Bond Clear, would also work with the present invention. Adhesives which include fluoride may be used, as well as medicinal grade cyanoacrylate approved for use in the mouth. A quantity of adhesive sufficient for bonding the veneer 12 to the tooth surface 66 is required for each veneer 12, usually one to a few drops of the adhesive 70. Bonding time for non-light cured adhesives may vary according to manufacturer. Light cured adhesives bond in less than a minute. The adhesives with the present invention 10 may be clear, opaque, or white in color to aid in the desired cosmetic effect from the veneers 12. A clear adhesive allows for the underlying actual tooth color to reflect more readily through the veneer 12 than an opaque or white adhesive.
A color modifier may also be added to the adhesive 70. Particularly, Kerr Kolor+Plus color modifier when added to Kerr Temp Bond Clear adhesive is preferred. The Kerr Kolor+Plus color modifier has a wide selection of color choices and all are suitable for use with the present invention. In this manner, a veneer 12 with Kerr Temp Bond Clear adhesive on the rear surface 40 which has the desired color modifier of Kerr Kolor Plus added to the adhesive 70 in a desired amount provides the desired cosmetic appearance and color when the veneer 12 is placed onto a tooth, such as tooth 52b. This occurs because the veneer 12 is preferably translucent and the outward appearance of the veneer 12 is altered due to the color of the underlying adhesive 70 with the color modifier. By varying the amount of color modifier added to the adhesive 70, the outward appearance of the veneer 12 is altered. Similarly, different colors are obtained my selecting different color modifiers (ie, whites, grays, yellows, browns, decorative, or combinations thereof). Shade guides can be used as before for assistance in color selection. The individual user or dental professional can add the modifier or the modifier is pre-made in various colors.
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The veneers 12 may remain on the user's teeth for a period of a one hour, (or even less) and up to approximately one week. If desired, the veneers may be worn for less than one day. For removal, the individual user can simply pull the veneers 12 off from their teeth using their own finger tips. The individual user may clean or brush their actual teeth to remove any remaining adhesive residue. If needed, a plastic or graphite scraping tool may also be used to remove adhesive material which remains on the user's teeth. The tooth covers 12 are reusable if not damaged and may be cleaned by a scraping tool to remove remaining adhesive.
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An alternative embodiment of the present invention is shown with reference to
The individual or dental professional uses this embodiment similar to the veneers described previously. The use of this embodiment is more particularly described with reference to
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In the present invention, all of the components for the individual or dental professional to perform the temporary teeth alteration may be combined into a convenient kit. The contents of the kit includes: tooth veneers 12 for each of the various shapes of teeth, such as centrals, laterals, cuspids, and bicuspids; adhesives, applicators, and brushes; files and shaping tools to shape the veneers 12; handling sticks, such as commercially available Veneer Styx; an LED light for curing the adhesive; color modifiers; and plastic or graphite scalers to remove excess or residual adhesive. The kit may also include a size and shape guide composed of tooth templates made of a thin material, such as a polymer film. The tooth templates have images of teeth in different shapes and sizes. Each image is perforated for easy removal from the film to use as a guide to size and shape the veneer for a corresponding tooth. Instructions for the proper application and use of the veneers are also included in the kit. Preferably, the veneers are pre-coated with the adhesive and removable backing material as described previously for convenience of the individual or dental professional.
With each of the embodiments of the present invention, the teeth of the individual are not physically or chemically altered. The individual can have the desired results immediately as opposed to having to go through several treatments over an extended time. Similarly, individuals with tetracycline stains or discoloration from personal habits such as smoking, drinking coffee and tea are able to use the present invention to visually improve their appearance. The present invention may also be used by individuals with discolored fillings for coverage of the undesirable areas. In addition to the benefits mentioned above, the tray of the present invention also provides the individual with the ability to color in a missing or chipped tooth to hide an undesirable physical appearance.
Number | Date | Country | |
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60810164 | Jun 2006 | US |