548results about "Nerve needles" patented technology

Systems and methods related to ultrasonic microtube dental instruments designed to cut around a broken instrument by allowing the broken instrument to be placed within a lumen of the microtube instrument while simultaneously boring with the broken instrument and being guided by the broken instrument.

A system and a method for automating a medical process including a memory storing a software program, a computer connected to the memory for running the software program, a display connected to the computer for generating a visual representation of output data generated by the computer running the program, a user interface connected to the computer for obtaining image data representing a configuration of a patient treatment space and fixed markers in the treatment space and storing the image data in the memory, a robot arm connected to the computer, and a medical tool mounted on the robot arm wherein when a human inputs a selected treatment procedure into the computer, the computer runs the software program to generate a tool path based upon the treatment procedure and the image data, and the computer operates the robot arm to move the medical tool along the tool path without human guidance, and wherein the data generated during the treatment procedure is stored, analyzed, and shared among collaborating computer systems.

A device, method and composition of matter for use in mobilizing a medicament into the dentinal wall of a tooth comprising depositing a charged substance within a cavity of a tooth and subjecting the substance to an electric charge.

Apparatus and methods for endodontic treatment of teeth provide effective cleaning of organic material (such as pulp and diseased tissue) from the root canal system. In an embodiment, a compressor system generates high pressure liquid (e.g., water) that flows through an orifice to produce a high-velocity collimated jet of liquid. The high-velocity jet is directed toward a surface of a tooth, for example, an exposed dentinal surface, and impingement of the jet onto the surface generates an acoustic wave that propagates throughout the tooth. The acoustic wave effectively detaches organic material from dentinal surfaces and tubules. The detached organic material is flushed from the root canal system by the liquid jet and / or by additional irrigation.

Systems and methods for using a liquid jet apparatus for dental treatments are disclosed. In one implementation, the liquid jet apparatus may include a handpiece configured to deliver a high velocity liquid jet to a desired location in the mouth of a patient. The handpiece may include a positioning member having a channel through or along which the jet can propagate. The positioning member may have a distal end portion configured to be at least partially disposed in a pulp cavity, canal space, or opening in the tooth under treatment. During operation, the jet may impact an impingement surface of the distal end portion of the positioning member and be deflected as a spray through one or more openings in the distal end portion. The liquid jet apparatus may be used for root canal treatments.

Method and apparatus for disinfecting and / or sterilizing a root canal system by targeting the water content of disease and debris in the canals. The laser technique of employs a frequency of the wavelength emissions between about 930 to about 1065 nanometers with an optimum of 980 nm. This range of wavelengths targets the water content of tissue cells and pathogens as well as any residual organic debris in water within the root canal system after its preparation while being poorly absorbed by the surrounding dentin. The selection of the optimum wavelength produces significant effects generating and advancing treatment to the targeted aqueous environments. This is due to the rapid energy absorption by the water and the subsequent creation of gas bubbles, liberation of heat and subsequent propulsion of waves of heat and gas that impact along the canal walls and ramifications resulting in an enhanced bacterial kill and cleaning of the canal walls and ramifications. No dyes or other additives are necessary to enhance the effectiveness of the laser kill of bacteria, etc.

An ultrasonic liquefaction endodontic system having a graspable hand piece having a flow passageway therethrough. An ultrasonic energy generator is secured to the hand piece. A flexible injection tube is dimensioned for insertion into a tooth root canal. A source of flushing fluid under pulsed pressure is connected to the hand piece by which fluid pressure pulses having ultrasonic energy superimposed thereon are forced into a root canal.

Systems and methods provide for automated, cyclic delivery and evacuation of a treatment or irrigation solution from a tooth root pulp chamber and pulp canals. A manifold has a base member sized and configured to rest on a crown of an instrumented tooth and a top member sized and configured to couple with the base member to define an inlet chamber and an outlet chamber. The distal end of a needle is passed through an opening between the inlet and outlet chambers and extended distally beyond the base member into a pulp canal. The proximal end of the needle includes an opening in fluid communication with the inlet chamber. A solution is transferred from a fluid supply source to the inlet chamber and through the needle into the pulp chamber and pulp canals. The spent solution is evacuated from the pulp chamber and pulp canals through the outlet chamber.

Methods of using oxidative reduction potential (ORP) water solution that is stable for at least twenty-four hours in dental applications are provided. The ORP water solution can be administered to patients for the routine disinfection of the oral cavity as part of an on-going program of oral hygiene. The ORP water solution can further be used to irrigate and / or disinfect oral tissues and surfaces during dental procedures, oral surgery, or maxillo-facial surgery. Also, the ORP water solution can be administered to treat patients with damage to the oral tissues caused by disease or surgery.

Apparatus and methods for monitoring a tooth may include sensing acoustic energy propagating from regions (such as a root canal system) in and / or near a tooth. The apparatus and methods may be used with root canal cleaning treatments to determine the efficacy of the treatment and / or to reduce risk of post-treatment complications. An acoustic source (e.g., an acoustic transducer and / or a high-speed liquid jet) may be used to transmit energy into a tooth and / or regions near a tooth. An acoustic receiver may be used to detect acoustic signatures of acoustic events (e.g., acoustic echoes and / or acoustic cavitation) occurring in the tooth. The acoustic signatures may be used, for example, to determine the progress of a root canal cleaning treatment and / or the presence or movement of material toward a periapical region of the tooth. Apparatus and methods for monitoring a tooth may include detecting impact of a first jet on a tooth and actuating a second jet in response to detection of the impact.

The present invention relates to a wireless remote control for dental equipment, such as dental scaler tools, dental drills, prophy angles and other rotary instruments. The wireless control switch can control the on and off state of the dental tool, or it can also be programmed to control the speed of the tool by a switch on the tool. The wireless control switch can be in the form of, for example, a foot switch, and replaces manual and foot operated controls formerly connected by cables to the dental tools. This removes a potential safety hazard in the dentist's office and makes the equipment control more versatile and easier to adapt to various office conditions. The wireless control can be battery powered, further eliminating the need for cables.

A dental implant includes a spiral thread for threaded engagement with a passageway formed in bone or tooth to mechanically secure the implant. A hollow stem extends upwardly to provide a passageway to a plurality of outlets at the lower end to fill a mold from the bottom up to develop an abutment ultimately supporting a crown, bridgework, or other prosthetic. The stem includes an end for engagement by a conventional dental hand piece to rotatably insert the implant. The base of the stem may include a hexagonal nut or a double disc for engagement by a dental ratchet for final seating of the implant. The post of the implant may include one or more longitudinally aligned tips that can be cut off to conform the length of the post with the depth of bone or tooth into which it will become inserted. The stem may include one or more longitudinally aligned segments that may be severed to conform the length of the stem with the height of the crown, bridgework or prosthetic. In a variant implant, the post includes a further passageway extending from the passageway in the stem to permit injection of bonding material into the further passageway for discharge through outlets of the further passageway into annular grooves formed in the one about the cavity into which the post is inserted.

Unitary, one-piece plastic molded micro-brushes are provided to remove the smear layer that remains in the root canal and access chamber after the pulp, bacteria, and related irritants have been mechanically and chemically removed from the root canal and access chamber using rotary cutting burs, files and various chemical reagents. The brushes include a handle, shaft or shank and a tapered brush section extending from the distal end of the shank. The brush section includes a plurality of bristles extending radially from a core. The bristles of the root canal brush can be formed in a reverse thread pattern. The brush section of the root canal brush has a diameter of between about 0.1 mm and about 0.2 mm at a tip end and a diameter of between about 0.5 mm and 3 mm at a coronal-most end. The brush section of the root canal brush is about 16 mm long, and has a taper of about 2% to about 12%. In the access chamber brush, the core can be formed as to be spherical, football-shaped, or tapered. The brushes are injection molded from an FDA approved resin.

Dental trays, toothbrushes, and other devices are provided for the active delivery of medicaments into hard and soft tissues, particularly those of the oral cavity. The devices apply an AC voltage with a DC offset to drive medicaments into the tissues.

Disclosed herein is a dental laser-emitting device capable of treating both soft tissue applications and hard tissue applications.

The present invention comprises an endodontic irrigating system that is capable of using ultrasonic energy for the treatment of a root canal and other dental areas. The system comprises at least one and preferably multiple solution reservoirs. The reservoirs are connected to one or more handpieces, which have at least one fluid outlet. The handpiece has at least one control mechanism disposed upon the handpiece for selective delivery of fluids to the dental. Ultrasonic energy is available within the system to be used in connection with another handpiece or handpieces concurrently with fluid flow to the handpiece, such as flow of irrigating fluids.

A method treating a root canal in a tooth by introducing into the pulp chamber of a tooth and pulsing a laser light into the fluid reservoir so as to disintegrate pulp within the root canal without generation of any significant heat in said liquid fluid so as to avoid elevating the temperature of any of the dentin, tooth, or other adjacent tissue more than about 5° C.

An apparatus agitates fluid in a root canal of a living patient during cleaning of the root canal. The apparatus includes a tapered tip member having a proximate end and a distal end for insertion into said root canal. The tip member is vibrated or rotated by a driving device for the tapered tip member, which is connected at a proximate end for connection to the driving device. The tip member is made of an elastomeric, non-cutting material having a smooth surface or a textured surface of non-cutting elastomeric material. Optionally, the tip member may include abrasive particles impregnated therein, or coated thereon.

A method that includes the following effects: the ability to expand, porositize, clean, decontaminate, debride, break-down and / or destroys, or aids and accentuates the dissolution or extraction of biological structures, nerves and tissues. The methodology uses nano-technology and / or other chemistries may or may not be excited by energy sources to expand and porositize the tissue, which enhances the penetration and effectiveness and acceleration of subsequent chemical, mechanical, and / or procedural steps in the protocol or process. Furthermore, the method includes the ability to associate with and / or initiate in the reconstructive growth and healing process associated with healthy tissue after surgery and / or the ability to destroy diseased or necrotic tissues or cells. The method also includes the ability to begin, construct or stage the activation of cells and / or tissues, including the area of transplantation and use in stem or primordial cell accentuation, their attachment and / or stimulation for growth and differentiation.

A device for performing endodontic procedures such as root canals by utilizing ultrasonic energy to debride the root canal space. The device includes a modified shaft assembly and a stainless steel hypodermic needle which concentrates the ultrasonic energy at the tip of the needle. The shaft assembly further includes a threaded housing for attaching the shaft assembly to an ultrasonic generator, an angled shaft attached to the threaded housing, and a hub attached to the end of the angled shaft opposite the threaded housing for reducing the diameter of the bore when the hub is tightened. The angled shaft further includes a bore passing through its length and an aperture passing through the outer wall of the shaft. The aperture is positioned near the larger of the two angles formed by the angled shaft and is oriented in the direction of the hub. The needle is inserted into the aperture and passes through the bore in the angled shaft until it exits the shaft through the hub. The working length of the needle may be adjusted by the practitioner.

An endodontic probe is used to perform disinfection procedures on target tissues within root canal passages and tubules. The endodontic probe can include an electromagnetic radiation emitting fiber optic tip having a distal end and a radiation emitting region disposed proximally of the distal end. According to one aspect, the endodontic probe can include a porous structure that encompasses a region of the fiber optic tip excluding the radiation emitting region and that is loaded with biologically-active particles, cleaning particles, biologically-active agents, or cleaning agents for delivery from the porous structure onto the target tissues. Another aspect can include provision of the endodontic probe with an adjustable channel-depth indicator, which encompasses a region of the fiber optic tip besides the radiation emitting region and which is movable in proximal and distal directions along a surface of the fiber optic tip to facilitate the provision of depth-of-insertion information to users of the endodontic probe.

Various systems, method, and compositions for treating a tooth are disclosed herein. For example, an apparatus for treating a tooth is disclosed. The apparatus can include a chamber having an access port which places the chamber in fluid communication with a treatment region of the tooth when the chamber is coupled to tooth. A fluid motion generator can be coupled to the chamber. The fluid motion generator can be configured to direct fluid across the access port to generate fluid motion in the chamber. In various embodiments, fluid motion (e.g., vortices, swirl, etc.) can be induced at or near treatment regions of the tooth, such as a root canal or carious region.

A dental apparatus is disclosed. The dental apparatus can comprise a pressure wave generator to be disposed at a treatment region of a tooth. The pressure wave generator can include an opening to deliver a flowable filling material to the treatment region. The apparatus can include a reservoir for supplying the filling material to the pressure wave generator. The pressure wave generator can be configured to generate pressure waves through the treatment region to cause the filling material to substantially fill the treatment region.

A laser tip, and method for the use thereof, is described for utilization in medical and dental applications. Specifically, a tip with an increased photoacoustic wave emission capability is formed by beveling the tip and further enhanced by stripping the adjacent sheath. Preferably, this conic and / or stripped tip section is surface modified, for example, by texturing, derivatization or metalization. In the field of endodontics the tip is inserted into a solution that has been introduced into a root canal and the pulsed laser is fired. The resulting generation of an enhanced photoacoustic wave propagates through the solution. These photoacoustic waves turbulently clean the interior of the root and lateral canal systems and / or causes cell lysis and dissolution of inorganics in biotic systems.

An apparatus for treating a tooth or gum tissue is disclosed. The apparatus can include a tooth cap for supporting a treatment device during a treatment procedure. The tooth cap can comprise a platform to support the treatment device. The platform can include an access port to provide a portion of the treatment device with access to a treatment region of the tooth or gum tissue. The tooth cap can also include a wall coupled with and angled relative to the platform, the wall configured to be attached to the tooth or gum tissue during treatment.

A cannula assembly is removably mountable to a syringe body having a pair of side-by-side chambers; there being an opening into each chamber at a bottom of the syringe. The cannula assembly comprises a connector and a dual lumen assembly extending from the connector. The dual lumen assembly comprises a pair of tubes defining two fluid paths. The connector comprises fluid paths which, when the cannula assembly is mounted to the syringe, place the fluid path of one of the tubes in fluid communication with one of the syringe body chambers and the fluid path of the other of the dual lumen tubes in fluid communication with the other of the syringe body chambers.