Patent Application
20220226082
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The disclosure relates to dental crown installation devices and more particularly pertains to a new dental crown installation device for minimizing gum irritation. The present device includes a dissolvable retraction cord. The device may also include a dispenser container that impregnates the dissolvable retraction cord with gel.
The prior art relates to dental crown installation devices. Known devices include retractions cords that are not dissolvable and must be dug out after the installation of the crown. This process can cause gingival irritation and bleeding. Other existing devices include dissolvable stents to treat a periodontal defect, yet do not assist in crown installation.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a container body having a container bottom side, a container sidewall, and an open container top side defining a container inside. A gel solution is coupled within the container body. A lid is coupled to the container body. The lid has a lid sidewall selectively engageable with the open container top side and a lid top side. The lid top side has a dispense aperture extending from an outer face through an inner face thereof. A spool is coupled to the lid. The spool is coupled to the inner face of the lid top side and is submerged within the gel solution when the lid is engaged with the container body. A retraction cord is coupled to the spool. The retraction cord is windingly coupled around the spool and has a cord distal end extending through the dispense aperture of the lid. The retraction cord absorbs, or is coated with, the gel solution. The retraction cord is dissolvable after installation within a person's gum tissue.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
A lid 24 is coupled to the container body 12. The lid 24 has a lid sidewall 26 selectively engageable with the open container top side 18 and a lid top side 28. The lid 24 may be press-fit or threaded to the container body 12. The lid top side 28 has a dispense aperture 30 extending from an outer face 32 through an inner face 34 thereof. The lid top side 28 may have a recessed perimeter portion 36.
A cap 38 is coupled to the lid 24. The cap 38 is hingingly coupled to the lid sidewall 26 to selectively cover or expose the lid top side 28. A rim 40 of the cap may selectively engage the recessed perimeter portion 36 of the lid top side to maintain the cap 38 in a closed position covering the lid top side 28 until pulled open. The cap 38 may have a filleted outer perimeter 42.
A spool 44 is coupled to the lid 24. The spool 44 is coupled to the inner face 34 of the lid top side and submerges within the gel solution 22 when the lid 24 is engaged with the container body 12. The spool 44 may include a spool shaft 46 and a spool end cap 48 extending from the spool shaft 46.
A retraction cord 50 is coupled to the spool 44. The retraction cord 50 is windingly coupled around the spool shaft 46 and held in place with the spool end cap 48. The retraction cord 50 has cord distal end 52 extending through the dispense aperture 30 of the lid. The retraction cord 50 absorbs, or is coated with, the gel solution 22. The retraction cord 50 is dissolvable after installation within a person's gum tissue 54. A cutter 56 may be coupled to the lid 24. The cutter 56 is coupled to the lid top side 28 to cut the retraction cord 50. The cutter 56 may include a base portion 58 and a lip portion 60. The lip portion 60 may be shaped to allow the retraction cord 50 to be cut without exposing any portion that could cut the user's finger.
In use, the dissolving gingival retraction cord apparatus 10 allows for a method of use 70 comprising a step 72 comprising having the dissolving gingival retraction cord apparatus 10. A step 74 comprises cutting a segment 76 of the retraction cord 50. A step 78 comprises inserting the segment 76 around a tooth 80 into the gingival sulcus. A step 82 comprises coupling a crown 84 onto the tooth 80. A step 86 comprises allowing the segment 76 to dissolve.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
