Patent Application
20120009540
The invention relates generally to a tooth whitening device and methods of tooth whitening using the device and, more particularly, to a tooth whitening device that includes a light emitting diode, which exposes the teeth to light and a method of using the device to whitening teeth.
Tooth whitening has become popular with many consumers, as many desire to have a white and bright smile. Conventional tooth whitening generally includes application of a peroxide formulation to effect whitening of the teeth. Conventional light-based whitening devices, which typically emit ultraviolet light and heat, such as from an infrared light source, may be used in combination with the peroxide based whitening composition to accelerate the whitening rate of the composition. Ultraviolet light and infrared light, however, can be hazardous to a user, for example, causing irreversible pulpitis.
In one embodiment, a handheld tooth whitening device includes a body having at least one light-emitting diode (LED) disposed at an end of the body, and a mouthpiece removably attached to the body adjacent the LED. The mouthpiece preferably includes an insertion end having a shape complementary to an arch of the upper and lower teeth of a user. The insertion end of the mouthpiece preferably is sized to be received within the mouth of a user. The insertion end of the mouthpiece preferably includes a wall defining an opening, wherein the wall surrounds buccal surfaces of the upper and lower teeth of the user such that at least a smile zone of the upper and lower teeth of the user is exposed through the opening. Light from the LED is transmitted through the opening in the mouthpiece. The mouthpiece preferably is adapted to focus light from the at least one LED onto the buccal surface of the upper and lower teeth to expose at least the smile zone of the upper and lower teeth to the light.
In another embodiment, a method of using the handheld tooth whitening device described above can include placing the insertion end of the mouthpiece into a user's mouth, and illuminating the upper and lower teeth of the user with light emitted from the LED.
The foregoing and other aspects and advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description and drawings.
Referring to
The LED tooth whitening device 10 can be a handheld device 10 adapted to be placed within the mouth of a user and held in place by the user's hand. The body 12 can have any suitable size and shape. For example, the body 12 can be sized and shaped to fit comfortably within a user's hand. For example, as shown in
The body 12 can have a height h1 suitable to comfortably fit within the hand of the user. For example, the body 12 can have a height h1, as defined from the base end 18 to the LED end 16 in a range of about 2 inches to about 10 inches, about 4 inches to about 8 inches, or about 4 inches to about 5 inches. Other suitable heights h1 can include about 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 inches. In one embodiment, the body 12 has a height h1 of about 4.025 inches.
Referring to
At least one LED 14 is disposed in the body 12 at the LED end 16. For example, the LED 14 can be disposed on a circuit board sized to be received in the body 12 at the LED end 16. Any suitable number of LEDs can be included in the whitening device 10. For example, the device 10 can include about 1 to about 20 LEDs, about 5 to about 15 LEDs, or about 7 to about 10 LEDs. Other suitable numbers of LEDs include, for example, about 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, or 20 LEDs. The LEDs can be arranged in any suitable pattern. For example, ten LEDs can be included in the device 10 arranged in two rows of five LEDs each. A transparent protective panel 22 can be disposed over the at least one led 14. Preferably, the LEDs emit white light, which is a mixture of wavelengths of visible light. Other suitable lights sources include blue light (generally having a wavelength in a range of 450 nm to 475 nm). Other types of electromagnetic radiation, for example, outside the visible spectrum can be used in the device 10. For example, the device can include a source of infrared radiation or ultraviolet light.
The LED end 16 is adapted to receive the removably attached mouthpiece 20. The mouthpiece 20 can be removably attached to the body 12 at the LED end 16 in any suitable manner. For example, the LED end 16 and the mouthpiece 20 can include interlocking complimentary structures to removably attach the mouthpiece 20 to the body 12. In one embodiment, the LED end 16 includes a groove (not shown) adapted to receive a ridge (not shown) disposed on the mouthpiece 20.
The device 10 can be battery operated. Referring to
Referring again to
The mouthpiece 20 is sized and shaped to fit within the mouth of the user. The mouthpiece 20 has an insertion end generally designated 28 and an attachment end generally designated 30. The attachment end 30 is adapted to be removably attached to the body 12 at the LED end 16. For example, the attachment end 30 can include an interlocking structure (not shown) configured to interlock with an interlocking structure at the LED end 16 of the body 12. Any other suitable attachment mechanism can be used to removably attach the mouthpiece 20 to the body 12. The mouthpiece 20 attaches to the body 12 so as to surround the at least one LED 14 disposed at the LED end 16 of the body 12, such that the LED 14 emits light through an opening 34 defined in the attachment end 30 of the mouthpiece 20. For example, the attachment end 30 of the mouthpiece 20 can surround the transparent protective panel 22 overlying the LED 14 at the LED end 16 of the body 12.
The mouthpiece 20 can have, for example, a width at the attachment end 30 that is substantially the same as the width of the LED end 16 of the body 12. For example, the attachment end 30 can have a width w3 in a range of about 1 inch to about 3 inches, about 1.5 inches to about 2.5 inches, or about 1 inch to about 2 inches. Other suitable widths w3 of the attachment end 30 include, for example, about 1, 1.2, 1.4, 1.6, 1.8, 2, 2.2, 2.4, 2.6, 2.8, or 3 inches.
Referring to
The insertion end 28 can have a width w4, for example, in a range of about 1 inch to about 5 inches, about 2 inches to about 4 inches, about 1.5 inches to about 2.5 inches, or about 2 inches to about 3 inches. Other suitable widths w4 include, for example, about 1, 1.2, 1.4, 1.6, 1.8, 2, 2.2, 2.4, 2.6, 2.8, 3, 3.2, 3.4, 3.6, 3.8, 4, 4.2, 4.4, 4.6, 4.8, or 5 inches. The insertion end 28 can have a shape complementary to the arch of the upper and lower teeth of a user. For example, the insertion end 28 can have a crescent shape. The insertion end 28 is sized to be received within the mouth of a user. The insertion end 28 is defined by an insertion wall 32 that the surrounds the buccal surfaces of the upper and lower teeth of the user. The wall defines an opening 34 through which at least a smile zone of the upper and lower teeth of the user is exposed. As used here, “smile zone” refers to at least the upper eight teeth and lower eight teeth located in the front portion of a user's mouth.
The mouthpiece 20 preferably has a height h2 in a range of about 0.5 inches to about 3 inches, about 1 inch to about 3 inches, about 0.5 inches to about 1.5 inches, or about 1 to 2 inches. Other suitable heights h2 include about 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, 0.9, 1, 1.2, 1.4, 1.6, 1.8, 2, 2.2, 2.4, 2.6, 2.8, or 3 inches. In one embodiment, the height of the mouthpiece 20 ensures suitable spacing of the LEDs and the teeth to be whitened to enhance the spatial distribution of the light emitted from the LEDs onto at least a smile zone of the upper and lower teeth of the user.
In use, the light from the LED 14 is transmitted through the mouthpiece 20. The mouthpiece 20 can be shaped, for example, as a taper, to focus the light of the LED 14 onto the buccal surface of the upper and lower teeth, such that at least a smile zone of the user's upper and lower teeth is exposed to the light emitted from the LED 14.
The device 10 can further include a timer to alert the user when a predetermined amount of time for whitening exposure has lapsed. The timer can be configured, for example, to automatically shut-off the device 10 when a predetermined amount of time for whitening exposure has lapsed. The device can 10 also include a notification alarm, for example a beeper, configured to sound when the timer expires to alert the use that the whitening exposure time has lapsed.
The device 10 can be used to whiten teeth either alone or in combination with a whitening composition. For example, the light emitted from the device 10 may function to accelerate the whitening rate of a whitening composition. The device 10 can be used to whiten teeth by having a user place the insertion end 28 of the mouthpiece 20 into their mouth, such that the insertion wall 32 surrounds the upper and lower teeth of the user and at least a smile zone of the upper and lower teeth are exposed through the opening 34 in the insertion end 28. Light is then emitted by the LEDs through the mouthpiece 20 and is focused to illuminate at least the smile zone of the user's upper and lower teeth. The device 10 is held in place by the user. For example, the user can hold the device 10 with a hand. The teeth are exposed to the light emitted from the LEDs for a predetermined amount of time to effect whitening of the teeth. When the device 10 is used in combination with a tooth whitening composition, the whitening composition can be applied to the user's teeth before placing the insertion end 28 of the mouthpiece 20 into the user's mouth. The shape of the mouthpiece 20 allows the insertion end 28 of the mouthpiece 20 to reside in the user's mouth without interfering with or rubbing off any of the whitening composition applied to the user's teeth.
In one embodiment, the method of using the device 10 includes exposing the teeth to the light emitted from the at least one led 14 for a time in a range of about 10 minutes to about 60 minutes, about 15 minutes to about 45 minutes, about 20 minutes to about 30 minutes. Other suitable times include about 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, or 60 minutes. The exposure can be performed as a single exposure for the predetermined amount of time. Alternatively, multiple exposures can be performed. For example, a user can expose the teeth to the light using the LED device 10 for three consecutive exposures lasting 10 minutes each. The exposures can be separated by periods of non-exposure lasting any suitable amount of time. For example the periods of non-exposure can last for a time in a range of about 1 minute to about 15 minutes, about 5 minutes to about 10 minutes, or about 4 minutes to about 8 minutes.
Additional aspects and details of the invention will be apparent from the following example, which is intended to be illustrative rather than limiting.
The effectiveness of an LED whitening device 10 in accordance with the disclosure was studied in connection with use to enhance the whitening effect of a whitening composition. Forty subjects were split into two groups. The subjects of the first group performed tooth whitening by applying a whitening composition and exposing the teeth to a light using the LED whitening device 10. The second group, a control group, used only the whitening composition. All subjects were healthy and had healthy, natural maxillary teeth that were judged to have a Vita shade of A3 or darker. The mean age for the first group was 37.1±16.0, and the mean age for the second group was 36.3±14.4. Each group had a male to female ratio of about 50:50.
The first group exposed their teeth to light using the LED whitening device 10 after application of the whitening composition. The subjects of the first group performed a single exposure that included three consecutive ten minute exposures.
Efficacy was based on human sensory and machine measurements of teeth whiteness using the Vita Shade Score and Colorimeter L* Measurement. It was determined that on average all teeth became statistically significantly whiter after just one treatment using the combination of the whitening composition and the LED device 10 and using the whitening composition alone. Under the Vita Shade Score system, lower scores are lighter colored teeth. A Vita Shade Score ranges from 1 to 16, with 1 representing the lightest color and 16 representing the darkest color. The mean Vita shade improvement of the second group was 3.09 shades (p<0.0001). The mean Vita shade improvement of the first group was 5.65 shades (p<0.0001). These results demonstrate that the use of the LED device 10 enhanced the whitening result by about 50%. The results of the Vita Shade measurements are shown in Table 1.
The results as measured using the colorimeter L* machine were similar. Under the L* measurement system, higher L* scores represent lighter colored teeth. The L* scale ranges from 0 to 100, with 0 representing black and 100 representing white. The mean L* improvement of the second group was 7.93 units (p<0.0001), while the mean L* improvement for the first group was 12.11 units (p<0.0001). The results of the L* measurements are shown in Table 2.
Safety of using the whitening device 10 was determined using the Loe and Silness Gingival Index Scoring (Table 3), VAS Sensitivity Index Scoring (Table 4), and through thorough monitoring of the hard and soft tissue oral health of the subjects. There were no ill effects cased by either use of the whitening composition alone or in combination with the LED whitening device 10. There were also no adverse reactions and no tissue change found except for mild reversible blanching/bleaching of the marginal gingival in about 20% of the subjects studied. The results of the Gingival Index Scoring are shown in Table 3. Under the Gingival Index Scoring system 0 represents no inflammation, 1 represents mild inflammation, 2 represents moderate inflammation, and 3 represents severe inflammation. Neither group showed any statistical worsening of gingival condition (p>0.05).
The results of the VAS Sensitivity Index Scoring are shown in Table 4. VAS Sensitivity Index Scoring ranges from 0 to 10, with 0 representing absolutely no sensitivity and 10 representing the most severe sensitivity. Neither group showed any statistical worsening of teeth sensitivity after treatment (p<0.05).
The invention has been described with reference to specific examples, which are intended to be illustrative only and not to be limiting of the invention. It will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that changes, additions, and/or deletions may be made to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
The benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/357,087 filed Jun. 21, 2010, is hereby claimed, and the disclosure thereof is hereby incorporated by reference herein.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61357087 | Jun 2010 | US |
