Patent Application
20080014559
The invention 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:
Generally, a method of the invention provides for partial adhesion of a dental restoration, such as a veneer, to a dental surface, such as a tooth by spot hardening or curing of a dental bonding agent allowing excess bonding agent to be wiped away without displacing the veneer from is final position on the tooth. Once, the excess bonding agent is removed, the remaining bond agent is hardened or cured to fully adhere the veneer to the tooth.
With reference now to
It is desirable the light transmissive member 12 be a fiber optic of a length of about 25 to about 35 millimeters, and a diameter of about 2.5 to about 3.5 millimeters. The upper and lower limits of these dimensions provide the light transmissive member 12 as a suitable gripping element to aid in the handling the dental restoration throughout the entire bonding process including try-in, etching, bonding agent application, and final placement. The proximal and distal ends 14, 22 of the light transmissive member 12 are highly polished. The light transmissive member 12 can be sheathed to prevent interfering with the optical properties thereof. The light transmissive member 12 may be straight or curved to allow better access to the margins of the restoration 20 and to decrease likelihood of interference with the patient's lip or opposing occlusion.
The adhesive 16 is similar to that of orthodontic wax, a commonly available dental product, and has an adhesion which resists the force of air and water spray on the dental restoration 20 yet leaves no residue on the dental restoration when removed. It is also desirable that the adhesive 16 be translucent.
An adaptor 24 is provided for attachment to the light transmitting end 26 of a typical light curing unit intermediate the distal end 22 of the light transmissive member 12 to facilitate directing light from the light curing unit through the light transmissive member. The adaptor 24 includes a longitudinal through passage 28 through which light transmitted from the light curing unit is free to pass. It is desirable the adaptor 24 is formed of an opaque material and is conically shaped. The wide end 30 being sized to for attachment to the light curing unit aligning the light transmitting end 26 with the through passage 28. A pressure sensitive adhesive 32 can be applied to the wide end 30 to facilitate the removable attachment of the adaptor 24 to the light curing unit. The narrow end 34 is adapted to removably receive the distal end 22 of the light transmissive member 12.
In utilizing the dental combination 10 in the methods of the present invention, the light transmissive member 12 is attached at the proximal end 14 by the adhesive 16 at a central location of the outward facing surface 18 of the dental restoration 20. After the light transmissive member 12 is attached to dental restoration 20, the restoration can be positioned on the tooth or tooth model as many times a desired or as is necessary in the various adjusting, color-matching and bonding steps as needed. The dental restoration 20 can also be held by the light transmissive member 12 while the restoration is being adjusted with dental tools by either a technician or the dentist.
Once the dental restoration is ready to be bonded, a bonding agent 42 is applied to a bond surface 36 of the dental restoration 20. Then using the light transmissive member 12 as a handle, the dental restoration 20 is positioned on a prepared tooth surface 38 of a tooth 40 to be bonded, as best shown in
With the dental restoration 20 partially bonded to the tooth 40, the excess bonding agent 42 that extends beyond the margin 46 of the tooth can be wiped clean from the surround surfaces without displacing the restoration. Once the excess bonding agent 42 is wiped clean, the remaining bonding agent 42 can be cured by the light curing unit to fully bond the restoration 20 to the tooth 40. If desirable, the light transmissive member 12 can be removed from the dental restoration 20 subsequent the step spot curing the bonding agent 42, and the adapter 24 can be removed from the light curing unit prior to curing the remaining bonding agent.
This technique can be used to bond several restorations 20 during a single procedure. In this utilization, several dental restorations 20 can be positioned and spot cured on corresponding teeth 40. Once each dental restoration 20 is spot cured and partially bonded to its respective tooth, the excess bonding agent 42 for each restoration can be wiped cleaned simultaneously. Once the excess bonding agent 42 is removed, the remaining bonding agent of each dental restoration 20 can be cured to fully bond the restoration to its respective tooth.
Thus the technique and dental combination 10 illustrated and described increases the efficiency of the bonding procedure by minimizing the amount of time required to position a dental restoration and remove excess bonding agent prior to fully bonding the dental restoration to a tooth, and improves accurate placement a restoration.
A number of embodiments of the present invention have been described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims.
